The Fort Printers

A former printing house beautifully converted into a hotel, retaining its old-world grandeur and elegance. The courtyard is particularly impressive, and the entire place has a refined, timeless feel. We stopped by for after‑dinner drinks and were very well looked after. The staff were friendly, and the cocktails were excellent. Sitting on the terrace with a drink, watching the crowd pass by outside, is a wonderful way to end the evening. Fully recommended — elegant without being stuffy.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at The Fort Printers. The hotel had a nice relaxing vibe about it and the rooms we had were very spacious. It was a great base to use whilst exploring Galle. Me and my family would like to thank the staff at the hotel for dealing with a health situation that arose whilst we stayed there. They expressed genuine concern and were very accommodating in resolving a difficult situation. The food was very good and the staff were exceptional. The cleaning staff worked seamlessly and your room would be made up whilst you were down at breakfast! I would highly recommend this place to anyone thinking of visiting the area.

Beautiful rooms, pool is a wonderful addition as it is hot , nice, friendly staff.

No

Fantastic stay in the most beautiful building , steeped in history. The lovey lady on concierge explained it all too us , how it had been a school and then a printers . The service was excellent. Breakfast was truly wonderful and beautifully presented. We stayed in the geography room which was so lovely . I'm resuming it's a listed building so no double glazing so can be a little noisy but it didn't bother us at all .

Everything is good, except for the internet speed. I hope they can improve it and provide faster internet, since most visitors these days rely on it while traveling. The food is really good. We liked everything there. Thank you, Chef.

need better fast wifi

We had a delightful two-night stay at The Fort Printers Hotel in Galle and would absolutely recommend it. The building itself is stunning – full of character, beautiful artwork and thoughtful details that make it feel very special. The pool was glorious and such a welcome oasis on a hot day, and the location couldn’t be better – right in the heart of Galle Fort, with everything within easy walking distance. What really made our stay memorable though was the staff, especially Sujith. He greeted us each day with the biggest smile and was always so warm, helpful and genuinely interested in making sure we had the best experience possible. He was happy to answer questions, offer recommendations and made us feel very welcome from the moment we arrived. Because of Sujith’s kindness and the way he looked after us, we have already recommended the hotel to friends and would happily stay here again when we return. We also had the pleasure of spending time chatting with one of the women on the team whose name began with M – an incredibly impressive, independent and engaging woman. We really enjoyed our conversations with her and appreciated her warmth and insight. Meals were delightful, the cocktails excellent, and the whole experience felt relaxed yet refined. The Fort Printers is a very special place, and the people who work there make it even more so. We very much hope to return.

Great location and in a lovely old building. The rooms were individual and we appreciated the teas and coffee. Fantastic breakfast.

We stayed in the prefects room beside the pool. It was enormous and very comfortable. Due to heritage restrictions alterations cannot be made to the rooms therefore the door lock is tricky and a toilet holder has not been drilled into the wall but it was perfect for us. The restaurant food was some of the best we had in our month in Sri Lanka and service staff were fantastic. It’s an elegant small hotel that I highly recommend.

Perfect location, literally at the heart of the fort, in a historic building. Pleasant pool area and very good breakfast.

Laundry service delivery time was underestimated, only arriving just prior to our departure, the day after it was expected.

Delicious breakfast. Large comfortable bedroom. Bathroom huge but tired. Staff excellent, everyone so friendly and helpful. Everywhere is central in Galle Fort but this location is especially so.

We only had one night here but it was bliss! We had the luck of being given the Prefects Room which was stunning, the pool was serene and due to the ongoing issues in the Middle East we had it to ourselves for a few hours. The breakfast was divine - have the buffalo curd it was delicious a brief stay in this calm oasis loved it!

Perfekte Lage im Galle Fort. Sehr schön ausgestattetes Kolonialhaus. Wunderbares Frühstück und herrlicher Pool. Sehr zu empfehlen.

