Discussion
i'm looking at going for 10-12 days at the beginning of december. i have no idea what to do/where to go other than the rock fort and the elephant sanctuary. flights are about to be booked, but i'm yet to buy a guide book and haven't sorted any accom.
would prefer a mixed itinerary of sights/scenery and laying around on amazing beaches.
i welcome any suggestion re: accomodation [budget, with maybe one or two nights high end], sights, food etc.
ETA - spelling fail on the title. can a friendly mod adjust it please?
would prefer a mixed itinerary of sights/scenery and laying around on amazing beaches.
i welcome any suggestion re: accomodation [budget, with maybe one or two nights high end], sights, food etc.
ETA - spelling fail on the title. can a friendly mod adjust it please?
i managed a free holiday a few years back been my grandfathers chaperone for his hero's return trip payed for by the goverment after he served there in the war.
stayed in a 4/5 ai resort in kalutara a few hours drive south of colombo so unfortunately cannot comment on any other hotels etc.
places we visited were galle on the south coast to see the old british/dutch fort and cricket pitch by the sea with a trip around the old colonial part of the town. there is also a nice hotel there called the Lighthouse which might be worth a stay for one of your 'high-end' nights.
spent a couple of days in colombo mainly watching cricket as the england 'b' team was there playing a tri-series against india and sl. though managed lunch at an awesome restaurant a tuktuk driver took us too called the 'spice garden' - very local with the food cooked in huge woks outside but tasted great. the hilton is meant to be very nice in colombo along with its restaurant the 'curry leaf' if you want something high end again.
elephant sanctuary was worth the visit also tied it in with a trip to a waterfall, unfortuantely my grandad did not feel up to the long trip to see the giant buddha or the black rock.
all the beaches we went past on the west coast could of been on postcards, if you are in to surfing then the beaches on the south east tip are highly recommended.
final tip is do not drive over there as the roads are mental, i saw a few accidents each time we went out - we had a driver who took us everywhere, waited for us while we watched cricket etc and then took us home - worked out about £15-20 a day.
great place and the people are very friendly, im planning to take the gf soon so we can explore a bit more.
stayed in a 4/5 ai resort in kalutara a few hours drive south of colombo so unfortunately cannot comment on any other hotels etc.
places we visited were galle on the south coast to see the old british/dutch fort and cricket pitch by the sea with a trip around the old colonial part of the town. there is also a nice hotel there called the Lighthouse which might be worth a stay for one of your 'high-end' nights.
spent a couple of days in colombo mainly watching cricket as the england 'b' team was there playing a tri-series against india and sl. though managed lunch at an awesome restaurant a tuktuk driver took us too called the 'spice garden' - very local with the food cooked in huge woks outside but tasted great. the hilton is meant to be very nice in colombo along with its restaurant the 'curry leaf' if you want something high end again.
elephant sanctuary was worth the visit also tied it in with a trip to a waterfall, unfortuantely my grandad did not feel up to the long trip to see the giant buddha or the black rock.
all the beaches we went past on the west coast could of been on postcards, if you are in to surfing then the beaches on the south east tip are highly recommended.
final tip is do not drive over there as the roads are mental, i saw a few accidents each time we went out - we had a driver who took us everywhere, waited for us while we watched cricket etc and then took us home - worked out about £15-20 a day.
great place and the people are very friendly, im planning to take the gf soon so we can explore a bit more.
bint said:
Do an overnight stop in Kandy to visit the temple of the tooth, a traditional evening show and stay in a hotel where monkeys will come and say hello 
We booked a driver and guide for a couple of days simply based on recommendations on a travel website.
Temple of the tooth 'relic'. The temple is nice, but don't be expecting to see a tooth.We booked a driver and guide for a couple of days simply based on recommendations on a travel website.
The driver/guide is definitely the way ahead. That way when you run a dog over it's not your issue.
