Francis & Marcus
England, February 2017
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
Variety of things to see and do; ancient sites, wildlife parks, scenery, towns, markets, cultural show. Variety of scenery; forests, hill country, coast, beach.
Country seems organized, clean, roads ok, (in comparison to India for example).
People friendly and helpful.
Food delicious. Loved Buffalo Curd and Palm syrup, curries, fruit, hoppers (for example).
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
[No comment]
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
We loved being in Homestays and smaller hotels where food was Sri Lankan and not international, both dinners and breakfasts. We loved being out of town and in leafy surroundings.
The variety of accommodation you found for us. The bungalow in Wilpattu [Kulu Safaris] was the most wonderful start to our holiday. The home cooked food was incredible and very imaginative and the staff looked after us wonderfully. We were so pleased to meet Pathi and his wife – another excellent and imaginative cook [Hanthana House, Kandy]. Amber Estate [Ella] was very relaxing even though the electricity was a bit erratic until the fuel tank was refilled! We loved the views and general ambience. The Last House [Tangalle] was a real luxury and lovely staff and food and wonderful to be able to wander down to the beach. Deco on 44 [Galle] – it was amazing to have the swimming pool as Galle was very hot.
The only place we didn’t like as much was Kalu’s Hideaway [Uda Walawe] but really because it had more international style food. But it was very comfortable and nice grounds.
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Nihal was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable about birds and the sights we visited. He spotted birds for us and had a couple of good bird books we could also use and a book on mammals in his car. He kept the car clean. We were particularly impressed but how quickly he responded to our needs as a pair of oldies who were often a bit unsteady! He insisted on using a crate as a step so we didn’t have a big step down from the car; he was always ready with an arm or a hand, we never had to ask, and ascending Sigiriya in a monsoon with Nihal by my side was not a problem.
He was open to our suggestions if we wanted to change anything or add anything. Having visited Lunuganga {Bentota] we wanted to see Brief Garden [Bentota] as well and he found out how to get there.
He was, maybe, over cautious when I asked to go to a Roti/Kothu Roti place for lunch and he thought it wouldn’t be safe health wise and preferred to take us to safer more touristy places instead. But I can understand that he felt responsible for us and our health.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
We booked extra legroom seats by the emergency exit which made all the difference to us. Facilities on board much as all international flights but the stewards were very quick to respond when we asked to just have tea instead of lunch. [SriLankan Airlines – Economy Class]
Stopping at the Maldives on the way out was a drag. [Flight schedule change due to the daytime closure of Colombo airport for renovation works.]
Any other comments?
We learnt about Brief Garden from the other visitors at Lunuganga and then looked it up in the guide book. It’s a real gem, a garden’s garden as opposed to Lunuganga which is more of an architect/landscape garden, and anyone interested in gardens should visit both. We had the time. It seems appalling that, because of the price, locals don’t visit either of these gardens. So many countries we’ve visited have one price for tourists and a much reduced rate for locals.
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