Lesley & Rob
England, December 2015/January 2016
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
Diversity of what you see – culture, activities, scenery.
Choice of accommodation.
Very lush, ‘pretty’ clean destination.
Felt very safe.
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
Litter, rubbish being burnt – creates toxic environment.
Seeing overdevelopment of some areas.
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
Overall – excellent.
Villa Araliya [Airport] – very nice – would have liked to stay longer.
Galkadawala [Habarana] – I was rather disturbed re the lodge on the first night due to ‘openness’ of the room. We arrived in the dark and nothing was explained to us by the staff re the room, trunk for toiletries, food etc; I was convinced I would have asked to be moved the following morning. However, after speaking to the owner, all was explained and our experience began. We really enjoyed the ‘eco’, food, sounds and wilderness of the location. Other guests also arrived and again things like where to eat, toiletries etc were also not explained to them. It is a very important part we think of the initial introduction to the lodge. 3 nights we felt was enough but really appreciated the accommodation, staff and food after initial arrival – would recommend it!
Hanthana House [Kandy] – loved it. New, clean, very friendly, fab food (making up the bed would have been nice).
Clove Tree Cottage [Ella] – Clove Tree is pretty remote but we can appreciate why guests stay here due to its uniqueness, quiet location and views.
We were not impressed firstly by being charged for a welcome drink and cake! This did not happen on the whole of our holiday at any other accommodation. After speaking to driver we did not pay for this. The drinks in the evening were fine except when we were charged an extortionate price for a small can of beer as they had run out of larger bottles. More than we would have paid in the UK!
There was an issue with driver accommodation and food which needs to be discussed with your selves and the drivers. The location is remote and other accommodation for them difficult to find unless they take a long journey back to Kandy. When a driver does this and also if they drive home and then back the following day, we feel passenger safety is put at risk. A tired driver we feel should not be driving passengers. We appreciate the driver accommodation food issue but surely a better solution can be found if the hotel, homestay etc does not have driver rooms?
This is a lovely place for gusts to stay and we cannot fault the rooms, views, house and fabulous food. A management discussion re pricing needs to be resolved.
The room opposite the house is great but such a small bed (double) for a large room. We found this a problem.
Kalu’s Hideaway [Uda Walawe] – excellent, friendly, quiet, stunning setting.
Imagine Villa Hotel, Mirissa – Wow, what a fabulous place. The owners have pretty much everything right. New Year’s Eve was great and unforgettable.
Fort Bliss [Galle] – small, perfectly adequate for a night.
Lake Lodge [Colombo] – Lovely place to end our holiday – clean, modern, very good food, service and location.
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Upul was very knowledgeable about the country, culture and birds. Enjoyed his company. Very caring man and extremely careful with cleanliness of our car. We would have him as a driver [guide] again.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
The international flight was very good including the service and food. We were however unimpressed by the internal flight from Madurai [India] to Colombo. Delayed deliberately and changed to a ‘cheaper’ internal airline operated by SriLankan Airways [Airlines]. So obvious due to number of passengers. Very grumpy stewardess and poor food compared with first internal flight. Is there any recompense that we could apply for from SriLankan Airlines as full price paid for the flight originally and expecting it to be SL airlines?
Any other comments?
Kerala Connections provide water, wet wipes and gel sanitiser in the car which was very welcome. A small cost to provide greater client comfort.
We were not sure whether we could ask our driver to take us to other places not on the tour as stated in Kerala Connections notes re the holiday. The difference we appreciate is a taxi driver in India and ‘chauffeur’ in Sri Lanka. Not explained in your pre travel notes though.
These are all constructive criticisms and our ideas. We had an amazing honeymoon in both countries [India and Sri Lanka] and thanks to your advice, booking and attention to detail.
We thank you all very much and will definitely use you in the future and are already recommending you to colleagues, clients and friends.
The combination of Kerala Connections and yourselves work very well.
Please can you pass our comments re the flight to Kerala Connections as I know they booked them.
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