Sri Lanka is an amazing place, you really need a guide to see the best of it.
less than a fortnight to go, and boy do i need a holiday!
current plan is have the hire car waiting at the airport and head straight to kandy for 4/5 days around the ancient capitals - anaradhupura [sp?], dambulla, siguriya, pollanawura [sp?]. staying at the mansion house the first night, then 3nts at elephant lodge. OH played a blinder on the latter, getting us over $1200 worth of accom absolutely gratis
then 2days on the east coast beaches. not booked anything here yet, so advice most welcome. looking to do nothing but relax here.
then 3 nights touring through the hill country, likely spending one of those at the heritance tea factory hotel.
then 2 nights on the south coast beaches, then home. again, accom. not booked yet.
we think we've got a handle on accom [some more freebies to confirm and guesthouses we like the look of] but eating/drinking/sightseeing tips still more than welcome.
as for driving, really CBA'd being driven around, find it dull and boring and totally dependent on the driver's personality. don't think we'll go wrong with a landcruiser and fully comp. insurance!
current plan is have the hire car waiting at the airport and head straight to kandy for 4/5 days around the ancient capitals - anaradhupura [sp?], dambulla, siguriya, pollanawura [sp?]. staying at the mansion house the first night, then 3nts at elephant lodge. OH played a blinder on the latter, getting us over $1200 worth of accom absolutely gratis
then 2days on the east coast beaches. not booked anything here yet, so advice most welcome. looking to do nothing but relax here.
then 3 nights touring through the hill country, likely spending one of those at the heritance tea factory hotel.
then 2 nights on the south coast beaches, then home. again, accom. not booked yet.
we think we've got a handle on accom [some more freebies to confirm and guesthouses we like the look of] but eating/drinking/sightseeing tips still more than welcome.
as for driving, really CBA'd being driven around, find it dull and boring and totally dependent on the driver's personality. don't think we'll go wrong with a landcruiser and fully comp. insurance!
We also went to a Turtle Sanctuary which was very cool.
We also stayed in a Lodge in the middle of a national park which included a tour (where we saw cheetahs and tigers etc) and a friendly elephant came up in the middle of the night to take a dip in the nearby pool.
Don't be tempted to go on a Diamond or Sapphire factory "tour", it is a thinly veiled sales thing with a very hard-sell at the end. Although if you were going to buy something anyway then it is at least pretty cheap.
Elephant Rock was worth a visit too although it is a long day in the heat and lots of climbing of rickety steps. But well worth it when you get to the top!
HTH
M
We also stayed in a Lodge in the middle of a national park which included a tour (where we saw cheetahs and tigers etc) and a friendly elephant came up in the middle of the night to take a dip in the nearby pool.
Don't be tempted to go on a Diamond or Sapphire factory "tour", it is a thinly veiled sales thing with a very hard-sell at the end. Although if you were going to buy something anyway then it is at least pretty cheap.
Elephant Rock was worth a visit too although it is a long day in the heat and lots of climbing of rickety steps. But well worth it when you get to the top!
HTH
M
+1 on hiring a guide with car (on reliable recommendation). Ours was fantastic; good hotel stops, meals, entry tickets, tips .. he took care of the lot. The best thing was, after the first day, he realised we didn't always want to visit the standard tourist sites so varied things to suit us better. He was also fanatical about keeping his car immaculate - a good omen on some of the roads.
shirt said:
less than a fortnight to go, and boy do i need a holiday!
current plan is have the hire car waiting at the airport and head straight to kandy for 4/5 days around the ancient capitals - anaradhupura [sp?], dambulla, siguriya, pollanawura [sp?]. staying at the mansion house the first night, then 3nts at elephant lodge. OH played a blinder on the latter, getting us over $1200 worth of accom absolutely gratis
then 2days on the east coast beaches. not booked anything here yet, so advice most welcome. looking to do nothing but relax here.
then 3 nights touring through the hill country, likely spending one of those at the heritance tea factory hotel.
then 2 nights on the south coast beaches, then home. again, accom. not booked yet.
we think we've got a handle on accom [some more freebies to confirm and guesthouses we like the look of] but eating/drinking/sightseeing tips still more than welcome.
as for driving, really CBA'd being driven around, find it dull and boring and totally dependent on the driver's personality. don't think we'll go wrong with a landcruiser and fully comp. insurance!
as i mentioned in my first post - good luck with driving you will need it, our driver warned us of the following: current plan is have the hire car waiting at the airport and head straight to kandy for 4/5 days around the ancient capitals - anaradhupura [sp?], dambulla, siguriya, pollanawura [sp?]. staying at the mansion house the first night, then 3nts at elephant lodge. OH played a blinder on the latter, getting us over $1200 worth of accom absolutely gratis
then 2days on the east coast beaches. not booked anything here yet, so advice most welcome. looking to do nothing but relax here.
