Hotels

Being the first in all

Demi HEWAMANNA

Mount Lavinia Hotel the colonial heritage hotel located in one of the most amazing places in Colombo does take ones breath away when they listen to the story of the beautiful bella Lovinia and her beloved Sir Thomas Maitland who named the hotel after her.

“We have done a lot, launched a new website that’s going great and giving a lot of feedback from the guests”, Mount Lavinia Hotel General Manager Anura Dewapura said who’s a man who never backs down once he got his mind targeted on something. There is a line of events and happenings that the hotel has planned not only for this month but for the whole year and all in all being the “first” in everything.

For August the concept is the Cuban family dinner with a variety of dishes such as Ajiaco Soup with tuber vegetables, Oxtail braised in red wine, prawn Creole and the Cuban rice menu. The venue will be the Tropical Hut and one can come in the beach or tropical attire.

Another hit that is already getting a good feedback is the Slow Food. Slow food is a non profit, eco gastronomic member supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the vanishing of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat originates from, how it tastes and how the choices affect the rest of the world.

The hotel is the first to initiate this concept and it totally endorses that there is a strong link between plate and planet.

On Agust 28 there will be 30 different varieties of Cuban dishes.

On August 30, the hotel will transform its ballroom into a ‘Kitchen stadium’, complete with a large viewing screens with a Boxing Bout along with Chef Lee, a master in Molecular cuisine against Chef Leo an expert in Slow Food to see which of these two chefs is able to ‘best express’ the unique qualities of the them ingredients of each course. There will be eight different episodes, the Chaine members and their guests will experience a hint of drama, suspense and excitement as they savour a total of eight dinner courses.

As the two challenging chefs compete on centre stage to outdo and defeat one another and be worthy of gaining the Diners ovation and Fame of Recognition for his culinary excellence will be the winner. A running commentary will be made where they will ask the guest to tell what they feel about all the taste, style and more.

The latest they have introduced to the hotel is the direct phoning and giving the order to the chef concept. One can call directly to the chef and place a dish of their own liking and have it ready to go at the hotel of outside the hotel.

“Our goal for the coming year is to be the first hotel that is a green hotel and we have already got a consultant Hemantha Ratnayake, who is advising us on how to be green.

We want to be part of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s plan in everything. And we want to reach this within a year as our social responsible duty and also because its good”, Anura added.

This 200 year old heritage holds many stories to unfold in the near future and all one has to do is watch out for all of them. And don’t miss out the one of a kind organic treatment that is taking place this month.

Hotdogs, Cup Cakes and Milk shakes

There’s going to be promotions galore at the Pasticcino, the Pastry shop of the Galle Face Hotel during the month of August.

Pasticcino is now geared up with a mouth-watering and appetizing promotion of one foot Hotdogs, Jumbo Sweet cup cakes with Milk shakes till the August 31.

They will be offering a delightful one foot Hotdog with your favorite fillings and sauces like BBQ Sauce with Coleslaw, Mustard Sauce with Saukrant, spicy Thai Sauce along Asian Salad and Vegetarian Hotdogs at the Pasticcino daily from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm during the promotion. So just go ahead and savour a variety of Jumbo Cupcakes with your favourite fillings such as Chocolate, Banana, Vanilla, Coffee and Orange Flavor at the Pasticcino of Galle Face Hotel!

Lavinia Dream Weddings

Lavinia Dream Weddings has been long established as the destination wedding capital. As romance has long been associated with Mount Lavinia and has made the hotel one of the most popular venues.

Lavinia Dream Weddings at Mount Lavinia Hotel is now known to be the first choice. Wedding planners from the Catering and Conventions Team offer an extensive range of packages and tailor-made wedding services and can organize every aspect of getting married in Sri Lanka. Lavinia Dream Weddings aims to make every wedding special and to create the perfect dream, regardless of wedding party size or budget from the traditional and authentic wedding ceremony synonymous to the destination and unique reception venues to photography, video, cars and floral arrangements.

Whether you’ve planned this day for years, months or just a few weeks, your wedding will be one of the most memorable days of your lives at Mount Lavinia Hotel. Amanda Fernando, Assistant Director Catering and Conventions states, “We ensure that all your Wedding day memories will be good ones.”

The wedding planners from the Catering and Conventions Team are able to witness, time and time again, the pleasure of couples able to relax and enjoy their wedding day, secure in the empathetic understanding that they have everything under control to make the happy occasion romantic, fun and stress-free. Mount Lavinia Hotel: the enchanting British Colonial Heritage Hotel, consists of glossy wooden floors, carved ceilings and generous windows open to the sea breezes.

This luxury heritage hotel consists of many wedding halls that are architecturally and beautifully structured and holds the same allure it has held for many years and continues to be a source of a unique venue amidst grandeur of a destination, to have a wedding. Anura Dewapura, General Manager of the Hotel guarantees, “The hotel is located a few minutes away from the city with a picturesque view of a beautiful tropical coastline and I ensure no road closures will ever occur hence you can get married on time and indeed to the auspicious time.”

