Dreams of Olde Ceylon, Private Limited, (Dreams) is a real estate investment company based in Sri Lanka. Its headquarters will be at Number 6 Chando Street, The Fort, Galle, Sri Lanka. The company invests in Heritage Homes, restores Colonial properties, and operates rental properties on the beach and inland. The vision of Dreams is to establish various unique, exquisite properties and businesses for visitors to stay in old colonial charm and splendor or experience a welcome escape from the harried life of business, and partake of the incredible hospitality that has made Sri Lanka famous for hundreds of years.
This site presents information about specific areas in Southwest Sri Lanka and Galle Fort in particular. Lifestyle, environment, people, foods, culture, - all will be featured here, with inline photos, as well as larger, hi-res downloadable ones. The site was established in 2003 and will be updated as real estate projects of Dreams of Olde Ceylon, Pvt. Ltd. are completed and operational.
The southwest shore of Sri Lanka is steeped in history and culture thousands of years old. Much of the old colonial flavor still flourishes in the architecture and environment. Galle Fort is a wonderful bastion. This fort was begun by the Portuguese in the 1500's and finished by the Dutch in the 1600's.
These are typical, unretouched colors of a sunset on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka. This photo was taken at TUSK VILLA, our Daliwela beach house! Click the sunset for a printable1912 map of Ceylon.
CATHEDRAL-MOSQUE:
Press button at left to
view our cathedral-mosque (yes - a cathedral used as a mosque), kept in its
original splendor with crescents in place of the crosses.
GALLE
FORT AERIAL: Press to
see the beautiful, pristine, operational fort lighthouse.
Galle Fort has attracted some of the most wonderful people from all points of the compass. One of the real treats is to see the incredible tropical homes built by famous personages and architects who are featured in the finest books on tropical homes around the world.
BEACH
PLACE:
(FOR
SALE) Press on the shell at left for an
extra-special treat! This spectacular colonnaded masterpiece on the beach
was designed and built by the legendary
dancer/actor/author/designer, Charles Hulse. (Paris Lido, Broadway, old
friend of Marlene Dietrich, hangs out with Sir Arthur C. Clarke, and oh, what a
wonderful raconteur!) Charlie designed and
renovated several stunning properties
within the ramparts of Galle Fort. Charles just finished building Beach
Place! Wow, what a fabulous venue. Beach Place is right on the
Indian Ocean, with a gorgeous pool half outside and half under the
structure. The house has incredible sea views from all angles, from the
airy sitting verandah to the personal balcony area off the master
suite. Press HERE and visit James Fennel's website to see some of the beautiful homes
Charlie has designed. Contact us if this property interests you.
VICTORIA
HOUSE: (SOLD)
Press here to go
to the Victoria gallery. This is a tropical fantasy home on the beach.
This is the legendary house built by the famous Australian architect, Bruce
Fell-Smith. A true dream beach house.
Victoria has recently been sold, and the architect will soon begin another
lovely project on the southwest coast.
TUSK:
(SEASONAL
OR LONG TERM BEACH RENTAL LIVING)
Click here, to see TUSK, (our beach property near Unawatuna Beach). Both Victoria and Tusk are the stunning dreams made real by Bruce Fell-Smith. This man has an eye for the environmentally
friendly, proportioned and extraordinary lines that make his homes instant
tropical classics. Tusk sits right on Daliwela beach, south of
Galle. The awesome sunset was taken from our back porch, a glass of merlot
in hand! The property is currently on long term rental, and will be open
for seasonal or long term rent after updating amenities in 2005.
10 PARAWA
ST, THE FORT: Click here, to see
Number Ten Parawa Street in the old Dutch Fort. This old Dutch colonial
house was painstakingly restored and rebuilt to the style and quality of the
original 400 year old homes of the period. the columns were hand crafted,
copying a single intact surviving column that stood in the original caved-in
property. A detailed, gorgeous Phoenix from the ashes, this house was
carefully resurrected by the famous architect Bruce Fell-Smith, with the able
craftsmen, artisans, and masons of Asoka DeSilva and his company, Siaan Homes.
It started its new life on Poya Day, the 2nd of July 2004 with a wonderful
Buddhist blessing by three friendly monks.