then 3 nights touring through the hill country, likely spending one of those at the heritance tea factory hotel.
then 2 nights on the south coast beaches, then home. again, accom. not booked yet.
we think we've got a handle on accom [some more freebies to confirm and guesthouses we like the look of] but eating/drinking/sightseeing tips still more than welcome.
as for driving, really CBA'd being driven around, find it dull and boring and totally dependent on the driver's personality. don't think we'll go wrong with a landcruiser and fully comp. insurance!
if you hit a cow, not as daft as it might seem as you see loads of them just strolling down the middle of the road, run for your life as they are sacred over there.
same goes if you hit a moped or tuk-tuk driver, local mob will try and lynch you and burn your car
have a read:
http://javajones.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/driving-...
can you remember the name of the lodge? sounds good!
we're staying here 3nts: http://www.elephantcorridor.com/
hoping to meet a polite elephant
i have read the blurb in the lonely planet guide about the scams and hawkers. i am a cynical sod anyway, hence the self drive, and used to that kind of stuff.
given you're username, where's good for surfing? we are both utter beginners but falling into the water seems like a good way to spend a day!
we're staying here 3nts: http://www.elephantcorridor.com/
hoping to meet a polite elephant
i have read the blurb in the lonely planet guide about the scams and hawkers. i am a cynical sod anyway, hence the self drive, and used to that kind of stuff.
given you're username, where's good for surfing? we are both utter beginners but falling into the water seems like a good way to spend a day!
Went there a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Started in Mount Lavinia (OH's Father's family from there) - good beaches OK hotel, then toured round for a week including Kandy, Nuwara Aliyah (sp?) where the tea plantations are but it's quite high up and colder than you might think. Also took in Yala National Park - basic hotel, safari and big, BIG insects (had a cockroach in our semi-outdoor bathroom which I wouldn't pick a fight with!).
But, the best bit by a long way was a week at The Lighthouse at Galle - unexpectedly luxurious, great food (beware anything including the word "Sambol" - looks innocuous but you will lose your voice for 6 hours after a teaspoonful). Fantastic service, too and cheap as chips (when we were there, anyway).
Hope you have a lovely time.
PS Oh, a week after we came home, the airport was attacked by the Tamil Tigers: We saw the departure lounge which we had so recently left, riddled with bullet holes and the planes, burning on the runway. No problems like that now, of course but added to the adventure.
PPS Take a decent supply of imodium.
HTH
Started in Mount Lavinia (OH's Father's family from there) - good beaches OK hotel, then toured round for a week including Kandy, Nuwara Aliyah (sp?) where the tea plantations are but it's quite high up and colder than you might think. Also took in Yala National Park - basic hotel, safari and big, BIG insects (had a cockroach in our semi-outdoor bathroom which I wouldn't pick a fight with!).
But, the best bit by a long way was a week at The Lighthouse at Galle - unexpectedly luxurious, great food (beware anything including the word "Sambol" - looks innocuous but you will lose your voice for 6 hours after a teaspoonful). Fantastic service, too and cheap as chips (when we were there, anyway).
Hope you have a lovely time.
PS Oh, a week after we came home, the airport was attacked by the Tamil Tigers: We saw the departure lounge which we had so recently left, riddled with bullet holes and the planes, burning on the runway. No problems like that now, of course but added to the adventure.
PPS Take a decent supply of imodium.
HTH
shirt said:
can you remember the name of the lodge? sounds good!
we're staying here 3nts: http://www.elephantcorridor.com/
hoping to meet a polite elephant
i have read the blurb in the lonely planet guide about the scams and hawkers. i am a cynical sod anyway, hence the self drive, and used to that kind of stuff.
given you're username, where's good for surfing? we are both utter beginners but falling into the water seems like a good way to spend a day!
That place looks good!we're staying here 3nts: http://www.elephantcorridor.com/
hoping to meet a polite elephant
i have read the blurb in the lonely planet guide about the scams and hawkers. i am a cynical sod anyway, hence the self drive, and used to that kind of stuff.
given you're username, where's good for surfing? we are both utter beginners but falling into the water seems like a good way to spend a day!
