Clarke family
England, August 2017
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
Variety of countryside, scenery, culture, nature and coast all within easy reach. Friendliness of the people. Good food. Good weather.
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
Nothing we disliked. Probably the driving could be safer!
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
Excellent. The homestays you selected were very good. I would probably have preferred the same homestay at the end as beginning i.e. Villa Araliya [Negombo] as it had a little pool to keep boys occupied! I think that teenagers can only manage about 4 nights of homestays before they need the flexibility and amenities of the hotels though. They loved both Cinnamon hotels [Habarana Village by Cinnamon, Habarana & Trinco Blu by Cinnamon, Nilaveli] and Nilaveli Beach Hotel. Great food/buffet. Clove Tree Cottage, Ella great location – amazing walk to swim under the waterfall. In conclusion, we were very happy with the selection of accommodation.
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Niroshan, our chauffeur guide, was very good. Really knew his stuff, very good English and friendly without being overly familiar. Probably better with adults than children. I think that 3 people do need a minibus than small car, though, particularly with the long, winding journeys. At Pathi’s [Hanthana House, Kandy], there was talk of transferring us to a car, which I would not have been pleased about, but the minibuses provided were great.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
SriLankan Airlines (direct [non-stop] flight) was excellent and we were met immediately we came through arrivals by Niroshan.
Any other comments?
Glad that you helped us miss Ella: looks very crowded now.
We also decided not to bother going to Nuwara Eliya as I think that it probably was less of interest than other things nearby.
The journey from Colombo to Ella was probably rather too long for one day having just flown in the day before: a bit of a shock to the system.
Homestays lovely but for teenagers, I think hotels with amenities more popular: Cinnamon Habarana great as you can hire bikes to cycle round lake and has other spots available too.
Cinnamon Trinco Blu good if you like beach chalet and diving centre right on doorstep (I’ve enclosed the diving leaflet for you just in case you want to use it for others).
Pigeon Island great for snorkelling and it wasn’t as packed as I thought plus they have cordoned off sections to allow the coral to regrow.
Perhaps an idea to recommend that travellers remember to pack binoculars – I wish we had taken some!
You really did put together a fantastic package for us and I can’t say how much we enjoyed the holiday. Absolutely fantastic. I’m sorry to change my mind and have to get Pathi to sort out internal flights for us from Trinco back to Colombo but I’m sure that it was the right decision. It gave us some extra time relaxing at the end of the holiday and the little 8 seater plane was an experience in itself!
I have already mentioned Tikalanka to several friends and will continue to recommend you.
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