FOR SHEER LUXURY AND GRANDEUR, THE TAJ SAMUDRA IS HARD TO BEAT.

A splendid fountain and two magnificent stone elephants decorate the entrance. Inside, the lobby exudes the sort of class, style and taste that has made this Indian chain of hotels justly world famous. Marble is used profusely, matched with a light wood and panels of exquisitely carved dark wood. Gold shimmers from chandeliers and table lamps. Separated into different areas, the lobby is never intimidating but is warm and intimate. The attentive and friendly staff makes every effort to put people at their ease.

This is very much the case in the smart but easy-going café, which is a part of the lobby lounge. It is also very true of the hotel's bar, called The Mix, which comes off the lobby. This is a relatively new venue for Colombo and it is already a great success, with its combination of an English style pub, nightly live music, big screen, pool tables and that great service. If there is any action to be had in town, The Mix is probably the place to find it.

The choice of accommodation includes 268 Standard, Superior and Executive rooms as well as 32 Executive, Deluxe and Grand Luxury Suites. The new Executive Floor Rooms, Taj Samudra's hotel-within-a-hotel, offer the discerning traveler many additional facilities. These include complimentary breakfast and cocktails in the evening, all-day valet, exclusive use of the Executive Floor Lounge, Meeting Rooms and mini Business Center.

The Taj Samudra is located close to just about everything: the sea, the business district, the diplomatic zone, the shops, the nightclubs and the restaurants. Nothing could be more convenient, except perhaps having the best restaurants within the hotel itself. And that is just what the Taj has, for the Indian Restaurant (even more than the Chinese specialty restaurant) is recognised as one of the best, if not in fact the very best, such restaurant in the capital. Something that might just be said of the hotel itself.