6 CHANDO ST, THE
FORT: (UNDER
CONSTRUCTION)
Click here, to see
Number 6 Chando Street in the old Dutch Fort. This house is currently
under construction, and again, excruciating attention to detail and authenticity
in style and construction are being paid to building this lovely property.
During demolition of unsound walls and foundations, it was found that over the
years, several hodge-podge additions and modifications, not in keeping with the
colonial tradition had been observed. Wherever this was encountered, the
work was completely redone. The anticipated completion is set for around
beginning of December. It too, will be furnished and appointed in the old
Dutch style of the period.
MUHANDIRAM WALAUWE:
(UNIQUE BUSINESS
PLANNED ON THIS PROPERTY)
This is an amazing
gem. A walauwe is the Singhala term for a large mansion in old Sri Lankan
style. A regal, tropical mansion with gabled roofs, gingerbread along
all the eaves and incredible, hand carved fretwork above the hardwood doors and
windows. This one was the home of the Governor of the Southern Province of
Ceylon in 1920. He was appointed to the position on the grounds of the
mansion with over a thousand well-wishers in attendance.
IMAGE
GALLERY: Click
on the old camera at left for our gallery page. This
is a page of fun photos that illustrate the great tropical, easygoing lifestyle
which is only possible somewhere like Sri Lanka.
GALLE
FORT HOTEL: (READY
FOR HOLIDAY SEASON OCCUPANCY)
This elegant old Dutch colonial hotel is being revived by our
dear friends, Karl Steinberg and Chris Ong to its regal, original state.
They just had the grand opening of their Cafe and Bar.
Beautiful!!!! Their endeavor is so impressive and unique that
representatives from several high-luxury hotel chains have come to see them and
get ideas from them. Click HERE
to see
details on their site. This is a grand hotel that will take you back in
time and welcome you with warmth, regal comfort, and incredible Asian fusion cuisine!
THE
GALLE FACE HOTEL:
This is our favorite colonial hotel in
Colombo, run by none other than Sanjeev Gardiner, a visionary like his father and
grandfather! The
mystique, the charm, the old-world grandeur are alive and well and beckon you
from the spectacular beach front vista. You MUST visit and stay at the
"GFH" when you come through Colombo. Ask General Manager, Anura
Lokuhetty to take you on a tour of the premises. You'll be stunned at the
history and the incredible plans and strides toward the new, spectacular image
and reputation the GFH is building. In our opinion, this is the only place
to stay in Colombo. Press the button at left to
visit their wonderful website.
THE
SUN AND SEA HOTEL:
Location, location, location! No place in Unawatuna has the charm and spirit of the Sun and
Sea Hotel in Galle. Owned and operated by our close friend, Muharam Perera,
the hotel is perched atop a rock formation on the water where the waves break
against the foundation of the dining terrace. It is a local, quaint and
very cozy little hotel. Don't come here if you want hot and cold running
room service and web TV! Come here to soak up the incredible scenery and
hospitality of Sri Lanka! Muharam is reputed to be one of the finest curry
chefs in the region! You can reach wonderful, dynamic Muharam at
muharamperera@hotmail.com
or call her at +94-(0)-9-83200 or fax her at +94-(0)-9-83399 to make reservations. Her grace, hospitality, warmth, and reputation know
no equal in Galle. Click here for some more background on the Sun-n-Sea
Hotel. Stay tuned for further updates on this lovely hotel on the
sea. We will be building a page dedicated to Muharam and her Hotel.
Be aware - this is open air living and a real place enjoy the seafront
environment that made Galle famous.
We're very glad you visited our page. Thanks for stopping by. Keep checking in for updates!
KOHOMBAN
GALLERY:
For a good idea of the fort's beauty, visit this link
to take a very nice local photo tour presented by Sathyajith Kohomban.
SUNDAY
OBSERVER:
Press here to
learn what's
happening in paradise from a very interesting recent Sunday
Observer article on Galle Fort and Sri Lanka.
TIME
MAGAZINE:
Press here to
read a recent piece in TIME magazine. You'll be amazed at the write-up and
what a lovely, hidden treasure the island is. The complete article
can be viewed on our gallery page.
Squirrelmail,
Neo, and Horde
(requires full Email address)
Site Updated 8 October 2004