Deborah & Pablo
England, March 2025
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
Friendliness of Sri Lankans.
Mix of cultures – Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Muslim.
Variety of sights and activities – historic sites and cities, beach resorts, wildlife/national parks.
Quality and variety of accommodation.
Food – especially seafood, tropical fruit.
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
Risk of over-tourism in certain locations – e.g. beach resorts, Yala National Park.
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
Villa Hundira [Negombo] – fabulous spot to relax and recover from journey! Charming hotel, delightful owners and staff. Lots to enjoy without leaving the hotel – 2 pools, peaceful bar and restaurant, fabulous roof top terrace. Enjoyed visit to textile workshop too.
The Other Corner [Habarana] – relaxing location by lake/in forest, convenient for visiting Sigiriya, Polunnawara [Polonnaruwa], Dumballa [Dambulla]. Amazing customer service – all the staff went above and beyond.
Mountbatten Bungalow [Kandy] – charming period villa, spectacular infinity pool. Relaxing lounge. Breakfast on lawn a particular highlight.
W15 [Lake Gregory] Nuwara Eliyah [Eliya] – Our shortest stay. Well appointed rooms. Lovely log fire in the dining room.
98 Acres [Resort & Spa] Ella – The most amazing view from our room. The upgrade to the Royal Deluxe Room was definitely worth it for the views of Little Adam’s Peak and down towards the south of the island, the size of the room and veranda, and the proximity to the pool and restaurant. The resort was much bigger than the other places we stayed and therefore perhaps lacked a little of the personal charm of some of the other places.
Mailagarama Cinnamon Plantation [Mailagama Cinnamon Residence, Kataragama] – The simplest of the places we stayed, but really friendly with delightful gardens. Enjoyed being able to walk through the paddy fields and local villages.
The Spice House [Mirissa] – We were staying in the Spice Villa. The rooms and pool there were amazing, and the owners so friendly and welcoming. The stay was slightly marred by the noise from building work at the neighbouring property and also the closure of the path from the Villa to the main hotel, which meant a longer walk along road to get to main hotel for breakfast.
The Merchant [Galle Fort, Galle] – Delightful hotel. Excellent location within the Fort – easy to retreat back to the air conditioning for a break during the day. Great service, well equipped rooms.
[Nyne Hotels] Lake Lodge – Very stylish. Superb location close to all the main sights in Colombo. Enjoyed being able to walk everywhere.
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Ravi was great.
He had an amazing ability to spot a chameleon at 500m! We appreciated his knowledge of birds and wildlife.
We enjoyed his insights into local history and culture.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
Good flights with Qatar, all of which took off and landed on time. Easy transfer at Doha Airport. [Economy Class - London Heathrow]
Any other comments?
There was no driver waiting on arrival in Colombo and he didn’t respond when called on the mobile number provided. Pathi did respond and sorted out the issue, which was appreciated. [It seems that you missed each other in the Arrivals Hall! Gayan, who is our usual transfer driver, was there on time but you missed each other on arrival. Pathi coordinated to get you together. We apologise for the mishap.]
We had paid for the more expensive rooms (Garden Chalets) at the Mountbatten Bungalow, but had been booked into the Bungalow Rooms. [We apologise for the confusion with your reservation at Mountbatten Bungalow and we will reimburse you for the extra cost of the room supplement.]
Ravi swapped the train tickets which would have taken us from Ella back towards Nuwara [Eliya], for tickets on the Calypso Express [Badulla to Bandarawela]. That was a great plan. We still had the experience of the train journey, without the extra time travelling.
Bundala was a much more magical experience than Yala, which we found very busy, although the guide did a great job of finding quieter spots in the Park.
It might have been better to have done Yala on the first afternoon and Bundala the following morning. This would have made for a less tiring day.
It might have been good to have a hotel closer to the departure point in Tissa for the safaris. Although it was only about 40 mins drive to Tissa, we did that journey 4 times in one day which added quite a bit to the travel time that day.
« All feedback
