Tintagel is Colombo’s foremost luxury hotel, situated in the heart of the city’s most elite neighbourhood. Offering 10 unique Suites of which three are Superior Suites with all modern amenities and services, Tintagel Colombo is housed in a stunning heritage structure of national importance that was previously home to three of Sri Lanka’s political leaders.

The first hotel for Paradise Road, Tintagel has been beautifully restored by Shanth Fernando, the proprietor and designer, providing a new option for the Colombo visitor.

History

Completed in 1930, Tintagel was intended as a residence for Dr. Lucian de Zilwa. In 1942 de Zilwa was given a week to vacate the property by the British military to house one hundred soldiers. The military occupation saw the house wrecked and de Zilwa sold Tintagel to Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike for his son, Solomon West Ridgeway Dias (S.W.R.D.). It is from this point in time that the house gained recognition as a structure of national importance.

It was here that Ceylon’s political history was decided. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike became Prime Minister in 1956 and he was shot on the verandah of Tintagel in 1959 and subsequently died in hospital.  In 1960, his widow, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, became the world’s first woman Prime Minister.

Mrs. Bandaranaike won several elections and was re-elected in 1970 and 1994, thereby becoming the longest serving Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.  Mrs. Bandaranaike resided at Tintagel until her demise in 2000.  In 2005, this family home of the Bandaranaike’s was leased by the family to Udayshanth Fernando which was later transformed to Paradise Road Tintagel Colombo, a unique private boutique hotel.

Sri Lanka’s very own design icon and CEO of Paradise Road Shanth Fernando talks to Home Hints about the timeless allure of Tintagel.

Colonial mansions a muse for Tintagel 

“The architecture of the building was of prime importance when picking artifacts for the hotel because it is a colonial building that was inspired from mansions in England.

So I travelled all over Europe and found objects, but I didn’t want the atmosphere to look old fashioned; therefore, there is a slight hint of modernity and a balance between old and new. My aim was to give Sri Lanka something like they have never had before. I wanted to show the world that Sri Lanka and a Sri Lankan can do something which could be recognized internationally and which could be compared with anything from anywhere in the world. I’m passionate about everything I do and everything has a sentimental value at Tintagel because of which I have to have the last say about every minute detail because it all came from my soul.”

Antique accents

“Among the antiques at Tintagel we’ve got a French chandelier which is called a Napoleon the third. It’s an original Baccarat crystal. The mirror in the Red Bar is of the same era from a chateau in Marseilles. Even the collection of maps that you see in the bar, are originals. The Chandelier in the main lobby is Dutch; it is antique Flemish. Besides that, the Front Office and Reception has a collection of original lithographs from 1872 bought in Holland that have the courts-of-arms of all the major cities in the world. The pillars are hand painted to look like marble, a technique used many centuries ago in France called Trompe L'oeil.

Celebrating minimalism

“Originally I wanted to have a picture gallery upstairs, but then I realized that it became claustrophobic. I wanted minimalism so I found ‘vee malu’ hand woven out of peduru which are really beautiful. Each design is different, therefore I had them framed individually to become artworks hung as diptychs and triptychs to complement each other decoratively and not too obvious.

A touch of luxury

Everything you see at Tintagel is the real thing. The sofas are from Spain and the fabric for the cushion covers came from Jim Thompson in Bangkok. The carpets designed especially by me, were hand-woven in Nepal. The glass vases are all Belgian and the large vases with moss topiary in the lobby come from Holland.

Tasteful art

The collection of art you find in the Dining Room are by the Belgian artist Saskia Pintelon; I happen to have the largest private collection in the world. Here at Tintagel alone I have more than 38 of her pictures. The main sitting room features a painting I commissioned by Sri Lanka’s foremost contemporary artist, Jagath Ravindra. The Suites at Tintagel also feature paintings by Prageeth Ratnayake, original Lionel Wendt photographs, J C Ratnayake paintings, original Ivan Peiris drawings and Chamila Gamage’s paintings. Chamila also did the sculptures that is across the pool. There are also works of art that I’ve hung along the corridors to the gym which includes a modern painting by Kingsley Gunathilake, a painting by Raju and also Nelum Harasgama.  These are all on loan from my private collection.