https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/ Notes on Colombo, the hotel, the spa and the two restaurants, from Colombo Court Hotel & Spa in Colombo 3. en-gb Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:17:48 +0530 https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/where-to-eat-in-colombo-3/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/where-to-eat-in-colombo-3/ Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Food & Drink Our answer to the question guests ask most: where to eat on foot in Kollupitiya, where to take a tuk-tuk, and what to know about Sundays and Poya days. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/getting-from-the-airport-to-colombo-3/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/getting-from-the-airport-to-colombo-3/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo About 35 km and 45 to 60 minutes, with four ways to make the journey. How each one works, what to do after a 3am landing, and where to change money. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/high-tea-in-colombo/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/high-tea-in-colombo/ Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Food & Drink What high tea means in a country that grows its own tea, what is served on the stand, what it costs at Colombo Court, and the best time of day to book it. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/what-carbon-neutral-actually-means/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/what-carbon-neutral-actually-means/ Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Sustainability Colombo Court was the first city hotel in South Asia to be certified CarbonNeutral. Here is what that means in our building and in how we run the hotel. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/best-time-to-visit-sri-lanka/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/best-time-to-visit-sri-lanka/ Sat, 29 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo The island has two monsoons at different times of year, so there is no bad season, only the wrong coast. Month by month, where to go and when prices are lower. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/two-days-in-colombo/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/two-days-in-colombo/ Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo Most visitors give Colombo one night on the way to somewhere else. Two days is enough to enjoy the city properly, and this is the order we recommend. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/things-to-do-in-colombo-3/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/things-to-do-in-colombo-3/ Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo Kollupitiya lies between Galle Road and the sea, and most of its highlights are within a twenty-minute walk. Here is what to see, and in what order. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/balinese-or-ayurvedic/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/balinese-or-ayurvedic/ Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Wellness They are not two versions of the same treatment. One works on the muscles, the other on the whole body, so the choice depends on how you want to feel afterwards. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/sri-lankan-breakfast-explained/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/sri-lankan-breakfast-explained/ Sat, 15 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Food & Drink Hoppers, string hoppers, pol sambol, kiribath and a curry before eight in the morning. What each dish is, how to eat it, and why it is worth getting up for. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/why-our-rooms-face-inward/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/why-our-rooms-face-inward/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel Every window here looks onto a planted garden rather than out at the city. It began as a practical solution when the building was converted. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/working-from-colombo/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/working-from-colombo/ Sat, 08 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel Internet, time zones, power and the best places to work. A practical guide for anyone planning to work remotely from Sri Lanka for a week or more. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/colombo-when-it-rains/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/colombo-when-it-rains/ Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo Two monsoons, and neither of them ruins a visit. What rain in Colombo is really like, how to spend a wet hour, and why the rainy months are good value. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/how-many-days-in-colombo/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/how-many-days-in-colombo/ Sat, 25 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo One night, two days or four? A practical answer for a city that many people treat as an airport stop, from a team who want you to enjoy it. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/getting-around-colombo/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/getting-around-colombo/ Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo How each way of getting around works, when walking is faster than driving, how to avoid being overcharged, and the train journey worth planning a morning around. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/what-to-pack-for-sri-lanka/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/what-to-pack-for-sri-lanka/ Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo Thirty degrees and humid every day, temples with a dress code, cold air conditioning and sudden rain. A short packing list, since most things can be bought here. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/is-colombo-worth-visiting/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/is-colombo-worth-visiting/ Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo It has few major monuments, it is less photogenic than Galle, and many guidebooks suggest skipping it. Here is a fair case for and against, from a Colombo hotel. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-short-guide-to-ceylon-tea/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-short-guide-to-ceylon-tea/ Sat, 11 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Food & Drink Why the country is Sri Lanka but the tea is still Ceylon, how growing altitude affects the flavour, and how to buy good-quality tea to take home. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-first-spa-visit/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-first-spa-visit/ Wed, 08 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Wellness What to wear, what happens to your clothes, how much pressure to ask for and whether to talk. Common first-time questions, answered clearly so you can relax. