Killeen family
Scotland, December 2016/January 2017
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
What we experienced was, mostly, unhurried, friendly and clean. The accessibility of such a wide range of wildlife was most impressive. We were there over New Year and enjoyed experiencing the celebrations. Religious and secular of the local people.
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
Hard to say. No one in our family group had a criticism to make about the country. We were aware of some of the ongoing difficulties the country faces but were, overall, most impressed by the progress that has been made since the Tsunami of 2004.
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
We were impressed by the range of accommodation suggested by Tikalanka and had good experiences from ’deluxe’ hotels to safari tents. Everywhere was clean and comfortable and the food, western and Sri Lankan, was tasty and more than adequate. The hospitality and friendliness of staff and their attention to the particular needs of family members was much appreciated. The Tree House [Wilpattu Corridor, Wilpattu] stood out for its friendliness and closeness to nature; the management and organisation of the Big Game Camp [Yala] was impressive, including our ‘upgrade’ for staying two nights, and the Imagine Resort [Imagine Villa Hotel, Mirissa] provided all the luxury we were ready for after a few days in the wild. The final ‘airport’ hotel [Villa Araliya, Negombo], however, was far from the ‘deluxe’ experience proposed in the schedule. We were happy to spend only a few hours there and would not recommend it to future travellers.
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
We cannot speak too highly of our guide, Sena. His constant attendance and attention to detail were the defining factors that made our holiday such a success, We greatly appreciated his commitment to his country and his willingness and enthusiasm to share with us its history and culture. Sena’s professionalism was outstanding and we felt that we had made a new friend who we would be happy to meet on any future visit to Sri Lanka.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
The flights themselves were efficient and unremarkable, except that the food on the return trip was some of the worst we have been offered on any flights in recent years. [Qatar Airways (Economy Class) from Edinburgh] We did not appreciate the requirement to be at Colombo airport FIVE hours before departure, especially with such a long journey ahead of us, though we appreciate that the circumstances were unusual. [Colombo airport closed from 08.30 to 16.30 daily between 06 January and 06 April 2017 for resurfacing of the runway.]
Any other comments?
One of our requirements was for twin bed arrangements in both the rooms that we booked. This was not always provided on arrival and we had to point it out to hotel managements. At the Tree House, this arrangement was not on offer in one of the rooms but we were happy to trade our wishes for the experience of the property. At the Big Game Camp, our tent was rearranged immediately without any suggestion of difficulty. However, at Kalu’s Hideaway [Uda Walawe], although we saw the instruction written clearly on the booking form, we were told that nothing could be done except for us to accept a ‘standard’ twin room for one night and move to a ‘deluxe’ room the following day, which we did. We asked for a refund of the difference between the cost of the two rooms and also compensation for the inconvenience caused. This took two days to negotiate and we found the managers/front desk people evasive and dependent on decisions from Colombo rather than able to make decisions themselves. We persisted to the last minute, out of principle but had the feeling that the staff would have been happier to see us leave rather than have to deal with our issue. At the moment of leaving we were offered a refund of 50% on our bar bill which we accepted but we had to explain to the staff the difference between a refund and compensation. The hotel and its facilities were very good but we felt that the management on the ground left a lot to be desired, basically because they are disempowered to make decisions, and that this should be taken up with the owner/s.
Despite this, our family experienced a ‘holiday of a lifetime’ with activities and sights to satisfy all our interests. We would not hesitate to book a similar holiday through Tikalanka again if the opportunity ever occurs.
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