Malcolm & Jacqui
England, March/April 2014
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
Difficult - we like almost everything. How about the warmth, kindness, courtesy and friendliness of the people which leads, in turn, to a very high quality of friendly service.
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
The humidity on the south coast at the start of the monsoon!!
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
The Wallawwa [Airport] - Very good. Very pleasant situation.
Kalundewa Retreat [Dambulla] - Excellent. Wonderful situation.
The Kandy House [Kandy] - Superb, delightful.
Norwood Bungalow [Adam's Peak] - Superlative service and setting, pity about recent modifications to building.
98 Acres Resort [Ella] - Very good.
Cinnamon Wild [Yala] - Very good.
Turtle Bay [Tangalle] - Very good; beautiful situation if you like beaches!
41 Lighthouse Street [Galle] - Superb, delightful, charming.
Number One Mirissa [Mirissa] - Very good; nice situation if you want a beach.
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Excellent! [Sena] Good driver, though perhaps not quite as good as Pathi. Excellent knowledge of places visited and, as a very committed Buddhist, of (Sri Lankan) Buddhism. Good company, always polite, courteous, friendly and accommodating to our wishes. Perhaps not best suited to clients with little interest in the history and culture associated with sites visited.
Any other comments?
The whole trip was excellent and very enjoyable.
We greatly enjoyed our time at the Kalundewa Retreat. The food was good and the staff very helpful, though we could understand that it would not be to everyone's taste or liking.
We thought the changes to the Master Suite at Norwood Bungalow were very detrimental, with no access from inside the bungalow. The new dining room extension is completely out of character with the bungalow, more like a garden centre tearoom. The conversion of the old dining room to another bedroom is a great shame. However, people who had not been there before would still like it, I'm sure.
Our plans for Turtle Bay did not work out! We deliberately chose to stay in that hotel, rather than Buckingham Place [Tangalle], and to do so for two nights, so that we could attempt to view turtles coming ashore through the hotel facilities one night and the Rekawa Sanctuary [Turtle Conservation Project] on the second. The Tikalanka website made me think that the hotel could/would provide viewing opportunities. It turned out that all the hotel offered was a trip to the Rekawa Sanctuary! This was a disappointment. We did see turtles at Rekawa, but thought they did not brief or control visitors carefully enough; people were allowed to get too close to the turtles.
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