Alison & James
England, January/February 2025
A good part of our [29-day] trip was unfortunately affected by terrible weather.
From January 18 to 31 it was very cloudy and cold with heavy rainfall. This obviously affected our holiday. We had to abandon walking barefoot through puddles to visit temples etc.!
Horathapola Estate [Wadumunnegedera] - 5/5 - this was really lovely. Good food, excellent staff. We wanted to stay longer. [We always recommend a night or two here at the beginning or end of our customers' holidays, but it seems you would have liked even longer there, which is quite an accolade!]
Heritance Kandalama [Dambulla] - 1/5 - a soulless concrete block with bare walls. No comfortable seating in the public/bar area. Very cold dining room. Poor soundproofing in the bedroom and very awkward bath/shower. We didn’t see much of the outside due to rain/mud. [We are sorry that your stay here was so disappointing - not the kind of feedback we expect for an iconic luxury hotel. We will forward your comments to the management.]
Ellerton Bungalow* [Kandy] - 5/5 - Wonderful host Luca and his wife Eromi with dogs Sam, Luna and Bula. Excellent place with good food, thoroughly enjoyable. *Correct title - there is another Ellerton place nearby with terrible reviews! [We agree, Luca and Iromi are always the best possible hosts and this is one of our favourite places to stay in the Kandy area.]
Oliphant [Boutique] Villa [by Amaya] - 3/5 - We were not told this hotel was unlicensed! No wine. No bar. Had we known we could have bought a bottle en route, but there were bottles of wine in the dining room fridge? Other guests obviously knew. Cold - had to have the heating on flat out! [We apologise for not informing you in advance that the villa doesn't have a liquor licence. However, your chauffeur guide should have offered to take you to a local 'bottle shop', which is what happens at other unlicensed accommodation we offer.]
Living Heritage [Koslanda] - 4/5 - We enjoyed this place and meeting other guests, but we were attacked by leeches on a walk. Our bathroom resembled a murder scene! A long walk to the pool (which we didn’t use due to the weather).
Flameback [Eco] Lodge [Weerawila] - 2/5 - Live bands next door kept us awake until 3am! Not a peaceful place. Noisy road nearby. Dirty public areas. [We apologise for your less than satisfactory experience here and will feedback your comments to the management - there is no excuse for unkempt public spaces. Noise interference from nearby locations is an issue but unfortunately out of the control of the lodge management. This is the first time we have received comments on noise pollution at Flameback Eco Lodge and we will inform future customers of this potential nuisance factor before booking. Many thanks for your understanding.]
Buckingham Place [Tangalle] - 5/5 - Wonderful, with great staff and food. Comfortable bar with good cocktails. Two pools. Lovely beach. Stylish place. [Like you, we love this boutique hotel. Nick Buckingham has developed a wonderful place to stay and relax over the years, and he is a very generous and urbane host as well!]
[The] Fort Printers [Galle] - 4/5 - A bit tatty. Needs work, but a good position in Galle Fort which we enjoyed very much. The small pool area should be for residents only. We were often disturbed by Russian women coming in to take selfies. We also were woken at 5am by the Muslim call to prayer nearby. Not what you need on holiday.
Galle Face [Hotel, Colombo] - 4/5 - I stayed here 50 years ago when it was being restored. It needs work again now, but we enjoyed this palatial hotel.
Polonnaruwa temples etc. Not good in the rain.
Anuradhapura ruins etc. Ditto.
Sigiriya. Avoided going early because of the crowds. Good at midday. Enjoyable.
Horton Plains. We didn’t see the need to go early (so we didn’t). We abandoned the walk after a while. Too many people there.
Kandy - we loved everything here, especially the old colonial bars/restaurants and the [Peradeniya] botanical gardens. We didn’t go to ‘the [Temple of the] Tooth’ - it was very overcrowded with tourists.
The Yala Safari. Oh dear! FAR too many jeeps (which kept any wildlife away) driving on appalling tracks. We had a dreadful time being thrown about for several hours.
Other unplanned visits of note which we thoroughly enjoyed:
The Hill Club, Nuwara Eliya - which was recommended by Luca. Very welcoming place. The Golf Club and post office, Nuwara Eliya. River nature trip on the Mahamodara river, near Galle. Lunuganga gardens [Bentota], although the house was closed.
We attempted 3 train journeys. Only one was successful. One was cancelled as the train came off the tracks and the other because a man fell off the train and was killed.
Our guide, Ayesha [Mahesh], was very pleasant and helpful. He spent a good deal of time on the phone running his hiking business and at times he drove too fast and we had to ask him to slow down. Otherwise very good and very knowledgeable. [It is absolutely forbidden by Tikalanka for chauffeur guides and transfer drivers to take or make calls while driving – our customers safety as well as their comfort and enjoyment are our top priorities, so he should always drive appropriately. We will have a serious discussion with Mahesh to ensure he abides by our rules and never uses his mobile phone when driving. We apologise for his behaviour since it is also disrespectful to you for him to be preoccupied with other issues when guiding you around Sri Lanka.]
Conclusion: SL has become too popular. Many Russian and Chinese tourists, not behaving very well. It’s unlikely we’ll return.
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