Jetwing Lighthouse

The oceanside location and thoughtful design of Jetwing Lighthouse combine to create a simply stunning resort where the breathtaking ocean vistas are omnipresent. During our stay in July the ocean was wild and watching the waves from our balcony, the poolside or from the small private and palm fringed beach was mesmerising and humbling at the same time. Jetwing Lighthouse is most certainly one of those hotels that you won’t want to leave as the views, the ocean air and the hospitality make staying the easier and more obvious option.

Our ‘Luxury Room’ in the newer Spa Wing at Jetwing Lighthouse certainly soaked up those aforementioned Indian Ocean vistas, and our spacious balcony provided the perfect vantage point. Styled with “vibrant coastal chic and the heritage luxury of bygone architecture” they were comfortable, well appointed and featured all mod cons. We loved our mini desk at the shuttered windows, which once again boasted those unique and memorable views, making it the kind of office outlook you can usually only dream of.

The Vegan Food

Good food was a necessity after soaking up all the sights in the nearby Galle Old Fort and the vegan fare at Jetwing Lighthouse definitely ticked all the boxes. We started breakfast with pots of steaming ginger Sri Lankan tea, freshly baked bread, cinnamon buns, fruit buns and little jam filled, sugar coated folded breads and freshly made jams. This sweet affair continued with little coconut milk rice bites stuffed with fresh coconut and kittul jaggery, the treacly sugar from the kittul palm tree and the thing our dreams of made of. This deep caramel sugar is rich with nutrients and is impossible not to eat in whatever form we came across it, cubes, treacle, mixed with fresh coconut and stuffed inside little pancakes. The definition of irresistible.

Upon request, there were vanilla scented waffles with fresh banana (and more kittul jaggery) and a western style breakfast too. But the absolute star of all our breakfasts was the traditional Sri Lankan food; coconut flatbreads called ‘pol roti’, ‘Kiribath’ coconut milk rice and ‘string hoppers’ steamed Sri Lankan rice noodles. These were all served with dahl, a volcanic ‘pol sambol’ mix of fresh coconut and red chilli, a slightly less volcanic mix of onion and chilli called ‘katta sambol’ and ‘kiri hodi’ or the breakfast elixir as we like to call it. This mellow coconut milk soup full of curry leaves, garlic and turmeric is the perfect way to start any day in Sri Lanka.

For lunch or dinner, menus had vegan options clearly marked and staff were happy to veganise some of the vegetarian options or invent new dishes for us upon request. There were options from around the globe as well as Sri Lankan staples like rice and curry. Appetisers included fusion dishes where local ingredients were heroed, such as the super healthy gotokola leaf salad with beans, chopped cashews, sundried tomato and grilled peppers. But there were also familiar favourites like fresh garlicky hummus with fresh mini flatbreads. Off menu choices gave us a fresh chopped salad dressed with a tangy lime and pepper dressing or grilled cauliflower, pepper and courgette with a spiced bean dip and red lentil and onion salad.

For main courses again there were familiar options to choose from on the menu; a vegan pizza with tofu, corn, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes; Szechuan tofu with rice and chop suey vegetables and the chef happily made an off menu spaghetti arrabbiata. There was also the must try dish of any trip to Sri Lanka, ‘Rice and Curry’. The rice and curry option always guarantees a delicious meal with daily changing curries and we loved the selection of different vegetables and spices we were served each time we ordered this. We also loved the surprise string hopper pilau served with a crispy onion bhaji and spicy vegetable cutlets, crisp on the outside and fiery with chilli on the inside.

And of course there were sweet treats to enjoy with the chef’s heavenly creation of a vegan ‘Kiriya’ which was sweet and toffee-like and spiced with cardamom before being sprinkled with nuts and served with passion fruit ice cream. But also a passionately red watermelon sago which was sweet and fruity and an absolute treat for the soul.

The Vegan Essentials

Our room had non feather pillows and the bathroom amenities were coconut based and not tested on animals (we loved the shower gel BTW). Of course the bathroom amenities were in refillable mini glass bottles and of course the water was also in refillable glass bottles, as this is a brand wide approach to sustainability by Jetwing Hotels. Other sustainability initiatives include an onsite bio-mass boiler which uses cinnamon wood (a bi-product from local cinnamon production) to generate steam for hot water and laundry requirements; whilst outreach projects see lectures and workshops at local schools within the community, raising awareness around environmental issues. Responsible tourism is embraced in a multitude of ways by Jetwing Hotels and including projects that promote the “harmonious coexistence of community and environment”. This has to be the future of tourism.

The Vegan Food Quest Verdict

The million dollar views from each and every corner of this Geoffrey Bawa designed ocean front resort, combined with the proximity to the heritage centre of Galle and everything that it offers, were all huge wins for us during our stay at Jetwing Lighthouse. Galle should be everyone’s itinerary when visiting Sri Lanka, and for those that enjoy luxury hotels who have vegan options on their menus, choosing to base yourself at Jetwing Lighthouse is a very good option indeed.

We were guests of Jetwing Lighthouse but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views.

Jetwing Lighthouse
Galle
Sri Lanka

Telephone: +94 91 2223744
Email: resv.lighthouse@jetwinghotels.com
Cost From: £260 / $315 (July 2022)