Sri Lanka
I visited with my husband & 2 kids for 12 days in July 2018. It's incredibly easy to fly to Sri Lanka with many options, we chose Dublin - Doha with Qatar Airways and onward to Colombo with Sri Lankan Airways, total flying time 12 hours.
Colombo Airport operates at full speed and we immediately get that Asian feeling on entering the arrivals hall. If you have the curiosity or are in the market for a washing machine or fridge, this airports duty free has a selection of shops selling these goods. "Only in Asia" says my youngest, which kind of sets the tone for the many other unexpected wonders this county will throw up.
The kids quickly made their way to the waiting mass of drivers and spot our driver/guide holding his welcome sign "Imelda McCarthy - Travel Counsellors" - it's always reassuring, when so far from home, to see your name held aloft. We made our introductions to Hiran who will accompany us for the full duration of our stay and headed to our first destination the ‘Arie Lagoon Hotel’ in Negombo. It was early morning when we reached the hotel and we got an immediate check in. This stop had been planned as a short rest & recuperation after our flight. We caught up on a few hours’ sleep, had breakfast and after a freshen up were on the move again.
Sri Lankan roads in the most part are the equivalent to national secondary roads in Ireland, there is only one motorway in the country. Due to the volume of traffic on the roads getting from place to place takes more time that we might expect. By early afternoon we arrived in ‘Sigiriya and the Elephas Resort’. The kids were happy to spend time in the splendid pool and we finished the evening with a buffet dinner and a chat with an Irish honeymoon couple, who had booked through Travel Counsellors, wise people!
Over the next two days we experienced a climb of the famous Sigiriya Rock fortress, sightseeing at Polonnaruwa an ancient ruined city, and an afternoon jeep safari into Minneriya wild life sanctuary. The highlight for the kids was seeing the herds of elephants in their natural habitat. While we enjoyed some down time at the hotel pool, my husband, was off climbing Pidurangala Rock which offers the most amazing views of Sigiriya Lions Rock. With his trusty camera he captured some splendid landscapes.
Our next destination was Kandy and en route we visited Dambulla cave temples, which is a vast isolated rock mass, featuring a series of five caves which had been turned into a magnificent rock temple by King Valagambahu. In Kandy, we stayed at the charming colonial styled, ‘Hotel Suisse’, located right beside the historic and picturesque Kandy lake. Top marks for their outdoor BBQ, a vast buffet each evening.
While in Kandy we visited the botanical garden at Perdeniya a quiet haven of majestic trees and plants. We also had the privilege of joining thousands of local pilgrims on a visit to the Temple of the Sacred tooth Relic. This is the most revered site in Sri Lanka and every day white clad pilgrims make their way to this hallowed space, bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani for their offerings. Our youngest was the only one deemed inappropriately dressed (usually kids are exempt from Buddhist dress code when visiting temples) and we rent a sarong from a street vendor. On our return to the mini-van we spotted a sign for the "Mc Carthy Guest House", and I thought they were only a Cork clan but clearly have set up roots in this far off land too!!
A very special treat is in store for our next transfer to Nuwara Eliya. We boarded a local train for what is considered one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world. We take our reserved seats in the 1st class carriage, but much of our time is spent sharing the space between carriages with our fellow travelers, taking turns in the opens doorways to get an unobtrusive view of the spectacular country side. Our overnight was spent at the unique ‘Hill Club Hotel’, an English colonial style building which has many original features from the 1930s. We are treated to one of two suites in the hotel and the kids are in an interconnecting room. We have dinner in the formal dining room where etiquette requires the gentlemen to wear shirt, tie and jacket. Luckily these can be borrowed from the reception. We retire for the night and to our surprise our beds have been warmed with hot water bottles, I hadn't mentioned that the temperature dropped some 20 degrees as we climbed into this mountainous region.
Our journey by road back down the mountains to Yala was just as spectacular as our previous days trip on the train, with the added advantage of stopping on demand to take in the views, including some sublime waterfalls right on the road side. We had lunch in the town of Ella, a well-known hiking destination packed with tourists and where there was a wonderful relaxed buzz. We spent the next two nights at ‘Hotel Chandrika’ and take an afternoon jeep safari into Yala life sanctuary. Our excellent safari guide pointed out an array of wild animals including the very rare Sloth Bear which got all the other drivers very excited, jostling for position, luckily, we were to the fore, and had a perfect view.
From Yala we make our way to Waskaduwa, stopping for lunch in the small town of Galle on the south coast. This pretty town has a wonderful Fort and after eating we walked along the Dutch ramparts which offer great views of the harbour and the famous old light house. Later we received a special welcome from the hotel manager at the ‘Coco Royal Resort’ and are invited to a VIP dinner on the hotel lawn where the head chef presents a specially prepared Seafood curry and accompaniments, a memorable evening topped off with a cocktail or two from the happy hour bar menu! We enjoyed two days at this beach side hotel and feel truly relaxed after our stay.
Our final transfer is to Colombo, where we stayed at the ‘Galadari Hotel’. We enjoyed some retail therapy and travelled from shop to shop in the super-efficient and cheap Tuk-Tuks. A swim at the roof top pool followed by dinner rounds off our last full day in Sri Lanka.