Of golf courses, peacocks and kite flying – Shangri-La offers it all on the menu
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A view of the hotel
HAMBANTOTA – Shangri-La’s newest resort, and the first in Sri Lanka, opened in Hambantota last week with a grand ceremony graced by President Maithripala Sirisena and senior, Hong Kong-based officials of the hotel chain. However the lavish and elegant ceremony was unfortunately marred by a fire. Sparks from a burst of fire crackers which lit up the evening skies and the expansive 145-acre property fell onto a straw-roof near the pool, setting it ablaze. Strong winds from the sea and lagoon hampered fire fighting by a fire truck that had been on stand-by for the trip.
The 300 +room property is probably the first global Asian brand to open in decades in Sri Lanka and is a precursor to the group’s Colombo hotel which opens by end 2017. Though to many Sri Lankans, the Shangri-La Hambantota Resort & Spa is at the other end of nowhere (230 km to the south), the area has developed so much under the former regime that Mahinda Rajapaksa’s showpiece city have facilities that are waiting to be used, pleading actually! Like for instance the empty and eerie corridors of the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport, convention centre and port. For those who are unaware, there is a daily flight to Hambantota now by Cinnamon Air and it’s faster to get to here (one hour) than drive to Kandy (3-4 hours), if you are willing to pay a little extra.
Interested? Then contact the hotel or your travel agent as the hotel is offering some great, affordable holiday packages in a 3-month promotion campaign. Even interesting is playing a round of golf – of course as a beginner – at no charge, other than a fee for the use of the equipment! Watch out for an occasional peacock emerging from the shrub at the 18-hole course. You wouldn’t want to hurt these beautiful creatures. The rooms and suites offer greats views of either the golf lawns, lagoon, or waves of the Indian Ocean. The rooms are large and spacious with the additional advantage of being located in wings which are separate for families and couples seeking privacy and romance with separate pools.
Great for romancing couples. Officials said the hotel is ideally place for both MICE – meeting, conventions and incentives) and leisure travellers. Being in close proximity to the Hambantota port, the resort is also hoping to attract cruise liners. The hotel and the golf course – Shangri-La’s Golf and Country Club – opens proper mid-June while the June 1 opening was a formal event. For meetings and conventions, the 2,525 square-metre multi-purpose ballroom can house more than 1200 guests while three other function rooms can accommodate altogether 100 people.
Two other smaller rooms can accommodate up to 84 persons, together, making the resort ideal for conventions, conferences or meetings of any size. Providing a first-hand window into the local culture, the Kadamandiya Village enables guests to learn about the artistry of rural craftsmen that keep the traditions of Sri Lanka alive. An interesting activity for children, and probably the first in any resort, is kite flying with the great Hambantota winds to help the kite along.
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