This is the place here: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g612381-...
It was a little basic but a great place to stay 1 or 2 nights including the safari tour thingy.
To be honest, we were on our honeymoon so I didn't try any surfing there (my wife is not into surfing at all).
HTH
M
nocarjames said:
as i mentioned in my first post - good luck with driving you will need it, our driver warned us of the following:
if you hit a cow, not as daft as it might seem as you see loads of them just strolling down the middle of the road, run for your life as they are sacred over there.
same goes if you hit a moped or tuk-tuk driver, local mob will try and lynch you and burn your car
have a read:
http://javajones.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/driving-...
thanks for the luck james, it can't do any harm.if you hit a cow, not as daft as it might seem as you see loads of them just strolling down the middle of the road, run for your life as they are sacred over there.
same goes if you hit a moped or tuk-tuk driver, local mob will try and lynch you and burn your car
have a read:
http://javajones.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/driving-...
never thought a motoring website would advise against driving!
i have read all sorts of stories about driving there, but it doesn't change my opinion or plans. i have driven in africa, india, indonesia, malyasia, etc. and manage to survive dubai rush hour on a daily basis. i am aware of the driving style and quite enjoy it. 30-40kph, take it easy, watch your mirrors and expect the unexpected. not daunting at all, rather fun actually.
We went to Sri Lanka with Kuoni as part of our honeymoon last year. We stayed at the Tea Factory, Mount Lavinia, Earl's Regency, Taj Samundra, & Heritage Kandalama - all of which were fantastic.
We did an Elephant Safari around the area where the orphanage is, and it was amazing to see herds of elephants in their natural habitat. Sigiriya Rock was amazing but go early to beat the midday heat. The cave temples at Dhambulla were good too, but be prepared for a steep ascent to them! There is a fairly established tourist route so buy a guide book and you will soon work out what's good to do.
I'd recommend a guide, you really do need one to get the best from the country - I imagine getting around without one would be exhausting, and I doubt you would be allowed to hire a car - driving standards really do need to be seen to be believed! Guides will try and take you to the places they get commission from, but if you tell them where you want to go and what you want to do, they will look after you. Our guide used to stop at the side of the road and buy us treats each day - mango with chilli powder, bananas, cashew nuts, coconut liquor - depending on the region we were in. We'd never have been brave enough to do that without him (Although be prepared to tip them well at the end of your stay!)
The other thing to say is if you have females in your party, they should be prepared to dress conservatively. I expected to cover my arms & legs at religious sites, but when I had uncovered shoulders in the Kandy Botanical Gardens I had a few disapproving looks from the locals so I put my wrap back on quickly! You really don't see uncovered flesh outside the beach resorts and you need to respect that.
Have a great time - there are so many different sides to Sri Lanka - some places felt very Indian influenced, some very African, and some very European. We said if you couldn't afford to do a world tour, Sri Lanka is a good alternative!
We did an Elephant Safari around the area where the orphanage is, and it was amazing to see herds of elephants in their natural habitat. Sigiriya Rock was amazing but go early to beat the midday heat. The cave temples at Dhambulla were good too, but be prepared for a steep ascent to them! There is a fairly established tourist route so buy a guide book and you will soon work out what's good to do.
I'd recommend a guide, you really do need one to get the best from the country - I imagine getting around without one would be exhausting, and I doubt you would be allowed to hire a car - driving standards really do need to be seen to be believed! Guides will try and take you to the places they get commission from, but if you tell them where you want to go and what you want to do, they will look after you. Our guide used to stop at the side of the road and buy us treats each day - mango with chilli powder, bananas, cashew nuts, coconut liquor - depending on the region we were in. We'd never have been brave enough to do that without him (Although be prepared to tip them well at the end of your stay!)
The other thing to say is if you have females in your party, they should be prepared to dress conservatively. I expected to cover my arms & legs at religious sites, but when I had uncovered shoulders in the Kandy Botanical Gardens I had a few disapproving looks from the locals so I put my wrap back on quickly! You really don't see uncovered flesh outside the beach resorts and you need to respect that.
