James & Mirella
England, February 2023
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
Where to start! The country was beautiful, so lush and varied, and the food was fantastic. And the people! Rarely have we been so enamoured with an entire population – everyone we met in Sri Lanka was so welcoming, friendly, and so sincerely proud of their country, it was hard not to get caught up in their passion. We loved that it provided such a diverse mix of culture, history, wildlife and adventure, and our highlights are too many to choose from: seeing a leopard in Yala National Park, hiking up Sigiriya, our stay in the beautiful Knuckles Mountains, spotting a blue whale… everything was fantastic.
What did you like most about Maldives?
Maldives was exactly what it said on the tin, and made for an absolutely perfect end to the trip – which we felt we deserved after covering a lot of ground in Sri Lanka! The resort [Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives], which encompassed the entire island, was beautiful, with stunning views out across the ocean. Waking up to the sunrise over the horizon, sunbathing on the deck of our water bungalow, and then snorkelling in the crystal clear waters around our local reef with fish and turtles made for a fantastic daily routine. Food was excellent, staff was lovely, and the diving was not only beautiful but also very professionally run.
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
Very little! Negombo beach was a bit dirty, which was a bit of a shame for our final day, but it seemed that Negombo was more of a means to an end, i.e. a place to stay for easy access to Colombo airport for the next part of our trip.
What did you like least about Maldives?
Really struggling to think of anything at all! Only comment is that the interior of the water bungalow felt a bit dated, but this is such a minor point.
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
The accommodation was fantastic and really helped make our trip feel like a honeymoon, right from the very beginning at the Dambulla Lake Lodge [Boutique Hotel], where it really hit home that we were in Sri Lanka. Ashburnham [Estate, Knuckles] in particular stands out, and is somewhere we never would have found or booked were it not for Tikalanka. We will recommend it to everyone – a private waterfall, a hike up a mountain, and a tour of a tea plantation, what more could we want?! The 98 Acres Resort [and Spa, Ella] was also amazing, particularly the honeymoon suite which looked out over the mountains. Mirella particularly liked The Merchant [Galle Fort] hotel in Galle Fort, which really nailed the “boutique” vibe. And the Yala tents [Mahoora Premium Camp] were such a level of luxury it almost feels inappropriate to call them tents – especially with the staff pulling together a five course meal each night! The only hotel which perhaps fell a bit short was the Fox Kandy, which looks beautiful from the outside but the rooms were a bit dated and underwhelming compared to the rest of the facilities.
How would you rate your resort in Maldives?
Accommodation – 4/5 (Good)
Beach – 5/5 (Very good)
Diving – 5/5 (Very good)
Food – 4/5 (Good)
Responsible and/or sustainable travel – 5/5 (Very good)
Service – 5/5 (Very good)
Snorkelling – 5/5 (Very good)
Spa – N/A
Transfer to and from Malé – 5/5 (Very good)
Overall experience – 5/5 (Very good)
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Nihal absolutely made our trip, and that's not an exaggeration. Not only did he give us so much comfort that everything was going smoothly at each step of Sri Lanka, but he genuinely became a person we looked forward to seeing each morning. He was professional and genial, but also funny, knowledgeable and very sweet. It was actually a sad moment when we had to leave him, and that is perhaps one of the few comments that we have on the trip as a whole – it was a shame that we had to change guide when we reached Galle, because Nihal had become such an integral part of our journey. Overall, we cannot speak highly enough of Nihal and would come back even just as an excuse to see him!
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka and Maldives?
Flights were fine, everything was on time and the check in process was smooth. A slightly lacklustre film selection was made up for by some of the best plane food we've had! [SriLankan Airlines – Economy Class]
Any other comments?
This really was the holiday of a lifetime and we couldn't have asked for more from our honeymoon. John and the team at Tikalanka were amazing throughout, responding to my silly questions and catering to our requests while also employing their deep knowledge of the country to make the trip truly special. Would absolutely recommend. [It is always incredibly satisfying to receive such positive comments about our holidays and team. We all strive to ensure that we deliver the best possible experience for our valued customers and it sounds like we hit the jackpot this time. It is a great pleasure to create and run holidays for interested and appreciative customers – it is absolutely our raison d’être.] As an aside, we thought the honeymoon list idea (where wedding guests could choose to pay for specific excursions, hotels or upgrades) was a great one, but we felt that it would be too onerous on guests to have to call Tropic Breeze to arrange payment. If a payment processing system could be set up for this it would be an excellent addition, in our opinion! [We are sorry that the Wedding Gift List didn’t work out for you and we appreciate that the current format is not ideal. We will review payment options for the list to streamline the process in the future. Many thanks for your understanding.]
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