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Старинное здание, много небольших уютных зон для чаепития, удачно размещен бассейн в здании исторической постройки, есть зелень в маленьких внутренних двориках, прилетают птицы. Есть несколько шезлонгов для загара. Само строение в центре города, рядом много ресторанов, кафе, сувенирных магазинов, исторических объектов. Номера на первом этаже большие, ванная комната просторная. Окна в номерах на первом этаже размещены во дворик. Деревянные высокие двустворчатые двери в старинном стиле, деревянная мебель.

Отсутствие телевизора. Хорошо бы маленькую плиту в общей кухне.

The calm relaxing vibe of a gorgeous minimalist hotel. All the historical details and art are top notch.

Leave 🤣

Tasty food, classy environment and fabulous service

Location is good.

We were initially offered a room with fixed shutters on the window akin to being in a cell. We refused to stay in that room and waited some time for them to find a more acceptable one to spend 2 nights in. The hotel has lots of communal seating areas but none of them you’d want to sit in - including bazaar sunbeds facing bedroom doors? Better to install some garden plants, a pond even. Pool is small and only room for 3 people to sit around it. The room lacked soft furnishings and anywhere comfortable to sit. Paint peeling on walls and upholstery on sofa(bed) was grubby. Generally it needs a bit of a refresh. Staff are inattentive (inexperienced, untrained) and were too busy on their phones to look up and greet us on entering or exiting. No one even offered to help us with our luggage or say goodbye when we left.

We loved our stay at Fort Printers! The property beautifully blends the history of the building with modern touches. We stayed in one of the heritage rooms - the Headmaster’s - which was truly special overlooking the courtyard and frangipani trees. The staff were great, breakfast was excellent, and we had a wonderful lunch by the pool. The bar and restaurant were fantastic, and the small pool was perfect for a refreshing dip. The location is ideal, right in the heart of Galle Fort. We would definitely return - thank you again!

Nothing

We had been looking forward to greeting the nice host couple from Croatia - they must be on vacation, because the host couple today is from Serbia and the owner is from Pakistan. The hotel is charming. Everything creaks and creaks, but considering its age, it is reasonably well maintained. The name of our room is “History”. There were a few flaws, such as a lock to the room that is really difficult to open, an air conditioner that has decided to discharge condensation onto the floor, a fixed shower that has fallen out of the wall, a shower door that is stuck to the floor, lack of hot water and no coffee in the room. The air conditioning is also placed inappropriately - the air is blown directly onto the bed. Wifi very poor - weak signal in the room. Suddenly all hell broke loose ……. a bar with live music on one side of the room and a mosque with evening prayer on the other side of the room. It seemed a bit like two male cats fighting over a female cat 🙀. The music won. We hope the guests in the bar gathered for singing lessons - it was hard for the musician to hit the high notes. We are not sensitive to noise, but when it was approaching 10 pm, it was stressful. We have to leave the hotel tomorrow at 8 am. It should be mentioned that our room is located right across from the bar. We refuse to believe that we are the first guests who have been bothered by being at a concert from 6 pm to 10:15 pm. The evening prayer was tolerable …… the imam held the evening prayer before the musician because he was to call to prayer at 5 am the next morning. The breakfast selection is very limited but tasted good. We are happy that the breakfast is not a buffet.

The rooms are spacious and well equipped but extremely dark with an odd arrangement of loo, shower and basin. We ate in one night and it was good but very expensive. It was very well situated for exploring the old city, but I am glad we were only there one night.

Lovely staff, they made a special effort for my wife's birthday. Great choice for breakfast Central location Beautiful room

We loved our stay at The Fort Printers! It has an elegant, charming feel and blends modern design with the history of an old building really well. However what made it an exceptional stay for us was the customer service and warm and welcoming attitude of the staff. They were kind enough to give us both an early check-in and a late check out (as the next guests were not arriving that day), recommended a local private hospital when I needed to get a repeat prescription (due to the Middle East flight disruption issues), and food was both delicious and served with short waiting times (which doesn’t seem common in Sri Lanka!). The bed was very comfortable, so we slept very well. Nice details like some complimentary non alcoholic drinks in the minibar, free drinking water. Would love to go back!

