Sri Lanka, the tear-drop shaped isle in the Indian Ocean is the place if you are looking for variety in your holiday. From the bustling Colombo, to the cool and beautiful Nuwara Eliya, the religious Kataragama and the soft-sand sun-kissed beaches, you name it, you have it. After hectic project schedules, we decided to check-out this exciting island during 6D/5N vacation last month (Oct)!
Travel operator
Jetwing group, who own and manage a lot of hotels too. The choice of hotels and the microvan (an air-conditioned Toyota HiAce) provided to our family were very good. The only dissatisfaction was that we were always taken to the travel agent-appointed shops and hotels that are meant for tourists, with hiked prices.
Places
Pinnewala elephant orphanage - A must-see place! Check out the timings of shows/events if possible before visiting so that you may combine two shows during your visit. The entry fee is pretty high, but definitely worth it. After all, this goes towards the maintenance of the elephants.
Kandy - The Kandy Cultural Centre has some traditional Sri Lankan dances and some fire-walking and acts by Indians there. The Temple of the Tooth Relic (Dalada Maligawa) is important for its tooth relic (the tooth of Buddha), though the architecture isn’t attractive to visitors who have seen other eastern Buddhist countries. The town centre of Kandy is very interesting with a huge man-made lake in the middle and colonial style buildings. The climate is cool and the place as a whole is serene and calm.
Nuwara Eliya - The only reason to go here is to enjoy the climate and the beauty of the town. The place is cold (for the equatorial beings!) and really beautiful with houses built in the Queen Ann style of architecture. There are vast tea estates on the way up. A tour package will most likely include halt at one of the estates for a demo of how tea is made. Best way to spend time here is walk/drive around the town and enjoy the climate and the beauty. ’’Spots’’ - Sita Eliya, the place where Sita of the epic Ramayana was imprisoned by Ravana and a Ravana Falls on the way down, where Ravana was killed by Rama.
Kataragama - This is a popular religious spot for Hindus around the world. There is a Temple of the Hindu God Muruga with his consorts Valli and Deyvanai. It is believed that the God married Valli(a localite) here and stayed back. The ceremonies at the temple here are very different from the practices in Indian temples. Lot of Buddhists visit this place too. The God here is believed to be very powerful.
Galle - This is a coastal town on the south west of Sri Lanka. The drive from Kataragama to Bentota is very scenic with the sea giving you company on and off. There is a Dutch fort with some old buildings and a light house. The walk along the walls of the fort gives a good view of the greenish-blue sea.
Bentota - This is a beach resort on the eastern coast of the island. There are some ’’spots’’ close by like a river cruise and a turtle hatchery. A clear and sunny day in the shades of the palm will be interesting.
Colombo - Very much like a country’s capital. There are some spots that are covered as part of the city tour, nothing extraordinary, but. The Marine Drive, Pettah, Fort are some of the areas that are interesting in Colombo.
Hotels
Swiss Residence, Kandy - a good hotel with a swiss facade. The rooms were clean though the doors were little old and in need of maintenance. Some of the items at breakfast that were supposed to be hot, were cold. The drive from the gate to the lobby was almost at 60 degrees and you have to climb up one more floor before you get to the lift to take you to your rooms.
St.Andrews Hotel, Nuwara Eliya - This was the best hotel we stayed during our entire trip. An old colonial building to which rooms were added as need increased. A 116-year old floor has been retained in its original condition. The rooms had high ceiling, large french doors and colonial type furniture. The restaurant served good food and the staff were friendly.
Rosen Renaissance, Kataragama - A beautifully designed hotel with a good blend of colors. The rooms were very spacious. The breakfast was interesting with a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast also available. There was no buffet, however.
Hotel Serendib, Bentota - A little dissatisfying compared to the other hotels. The hotel wasn’t all that well maintained and there was bad odor at some places. The staff had to walk on bare foot, something I found disgusting. However the beach area was good with sufficient palm trees and shade. The food was not all that good but the prices were exorbitant.
Grand Oriental Hotel, Colombo - Another of the colonial hotels in Sri Lanka. The rooms were OK. The only hotel in our entire trip that had window air-conditioners. Maintenance wasn’t as good as St.Andrews. The restaurant was different with wooden log-like tables and chairs.
Food - Food is generally expensive in Sri Lanka and is quite a problem for vegetarians. Local specialties are Rice/Idiyappam (string hoppers) and curry. The restaurants in the hotels we stayed and the ones our guide recommended were very expensive. Curd is very good here, made from fresh buffalo milk in earthen pots. Kandy had one vegetarian restaurant - Rajeshwari Bhavan in Madras Street. Colombo has lot of Indian restaurants. Shanthi Vihar, Mathura (both in Havelock Road) and Vani Vilas (an ordinary one) near Infantry Rd are veg restaurants. Pizza Hut and fast food joints are available in Colombo and Kandy. Rest of the towns, you have to depend on your hotel’s restaurants or small joints in the town centre. Fruits are available in plenty. Bottled water is recommended. 1.5 litres of mineral water costs SLR 60 while 5 litres cost SLR135! Always prefer tea to coffee at Sri Lanka!
Shopping - Refrain from shopping at shops that the tour guide takes you. Most of them sell highly over-priced goods. Laksala, a government handicraft emporium in Colombo sells nominally priced handicraft items. Majestic City is a huge mall in Colombo that has lot of boutiques. Cargill’s Food city is a supermarket that sells a lot of locally produced low-priced chocolates and other items. Mlesna tea outlets across Sri Lanka sell tea packed in cute boxes or ceramic tea pots. Pettah in Colombo has hawkers who sell anything from clothes to VCDs on the sides of the road. The more you bargain, the better rates you get. Kandy is famous for sapphires, precious and semi-precious stones. Tea from factories at Nuwara Eliya is a good buy. Lace and Batik are available from the factory at Galle.
(contd in the comments section...)