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1) beaches at negombo ( fabulous!)
2) drive upto the hills - Kandy, stay at one of those colonial cottages.
3) plenty of elephant riding, wild country park exploring
http://www.explorelanka.com/places/hill/kandy.htm
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88888
17 yrs ago
Ed,,,,
What type of holiday are you looking for in Sri Lanka ??
I lived there for 3 years as an expat so have a wealth of information but depends on if you are wanting a beachy vacation or mix it with inland travel....
Also bear in mind it is still quite a volatile country to visit
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Ed
17 yrs ago
Not too keen on the beaches - more into historical areas... I did a drive around much of the island about 10 yrs ago and the interior was superb!
Advice much appreciated.
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Sigiriya is beautiful and historical. Kandy and the Temple of the Tooth is also a must-see. We rented a motorcycle and road around from Kandy to the southern beaches and back (Ahunguma and Welligama are amazing surf beaches and not as crowded as Hikkaduwa). All along the southern part of the island it is extremely picturesque and as noted before, the people are extremely friendly and hospitable. And the food is great.
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88888
17 yrs ago
Kandy and Sigiriya are defiantly a must but that is as far as I would travel inland in this current political situation in Sri Lanka...
Dont go to far of the beaten track at all and best to hire a car and driver for the duration of your trip which can be done for a great price through Hemtours, all my expat friends in SL use this company and they are very reliable, safe drivers and understanding of the safety required when traveling..
I would also recommend a trip down to the south Coast - Galle is a magic place and still retains a history that is steeped in culture.. and not to mention some amazing boutique hotels in the Fort
Unawatuna is also a lovely beach side bay with some lovely walks and waterfalls..
Make sure you get a nights stay at the Fortress Hotel which is a few kms down the road.... I actually met Rolf Harris there.... gorgeous rooms and location..
You are now unable to travel to Yala national park which is such a shame as it is an amazing Jungle with wildlife in abundance.. elephants on every corner basically...
Happy travels and enjoy the food... Roti, Kotu, Curries... not to mention all of the wonderful fresh fruit available in abundance...
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Hi, im thinking of going with my boyfriend.. can you suggest any particular place to stay with amazing beaches but also active things to do like the elephant riding?
Thanks
Alex
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Ed
15 yrs ago
Heading for Sri Lanka tonight... will get some pics onto the Ed's Adventures section and add some advice here... this seems to be the place to stay in the capital... http://www.gallefacehotel.com/html_regency/home_regency.htm
Any suggestions on places to eat and things to do/see for the capital?
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i think galleface hotel is a bit overrated frankly (except if they have renovated it recently, which i didn't notice). i think it's a bit tired and run down (though good service).
my suggestions for colombo is a city tour focusing on the old buildings, which they seem to preserve much better than hong kong.
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Ed
15 yrs ago
Thanks - I have checked their site and one of the wings has been renovated recently...
City tour sounds good
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Ed
15 yrs ago
Shifted to Hilton... nuff said...
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so must be the same still. i used to stay in hilton when in colombo. nice garden restaurant and try their tennis coach if you like it. used to be a former atp player.
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cah
15 yrs ago
Try the Hotel Tintagel! Run by same people who started Paradise Road. Have tried Galleface and Hilton. Hotel of choice would def be Tintagel!
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Ed
15 yrs ago
Just back ... flight times a bit harsh with a 2am departure from Colombo... stop in BKK and then into HK 12 noon...
We had planned to hire a car from Hem but a Sri Lankan friend arranged a car for us ... he was a very friendly fellow and he drove somewhat more safely after the third time telling him not to pass on blind corners... go with Hem...
My recommendations are as follows:
From Colombo head to Sigiriya - climb the mountain (it looks higher than it is... it can be done in 20 mins...)... watch sunset ... I think we stayed at the Sigiriya hotel... pretty decent for a 110 bucks...
Skip Kandy... Temple of the Tooth was uninspiring...
Sigiriya to Nuwara Elia makes sense... stay at either the Hill Club or Grand Hotel... both are excellent... definitely have a meal at the Hill Club ... very elegant... do an early morning run to the World's End... I suggest you leave by 430am to catch sunrise, miss the hordes... and be certain the daily mist has not yet rolled in...
From Nuwara Elia drive south via the big waterfall (I forget the name...) and go to Galle Fort... We stayed at the Galle Fort Hotel (superb) ... Galle Printers up the street looked excellent too... food was great in both... lots of cool shops within the fort...
From Galle you MUST go to Bentota (2 hour drive in the direction of Colombo) and stay at what I'd say is the most amazing 'hotel' I've ever stayed in ... http://www.lunuganga.com/ http://www.geoffreybawa.com/index.aspx If you prefer not to stay then definitely have lunch ... the food is excellent but its all about the chilled out vibe...
From Bentota its a couple of hours back to the Colombo airport...
All in all a good adventure but a little bit too much time in the back seat of a car for my liking...
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Ed, what's the cost of a room at lunungaga roughly? unfortunately no prices on the website
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Srilanka is a beautiful city of Asia. It is famous for its wildlife. There are so many things to do in Srilanka. The Yala National Park is a place to visit. The natural beauty of Sri Lanka includes tropical forests, beaches and landscape, as well as its rich cultural heritage, makes it a world famous tourist destination.
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Ed
15 yrs ago
The rates are as follows (not sure if they change during the high and low season):
Studio Suite US$ 340.00 nett
Guest room US$ 320.00 nett
Gate house US$ 286.00 nett.
We stayed in the guest house... it was the size of a large studio apt so entirely sufficient...
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AA
14 yrs ago
Is Kandy worth going to or is Nuwera Eliya better?
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Ed
14 yrs ago
Definitely the latter... in fact I'm not really sure why Kandy gets recommended at all... the temple of the tooth is uninspiring... the only site I thought was of interest was the lake in the centre of the town... but other than that there is not much to do or see...
On the other hand, we really enjoyed Nuwera Eliya... its a fantastic little town with some outstanding colonial architecture and superb gardens... we stayed at the Grand Hotel which was good - the Hill Club is worth a visit - dinner was a bit too stuffy sounding so we compromised with a bottle of wine over lunch - lots of colonial era memorabilia on the walls.... http://www.hillclubsrilanka.net/
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Kandy is just a transport spot really, to the old cities/sites. agree with mr ed.
Colombo is actually really great-- I was most pleasantly surprised. We stayed 2 nights, could easily have done another one or even two. the best food in SL is there and hanging at the old colonial hotel/restaurant/bar (galle fort I think?) and public park area next door is a must.
The one MUST DO for sri lanka is the slow train down the coast to Galle. And then Galle itself is spectacular.
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