The Sun House
Galle

Set high in the hills overlooking the historic coastal town of Galle, The Sun House is a stylish and storied retreat. Once home to a Scottish nutmeg merchant, it is now one of Sri Lanka’s most quietly elegant boutique hotels. Built in the 1860s and lovingly transformed 130 years later by a renowned interior decorator, the house blends colonial grace with bohemian charm. 

The Sun House is part of a small, characterful collection of properties lovingly restored by Geoffrey Dobbs, a British-born hotelier and long-time Sri Lanka resident known for his discerning eye and deep respect for heritage. Since purchasing The Sun House in 1997, Dobbs has transformed it into a boutique hotel with soul, retaining its colonial elegance while infusing it with effortless style.

Its serene, leafy setting offers an oasis of calm, just a five-minute walk from the UNESCO-listed Galle Fort, making it ideal for travellers who want to dip in and out of the town’s buzz while enjoying complete peace and privacy. Inside, the atmosphere is intimate and unpretentious. Eight individually designed bedrooms are spread across the property, each with tall four-poster beds, private ensuite bathrooms and views over frangipani-scented gardens, mango trees or the pretty courtyard pool. While each room varies in size and character, all reflect the house’s colonial heritage, furnished in a relaxed mix of Portuguese, Dutch and British influences, offset by crisp white walls and bright splashes of tropical colour. The Cinnamon Suite is the hotel’s crowning jewel, occupying the entire first floor and featuring a private library, living area and both indoor and open-air bathrooms, complete with a bathtub beneath the stars.

The communal spaces are equally inviting - a lush garden shaded by flowering trees, a breezy terrace for long, lazy breakfasts and a library filled with well-thumbed books, oversized sofas and jungle-cut floral arrangements. The pool, small but jewel-like, is reached by a worn stone staircase, ideal for a midday dip or a cooling swim after exploring Galle’s sun-warmed streets.

Dining at The Sun House is a highlight in itself. There are three restaurants, an alfresco garden restaurant on the veranda, casual bites from the informal bar menu at Dick’s Bar and The Bamboo Bar & Grill, a pop-up space for special evenings. The food is colourful, fresh and full of flavour, think market-fresh seafood, tropical fruits, aromatic herbs and Sri Lankan curries that have earned their place in countless gastronomic write-ups. Dick’s Bar is a Galle institution, known for its lively atmosphere, Arak sours, watermelon martinis and regular wine tastings. It’s a sociable, fun contrast to the house’s quieter corners and offers a more international menu for those craving a break from spice.

Just across the road, its sister property The Dutch House offers four refined suites within a 17th-century mansion, set in lush tropical gardens. And for those seeking even more seclusion, Dobbs is also the owner of the legendary Taprobane Island, a private fantasy island just off the coast of Weligama, with a storied past and panoramic Indian Ocean views.

The Sun House can be booked by the room or taken over in its entirety as a private villa for families or groups, a rare opportunity to stay in one of Sri Lanka’s most elegant private homes, surrounded by history, lush gardens and the rhythm of coastal life.

I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad.
George Bernard Shaw