Housed in a 16th-century building, which for more than a century served as the New Oriental Hotel during the heyday of steamship travel, Amangalla is part of the fabric of Galle and its Unesco-protected fort. Beyond the old-world bustle of this remarkable citadel lie emerald-green tea plantations, tranquil temples and the exhilarating prospect of whale-spotting from November to March – though Amangalla is equally renowned for purifying, personalised Ayurveda in its spa complex, The Baths.