Holiday in Sri Lanka
Every year I try to experience at least one new destination. After close to 20 years in the travel industry, I have been lucky enough to travel to some wonderful destinations, some many times. In the last 12 months, I travelled to Sri Lanka - previously known as Ceylon by the British colonists.
As a Virtuoso Travel Advisor I am blessed to work with some of the wonderful on-sites and local operators around the world, who truly know how to immerse their guests into the culture of the destination. The attention to detail and the valued relationships of Virtuoso on-sites with local businesses is always evident. When visiting Pinnawala elephants, my guide & I were given special access to a closed off part of the restaurant - which meant I was directly above the spot where the elephants were bathing - some 25 metres closer than other travellers.
My guide was one of the highlights of the trip, like travelling with a good friend, nothing was too much trouble and always making suggestions to enhance my overall experience of Sri Lanka. Another highlight were exclusive hosted experiences including city walks with local authors and celebrities.
Sri Lanka has many accommodation options - historic hotels, villas and resorts like The Wallawwa, Tea Trails, Ulagalla Resort and Tintagel. Safaris are a great option in Wilpattu and Yala National Parks. And there are so many different beach areas from Negombo, Tangalle, Bentota and Passikudah .
In Galle, I stayed at the historic Galle Fort Hotel and also visited the serene Amangalle. In the mountains surrounding Kandy, I found themost beautiful retreat called Bouganvillea Retreat - the infinity pool appeared to merge into the lakes and mountains behind. And don't forget Colombo, a city often overlooked by travellers but well worth a couple days, I stayed at the iconic Galle Face Hotel which has seen guests including Che Guevara, Steven Spielberg and Indira Ghandhi.
Ayurveda massage is a must. And the food around Sri Lanka is great - when in Colombo, don't miss the atmospheric Dutch Hospital area which has been converted to house some great bars and restaurants including the Ministry of Crab, owned by two Sri Lankan cricket players.
So if like me you have visited Thailand and Bali many times, and are looking for something different - may I recommend Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is now firmly on my favourite list - I can't wait to go back and explore the north of the island which is now opening up once again to tourists - areas like Jaffna, and the beaches around Passikudah and Trinacomalee.
Sri Lanka is definitely back on the traveller's map, if all the new hotel openings are anything to go by -new boutique and luxury resorts that are due to open including Anantara Tangalle Resort & Spa, Ani Villas, and Tri Lanka the first sustainable “eco” luxury resort hotel in Koggala Lake area of Galle.
Sri Lanka captivated me - beautiful warm people, a wide range of boutique and luxury accommodation, an amazing variety of scenery and experiences, great food and some beautiful beaches - it should be on everyone's wish list of destinations.
If you would like to visit Sri Lanka, please connect call me on 0477002235 or send me an email.
I would love to plan your trip to Sri Lanka, maybe combine with a relaxing few days in The Maldives on the way home.