Martin/Cartwright family
England, August 2024
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
It lived up to expectations generally – everyone who recommended visiting the country told us how friendly, polite, respectful & easy going the Sri Lanka people are & we found without exception that this was the case. We enjoyed the varied scenery, the delicious food, the wildlife but for us, this relaxation was only possible due to our amazing driver [guide] Anura. He was punctual (even though we never were!), organized, calm, knowledgeable, highly professional in attitude with good English & took such great care of our children that we were able to just relax & enjoy the trip without worrying. He introduced us to fruits, coconut rotis, fresh coconuts & showed a huge interest in our backgrounds. We discussed all sorts of topics & my sons aged 14 & 11 adored him. He is a great ambassador for his home country & a great driver.
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
Having travelled extensively in India & seeing the litter everywhere there, I was hoping that Sri Lanka might have avoided this approach, so I was somewhat disappointed to see so much litter along the roadsides & regrettably also on the beaches. However, they are very strict in the National Parks with regards to not allowing litter/ feeding the animals.
The travelling time between locations. We had a busy itinerary with most of our stays being 2 nights in each place. I think I underestimated the amount of time it would take to travel between each location. That said, I looked out of the window & soaked up Sri Lanka for many enjoyable hours. I think in hindsight we could have stayed longer in some places to allow more active time for the boys.
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
We stayed in such varied places, all with their own USPs it is difficult to lump them all together, plus I don’t actually know how much each place cost so its not easy to decide what represented greatest value for money.
Highlights were – Villa Hundira [Negombo] – a very special place & superb introduction to Sri Lanka. Beautiful rooms, lovely setting, friendly efficient staff. We both had spa treatments which were good, the boys loved feeding the fish, spotting water monitors in the creek, swimming pool. I loved the Thimble handicraft centre & enjoyed meeting the owner & the craftswomen. The food was excellent & it was lovely to eat & various locations around the hotel for each meal. Anura organized a boat trip on the Lagoon & we also had dinner on the beach.
The boys loved Big Game [Camp] Yala – their first safari, it felt safe but still a bit adventurous. I was slightly less enamoured as there was a lot of noise from the nearby town & it felt less rural than I was expecting (compared to some African places I have stayed, but I think I’m getting a bit spoilt!)
I loved AMBA Estate [Ella] – not so much for the accommodation itself which was adequate but for the setting, the incredible ethos of the tea plantation, sustainability etc. We had superb dinners here & thoroughly enjoyed meeting some very interesting fellow guests (including a professional Japanese tea judge no less!)
Borderlands [Eco Lodge, Kitulgala] – setting amazing. Just sat & stared at the river & jungle. The canyoning & rafting was brilliant. Unspoilt jungle, warm water, very professional guides. Very hospitable Canadian host. Food ok. Wasn’t expecting it to be a kind of school trip place, that was ok though. Barely slept a wink due to exposure to the great outdoors. Don’t think this would be suitable for people with kids much younger than ours.
Nilaveli Beach Hotel [Nilaveli] – standard quietish tourist hotel. The kids were ready for this & loved the buffet, swimming pool, burger & chips option. I was pleased to do the snorkelling trip from the Dive Centre – but I think it was the least value-for-money thing we did – it was really windy so the water was very choppy – it was just me & the boys who had never worn fins, masks or snorkels before & he kind of swam off & it was hard to keep up. He quickly showed us sharks & one turtle & then indicated that it was time to go. As I had paid £250 for this experience I did politely ask if we could explore the other side of the island & then he was quite accommodating. Anura took us into town in the evening & we enjoyed a walk on the beach watching local young people play volleyball & do gymnastics.
Of all the places we stayed, I think if I had to remove one it would be Wilpattu Corridor [Wilpattu Tree House Hotel]. I think I was a bit tired of ‘rustic’ accommodation by this point, although there was nothing wrong with it (food a bit basic & no atmosphere from meeting other guests) & I did really enjoy watching the bats. We’d had a snake in the boys room & large mouse in the toilet at Galkadawala [Forest Lodge, Habarana] (great stories to tell though!) so when I was woken at midnight by Reuben screaming that there was a tree frog on his willy (true story!) I knew it was probably time to be heading home. The journey to it & the safari here felt really long, although we did see a sloth bear & a glimpse of another leopard, I think having been to Yala & Minneriya that we could have skipped Wilpattu in favour of adding a couple of nights onto other locations.
Hanthana House [Kandy] – Pathi & Suba were the real attraction here. The accommodation as you know is smart, modern, high standard & comfortable but the welcome is very warm. I felt Suba was a little shy & needed a little coaxing but we really enjoyed the family cookery session with her & her sister/nieces. We even met her Mum. The visit to the Temple of the Tooth was great, Reuben enjoyed this in particular & we visited the markets, bakery & gem museum/shop. Reuben hates cities though so we didn’t explore as much as we could have done.
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
As above. Everyone needs an Anura. My 14 year old, who is not prone to over-enthusiasm, thought he was wonderful. It was so beneficial to have such a calm, funny, friendly person as the constant throughout our holiday. We were so sad to say goodbye.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
Fine – Etihad Airways – comfortable but in both directions we were delayed leaving so had a rush from one gate to the other when transferring in Abu Dhabi airport. Not complaining as we got there on time & without any other hassle & those were the flights I’d picked myself anyway! Boys loved the inflight entertainment. Food was good. [Economy Class – London Heathrow]
Any other comments?
Anura took us to the Gemstone Museum/ Shop & I did buy the Sapphire pendant I’d been wanting for years. Only afterwards did I reflect that it was probably the least ethical purchase I’d made for a long time. I wonder if you know of any ethical producers of gemstones in Sri Lanka? [Unfortunately, the fundamental ethos behind the vast majority of gemstone outlets in Sri Lanka is non-sustainable and exploitative. Over all of the years we have been operating, we have researched and visited many different gem emporia and we are yet to find one that fits the bill in our opinion – sorry.]
I thought you followed my brief for our family holiday very well & kept to the budget & provided a wide range of experiences which is exactly what we wanted. In hindsight I might have intentionally incorporated more opportunities for Reuben to meet Sri Lankan kids, but its no-ones fault that the school at AMBA [Estate] was closed & our itinerary just didn’t allow us to visit Anura’s family which would have been great but you can hardly add that to the Tikalanka holiday offer (or could you – family homestay??)
The list of recommended reading was excellent & very much enhanced our holiday – perhaps you could share this at the point of booking. [I agree, we could be more proactive in sending even more information with the booking confirmation, although we don't want to flood customers with too much material that may not get read so we keep it to a manageable minimum! May be we should offer the list, though?]
This holiday was exactly what our family needed after the stressful COVID years – we needed a bit of an adventure together, but which was safe & allowed us to reconnect & discover a new country. You’ve helped secure us some lifelong fond memories – thank you so much. [A great pleasure, and I am really pleased that you enjoyed the trip with us so much 
]
I know Anura would love us to go back & visit his family & we are hoping our kids will communicate with each other. Realistically, though it would be lovely, there are so many places to visit & not very many years of us together as a family before they start leaving home so I don’t think we are likely to return soon.
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