Cinnamon Bey celebrates the cultural connectivity of Sri Lanka’s Arabic heritage

From West Asia to North Africa, Morocco to the Persian Gulf, Sri Lanka has been inextricably linked to the traders of yore; those who traversed the high seas and left their footprint indelibly on this island nation.    Beruwala, on the golden strip down south Sri Lanka was the hotbed of these pioneering Arab traders, when way back in the tenth century, they rolled up their sails and set about making this now buzzing resort beach destination, their home.  “But this is a culture we rarely celebrate although they have had amazing influence and co-relation to the pot pourri of cultures in Sri Lanka,” opines Architect Channa Daswatte, who has unreservedly imbibed the unique design elements that are symptomatic of Islamic architecture into the John Keells Hotels’ newest resort in Beruwala. 

Cinnamon Bey is positioned as a five star resort under the Cinnamon banner and meant to encapsulate the essence of cinnamon coupled with its signature indulgence features.  But Bey, which many may believe is a moniker for Beruwala, is in reality the title placed upon the first three rulers of the Ottoman Empire and hence, denotes the double pronged meaning of Cinnamon Bey not only bearing the laurels of a leader in hospitality but also, imbues the flavour of the Arabic heritage that Cinnamon Bey espouses.

For Deputy Chairman John Keells Holdings Ajit Gunewardene, the Rs.3 billion investment into the ten acre Cinnamon Bey encompasses the Cinnamon brand pillars of comfort, creativity and discovery.  “Being the first five star resort down south, we have to ensure that our guest is completely indulged and that the memories they take back with them, denotes an experience.  As is synonymous with the Cinnamon brand, the luxuries will be a given because that’s what indulgence is about but it is the elements of creativity and discovery that make us unique.  Cinnamon Bey showcases the much forgotten Arabic culture and with it the nuances and flavours that make Sri Lanka the diverse melting pot it is.  We are inspired by this culture and the history it holds in this part of the country and hence, there is a definite authentic local sense of place.  Vacations are no longer about destination hopping but rather of discovery.  And again, each space, each element, each dimension at Cinnamon Bey is a discovery; it regales stories and spawns memories; the history, culture, cuisine, décor and even the resort’s persona begs to be central to those journeys of discovery and memories.”

And Daswatte has undoubtedly had a most exciting time in creating the concept, echoing Gunewardene’s stance of creating stories.  “Firstly, there’s the landscape, unique in its placement and amalgamating the two properties of the former Beach Hotel Bayroo and Confifi.  “A small promontory that was a part of the Confifi site is now the focus and in fact, all those old trees that were very emblematic of this old resort is now the base of the landscape. The southern part gives access to a long beachfront and the sea, with the northern area hosts the lagoon and a clear view of Barberyn Island and the lighthouse.”  Unusually, guests arrive on the first floor on a grand drive-through ramp that on entrance posits the principles upon which Islamic architecture is founded upon, ‘Surface, Pattern and Light’.  “There’s nothing superfluous or excessive, as some would want to believe of this style of architecture, because the ornamentation is designed to add harmony to the surrounds.”  But Daswatte remains true to the fundamentals of his Bawa principles, weaving in the subtle elements of spaciousness and aligned geometry, reminiscent of some design dynamics like the straight colonnades for example.

Enter the reception and those mesmeric Islamic promptings, emerge.  Above is a massive dome which plays with surface, pattern and light, depicting the mythical meeting of heaven and earth, to the perfect setting of the drop down view of double height terraces and the infinite view of the pool and sea.  The reception itself is monumentally spacious and embraces to one side of it, the hallmark Mashrabiya carved wood lattice work, which in fact is echoed in some of the 200 rooms.  Daswatta, has played with convention and even created three different spaces for the restaurants rather than one massive eating space.  “Our guests are special individuals and we want their gourmet experiences also to be a journey of discovery.”  To one side of the garden is a stylised street cafe reminiscent of the streets of the Middle East where live cooking and innovative choices make for great foodie experiences beachside; the Hot Rock Seafood & Vodka Bar celebrates the whiteness of vodka and combines a live seafood market concept with a bar, where food is seared on hot stones, salt blocks or Shabu Shabu, the Japanese variant of hot pot;  and then there’s the Arabic Shisha Terrace, in all its esoteric splendour; tented and mysterious, it provides a complete Arabic dining experience complete with ‘fire-grilled’ food and hookah pipes, under the stars, the traditional Pool Bar which now doubles as an ice-cream parlour, also adding a gourmet pizza and bar where artisan pizza is cooked over outdoor wood fires.

Using the signature interrelationship of geometric patterns, skillful use of colour and tone values with an undertone of fluidity, intricate motifs and the Mughal influence, the bedrooms are works of art.  The 200 rooms, all timbered and trellised have a sense of understated grandeur, picking up vignettes of Islamic tradition.  Sri Lanka’s Dumbara weaves, which undoubtedly has its roots from the vibrant geometric weaves of Marrakesh is infused into the décor, while the famed Moroccan Zillij geometric mosaic enamel covered tiles in shades of peacock blue, tinges of bronze gold and red, form a grand ornamental bedhead wall.  The rooms are spread to the north and south, while interestingly, the thirty deluxe rooms and two grand suites with its panoramic views of the sea from the bathrooms and extra large balconies work on a ‘hotel within a hotel’ concept, located in the north wing and housing a separate lounge, VIP check-in and customised swimming pool.   The outdoor gardens with its vast grassed terraces, palm lined beaches and flora depicting a tropical paradise, also introduces the Islamic concept of water with its elements of immutability, fluidity and changing dimensions in the long water body which meanders past the restaurant and onto the south side.  

For Sector Head – Sri Lankan Resorts of John Keells Hotels Jayantissa Kehelpannala, Cinnamon Bey is a dream come true.  “We have always striven to create unique personalities for our resorts and ensure they portray and showcase the locality, culture and traditions that are synonymous with their locations.  Cinnamon Bey is the first resort of its kind in this league, to truly permeate the ancient Arabic heritage that has undeniably been a part of Sri Lanka’s history and culture. Tourism of the future is about telling stories and with our resorts, we are doing just that, while tincturing the subtle Cinnamon tenets of indulgence and luxury into these stories.”