Barry, Glen, Pat & Roger
England, January 2013
I trust you have recovered from your stint at the Travel Show! It was really good to meet up and have the opportunity to talk to you.
As discussed, despite the points to be mentioned below, our trip went very well and Glen and I enjoyed a great time - we returned with some wonderful memories and hope to return to Sri Lanka in the not too distant future. The really high points for us were Yala and Mirissa. Leopards, elephants etc at Yala and during our two trips out of Mirissa we saw 15 Blue whales, 3 Fin whales, 5 Manta Rays and a large pod (50?) of spinner dolphins. All very special and just to bore you a couple of photos attached! Although it was to a large extent a 'standard' tour we were grateful for the way in which it had been put together with, just about, enough time at each location to appreciate what was on offer. We appreciate the thought and input from Tikalanka.
We are experienced travellers and do not allow perhaps relatively minor issues to spoil our enjoyment of any trip. As mentioned there were a few matters about which you need to be aware:
Hotels
As a general point you, and therefore we, appeared to suffer from the fact that you are a small operation and invariably the hotels looked after the larger companies and tour groups. As a consequence there were some issues with our room allocation notwithstanding the fact that in virtually every case the hotels were never more than two thirds full. Also there was a real lack of information about what was available at each hotel. The room files dealt with the usual basics but made no mentioned of anything of interest.
1. Heritance Kandalama [Dambulla] - Great hotel in a wonderful setting but we were allocated room 444 at the rear of the hotel with a perfect view of the car park rather than the lake! We did challenge this but were told nothing could be done. Although termed 'superior' rooms they were their standard rooms so perhaps we should have gone for an upgrade. In retrospect it might have been a good idea for us to have had an extra day at this hotel following our flight to fully appreciate the hotel and its environs.
2. Cinnamon Citadel [Kandy] - Again nice hotel in a great setting but we were allocated rooms on the extreme left (looking at the river) with a view restricted in part by trees and the wall to the roof of the rooms below. Also there was no mention of what turns out to be the nightly spectacle of the fruit bats searching for food - as you know thousands of them follow the river. We missed it the first night but the Downers made sure we caught it the following evening.
3. The Grand Hotel [Nuwara Eliya] - Not sure where to start here - we had one of the old rooms on the ground floor at the rear of the hotel. It was old and very tired. Standing in the very narrow bath to try to use the shower was 'dangerous'. Both taps to the wash basin produced hot water - we never did get cold to clean teeth etc despite reports to reception. Again we asked to change rooms to no avail. Originally the Downers occupied the next room - their bath did not have any taps and they were expected to fill the bath from the overhead shower - they were also told the hotel did have some rooms with baths and taps. They were eventually moved to one of the refurbished rooms on the third floor at the front of the hotel.
The dinner buffet at this hotel left a lot to be desired. Food was invariably over cooked resulting in meat being inedible. Service was even worse! Start with we ordered drinks and a bottle of water from one waiter another then came along and removed the water glasses. Plates were being removed before we finished eating from them. A side plate was removed so another was provided and then promptly removed by another waiter. They were so busy fussing, while ignoring the basics, that it was at times difficult for us to hold a conversation. They failed to understand the difference between good service and being intrusive to the point of being unpleasant. I am afraid I did 'lose' it and one point and had words with the restaurant manager to little effect - he simply asked the waiter to get us to complete a questionnaire but when handed to him he never trouble to speak to us about the problems.
4. Chaaya Wild [Yala] - Great hotel and location and no problems!
5. Mandara Resort [Mirissa] - Hotel less than half full but on arrival we were allocated 'superior' rooms on the ground floor with no real view of the sea and not the deluxe rooms booked. When challenged the manager and he acknowledged there was a problem but said it would be sorted the following day. I insisted on seeing the General Manager and after brief but firm discussion with him we went immediately to the unoccupied deluxe rooms. No explanation was provided. As you know the deluxe rooms are very large and the tea making facilities were in the annex to the bathroom. There was not electrical socket for the kettle. Upon enquiring we were told we could move the large TV unit use those sockets or there was another socket on the floor behind the sofa! In the event we had to use the latter for the kettle and to recharge cameras and phones. The food here was also indifferent.
6. Heritance Ahungalla [Ahungalla] - Again great hotel and location but again we were allocated room 204 sea facing but totally without and view due to the trees which have grown up immediately in front of the balcony! No alternative offered despite hotel being about half full. A small point an elephant visits the hotel on a daily basis but we did not hear about it until it was too late and we were leaving. Late in the day we also found out that turtles and visited the beach to lay eggs on two successive nights - we were not told despite expressing an interest in such matters to reception on arrival.
The Driver [guide] - Sena
While superficially helpful he stuck us as basically lazy. From the outset he made much of his allergies, his neck injury that 'forces' him to wear a foam support collar; his aversion to altitude that renders him unwell every time he visit Kandy / Nuwara Eliya and his aversion to the sea. On several occasion he tried to talk us out of visits - for instance in Kandy we did not visit he Hindu temples of municipal market on the basis there were better temples and markets to be seen later in the trip. Later we realised we never did go into a Hindu temple but did visit and small market in Nuwara Eliya.
In Kandy he left us to go around the botanical gardens on our own (to be expected?) and did not tell us that was where the fruit bats roosted during the day - we found them no thanks to him but clearly he knew about this. Also we agreed to meet him at the main gate at 10.30 by which time it was very very hot. After waiting for some 25 mins we eventually found him some distance up the road in him vehicles enjoying the air-con! Unfortunately waiting in the heat got to Glen and she was unwell for the rest of the day and part of the next.
We were also left to go around other gardens on our own.
In Yala Sena came out with us in the morning and he was wearing his collar. We had the distance impression that he was telling the driver/guide to be 'careful' and restricted the extent of our visit and therefore our enjoyment - return to hotel by 09.30? In the afternoon we told him to stay behind and we enjoyed a much longer trip with more 'robust' driving and late in the day we saw leopards etc etc returning at 19.00. We doubt this would have been possible had Sena been with us.
Mirissa - whale watching we went on our won the first day which was a wonderful experience - 9 Blue, 3 Fin, Manta and dolphins. After hearing about our experience Sena came with us the next day when it was predicted to be rougher at sea. He did not wear his support collar and was with us on the upper deck with more sea motion. I had told him we did not was him suffering from seasickness and then driving us to Galle / Ahungalla. He came out anyway and did not appear to suffer any ill effect despite not wearing his collar.
Following the whale watching we arrive in Galle at about 1pm when it was blisteringly hot. We had a short walk on the Fort ramparts after a short drive round and then found cool restaurant for a cold drink before travelling on to Ahungalla. We did say to Sena that we would like to return to Galle to look round in the cool of the day and at some other time perhaps travel into Colombo - he told us there were taxis, trains or buses!
He left us at Ahungalla and we did not see him until 08.00 on the morning of our departure. Again he did not wear his collar. Upon saying goodbye at the airport he gave us his business card, copy attached, and said that if we wanted to visit Sri Lanka again, or if any of our friends wanted to visit, we could contact him direct to arrange a tour - enough said!
I have gone on longer than anticipated but please be assured this is not a moan or complaint just an attempt at constructive feedback.
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