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/eco-friendly-hotels-in-colombo/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/eco-friendly-hotels-in-colombo/ Sat, 04 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Sustainability Many hotels in Colombo describe themselves as green. Here are the questions worth asking to understand what a hotel really does, and how we answer them ourselves. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/weddings-and-events-in-colombo/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/weddings-and-events-in-colombo/ Wed, 01 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel Capacities, the monsoon question, what a venue should tell you upfront, and the case for a small wedding in a garden rather than a large one in a ballroom. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-weekend-in-colombo-stay-eat-unwind/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-weekend-in-colombo-stay-eat-unwind/ Wed, 11 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo Two nights in the city, for a visitor or for a local who needs one. A plan built around a garden in Colombo 3, with the best of the neighbourhood folded in. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/what-makes-a-boutique-hotel-and-what-makes-this-one/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/what-makes-a-boutique-hotel-and-what-makes-this-one/ Wed, 14 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel The word gets used for anything under a hundred rooms. Here is what it should mean, and how Colombo Court measures up against it, honestly. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/housekeeping-week-the-people-behind-every-room/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/housekeeping-week-the-people-behind-every-room/ Wed, 08 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel Every September we stop for a week to celebrate the team who make the beds, fold the towels and notice the details. Competitions, swans, and a lot of laughter. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/an-intimate-event-at-amber-poolside/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/an-intimate-event-at-amber-poolside/ Wed, 10 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel Birthdays, baby showers, engagements, team dinners and proposals in a garden in the middle of Colombo 3. What the space is like by day and by night, and how to book it. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/five-treatments-at-the-court-spa/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/five-treatments-at-the-court-spa/ Wed, 13 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0530 Wellness Balinese, hot stone, deep tissue, aromatherapy or reflexology: the differences matter more than the names suggest. Our therapists explain which to book and why. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/colombo-court-for-business-travellers/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/colombo-court-for-business-travellers/ Wed, 16 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel A boutique hotel in Colombo 3 with a meeting room for thirty, a library for eight, fast Wi-Fi and a garden that lets you switch off between meetings. The practical case. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/from-scrap-to-sculpture-the-recycled-art-at-colombo-court/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/from-scrap-to-sculpture-the-recycled-art-at-colombo-court/ Wed, 18 Jun 2025 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel Every sculpture, lampshade and fountain here began as something thrown away. Why we chose to build with discarded metal, and the artists who made it beautiful. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/cloud-cafe-and-bar-after-dark/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/cloud-cafe-and-bar-after-dark/ Wed, 21 May 2025 09:00:00 +0530 Food & Drink Where to go in Colombo at night is a question with a short answer if you are staying with us. The roof opens at half past five, and this is how an evening there goes. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/fourteen-things-you-might-not-know-about-colombo-court/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/fourteen-things-you-might-not-know-about-colombo-court/ Wed, 06 Nov 2024 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel The tree is made of bicycles, the fountain was a cement mixer and the bar stools were tractor seats. A list for the curious, from the lobby ceiling to the bedside lamps. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/why-host-your-event-at-colombo-court/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/why-host-your-event-at-colombo-court/ Wed, 04 Sep 2024 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel Five venues in one building, none of them a ballroom. The garden, the roof, The Loft, the Scarlet Room and the library, with what each does best and how many it holds. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/beach-clean-ups-on-world-environment-day/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/beach-clean-ups-on-world-environment-day/ Wed, 12 Jun 2024 09:00:00 +0530 Sustainability Two years running, our team have spent the morning of World Environment Day on a Colombo beach with sacks and gloves. What we found, and why we keep going back. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-hen-weekend-in-colombo/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-hen-weekend-in-colombo/ Wed, 14 Feb 2024 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel A weekend away with your closest friends does not need a flight. A suite, a pool, a spa and a rooftop in Colombo 3 cover most of what a hen weekend is for. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-destination-wedding-in-sri-lanka/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-destination-wedding-in-sri-lanka/ Wed, 15 Nov 2023 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel The island does beach, jungle, tea-country and city weddings equally well. The legal steps, what to wear in the heat, and why the reception often ends up in Colombo. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/how-to-get-the-most-from-your-massage/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/how-to-get-the-most-from-your-massage/ Wed, 13 Sep 2023 09:00:00 +0530 Wellness An hour on the table is an hour you have paid for and travelled for. Small things before, during and after that make the difference between nice and genuinely restorative. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/arriving-after-a-long-flight/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/arriving-after-a-long-flight/ Wed, 17 May 2023 09:00:00 +0530 Wellness Colombo is where most journeys to Sri Lanka begin, often at four in the morning. How to use the first day, and which treatments at The Court Spa reset the body fastest. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/the-art-and-the-architecture-room-by-room/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/the-art-and-the-architecture-room-by-room/ Wed, 08 Feb 2023 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel Colombo Court sits in the city’s artistic quarter, a few streets from Geoffrey Bawa’s old office. A walk through the hotel, and the makers behind what you see. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/sri-lankan-food-a-first-guide/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/sri-lankan-food-a-first-guide/ Wed, 09 Nov 2022 09:00:00 +0530 Food & Drink Rice and curry is a category, not a dish. What the regions cook, what the words mean, and the eight things to order in your first week. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/before-you-travel-to-sri-lanka/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/before-you-travel-to-sri-lanka/ Wed, 24 Aug 2022 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo Ten practical things about money, tuk-tuks, temples, food and the weather that make the first days easier, from people who live here. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/seven-sinhala-phrases-for-your-trip/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/seven-sinhala-phrases-for-your-trip/ Wed, 11 May 2022 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo English will get you anywhere in Colombo. A few words of Sinhala will get you a bigger smile, a better price and, occasionally, a second cup of tea. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/the-kandy-esala-perahera/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/the-kandy-esala-perahera/ Tue, 10 Aug 2021 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo Ten nights of drummers, dancers, whip-crackers and elephants through the streets of Kandy. Which night to choose, when to be in your seat, and how far ahead to book. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/vesak-in-colombo/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/vesak-in-colombo/ Tue, 25 May 2021 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo The full moon of May is the holiest day in the Buddhist year, and Colombo celebrates it in the street. What the festival marks and how to see the best of it. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/earth-hour-and-earth-day-lights-off/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/earth-hour-and-earth-day-lights-off/ Thu, 22 Apr 2021 09:00:00 +0530 Sustainability Twice a year the lobby, the garden and the poolside go dark for an hour and the candles come out. What the two dates mean, and what we do the rest of the year. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/colombo-fort-on-foot/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/colombo-fort-on-foot/ Wed, 20 Jan 2021 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo The oldest part of Colombo is compact enough to walk in two hours. A route past the lighthouse, the clock tower, the restored banks and the Dutch Hospital. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/galle-face-green-at-sunset/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/galle-face-green-at-sunset/ Wed, 07 Oct 2020 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo Colombo’s seafront lawn is where the city comes out in the evening. When to go, what to eat from the carts, and what you are looking at along the skyline. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-visit-to-the-boys-industrial-home-before-perahera/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-visit-to-the-boys-industrial-home-before-perahera/ Wed, 05 Aug 2020 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel Each year, before the Esala Perahera, our team take a car load of food to a children’s home in Colombo. It has become the quietest tradition we have. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/avurudu-the-sinhala-and-tamil-new-year/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/avurudu-the-sinhala-and-tamil-new-year/ Mon, 13 Apr 2020 09:00:00 +0530 Colombo Every April the whole country stops for the New Year. What the rituals mean, what to eat, and why Colombo goes quiet for two days. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/linen-for-the-childrens-ward-at-idh/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/linen-for-the-childrens-ward-at-idh/ Wed, 04 Mar 2020 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel When dengue filled Sri Lanka’s infectious diseases hospital past its capacity, the shortage was not beds but sheets. That is something a hotel can help with. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/tree-of-the-year-sri-lanka-came-to-the-poolside/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/tree-of-the-year-sri-lanka-came-to-the-poolside/ Wed, 22 Jan 2020 09:00:00 +0530 Sustainability A competition to find the trees that matter most to Sri Lankan communities needed a venue for its awards. It chose a hotel built around its own old trees. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-honeymoon-in-colombo-and-suite-305/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/a-honeymoon-in-colombo-and-suite-305/ Wed, 16 Oct 2019 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel Most honeymooners see Sri Lanka from the beach and the hills. A night or two in the city is worth adding, and Suite 305 is where we put you. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/good-market-approved/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/good-market-approved/ Tue, 20 Aug 2019 09:00:00 +0530 Sustainability Good Market only lists businesses that are good for the planet, good for the country and good for you. Here is what they looked at before adding a hotel. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/south-asias-first-carbonneutral-city-hotel/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/south-asias-first-carbonneutral-city-hotel/ Wed, 05 Jun 2019 09:00:00 +0530 Sustainability How a small hotel measured every kilogram of carbon it produced, cut what it could and offset the rest, and why we mark the anniversary on World Environment Day. https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/the-film-cnn-made-about-colombo-court/ https://www.colombocourthotel.com/blog/the-film-cnn-made-about-colombo-court/ Tue, 14 May 2019 09:00:00 +0530 The Hotel In 2014 CNN sent a crew to Alfred House Avenue to film how five old office buildings became a hotel. The film still explains us better than we can.