While the earliest capital city of the island nation of Sri Lanka was named ‘Tambapanni’, the area in which Prince Vijaya landed in the island, cities such as Anuradhapura, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Rajarata, Polonnaruwa, which was declared the capital by King Vijayabahu I, Kurunegala which was an ancient royal capital for over fifty years and Kandy which was the last royal capital of the island, have served as the point of control both administratively and politically, through the centuries. In the 21st century, the official Sri Lankan capital is identified as Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, which was incidentally a former royal capital as well but the commercial capital remains Colombo, the largest city in the island.
Given this distinction, it comes as no surprise that Colombo is the business hub of Sri Lanka and a number of Colombo hotels cater to high end tourists and businessmen. As a result, Cinnamon Grand Colombo alongside a number of other five star hotels are highly sought after in the commercial capital in terms of accommodation.
When residing in Colombo, a number of activities are available to tourists. Exploring and sightseeing in Colombo is an interesting experience for a marriage between nature and urbanisation can be witnessed in the city. Alongside concrete structures such as the Nelum Pokuna, one is bound to notice the lush greenery of Viharamahadevi Park while, on the coastal belt, alongside an array of hotels, the Galle Face Green stretches along the beach. Colombo also boasts of being a shopper’s haven with a number of shopping malls, beautiful boutique clothing stores and outdoor markets providing contrast and attracting shopaholics from across the city. The city also does not seem to sleep and as dusk arrives, Colombo becomes vibrant with the enthusiasm of a thousand lives seeking an exciting night out on the town.
Nigel Walters is a travel writer, who writes under the pen name, Fritzjames Stephen. His content is based on the myriad of experiences and indulgences that the world has to offer travellers across all walks of life.