Not a ‘don’t like’ as such, but as is often the case in the tropics especially, there were a few small maintenance issues in our room - some of the plaster in the room needs attention and the bath surface was damaged. Also, although the hotel is very peaceful, expect a little noise as it’s in the heart of Galle Fort, and there are also the sounds of things like birds on the roof. None of which bothered us.

A gorgeous little hotel in Galle in a perfect location. Beautifully restored, gorgeous pool and delicious food - we only had breakfast but it was really good, the best tea we had in SL! Really enjoyed our stay there. 10/10

Fabulous location right in the heart of the Fort. Beautiful old building that retains a huge amount of character. Very good service from staff.

Nothing.

Great breakfast, superb vibrant location. Friendly helpful staff.

Because of the manager named Sada I had a very bad impression of this hotel. The hotel itself is gorgeous, but when we were sitting in the hotel restaurant and just chatting, an elderly couple complained about us talking out loud and simply left. After that, we were left alone there, and the waiter told us to change seats outside where no one could hear us. This is truly the first time we've been asked to leave the cafe, even though we were the only ones there, and the table was next to our room.after I ask the manager about the book where I can make a review, he told me that we cannot speak a task even if time 20:00

everything

Because the building is old, you can hear noise form outside and neighboring room - but still very nice hotel

Location

Very minimal, no sugar or creamer for the coffee service in the room, very dim lighting.

Beautiful colonial building, friendly helpful staff.

Room dark as no natural light.

Location and service. The building is charming and quirky.

In parts the hotel was a little tired and could do with more attention to detail. Cracked sink, grubby lampshades etc.

Wunderschönes Boutique Hotel im Zentrum von Galle Fort. Tolle Ausstattung, kleiner Pool im Innenhof, sehr gutes Frühstück. Aufmerksames und freundliches Personal. Trotz der zentralen Lage, sehr ruhig. Alles bequem zu Fuß erreichbar.

Charmantes altes Kolonialhaus, hervorragende Küche, Top-Lage mitten im Fort

Le style, l'emplacement, le personnel, les chambres magnifiques, le petit déjeuner

J'ai tout apprécié

Absolutely stunning building, amazing piece of history and beautifully restored to blend new and old. Excellent breakfast. Welcoming staff. Truly wonderful.

Shower took a really long time to get hot. The building is old, so be aware that sound can travel.

The location was perfect for us, in the fort walls. The Fort Printers building is historic and you can see the building was converted into a hotel was done sympathetically to the building’s history. Loved the pool in the courtyard, which was long and thin, but great to have a swim and cool off after being out and about in the heat. Really liked all the different little seating areas dotted around too. Breakfast was good and the staff were helpful and friendly. We are in the hotel one evening too and really enjoyed it. The bar staff were great and brought our drinks out to us at the seating outside the front so that we could sit and enjoy watching the world go by. We loved all the different seating areas that we found so there was always somewhere to be able to relax and enjoy something from the tea/coffee/soft drink room that was there.

It wasn’t possible for us to open the shutters in our windows as they were blocked by seating outside the hotel. This wasn’t a massive issue but we would have liked some natural light. Having said that the room was really lovely and like that there was some seating in an area just outside that no one used apart from us, and we really enjoyed our stay and loved the rooms we had. The other rooms in the hotel had shutters that opened so just the 2 rooms we had along with our friends.

The staff, the room, the food

Nothing

We had a lovely stay at the Fort Printers - staff were very welcoming and friendly and spoke very good english. The breakfast was the best we had in Sri Lanka - and the room / general vibe of the hotel was stunning and authentic,

Man spürt förmlich die Geschichtsträchtigkeit des Hauses. Grosse Zimmer, tolles Frühstück (endlich mal kein Buffet 😊), gepflegter Innenbereich mit Restaurant, Pool, Atrium, zentrale Lage und nicht zu vergessen das hilfsbereite und freundliche Personal. Ein Hotel, in dem man sich einfach wohl fühlt.

Nichts

Beautiful room & lovely staff

Limited sun beds around the pool

With only 13 rooms, the staff really look after you. The breakfast was lovely and the rooms have been beautifully renovated. The location inside the fort is fabulous. The pool is small but very refreshing and in a beautiful courtyard- great place to relax with a book.

