- Sri Lanka
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If you really want to experience fantastic health benefits of Ayurveda, go on an ayurvedic retreat. On your day one an ayurvedic doctor will access your health condition and will prescribe a bespoke programme of various ayurvedic treatments including all sorts of massages, herbal baths, your bespoke diet etc. Even chronic serious diseases can be dealt with, not to mention an overall benefit on your mental and emotional health.
www.barberynresorts.com
Barberyn Reef Ayurveda Resort
Beruwela, Sri Lanka
+94 34 22 76036
If you ever get the chance to visit southern Sri Lanka then deffo drop by Galle (pronounced 'gall') as it's a brilliant place to visit. For the best home-grown and dried spices visit the spice shack by the central Buddha in the veg market. Here you will find the most friendly local guy who will talk you through recipes and tips without ripping you off because you're a tourist! It's truly mouth wateringly fab. Although beware, his hot stuff is HOT!
By the big Buddha near the indoor veg market, NOT in the touristy and not so good spice market area on the sea front. Enjoy!
Google map : bit.ly/mfXOje
An old colonial house converted into a guest house in an absolutely beautiful setting. It is set in a peaceful part of Kandy very close to the station and other attractions. Extremely friendly hosts make your stay pleasant and peaceful. The price is very good for such a beautiful location and level of comfort. At night you can see bats the size of eagles and I even was fortunate enough to see wild boars roaming around the garden. The manager provides travel advice and helps to order tuk tuks at reasonable prices. I did the booking through Red Dot Tours and had excellent service from them and the manager of the cottage.
Kandy Cottage, 160 Lady Gordon Drive, Kandy,
Sri Lanka
kandycottage.com/index.html
Google map: bit.ly/hgQ1uI
The train ride is absolutely beautiful. Although the train can get very crowded, the people are very friendly and helpful. As the ancient diesel train gradually climbs into the mountainous countryside, cool breezes usher in a wonderful feeling to the traveller, not to be missed.
The scenery is breathtaking. Sit on the right hand side of the train for the best view. Takes about three hours and costs about £4.
Go to Colombo Fort Station and get the train to Kandy.
colombofort.com/timetable.htm
Great holiday bungalow. Lots of character. Rented out exclusively by private owners to guests from all over the world. Fantastic, friendly staff who go the extra mile to make your holiday extra special.
A real retreat.
The Royal Botanical Gardens situated in Peradeniya in Kandy is ideal for those who appreciate nature and flowers. The gardens attracts over 1.4 million visitors every yearand houses an array of exotic plants, flowers and wildlife. Many people enjoy bird watching at the gardens or some people simply like to take photos of the peaceful views.
The gardens offer meals and refreshments for its visitors and also has wheelchair facilities.
It is close to the town centre of Kandy which has breathtaking greenery and hills which overlook tea plantations.
+94 81 238 8088
www.botanicgardens.gov.lk
Google map: tinyurl.com/3yqrxwf
Pinnewala Elephant orphanage is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Sri Lanka. Nature and animal lovers alike will enjoy the 24 acres of beautiful open land in where you can get up close to the elephants and feed them.
The elephant orphanage was set up in 1975 by the Sri Lanka Wildlife department. The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is ideal for families with kids as they run daily activities of feeding milk to the baby elephants and they also are left out to roam freely (with supervision by the caretakers and security) around the 25 acres of beautiful grassland. In the afternoons tourists can watch the array of elephants as they are walked to the river Maha Oya for a river bath.
I went with my children who enjoyed themselves and we even bumped into the famous Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya who was there with his family.
Rambukkana Road, Kegalle, Sri Lanka
www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=43&show=1
Google map: tinyurl.com/333p7bk
There our some hot contenders for 'most romantic hotel' in Sri Lanka - the other half would go for the Queens in Kandy, or the Oriental in Colombo (something about those old colonial buildings), but I think it's hard to beat the location and the rooms in the Garden Beach. It's just a short walk down the beach to the turtle sanctuary, and holding a day old turtle makes you feel squishy and sentimental anyway. Then there's the amazing view west across the Indian Ocean as the sun sets in a red-gold sky behind the palm trees. The staff will set up a candle-lit table for dinner in the garden. And if you're lucky enough to be in the two-storey suite with the four-poster bed, the setting for a romantic interlude is complete. Complete the experience by travelling by train either to stations about 8 miles north or south of Kosgoda (the Colombo - Galle train doesn't actually stop at Kosgoda station) and get a tuk-tuk to the hotel. Oh yes, and you can choose full board - and the food is good too - for a very competititive price - but that's not romantic - just practical.
