Renate & Juliet
England, February 2018
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
The variety of things to enjoy both in terms of outstanding cultural sites and the natural beauty of the country. The friendliness of the people, also how devoted they are to their religion. The quality and surroundings of the different hotels we stayed at. Very important for me were the swimming pools and each one was charming in its own way.
The warm, friendly people. The Buddhist aspect. Lovely hotels and scenery. The historic towns like Galle. The incredible views and landscape of the tea district. The Indian [Hindu] temples were stunning.
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
Can't think of anything right now but then we were very cosseted, being chauffeured around everywhere and only seeing the country from its most advantageous angle. In the past I had been put off coming because of the reported human rights abuses, in particular the use of torture.
When previously I said I would probably never return to Sri Lanka, this is only because there are so many countries on my bucket list that I've never been to and at my age time is running out to visit them all.
One minor disappointment for me was that there was nowhere safe to swim in the sea along the coast around our last hotel.
Very expensive wine.
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
The hotels we stayed in were all very beautiful in their own way and the positives hugely outweighed the few negatives.
The Mount Lavinia [Hotel, Colombo] has an enviable location with outstanding views but the rooms and some of the communal areas are in dire need of renovation and one feels that they rather resting on their laurels trading on their reputation as an old imperial hotel offering a glimpse of a bygone era. The swimming pool at this hotel was seriously overcrowded with adults and lots of noisy kids. However the beach restaurant was charming.
I liked both the Cinnamon hotels [Habarana Village by Cinnamon & Cinnamon Citadel] but the room of the one in Kandy [Cinnamon Citadel] did not have twin beds, it had a huge king size bed and a small single looking more like a kiddie's bed which it was my misfortune to be mine, after drawing lots! Not a big deal though I could imagine it might be for someone else. The food was good too and certainly plentiful, it being buffet- style.
The two boutique-style hotels were very charming in their own different ways. The Secret Ella has stunning views over the mountains and the nine arch bridge. I also loved the infinity pool there which, although small, is probably sufficient for the fairly small number of rooms/chalets and in particular because the relatively cold temperature of the water keeps the number of swimmers low which is good for people like me. The Apa Villa Thalpe was probably my favourite hotel out of all of them as it is right by the beach with a stunning garden and long infinity pool. The downside is that one can't swim from the hotel beach but that's hardly the fault of the hotel as I couldn't I find anywhere safe to swim anywhere nearby either and I do love swimming in the sea. It is still a lovely spot from which to go on walks along the beach and for paddling in the sea. The room was also very nice indeed and we enjoyed having a separate lounge area with patio doors where we could relax whilst it was raining (unfortunately on all 3 days we were there)
At Apa Villa Thalpe they were a bit inflexible with their breakfasts in that it depended on the whim of the chef on duty as to whether one could mix Western and Sri Lankan type breakfasts.
One thing that confused us was that the itinerary stated that our hotel was in Unawatuna and we did not realise that Thalpe actually referred to the place, the village where we were staying, This had the result that the tuk-tuk driver couldn't find our hotel on the way back from Galle one day as we insisted it was in Unawatuna and we ended up driving up and down that road until I eventually texted Niroshan who gave us the correct name and address.
The bedrooms in Mount Lavinia [Hotel, Colombo] plus some other public areas seriously need refurbishing, and the food was very expensive, though excellent. In fact in all of our hotels, except the Apa Vill Thalpe [Unawatuna], the food was excellent. The bedrooms at Habarana Village by Cinnamon [Habarana] were very dark, but the lake and wood setting was sensational. The second Cinnamon [Citadel, Kandy] setting by a river was marvellous too. I appreciated the decoration and furniture very much at both Cinnamons, and loved the period atmosphere at The Secret Ella [Ella]; though it was a pity that there was just a child bed and a double [bed], when we had requested twin beds throughout. We really appreciated the mini-suite at Apa Villa Thalpe, as it was raining a lot the last 3 days.
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Niroshan is an excellent driver and he took his duty as our guide very seriously. He was very informative, accommodating and very personable. Nothing was too much trouble for him. It was easy to be friends with him. I wish him all the best for the future.
He was FANTASTIC – knowledgeable, warm and very kind, as I have arthritis and he helped me out on rocky terrains. He was also very savvy about introducing us to local food in street outlets, and to shops to which locals go (for lace clothes and other cloth work). And he was very flexible, when we wanted to change the itinerary.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
Nothing to complain about. These long haul flights are tiring and there isn't much leg room but it's no worse than other airlines economy class. And it was nice to be given alcoholic drinks free of charge.
OK. But it was a blessing that they were direct [non-stop]. [SriLankan Airlines – Economy Class]
Any other comments?
We had a fabulous holiday, thanks for all your help.
Excellent holiday. Not cheap, but worth every penny. Thank you. We really appreciated your personal involvement, especially for me – in helping me fill in the [ETA] visa form.
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