Everything. Quiet rooms. Old fashioned but well organised. Fabulous breakfast.

Loved the pool but it would have been nice to have more room to sit around it! Just being picky!!

The fifth of our six hotels in Sri Lanka. We stayed for 2 nights in The Prefects Room. This is a special historical boutique hotel in the centre of Galle Fort and as such we would recommend it for a one or two night stay. It was great to step out of the hotel and wander the streets of the Fort - lots of shops, bars, restaurants - no hassle from vendors and other than traffic down the narrow streets, very safe. We didn’t eat in the hotel (expensive). Breakfast was ok but less choice than other hotels. The only thing to be aware of was our specific room (Prefects) which is on the ground floor next to the pool. People using the pool naturally weren’t aware that our room was literally 2 metres away so we could hear everything. We didn’t want to impede on their enjoyment but it was disruptive for us when we were trying to have a snooze in the afternoon! But the thing we did raise with the management was the noise at 6.30 in the morning from the housekeepers cleaning the pool and terrace area. I’d encourage the management team to spend some time in that particular room to appreciate how being next to the pool impacts on the guest experience.

Koloniale stijl

De WIFI was slecht

Fabulous food. Great location. Heritage property. Complimentary mini bar of local drinks. Beautifully presented rooms. Good quality toiletries.

Some noise and light between rooms could be heard/seen due to heritage features.

This hotel is really well located within Galle Fort. Be aware it is on a relatively busy street, but we had a church suite room and were not aware of any external noise. The building has a quaint charm about it. Facilities are very good. It's location means that wherever you are in the fort you're no more that a 10 minute walk away. Breakfast was excellent as well. Why have I only given it three stars? We have been to several other hotels in our sri lankan holiday and the stand out feature has been the staff and their hospitality....whilst I cannot say the staff here were anything other than polite...there was just something missing in the way they went about theirs duties: not attentive and a little lacklustre.

Room comfortable. Lovely restaurant in the hotel. Good to be in the centre of Galle. Tax and service fee is included in the cost and not added on.

Der var en lille pool

Det lå centralt

The old building and how they renovated it. It’s so beautiful and one of the prettiest hotels.

The noise inside the room and outside makes it hard for you to sleep. Also, the mattresses are too soft.

Wonderful heritage building.

Terrible service. No early breakfast or early check out available at 7am. .Zero welcome. No flexibility on check in time. No swimming after 6pm. Clinical and lacking any hospitality. The most overrated hotel in Sri Lanka.

Das gesamte historische Gebäude ist ein absoluter Traum und sehr schön erhalten. Das Zimmer war groß, sauber und im historischen Stil eingerichtet. Wir hatten ein Zimmer im Heritage-Flüge des Hotels mit Blick in den Innenhof und dadurch auch nachts unsere Ruhe. Das Personal war sehr zuvorkommend und freundlich. Das Frühstück, welches man im schönen Innenhof zu sich nehmen kann, war sehr gut und man konnte aus verschiedenen Optionen wählen. Der Cappuccino war sehr lecker.

Amazing colonial vibe , the pool , the lobster curry

Gorgeous property, great breakfast and kind staff.

Right in the centre of town (great) but my room was opposite a bar playing loud live music until 11pm both nights. Bring earplugs!

Had a colonial feel, spacious rooms. Decor was a throwback to the past.

Swimming pool could be larger , hardly a pool for swimming. Walls were thin and could hear people from the next room

The property is well located, with a uniquely and thoughtfully designed bedroom, and the staff were warm, friendly, and helpful. We had informed them in advance about my wife’s birthday, and they pleasantly surprised us with a cake and a lovely birthday message arranged on the bed, which we truly appreciated.

We faced a few difficulties opening the room door due to its age. While we appreciate the idea of preserving the property’s original character, it would be better if this did not cause any inconvenience to guests.

Beautiful hotel in a perfect location in Galle.Super attentive staff,who generate warmth and hospitality.Rooms are spotlessly clean.You can take a superb breakfast outside in the courtyard.

