Foster & Reed is the island’s goto company for all things swimming pool related, or ‘water related recreational facilities’ as their website says. Involved in all aspects of poolware from construction and maintenance to spas, saunas and steam cabins, they’re pretty much the top supplier of pools around the country.
You can have a look at the website for a star studded list of top hotels and corporates who’ve enlisted their services – the Colombo Hilton, Mt. Lavinia Hotel, Taj Samudra, the SLAF, and so on. While other pool services do exist on the island – although we’re not sure where or who – F&R is the best known and most frequently used, a clear market leader in a currently rather uncompetitive arena.
Pools are expensive, both construction and maintenance wise, so prices, of course, vary depending on the size and nature of the pool. Foster & Reed can facilitate the entire process, offering a selection of pool lights (including fibre optic floor lights – very pretty), tiles, and maintenance services. While you can purchase your own pool tiles elsewhere, Foster & Reed’s selection is rather beautiful – these are some of the prettiest tiles you can find in the country (the selection at Lanka Tiles is rather bathroomey and dull).
Glass and ceramic mosaics come in a variety of aqua shades; 1 sq foot of glass mosaic tiles costs Rs. 650 + taxes and ceramic is Rs. 750. The ceramic mosaics are particularly lovely, available in a deep shade of turquoise with spidery cracks across the glass under which are embedded tiny beads of dark blue glitter.
However, while they do build some great pools, F&R can be notoriously difficult to deal with if you’re not a ‘big client’. So if you’re working with them and you’re not a five star hotel, don’t expect five star service. But they do make some pretty pools.