Talgahapitiya Rd Kosgoda
phone 0094+91+4924515
www.gardenbeach-hotel.de
I have been to Sri Lanka on two occasions and just love the shopping there!
The high-end boutiques like Barefoot and Paradise Road offer traditional Sri Lankan and contemporary western products. You can find anything here from flamboyant coloured tablecloths to multi couloured sarongs.
'Odel' and 'House of Fashion' are department store-like shopping spaces which hold a range of designer wear (mostly seconds) and other quality products. Look carefully and you might find some hidden treasures among the rows of clothes or homewares.
'A-World' is a huge department store close to the Bandaranayake International Airport and is known to be the biggest shopping space in Sri Lanka. The clothes are slightly more expensive than places like Odel or House of Fashion because they offer original designer-wear.
All these places are well known among the locals, so all you have to do is ask your taxi driver to take you there. However it is best not to go with the regular taxi service as the drivers do not speak English and are not very safe to travel in. The same goes with trishaw's (tuk tuks), you will be lucky to find a tuk tuk driver who speaks english and doesnt rip you off!
Try a tour company like 'Abans tours' (www.abanstours.lk) which has a tour desk in Colombo at the Galadari Hotel as well as the Bandaranayake International Airport. Their rates are slightly more expensive than others, but all their drivers are friendly and speak good Engish. But most importantly they offer a safe and comfortable service.
Colombo
We went here for our honeymoon and despite the recent problems with Sri Lanka, this was the best holiday I have ever been on. We felt very safe in our hotel complex and didn't really need to leave it the whole time.
www.sensesholidays.co.uk/holiday/royal-palms-hotel-quot-5/67/
Two of us took a two week tour of the country with a special emphasis on the Buddhist culture. Amazing insights of the religion, met beautiful people and really good hotels. Very good all round. I am hoping to go back to take one of the Ayurveda tours.
For fantastic views and a slice of Sri Lankan life pick up some provisions at bustling Pettah Market, cross the road, brave the crowds at Colombo Fort Station, and for less than a pound rattle your way down the west coast to Galle or beyond. A stream of temples, houses, workshops show life behind the roads, and the line soon settles into its place between fine beaches creeks and bays, and the fields and forests of the coastal hills. Theres a rickety fan for air conditioning, and people sit in the open doorways reading a paper or gazing at the scene. A trolley and sellers pass up and down the aisle. You can join the train at many of the seaside resorts on route, to finally reach Galle. Straight outside the station here, nestling between dutch fort and the lapping Indian Ocean is the worlds most beautiful test cricket ground and a host of fine buildings to explore. Beautiful bays with bright small boats and stilt fishermen surround the town. And if this journey has tempted you, there are more trains and mountain views if you head for Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, or even up to Dambulla and finally Trincomalee on the distant east coast with its fine open bay and harbour. If crickets your thing you can reach nearly all of Sri Lankas test grounds and experience a riot of enthusiastic and friendly supporters.
Colombo Fort Station in the historic core of the City, Galle Fort Station right by the cricket ground.
Info at 'seat61'
I have been reflecting on some of my travel highlights of 2008 and it would be no exaggeration to say that top of the list came my trip to Sri Lanka in late October – and in particular my visit to Mahatenne House on the Ashburnham estate.
The guest house is situated on a working 70 acre tea plantation on the side of a mountain in the Knuckles Range, close to Elkaduwa. It is run by an ex-City whizz highflier type who (ahead of the credit crunch curve) reassessed his priorities in life and stepped off the London treadmill to go and live The Good Life on the other side of the world.
It is futile to try and convey the magic of my experience in words, but I will attempt to paint a picture with a few broad brushstrokes.
The day typically starts with breakfast served on the verandah while the morning mist and clouds unfurl to reveal the breathtaking view of rolling green hills and valleys, carpeted with tea plantations.