Loved everything

I'm genuinely torn about this review because so much about Fort Printers was wonderful. The swimming pool was fantastic - perfect shallow end for our little one, and we spent hours there. The staff were incredibly friendly and attentive, bringing us towels and waiting on us hand and foot. The food was delicious, and the location right on the main street in Galle Fort is ideal. So why only 2 stars? The laundry bill nearly gave me a heart attack. We paid $45 for a modest amount of laundry - and that was apparently with a 50% discount already applied. Combined with some items we'd put on our tab, our final bill came to $97 USD, which completely blindsided us. We couldn't understand how it added up to that much. The laundry pricing completely soured what was otherwise a lovely stay. It feels like they're taking advantage of guests who don't realize how expensive their laundry service is until checkout. If you stay here: absolutely enjoy the pool, the great staff, and the excellent location. But do yourself a favor - find literally anywhere else to do your laundry, or skip it entirely. Such a shame, because everything else was genuinely great.

Beautiful, historic building with great service. Location in the town is perfect and breakfast is great. The staff went out of their way to help us rearrange our journey during the bad weather.

It is a little noisy, but it’s to be expected in an older building in the centre of town.

Located in a heritage building, the hotel has been really well re-furbished into a boutique hotel. The rooms are fantastic, and the layout and decor were really well executed. The location in Galle Fort is excellent.

Room layout and furnishings, along with art and photographs in the public areas.

All ,

I think this place should add more and more light since it is quite dark 😅

18th century restored building bursting with character and history. Sophisticated upgrade. We stayed in the History room upstairs which is at the end of the corridor and had a window which opened to overlook the downstairs courtyard. Very romantic. The bar area had a good buzz and we only had the breakfasts there which were fabulous but I imagine the other items on the menu would be equally as good. The Galle Fort area is wonderful to stroll the streets and walk along the ramparts. There are loads of good souvenir shops and stylish restaurants.

Great hotel, amazing staff and breakfast. Would recommend

Good hotel in great location with friendly, helpful staff. Very good breakfast.

I thought it was very overpriced for what it was, particularly compared to other hotels in the area. Nice enough but not outstanding.

I really like the location - very central to the fort area - easy walking distance to everything. Bed super comfortable - bathroom big. Plenty of space in the room for all our luggage. Breakfast was delicious - my only quibble was no fruit juice on offer - best coffee we’ve had in all the hotels we have stayed in. Our room was right next to the pool which was also very handy. Also loved the minibar.

No Fruit juice offered in the morning at breakfast. Some racks to hang wet towels on would be good.

Great location in the Fort. Wonderful old colonial style hotel with a few stylish interior design furniture and decorations. We got a great late check out which was really helpful!. Thank you!

The staff is always friendly, but sometimes a bit helpless. The breakfast is "a la carte" and really stingy! I have never experienced anything like it on all my travels and I travel a lot. The rooms are large due to the hotel being a printing factory before, but are not well kept. Everything needs refurbishing and fixing and then it would be great. The prices for food and drink at the restaurant are high compared to locations across the road or around the corner that offer the same or better quality. I think that is why in the three nights that we spent at the hotel, there were hardly any guests there.

C'est très joli et bien placé.

Rapport qualité prix, propreté.

This was our last stop of a 3 week tour of Sri Lanka. We were downstairs in the more modern section. Our room was huge, with a four poster, settee in the lounge area and well equipped bathroom. Room lacks a mini bar, TV ( that was good😉 ) and the internet was a little unreliable which is an issue in today’s world. The meals were amazing, quality, presentation and flavours first class. All the staff were so friendly, helpful and prepared to give tips if requested. The hotel is brilliantly positioned, right in the heart of the Fort area , within easy walking distance of all the main sights. You can eat inside or outdoors and there is a small pool to refresh in. We really enjoyed our stay and it helped complete an amazing holiday.

Dinner was good

Noisy need upgrade

Hotel location in heart of Fort Galle excellent. Staff service, friendliness and willingness to accommodate excellent. Beautiful buildings well restored. Excellent breakfast. I assume they are not 5 star as only provide some of the little extras in room that you would normally expect from like properties eg tissues, body lotion etc but that didn’t bother us! Our bed was a little saggy but that is the only fault we could find. They even gave us a very late checkout at no cost when we offered to pay which was very much appreciated & totally not expected. Highly recommend.