Thus for many years, many have chosen Mount Lavinia Hotel as their wedding location.

The true challenge of making Mount Lavinia Hotel the venue for your wedding is of an entirely different nature: choosing the ideal wedding theme and varied range of picturesque wedding venues that’s nothing short of picture perfect.

The choices range from grand colonial style halls with or without outdoor pavilions to outdoor locations such as the beach, and terrace featuring spectacular views of the ocean and beautiful gardens of lush vegetation.

A culinary expedition of seven days

Since the earliest voyages of Vasco Da Gama, Christopher Columbus and other remarkable travelers, indulging in the variant cuisines of the places they visited is deeply etched in the books of history.

From the shores of the leisurely Carribean Islands to the mysteries of Japan’s mountains ... from the rich cultural heritage of Mexico to the serenity of the Mediterranean landscapes ... from the alluring beauty of palms and the warmth of people of the Tropical Islands to the calm of the Middle Eastern deserts we invite you to join us on a culinary expedition of these great lands. For each day of the week commencing 01st August, Latitude at the Taj Samudra puts together the finest of menu’s from seven diverse culinary lands.

Mexican Monday:

Crispy Burritas and Tortilla Soup. Scrumptious Castillian Duck or Pork Ribs in Green Sauce and of course the signature Tequila mousse to mention a few of the delights.

Italian Tuesday:

An action station for the finest of authentic pasta, Bocconcini with sun - dried tomatoes, Chicken and cheese lasagna with spinach and a host more to tickle your taste buds.

Japanese Wednesday:

For this cuisine with increasingly greater popularity, our repertoire of dishes include the best of Quick seared bonito sashimi, Nigiri sushi, Nagasaki style braised pork and delightful Japanese Jelly to sum up.

Mediterranean Thursday:

Treats you to marinated Seafood salad, Mousaka, Baked red snapper with bread crumbs and tomatoes. Also all time favourite Caesar Salad made to order and a host of breads and spreads to match.

Tropical Islands - Seafood Specials Friday:

The best Tropical Islands fresh seafood dished up in the most delicious manner be it baked Crabs or Grilled fish with lemon butter sauce.

Caribbean Saturday:

The most delicious dishes from the Islands Of The West Indies be them Jamaican beef patties to Oven roasted pork or Dominican style rice with shrimp and tomatoes.

Middle Eastern Sunday:

Zuccini and eggplant salad, Baba ghanouj, an action station of the finest Ground meat kebab with condiments, Potato cake with lamb and apricot filling including sweet deights like Baklava almond cream caramel will take you to this land of a rich cuisine culture.

Early Seating Discounts!!!

Seat yourself between 7:00pm to 8:00 pm and be entitled to a 15% discount

Seat yourself between 8:00pm to 9:00 pm and be entitled to a 10% discount

Prayer room at the Galadari

Galadari Hotel, the only Halal five star hotels in Colombo offers a private prayer room for all their Muslim clientele during the month of fasting.

A grand dinner buffet with a variety of Salads, Soups, Main Dishes and Desserts will be spread out at the Sheherezade Arabic Restaurant to celebrate Eid UL Fitr on 20th August to 21st September. The buffet will include specialty Arabic main dishes and sweets. Some of the favourites such as Canji, Faluda, Arabic Sweets, Basboosa, Lassi, Buriyani, Magluba Rice, Kebabs, Shawarma and many more delicious items will be available at the dinner buffet.

The Café 64, Pastry Shop will also offer varieties of items from Chicken Pies, Gothamba Roti, Vegetable Samosa, Spring Rolls, Fish Patties, Fish Cutlet, Pasthol, Sahan Biriyani and many sweet treats which will be available. Take away orders are accepted as well.

A Special break fast buffet banquets could be arranged at the guest’s request.

New GM at Taj Exotica

V.K. Prasad has taken over as General Manager for Taj Exotica, Bentota.

Prasad brings a wealth of 25 years of experience with the Taj Group in Hotel Operations spanning across important metro’s of India and the idyllic Maldive Islands too. Prasad has the know-how and expertise across Super Luxurious leisure properties, Premium Business hotels and the new age, mid segment hotels.

From Taj Mahal Hotel - New Delhi, Taj Connemara - Chennai, Taj Bengal - Calcutta and The Gateway Hotel - Surat, Prasad has played a significant role not only at these individual properties but in the groups overall Food & Beverage service development and style.

Today aspects of this service style have even become global benchmarks in the hospitality industry. In the Maldive Islands too, V.K Prasad made his mark by his ability to customize and cater to the diverse needs of leisure travelers from around the world.

With over a decade of hospitality in Sri Lanka, Taj Exotica Bentota has built a loyal base of clientele both in Sri Lanka and particularly in overseas markets in Asia and most of Europe. Says Prasad of the new era of tourism with peace in the country “Sri Lanka is about to witness the fresh era for tourism as an industry.