Dave & Christine
England, January/February 2024
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
Incredibly friendly people.
Beautiful and varied scenery.
Great wildlife!
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
Nothing really.
The only minor niggle was when we went for the evening turtle watch at Rekawa. Although they explained clearly about what would happen if a turtle came on to the beach to lay, how close you would be allowed to be etc we felt there were far too many people there and so we left before any turtles were seen. By this time there were 50+ people there with more still arriving – we thought this many people would undoubtedly cause a disturbance for the turtles even if the people had to stay 20m away. [We haven't visited the Turtle Conservation Project at Rekawa for a few years now since previous customers commented on the lack of policing around the turtles landing on the beach to lay eggs and the irresponsible behaviour of the local 'rangers'. From your experience, it sounds like the staff has improved their behaviour towards managing the turtles but the issue with too many visitors getting too close to the turtles remains. We will continue not to recommend a visit here until the situation improves further.]
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
Many and varied but all good.
Villa Hundira [Negombo] – not really here long enough to get a full impression. Nice quiet location. Staff were very pleasant and chatty, room was clean and comfortable. Food was excellent.
Galkadawala [Forest Lodge, Habarana] – loved the rustic approach and the use of reclaimed materials. Unfortunately the room we had booked “Birder’s Nook” was not available (a problem with a new concrete floor that had been laid not setting properly) but the alternative bungalow we were given was absolutely fine. As we are nature lovers and have stayed in similar open accommodation in other parts of the world, waking up to find frogs in the sink did not bother us at all as didn’t returning to the room one morning to find it full of bats! Other clients may find this off putting, lol. Excellent, varied food everyday with the owner’s brother joining us at each meal.
Borderlands [Eco Lodge, Kitulgala] – loved this place, great room and views of the river. We were the only customers there however with the rest of the lodge being used by a school party who generally took over the restaurant/communal areas. As two retired teachers who have taken many school trips, this did not concern us at all as the students were well behaved and we spent a lot of time chatting to their teachers. Other clients may have found this off putting however. The staff were very attentive with the chef in particular ensuring the food provided was what we wanted – we were actually given full board here not just HB as we were expecting.
Oatlands [by Jetwing, Nuwara Eliya] – about as different to the last two as you could get! Very relaxed atmosphere although a little dated. Ate in the main hotel [Jetwing St. Andrew's] rather than use room service, loved the Peaky Blinders themed bar. Again not here long enough to get a real idea about it.
98 Acres [Resort & Spa, Ella] – absolutely stunning views from the room which was only a 2 mins walk from the bar/restaurant. Plenty of wildlife around that could be viewed from our balcony and within 30 mins we had walked from our room to the top of Little Adam’s Peak. A wide range of great food in the restaurant – would have liked to stay here longer.
Kalu’s Hideaway [Udawalawe] – probably our favourite place of all, from the head massage on arrival to sitting by the river as the sun went down watching the birds fishing. Lovely relaxed atmosphere again with staff that could not have been more helpful, we even indulged in a massage in the spa! Nice selection of food, a mix of buffets and a la carte. Highlight was when a large monitor lizard decided to wander through the restaurant and the waiter just looked at it and grinned, clearly it wasn’t the first time.
Kithala [Resort, Tissamaharama] – another very comfortable room with ac which was very welcome as the days were getting hotter. Due to this being the hub for our trips to Yala and Bundala we didn’t spend much time in the actual hotel as we were off out early on both days. A lot of young “trainee” staff in the restaurant some of whom did spend a lot of time chatting to each other rather than serving which meant that food and drinks orders were noticeably slower than at most of the other places we stayed. Buffet meals each evening which were a nice mix of Sri Lankan and International food along with a chef cooking chicken, fish, prawns on a BBQ outside for anybody that wanted them.
Buckingham Place [Tangalle] – a stunning, very professionally run hotel. As Nick the owner said when we arrived “We want everything to be perfect”. Another great room with views across the lagoon, breakfast served until noon, and a decent sized pool that we made use of. We were ready for a rest by the time we got here and this was the perfect place to do it. Great food and atmosphere in the evening as well.
[The] Merchant Galle Fort [Galle] – a nice place to finish in the center of Galle, much busier than the other places we stayed. Our room was on the second floor but looked out over the outside restaurant area where they had live music on the first night which was a little noisy. Another nice room with ac etc. Good restaurant with a wide selection of food and large portions!
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Nihal – where can I start! Suffice to say this trip would not have been the same without him. A mine of information and a true love of his country, he taught us so much about the culture and the wildlife. He very quickly learnt we had a shared interest in nature and was full of ideas for extra places to go and trips we could make – we did begin to think he knew everyone in Sri Lanka. From arranging a boat trip around the lake in Tissa, an impromptu Tuktuk ride one morning when the car wouldn’t start to a guided tour of the Buddhist temple in Galle his priority was always to make sure we had the best trip possible. And we laughed …. a lot. Saying goodbye to him at the airport was quite a sad moment and we have already exchanged several messages since our return. A very special person.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
Qatar Airways were very good, no problem with the outbound journey or connection at Doha.
45 mins for the return connection was always going to be tight but when the first flight was 90mins late departing it was obvious we were not going to make it. We were met at the airport by a Qatar Airways rep who gave us replacement tickets for the next flight to Manchester 10 hours later. Unfortunately, due to being given some incorrect information, we were not provided with any food or drinks during this time and had to buy our own. I have put in a complaint and a request for compensation for this to Qatar Airways this morning. [Economy Class - Manchester] [We are sorry that your flight home didn't go to plan and the airline didn't look after you very well at Doha during your forced extended transit there. The scheduled flight connections at Doha can be tight time-wise but generally there are no issues.]
Any other comments?
A great trip, very well organized and, with the exception of the flight home, ran like clockwork.
We realise now that we should have extended the trip to include a little more down time as although we visited many places the constant early starts did get a little tiring (and became a constant running joke with Nihal). An extra night in both Nuwara Eliya and Ella would have given us more casual time to explore both of these wonderful places.
Several very interesting extra trips that Nihal suggested which may be of interest to other clients:
- Night safari around Habarana looking for nocturnal creatures such as fishing cats – we did see one
- Boat trip around Tissa lake – great for birding and only a few minutes from Kithala Resort.
- Visit to Weligama snake farm – very interesting and knowledgeable owner and chance to get up close to some serious snakes for me. [We do not recommend visits to snake farms since we promote no human-wild animal interactions as a matter of principle in line with Born Free Foundation guidelines.]
- Turtle rescue and hatchery between Mirissa and Galle – very enthusiastic staff. [We do not recommend visits to turtle hatcheries since they are not bound by internationally-approved protocols for the rescue and handling of turtles, and, in our experience, most such establishments are solely a commercial enterprise without due regard for the welfare and wellbeing of turtles. Similar to above, we also promote no human-wild animal interactions as a matter of principle in line with Born Free Foundation guidelines.]
[We are glad that you enjoyed the additional activities suggested by Nihal and we will pass on your recommendations to future customers, with exceptions.]
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