You will not be short of things to do during the day (children and adults alike): go for an exploratory wander around the estate – the ultimate Swallows and Amazons fantasy; take a power shower under the most beautiful 60ft waterfall at the bottom of the estate, reached by a 400 step path; anyone for a game of tennis on the newly refurbished court?; go and watch the daily weighing of tea; enjoy a refreshing dip in the swimming pool and lounge by the poolside catching up on all that holiday reading; or just sit on the verandah and breathing in the intoxicating air whilst contemplating life in peace and serenity. For Doctor Doolittle fans there are four resident dogs, a lake full of fish (which also yields some great meals), wild chipmunks that scurry through the trees, an array of beautiful birds and butterflies scattering a kaleidoscope of vivid colour everywhere (as far away as you can get from London’s monotone shades of grey), but most delightfully of all, Menike, a beautiful female elderly elephant, enjoying a peaceful retirement on the estate, her most arduous task these days carrying the occasional bare back passenger down to the waterfall. Sitting out after dark in planters’ chairs listening to the nocturnal chorus of cicadas under a canopy of glittering stars is mesmerising – the perfect lullaby.
The host is a very gregarious and generous character, and the staff are incredibly friendly and attentive (but unobtrusive) – you will be left wanting for nothing. The home-cooked meals are delicious and the (few) rooms are clean and quiet – not aiming to be top notch “boutique hotel” but very comfortable, and the rates are a real bargain.
This place really made an indelible impression on me – the memories of my trip will stay with me forever. Whether you are a lone traveller in search of something slightly off the beaten track, or a family looking for a package that will keep the children entertained whilst giving adults a peaceful break, I urge you to seek out this piece of paradise and complete the picture for yourself (apologies for plagiarising the previous submission).
Note: All the clichés contained in this account are statements of fact; all the superlatives are an understatement
Elkaduwa | 40 kilometres North of Kandy, Elkaduwa, Sri Lanka
email: mahatennehouse@yahoo.com
tel: 0094 (0)66 4920206
What? Hotel.
Why? The food.
Absolutely amazing place. Ulpotha is an experience that can never really be described. In summary, if a five-star beach resort with evening gin and tonics and home-from-home luxuries is your preferred destination, or if you like extreme hardship and want to eat bugs for breakfast, then Ulpotha isn’t for you and you wouldn’t fit in anyway. But if you genuinely want to get away from it all, in a warm, engaging and totally relaxing environment, but with a more minimalist lifestyle, where you can challenge your perception of just how important a hairdryer is, then you will have the most amazing time.
If anyone is into motor bike riding I would recommend renting a bike in Sri Lanka and touring around. My friend and I rented bikes in Negombo and toured Sri Lanka for two weeks.
Out of all the bike renting companies we found Negombo Motorbikes to be the fairest and nicest guy out of the lot.
Sha Lanka Tours
54, Beach road
Ettukala
Negombo
Sri Lanka
web: www.negombo-motorcycle-tours.com,
tel : 0094777- 488746 or 0094777 - 205828
The one guest house which stood above the rest in Sri Lanka was The Slightly Chilled Guest House at Adam's Peak. I must say the owners really made you feel welcome. The rooms were very clean and the view of Adam's Peak from the balcony was amazing.
Nice garden to relax and read. And being English, the curry I had was like anything I had in Brick Lane. And the best part was I only paid $20USD a night. We stayed another night as the owner showed us where the tea workers lived and got some nice tea for a lot less than the touristy tea factories.
Slightly Chilled (formerly yellow house)
Adam's peak, Dalhousie
www.slightlychilled.tv
94 (0)60 2519430
Kandy Cottage is a charming and cosy place of retreat for writers and artists, and also welcomes regular holiday makers.
It has the best of both worlds: it nestles in a little hollow adjoining the Udawatte-Kelle forest sanctuary, but is only ten minutes' walk from the historic city of Kandy - the cultural capital of Sri Lanka.
The Cottage is wired throughout with broad band internet access; and the facilities range from laundry to laser printing. What's more, the pricing is unbelievably low compared to similar places in Sri Lanka.
www.kandycottage.com
+94 81 220 4742 (land)
+94 714 327 590 (mobile)
It's a beachside hotel on the way to Galle. Fantastic place with amazing rooms and relaxed atmosphere. The architecture and the service is phenomenal.
Galle Road - about 3-4 hours from Colombo
Pinnawella is an amazing place and a fantastic way to see and understand the elephants of Sri Lanka. One of the first elephants you come across is chained up. Yes, I know what you are thinking - so was I - but it turns out that this gentle giant is chained for his own safety, as he is totally blind and would struggle to survive in the wild.
Bath time in the river is amazing and the setting is simply beautiful. I was in Sri Lanka only 2 months ago and it is a wonderful place. You really have to go - they are such lovely people and the country is so beautiful!
www.indiaescapes.co.uk
www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=43
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