Jenny & John
Belgium, March/April 2017
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
The greenery, the ease of getting around, the friendliness of the people, the variety of things to do and the weather!
Pretty much everything!
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
The hundreds of plastic bottles on the beach at Galle. There’s a great environmental project for some schools there to clean up the beach.
Negombo with its polluted beach on one side of the hotel and a busy road on the other side.
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
We were really happy with the accommodation and felt that you had made some great choices.
We loved the location and grounds of the first hotel – Habarana Village [by Cinnamon, Habarana]. It was a perfect way to start our holiday.
Hanthana House [Kandy] was lovely with a great view from the balcony and delicious food.
The Grand [Hotel, Nuwara Eliya] was very comfortable though we would have been happy with somewhere a little less ‘grand’.
Zion View [Ella] had the best view we have ever had from a hotel room and excellent food
The Safari, Tissa – the room was comfortable but there’s an issue with the air-con machines outside the rooms which are very noisy. If you turned off the air-con in your own room, the noise from the other machines affected sleep.
Palm Paradise [Cabanas & Villas, Tangalle] was exactly that!
Fort Bliss – comfortable room and very friendly staff. They also own a great Middle Eastern restaurant – currently No 1 on Trip Advisor in Galle. The food was excellent.
Hotel J [Negombo] – a bit whacky but comfortable. I know it wasn’t your first choice and maybe we should have gone with the cats and dogs!
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Chathura was a really excellent chauffeur guide. From the moment he picked us up at the airport until he dropped us off, he was professional, courteous, informative, thoughtful, proactive and generally a pleasure to be with. We cannot fault him.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
All good! [Booked own flights]
Any other comments?
It was a simply excellent holiday from start to finish. We loved the variety of things to see and do and the comfortable hotels we stayed in – each with something special about them. It was a really well-crafted programme and we felt that your knowledge of the country was apparent in the way you put everything together.
Just a few points/observations:
It was great to glimpse a leopard in Yala, but the overall experience was one of a very bumpy, dusty drive with few animals to view. The bird safari in Bundala was far superior with very few cars and lots of bird life and a porcupine! (My husband has the most amazing photograph of a purple heron holding a fish.)
I’ve suggested to Chathura, that to have bottles of cold water in the car for when people get off the plane would be really appreciated. (On safari in East Africa water is always available from a cold box on the front seat of the vehicle.)
A minor point – suggest that clients carry a pair of socks for temple visits. When we were there the sand and the floors were so hot that it was really difficult to walk around them in Polonnoruwa.
John was really excited by the photographic opportunities in Sri Lanka – he took almost 2,000 pictures. Chathura was very obliging about stopping for photos.
Overall it was a superb holiday and we wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Tikalanka to anyone wanting to visit Sri Lanka.
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