Five-star Galle Face, Colombo
Taj Samudra
Three hundred rooms facing Galle Face Green and the Indian Ocean, set in eleven acres of lawns with a wedding hall from the 1860s on the grounds.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Rooms
- 274 rooms and 26 suites
- Grounds
- 11 acres of lawns and gardens
- Renovated
- About USD 20 million, reopened March 2018
- From the airport
- About 40 minutes from CMB
The hotel
The first Taj in Sri Lanka.
Taj Samudra was the first hotel the Indian Taj group opened in Sri Lanka, and its owning company, TAL Lanka Hotels, dates from 1980. It sits across the road from Galle Face Green, on eleven acres of lawns and tropical gardens. The Colombo Club keeps its rooms on the grounds, and the Crystal Building, from the 1860s, now hosts weddings. The parent group traces back to the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, opened in 1903.
A renovation of about USD 20 million, carried out in two phases, brought the hotel back in March 2018. It added a new pool and fitness centre, seated check-in desks and refitted rooms of about 49 square metres. The hotel stayed open through the years of conflict, and a Presidential floor with the TATA Suite can be closed off for state visits. Rooms face the Indian Ocean or the city.
- The gardens Eleven acres of lawns facing Galle Face Green, with tennis and squash courts.
- Afternoon tea Served in The Lattice, the lobby lounge, with Sri Lankan teas and local sweets and savouries.
- Taj Club Rooms with access to the club lounge and a butler.
Rooms & suites
Ocean on one side, city on the other.
274 rooms and 26 suites, facing the Indian Ocean or the city, with marble bathrooms and tubs.
- Rooms Luxury rooms About 49 square metres (530 square feet), with ocean or city views.
- Club Taj Club rooms Club lounge access and butler service.
- Top suite TATA Suite On the Presidential floor, which can be closed off for official delegations.
Dining
India, China and Japan on Galle Face.
Venues as listed by the hotel. No MICHELIN guide covers Sri Lanka. Shown for information.
- Navratna Indian In the hotel
- Golden Dragon Chinese, Szechuan In the hotel
- YUMI Japanese Restaurant and bar
- Ports of Call All-day dining Open 24 hours
- The Lattice Lobby lounge Afternoon tea
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by noon. The hotel arranges airport transfers on request.
- Children Welcome. Children receive an activity passport on arrival.
- Pets Not accepted.
Getting there
Flying to Colombo.
Bandaranaike International (CMB) is about 34 kilometres north. The hotel gives about 40 minutes by car, depending on traffic. Private jets use the same airport, open around the clock.
- Malé 1 h 20
- Mumbai 2 h 20
- Singapore 3 h 55
- Dubai 4 h 40
- London 11 h 50 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How big are the grounds at Taj Samudra?
- About eleven acres of lawns and gardens, facing Galle Face Green.
- Does Taj Samudra have a pool?
- Yes. The pool, added in the recent renovation, is open from 7 am to 9 pm.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Colombo?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Colombo, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Colombo
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Shangri-La Colombo Five hundred rooms on Centre Road at Galle Face, opened in 2017.
- ITC Ratnadipa Opened in April 2024 with 352 rooms, and classified five-star by the national tourism authority in January 2026.
- Cinnamon Life Six hundred and eighty-seven rooms in the City of Dreams complex, opened in 2024.
- The Kingsbury On Janadhipathi Mawatha in Fort, a hotel since 1973.
- Cinnamon Grand Five hundred and one rooms on the Galle Road, a fixture of the city since 1975.
- Hilton Colombo Three hundred and forty-two rooms on Sri Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha, opened in 1987.
- Cinnamon Lakeside Three hundred and forty-six rooms, opened in 1985.
- Sheraton Colombo On the Galle Road, rated five-star by Sri Lanka Tourism.
- NH Collection Colombo Two hundred and nineteen rooms, opened in 2017.
- Nüwa A hotel of 113 rooms and suites at the top of the City of Dreams resort, given its five-star certificate in May 2026.
- Sentido Heritance Negombo On the beach at Negombo with 139 rooms, some 13 km from the airport.
- Jetwing Blue The first Jetwing hotel, which began as a six-room retreat on this beach and now has two pools.
- The Blue Water Designed by Geoffrey Bawa, among coconut palms on the beach at Wadduwa.
Staying at Taj Samudra?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Colombo, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.