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The Regency: History and shopping arcade under one wing
Ruwini JAYAWARDANA
RENOVATED: Stepping into the newly renovated south wing of
Galle Face Hotel takes you on a journey to
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Chairman Sanjeeva Gardiner with guest Arthur C. Clarke |
the past and a shopping bonanza of the present.
Boasting of 82 rooms that consist of a multitude of jacuzzis and
suites catering to both business and leisure travellers, “The Regency”
offers its guests a kaleidoscope of fantastic special restaurants, a
shopping arcade, piazza, a museum, an exclusive spa with a variety of
Asian treatments and many more.
Built on a rich heritage and dubbed as “Asia’s Emerald on the Green”,
Galle Face Hotel has been at the heart of Sri Lanka’s main city since
1864.
It is known to be the heritage hotel overlooking the Indian ocean and
its old world charm, woven into the fine architecture of the Victorian
era, had captured many Heads of States and royalties during their visits
to the island.
Opening another chapter in history, Galle Face Hotel reopened its
newly furnished South Wing to bring
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ELEGENCE: Some of the displays at the opening of “The Regency” |
together modern day luxuries with the past.
Eleven different outlets and an interesting shop mix: salons,
slimming centres, candle shops, perfumeries, botiques of designer
jewellery and watches, Gandhara (gift shop),
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STAR EXHIBIT: Prince Philip’s first car on display at the museum
-Pictures by Mahinda Vithanachchi |
book shops, pastry shops such as the Pasticcino, a unique tea lounge
are all open to guests from March 19.
The star exhibit of “The Regency” is no doubt the first car that
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, bought for himself.
The car is a 1935 model Standard Nine bearing registration number:
X8468 and purchased in 1940 at the cost of sterling pounds 12.
Picture galleries of scenes of cultural sights and pictures of past
colonial Sri Lankan leaders along with replicas of artifacts of
different era are also on display.
Memorabilia photographs and articles of royal and VIP visits to Galle
Face Hotel since 1864 adore the museum walls. The hotel is also the only
city hotel in the isle with a wine cellar consisting of wines imported
from 10 different countries.
Savour Sri Lanka! - a culinary tour around
COUNTRY: Sri Lanka’s premium spices, exotic cuisine, and
world-renowned tea production have tremendous potential to create more
jobs and better earnings for the island’s many spice farmers and
processors - as well as the tourism business - if only the rest of the
world were more aware of what this country has to offer the discerning
palate.
Last week’s successful tour of seven US-based food industry
professionals including chefs, journalists, ad
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Sharing Lanka’s gastronomic secrets
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importers, dubbed ‘Savour Sri Lanka’, has gone a long way to
share the secret of Sri Lankan gastronomy with an international
audience.
Working together, The Spice Council of Sri Lanka, Tourism Cluster,
and the USAID-funded Competitiveness Programme, developed a ‘culinary
tour’ of the island.
Teaming with US spice consultant Peter Furth, they hosted a group of
prominent food writers, chefs, and spice traders from the United States
to experience the food, spices, tea and cuisine of Sri Lanka.
Culinary tourism is a new but fast-growing niche market that attracts
tourists to a ‘featured’ country or region and their unique offerings of
authentic local cuisine as well as its gourmet food products.
Culinary tourists tend to travel farther and spend more than the
average tourist on their trips to learn about a country’s food, cooking
and eating traditions.
Clearly, Sri Lanka is well positioned to compete with its special
offerings. Culinary tourism promotes both tourism and the country’s
gourmet or premium food exports. It builds a reputation that benefits
today’s businesses as well as those of tomorrow.
The group arrived in the island February 7, and visited places like
Dambulla, tea estates in the hill country, Galle, and cinnamon-growing
regions. They will spend the final two days of their week-long tour in
Colombo.
When they return home, the participants will write magazine articles
and produce segments for television shows recounting they have seen and
learned during their tour of Sri Lankan restaurants and food industries.
This exposure promises a boost in exports of spices, tea, and other
processed foods that should help Sri Lanka compete for a share of the
small but growing ‘culinary tourism’ niche market of global travellers.
The delegation’s seven members include: * Peter Furth - former CEO of
American Spice Traders Association, former spice importer and currently
a consultant to The Competitiveness Program (TCP) and leader of the
delegation; * Ann Wilder - Founder of Vann Spices (a spice importer and
distributor in the US) who played a big role in introducing exotic
spices in the US; * Peter Timmins - One of only 58 American certified
master chefs and executive chef of the Greenbrier Luxury Resort, opened
in 1778; * David Rosengarten - Cookbook author, travel writer and TV
journalist, best known for his TV food/cooking show ‘Taste’ who has
hosted or co-hosted 2,500 shows; * John Martin Taylor - Food write,
speaker and cooking instructor; * Anna Wolfe - Editor of Gourmet News
Magazine; * Tom Head - Former editor of the food and wine section of the
Wasinghtonian - now he is an independent food and travel writer.
Ice Cream Fiesta at Ceylon Continental
PROMOTION: Drown yourself in loads and loads of Ice Cream at
the Ice Cream Fiesta which will be held at
Ceylon Continental Hotel Colombo - La Patisserie de Paris from March
23-30.
Savour “Coupe Italiana” - 2 scoops Coffee Grande, 1 scoop of Vanilla,
roasted Almond and Kahlua sauce with Biscotti, Coupe Pear Belle Helene
with 2 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Ice Cream, half fruit of
poached pear, roasted Nuts with Chocolate fudge sauce, Coupe Summer
Night Dream - Strawberry compote, 2 scoops Vanilla Ice Cream with
Strawberry Ice Cream, Whipped cream and roasted sliced Almond.
Also there will be Coupe Trutty fruity - 2 scoops fruit and nut Ice
Cream, 1 scoop Toffee Caramel Ice Cream with whipped cream and Coupe
Sweetheart - 2 scoops Jaggery nut, 1 scoop of cookie cream, whipped
cream and strawberry. Coupe Brazilliana with Mango Ice Cream will be on
offer for all the Ice Cream lovers, says Public Relations Executive,
Ceylon Continental Onitha Gurugalla.
Milkshakes of your choice will also be available at the Pastry shop -
La Patisserie de Paris like Chocolate Milkshake. Mango Milkshake,
Strawberry Milkshake, Vanilla Milkshake, Coffee Grande Milkshake, Cookie
Cream Milkshake and Toffee Caramel Milkshake. |
