Malcolm & Jacqui
England, February/March 2019
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
The friendliness of then people, the scenery, the quality of service, the quality of accommodation and the range of places to visit and things to do.
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
The fact that someone stole my cashew nuts at the Palagama Beach hotel [Kalpitiya].
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
It ranged from excellent to superb. We love The Kandy House [Kandy]. The Ceylon Tea Trails [Dickoya] are wonderful; Dunkeld Bungalow is now the best there, all things considered.
Living Heritage Koslanda was good as was the Lake Lodge Kandalama [Dambulla], but as hotels they lack something that differentiates them from The Kandy House and Dunkeld.
The Thaulle Resort [Tissamaharama] was also good but like Living Heritage and Lake Lodge it was a good place to stay rather than a place to want to return to.
[Uga] Chena Huts was also a hotel, of sorts, but it was of a different type altogether and quite superb. Although the reason for being there was Yala National Park, it was still a place to be at and to enjoy. The accommodation, service and food were all excellent and the close proximity to the park entrance was an added benefit.
41 Lighthouse Street [Galle] was a joy but The Dutch House [Galle] was a slight disappointment. Some of the staff looked miserable and the whole place looked unloved and in a state of slow decay. In our room, for example, the air conditioning and several lamps in the lovely, large room did not work when we arrived. They were soon fixed but should have been fixed before we arrived.
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Niroshan was excellent in all respects. He was a good, careful driver, a knowledgeable guide, courteous and a good travelling companion.
Sateesh was also a good, careful driver, friendly and courteous. However, he was less of a guide than Niroshan and much more difficult to understand. Nonetheless he looked after us very well and helped us get the most out of our visit to Kataragama.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
Generally very good though the food on the leg from Colombo to Dubai left something to be desired. Fortunately, after completing our itinerary, we were not especially hungry! [Emirates – Business Class – London Heathrow]
Any other comments?
The itinerary was ours based mostly on previous experience, of course. We were not disappointed! It wasn’t a holiday for sightseeing but one for being well looked after in nice places. Chena Huts was new (to us) and excellent, and a very good base for visiting Yala. 41 Lighthouse Street was wonderful though there are only two staff now, Prageeth (?) and Wanita. Prageeth’s brother has moved to head office. Their culinary skills are amazing! It’s the first ‘hotel’ I’ve been to in which we have been presented with the shop receipt when we paid for dinner!
The balloon flight was disappointing in the sense that a major attraction was a flight ‘around Lion Rock’ but, in fact, it went in the other direction, over Dambulla. We never even saw Lion Rock! We realise, of course, that balloon flights depend on the wind but apparently at the time of the year we were there they invariably go over Dambulla. Later in the year the prevailing wind direction changes and the flights go towards Sigiriya. However, apparently flights are not allowed to get near or go over Lion Rock (which is a great shame from my point of view).
« All feedback