Have a great time - there are so many different sides to Sri Lanka - some places felt very Indian influenced, some very African, and some very European. We said if you couldn't afford to do a world tour, Sri Lanka is a good alternative!
it's been a couple of weeks since i returned so a report is in order. sadly no pics as the OH has the camera and she's on another holiday.
ETA - sorry about the post length, bored at work!
firstly, sri lanka is a fantastic place. really varied and stunning scenery, plenty of wildlife, great food and genuinely warm & friendly people. everyone speaks good english and it's very, very cheap.
second point to mention would be the driving. yes i did hire a car and we drove over 950miles in 10 days without incident.
columbo was congested and frantic, but no worse than downtown dubai rush hour, you just need to check the satnav and ensure you're in the right lane for the next junction as soon as possible. the columbo > kandy and galle > columbo roads are busy, but the rest of the country is very light [non existent in parts] to moderately busy.
bus drivers are suicidal, cows and dogs like to sleep in the road, and general standards are as you'd expect, but choose the right car and adopt the right attitude and it's no bother.
we went with a 1.6l suzuki swift. the car hire company sorted my temporary drivers licence [2hrs, $20] and advised me that small and nippy was the way to do it. i agree. most traffic goes at 40-60kph. move at 50-80kph and keep overtaking and you're fine. dawdle and you'll have team ashok leyland all over the back of you as they vie to win the suicide grand prix.
if you do need a car, i'd recommend malkey. they were great and by far the cheapest. the owner was a very sound guy who has a nice collection of vintage motors, but wouldn't let us hire his sunbeam tiger for the duration
http://www.malkey.lk/
we started with strong coffee and breakfast in a leafy suburb of colombo opposite one of the embassies. collected the hire car and took off for kandy. took a walk around the botanical gardens then stayed the first night here:
http://www.mansionkandy.com/
which was superb value at circa £30 including dinner and breakfast. the next day we visited the temple of the tooth relic [ok, liked the relaxed attitude, v. different from visiting jerusalem's religious sites which are, erm, ultra orthadox]. then on to the elephant sanctuary, which was fantastic, then a drive up to our hotel in sigiriya.
http://www.elephantcorridor.com/
amazing place. restaurant on stilts with views out to the rock, huge villa with plunge pool in the room and views over the lakes where wild elephants could be heard at night.
used this place as a base for anuradhapura [bit dull, some nice dagobas and caught a religious procession which was a riot of noise and colour], sigiriya rock [brilliant! but LOADS of steps], dambulla cave temples [amazing, but done the same day so the dogs were barking somewhat!] and pollunawara [a million times more interesting than anuradhapura].
from there we went over to batticaloa for an afternoon on kalkudah bay's perfect deserted sands, then a high speed [100kph - warp speed!] jaunt down to arugam bay.
stayed here for 2 nights:
http://www.galaxysrilanka.com/arugam_accommodation...
in a treetop cabana with private outdoor bathroom. think it was £15 a night with full sri lankan breakfast! surfed, swam and relaxed, getting woken up by giant squirrels wandering round our bedroom each morning!
from there we headed up to the hill country, and spent a day touring the tea plantations before experiencing the only disappointment of the holiday. worlds end is supposed to be amazing - a 2000 acrea plateau with a 700m drop to the valley floor. the mists come down around 10am though and, with a 90min hike from the nearest car park, it's advisable to get there early.
we woke up at 5am, dressed and set straight off. was supposed to be an hour's drive, but the bloody satnav kept trying to take us straight through the middle of an army base which is off limits to the public. 3hrs later and i found a way around, only to find 30km of roads that i am amazed haven't been used for some sort of rally event. did the best i could [pressing on
] but by the time we reached the national park the mists were already down at ground level. total waste of time. i did then get to to the reverse rally route, and the OH kept commenting on how much fun i seemed to be having whilst wishing i'd slow down
did 8hrs solid driving that morning, so we decided to kick back for the remaining 4 days. went to galle, then mirissa beach and off the hikkaduwa.drank plenty of lion lager, ate my body weight in seafood, ligged in hammocks and topped up the tan. happy days.
rounded off the trip with a day in colombo. nothing to report, i wouldn't bother. did eat a fantastic meal down some dodgy back alley, got my sea legs courtesy of 8.4% lion stout, then sat in the galle face hotel bar until it was time to come home.
absolutely recommended.
