Kate & Zak
England, May 2023
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
The people, the scenery, the food, the culture, the kindness! In particular these were our favourite experiences:
- "Ella Spice Land" cooking class with a really wonderful local couple in their home kitchen. You eat your own delicious curry dinner that you've learnt to cook. I’d really recommend adding this in as an option for clients when staying in Ella as it was one of our favourite things (and I hate cooking!).
- Walking up Sigiriya Rock and exploring the fortress at sunrise, also climbing Pidurangala Rock at sunrise for a view over Sigiriya (Lion) Rock the following morning.
- Snorkelling with beautiful fish and reef sharks off the coast in Trincomalee (Divers Land Dive Club Trincomalee were an awesome bunch of guys and we’d really recommend them).
- Just being in the beautiful Knuckles Mountains, and walking through the tea plantations with a guide from Madulkelle Tea & Eco Lodge.
- Hiking in Horton Plains National Park and climbing Little Adam’s Peak in Ella.
- Cycling through the rice paddies in Galle.
- Elephant and Leopard Safari in Yala National Park.
- Safari in Minneriya [National Park] Elephant Corridor.
- Taking the train from Ella to Nuwara Eliya [Nanuoya railway station] – absolutely stunning.
- Taking a bull-drawn cart in Sigiriya to a lovely local lake, boating on the lake and then doing another cooking class with a local family (Nihal booked this for us on the day).
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
Honestly nothing, we’d visit again in a heartbeat.
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
Generally it was really great and we were very happy with the accommodation. I’ve provided a bit more detailed feedback below:
Madulkelle [Tea &] Eco Lodge [Knuckles] , Roo Mansala [Sigiriya] and Buckingham Place [Tangalle] were hands down our favourites – their amenities, location, food and service/attention to detail were all incredible. We would really highly recommend all three of these – they felt like 7* and are definitely in our top 5 best places we’ve ever stayed! [Some accolade indeed considering your various travels elsewhere around the world! We will feedback your comments to the hotels – I am sure they will be delighted!]
98 Acres [Resort & Spa, Ella] was also really lovely and in a great location. The room had a bit of damp but that was mainly because they didn’t have extract fans and you couldn’t open the windows because they didn’t have bug screens. I’d still go back though for the beautiful views and perfect location for Little Adam’s Peak.
The Merchant Galle Fort was also wonderful indeed, on reflection my praise probably wasn't quite as effusive for that hotel as we were a bit jet-lagged on arrival and also much prefer to be in nature than cities/towns so perhaps didn't feel as blown away by it. It was very lovely with wonderful staff and great food, so would definitely recommend guests to stay there if in Galle.
C Beyond Nilaveli [Nilaveli] had lovely staff but I would say it the amenities weren’t as great as most of the other accommodation – the pool wasn’t very big and the room didn’t have blackout blinds or anything so we slept pretty badly there. There was also not much in the local area restaurant-wise. [It really is a shame that some hotels don’t consider the impact of bedroom design on their guests' ability to sleep. We are sorry you experienced broken nights here and will feedback your comments to the hotel management.]
Jetwing Cottage [The Cottage by Jetwing, Nuwara Eliya] was the only place which was bad – we would advise not sending future clients there unfortunately. I can imagine it was lovely in the past but it has become very dilapidated, the bathroom didn’t have hot water and the food was really poor (it was cooked up the road at the other Jetwing Hotel [Jetwing St. Andrew’s] and then tuk-tuked down, so cold by the time it arrived). It felt pretty 2*. There is also construction over the road which isn’t ideal. [We apologise for recommending this hotel to you after receiving similar comments from customers in March but we had been assured by the local management that these issues would be resolved promptly. We have removed this hotel from our recommended accommodation list and suggested itineraries. Many thanks for your understanding.]
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Nihal was absolutely amazing – he is such a kind person and went over and above to make our trip incredible. We really feel like we have made a friend and are still keeping in contact (we plan to send him a laptop for when his son Sameera starts school next year). I know he was your [John & family] guide when you went many years ago and he still clearly has the same passion and love for what he does :D
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
Really pleasantly surprised by the Sri Lanka Airways [SriLankan Airlines] direct [non-stop] flights! We like not having to stopover so found these really convenient. [Booked their own flights]
Any other comments?
Thank you so much John, we had such a wonderful time and have you, Pathi and Nihal to thank for that. We will definitely return in the future and we keep recommending you to everyone (I’m sure they are sick of us!). Best wishes and keep well, Kate and Zak. [A great pleasure. Very pleased that you managed to visit Sri Lanka after your two failed attempts last year – third time lucky! Many thanks for recommending us to family and friends and keep up the good work!]
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