Colombo has always had its sea. Now, at Cinnamon Life, part of Colombo’s City of Dreams spectacle, there is a new way to muse over its sights with a loved one, from an enchanting hotel room.
Some hotels seem designed for the business traveller, others for families, and very few for the kind of couple who would rather not leave the property once they have checked in. Cinnamon Life manages all three, but for my husband and me, for whom the hospitality experience matters the most, a real joyride awaited us. For us, the attraction was not simply the room; it couldn’t have been. The hotel is part of the US$1.2-billion City of Dreams development, but retains its own identity: 687 rooms, vistas of Colombo and the Indian Ocean, and interiors designed to make the most of natural light. From our windows, the city looked like a shining jewel, with the ocean as its surrounding necklace; almost as if this timeless city, with its colonial past, had been laid out below us to be admired from our vantage point.
Stay, Savour, Repeat
Cinnamon Life and City of Dreams really kept us immersed and, thus, within their walls. We could have gone exploring around Colombo, but, as I said to my husband, “Why leave when one floor leads to another restaurant, another to shopping and another towards, well, let’s just go and see for ourselves?” For dinner, the options were unusually varied. Yoroko turns Japanese robatayaki into an intimate setting of granite, warm timber and Shoji screens. Sapphire Dragon takes the Cantonese route, while Indiya looks to the different culinary regions of India. Quizine is the all-day option, built around live cooking stations, and Bistro des Marées brings a more Mediterranean sensibility. We could change cuisines without changing addresses, and we did. We sampled two of the restaurants mentioned above, and we’ll leave you to guess which ones.
And then came the evening question every couple eventually asks on holiday: “What shall we do now?” A drink seemed like the obvious answer. Gatz, with its sweeping view of the Indian Ocean, made an easy case for lingering over a cocktail; we made that into three. On another day, we explored Flux, on the 24th floor, which offered a different proposition altogether, with the sunset and Colombo skyline becoming part of the experience. And on yet another day, in yet another mood, we spent hours at Dreams & Beats, experiencing it as it transformed from an infinity pool setting by day into a nightlife destination after dark.
Discover. Dine. Unwind.
That rhythm is what made the place work so well for two people. There was enough to do separately, enough to discover together, and enough space in between to simply sit down and watch the city change colour. The scale only became apparent in fragments. There are over a dozen restaurants and bars, a retail mega-space spanning two whole levels, and, would you believe, an entire floor turned into a gaming area. The retail marvel brought together fashion, beauty, jewellery and lifestyle names, but also Sri Lankan brands such as Heritage Sapphires, Spa Ceylon, Mimosa and t-Lounge by Dilmah.
We found that mix particularly appealing: the resort can feel international without losing sight of where it is. And perhaps that is the cleverest thing about Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams. It offers the pleasures of a city break without requiring quite as much movement. Dinner becomes an itinerary. A drink becomes a view. A swim can become an evening out. For couples, especially, there is a particular luxury in that. Ask the husband, who still reminisces about his time at Cinnamon Life as though he wishes it had lasted forever. Or ask me. I’m happy to play along.
Where?
No. 1, 5 Justice Akbar Mawatha, Colombo 00200, Sri Lanka.
- Awarded the ‘Best Food Writer in the Country’ title by the Indian culinary forum, WACS and the Ministry of Tourism, Rupali Dean writes on food and travel. Bakshish Dean, a ‘distinguished chef and writer’ with over 25 years of experience, excels in food styling and photography, while passionately exploring wildlife, forgotten recipes and advanced culinary techniques.