We came to Fort Printers via our tour with TWE, and it was amazing. such a great atmosphere, the rooms are stunning adn in keeping with the building. right in the centre of Galle, lovely swimming pool. wonderful staff, brilliant restaurant.

All fantastic

Nothing

The food and beverages from the bar are all excellent as ever. Staff are very courteous and eager to assist at any time. The small courtyard is wonderful, especially if can book the Prefect’s Room. A historic extremely old building from colonial times which has been turned into a boutique hotel and has a wonderful nostalgic feeling - staying there is well recommended.

We booked a specific room over a month in advance and confirmed on multiple occasions that the request was received and confirmed - however on the arrival date, we were put into a second floor unrequested room due to there ‘being a problem with the A/C’ in the Prefect’s Room. Despite that, no correspondence was received to alert us, so obviously on arrival there was no choice but to accept the other room. In the future, the reservation staff need to be better on the ball when faced with such issues. This is the second time we stayed there, and the reason was for the requested room, which was not available, so very disappointed as there were plenty of other options in the Galle area we were interested in. Wifi had to be requested since even on the second floor, was terrible - staff ended up providing a plugin unit/password for the room which did the job well, so commendations on staff helping out.

Beautiful hotel in restored former printers in the heart of Galle Fort. Stepping inside the building is a real oasis of calm after the frenetic activity of the fort. We stayed in 2 rooms in the Peddlar wing which were opposite each other across a courtyard. The rooms were spacious and had a double bed (with mosquito net) and a large sofa, which could be used as an additional bed for a small child. There was good air conditioning in the room. There was a good sized bathroom with shower and free standing bath. The swimming pool is more of a large plunge pool, but was very welcome relief from the heat of the day. Breakfast was from an a la carte menu and it was refreshing to not have a buffet breakfast! The staff were exceptional. Mahesha in particular helped us to locate a misplaced valuable item and supported in getting it returned to us after we had left the hotel.

Although we could use the little pantry to make tea for ourselves, it was not always clear what to do with the used crockery and teapot afterwards. Perhaps simple signage would make this clearer. There was a slight smell from the bathroom suggesting a drainage problem.

Location, staff, quality of food and rooms all excellent

Stayed here recently at the end of our Sri Lanka holiday and would highly recommend. The rooms we booked were well appointed and spacious, although the lack of a head board meant some pillow movement. The pool, while small, was a welcome cool during the heat of the day. The food was excellent at breakfast and dinner. The quality of the cooking at dinner was superb, even if the portions weee not huge. Our stay was only one night - had we known how good it was, we would have booked for longer. Well impressed!

It is a wonderful hotel, with fantastic staff, clean and in a perfect location. Gayan helped us on our arrival and breakfast time, he was so kind and made us feel really welcome. Also, breakfast is absolutely super delicious with lots of Sri Lankan fruits and options and lovely coffee.

Historic hotel with beautiful rooms Breakfast

A really wonderful and unique hotel in a perfect location in Galle, a warm welcome, lovely staff who could not do more for you. The rooms were exceptional, we stayed in Headmasters and our daughter’s Geography. The place is full of history, previously a school, a bank, a printers press. The pool area is picture postcard and whilst there are only 2 sun-beds (get in there quick!), it provided a welcome and cool relief from the sweltering heat out in the town. Location is perfect and just a few minutes walk from the fort walls in either direction. Plus right at the intersection of the 2 main shopping streets. 2 nights was a great stay. We didn’t have time to eat in their restaurant/ by the pool for dinner but breakfast was excellent. They also accommodated a 4.30am departure with someone on hand to help with bags and provided a pack up breakfast bag each. Many thanks, super place to stay.

Stayed for two nights at the start of our tour of Sri Lanka. The hotel is perfectly placed to visit the local area. Staff were very friendly and breakfast offered lots of choices. We tried the fish curry one morning which was amazing - has to be done.

Very nice building located in Galle. Both the location and the staff are amazing. Perfect for a family / couple willing to stay in the fortress of Galle.