ETA - sorry about the post length, bored at work!
firstly, sri lanka is a fantastic place. really varied and stunning scenery, plenty of wildlife, great food and genuinely warm & friendly people. everyone speaks good english and it's very, very cheap.
second point to mention would be the driving. yes i did hire a car and we drove over 950miles in 10 days without incident.
columbo was congested and frantic, but no worse than downtown dubai rush hour, you just need to check the satnav and ensure you're in the right lane for the next junction as soon as possible. the columbo > kandy and galle > columbo roads are busy, but the rest of the country is very light [non existent in parts] to moderately busy.
bus drivers are suicidal, cows and dogs like to sleep in the road, and general standards are as you'd expect, but choose the right car and adopt the right attitude and it's no bother.
we went with a 1.6l suzuki swift. the car hire company sorted my temporary drivers licence [2hrs, $20] and advised me that small and nippy was the way to do it. i agree. most traffic goes at 40-60kph. move at 50-80kph and keep overtaking and you're fine. dawdle and you'll have team ashok leyland all over the back of you as they vie to win the suicide grand prix.
if you do need a car, i'd recommend malkey. they were great and by far the cheapest. the owner was a very sound guy who has a nice collection of vintage motors, but wouldn't let us hire his sunbeam tiger for the duration
http://www.malkey.lk/
we started with strong coffee and breakfast in a leafy suburb of colombo opposite one of the embassies. collected the hire car and took off for kandy. took a walk around the botanical gardens then stayed the first night here:
http://www.mansionkandy.com/
which was superb value at circa £30 including dinner and breakfast. the next day we visited the temple of the tooth relic [ok, liked the relaxed attitude, v. different from visiting jerusalem's religious sites which are, erm, ultra orthadox]. then on to the elephant sanctuary, which was fantastic, then a drive up to our hotel in sigiriya.
http://www.elephantcorridor.com/
amazing place. restaurant on stilts with views out to the rock, huge villa with plunge pool in the room and views over the lakes where wild elephants could be heard at night.
used this place as a base for anuradhapura [bit dull, some nice dagobas and caught a religious procession which was a riot of noise and colour], sigiriya rock [brilliant! but LOADS of steps], dambulla cave temples [amazing, but done the same day so the dogs were barking somewhat!] and pollunawara [a million times more interesting than anuradhapura].
from there we went over to batticaloa for an afternoon on kalkudah bay's perfect deserted sands, then a high speed [100kph - warp speed!] jaunt down to arugam bay.
stayed here for 2 nights:
http://www.galaxysrilanka.com/arugam_accommodation...
in a treetop cabana with private outdoor bathroom. think it was £15 a night with full sri lankan breakfast! surfed, swam and relaxed, getting woken up by giant squirrels wandering round our bedroom each morning!
from there we headed up to the hill country, and spent a day touring the tea plantations before experiencing the only disappointment of the holiday. worlds end is supposed to be amazing - a 2000 acrea plateau with a 700m drop to the valley floor. the mists come down around 10am though and, with a 90min hike from the nearest car park, it's advisable to get there early.
we woke up at 5am, dressed and set straight off. was supposed to be an hour's drive, but the bloody satnav kept trying to take us straight through the middle of an army base which is off limits to the public. 3hrs later and i found a way around, only to find 30km of roads that i am amazed haven't been used for some sort of rally event. did the best i could [pressing on
] but by the time we reached the national park the mists were already down at ground level. total waste of time. i did then get to to the reverse rally route, and the OH kept commenting on how much fun i seemed to be having whilst wishing i'd slow down did 8hrs solid driving that morning, so we decided to kick back for the remaining 4 days. went to galle, then mirissa beach and off the hikkaduwa.drank plenty of lion lager, ate my body weight in seafood, ligged in hammocks and topped up the tan. happy days.
rounded off the trip with a day in colombo. nothing to report, i wouldn't bother. did eat a fantastic meal down some dodgy back alley, got my sea legs courtesy of 8.4% lion stout, then sat in the galle face hotel bar until it was time to come home.
absolutely recommended.
Edited by shirt on Wednesday 4th January 11:50
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