Cinnamon Grand Colombo

Cinnamon Grand is a five-star hotel with half a century of history and a central base for a first visit. It opened in 1975 as the Hotel Lanka Oberoi and now belongs to the Cinnamon brand of John Keells Holdings, which holds a majority stake in the parent company. The hotel stands at 77 Galle Road in Colombo 3, a short distance from Galle Face Green and the seafront, and it has 475 rooms and 26 suites.

Its restaurants and bars are a big part of the appeal, and the hotel counts around eight venues in total. Nuga Gama recreates a traditional Sri Lankan village within the grounds, where local cooks known as ammes prepare home-style island dishes, and it is one of the easiest places in Colombo to try a range of local food. Breeze Bar is a relaxed, cosy poolside bar, and the Tea Lounge celebrates the island's passion for tea by day before turning into a whiskey lounge at night.

With more than 500 rooms and suites and so many places to eat and drink, it works for families and groups who like to have everything on site, while couples can easily start an evening at the Tea Lounge or Breeze Bar before heading out to eat elsewhere in the city.

The hotel's website handles bookings, and reservations for Nuga Gama have their own phone line. It is worth booking a table there for at least one evening of your stay, and the Tea Lounge is a pleasant place for an afternoon cup of Ceylon tea. Because the hotel is on Galle Road, the main coastal road, it is easy to reach by tuk-tuk or taxi from most parts of the city.

The location makes sightseeing simple. Galle Face Green is within walking distance for a sunset stroll among the kite flyers and snack vendors, Gangaramaya Temple, the Seema Malakaya and Beira Lake are a few minutes inland by tuk-tuk, and the shops and cafés of Kollupitiya, including Barefoot and The Gallery Café, are a short ride south. Isso's prawn restaurant and Cinnamon Red's Cloud Red rooftop bar, on Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, are close by for a casual evening out.