INDIAN OCEAN SRI LANKA & MALDIVES DESTINATIONS


Paradise,


Sri Lanka and the Maldives are a match made in heaven, finds Jo Cooke


twice G


etting on a long-haul flight is a big commitment –


you’re dedicating almost a day each way just to travelling. But tag on a twin centre and it can be doubly worthwhile, especially when contrasting destinations such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives sit side by side. Ease of airlift helps no end, and our fam trip – flying with SriLankan Airlines from London to Colombo, and spending a few days in Maldivian capital Malé on the return leg – made full use of the frequent connections


between these capital cities. Having well-connected hotels also helps, so our multi-centre adventure, staying at Ozo and Amari properties, both owned by Onyx Hospitality Group, was set to get off to a good start.


w COLOMBO CALLS Clients arrive and depart from Sri Lanka’s Colombo Bandaranaike International airport, so why not suggest a night in the capital? As Martin Spencer, reservations consultant at Gold Medal, says: “The capital of any country gives


you a sense of the nation.” Colombo offers plenty of spiritual splendour. Visit the red- and-white-striped Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque, the Hindu temple of Arulmigu Sivasubramania Swami Kovil, all blue and gold with a central tower of 3D deities, and Seema Malaka Temple, a Buddhist meditation spot in Beira Lake. The National Museum,


meanwhile, encompasses Sri Lanka’s social, geological, agricultural and art history in a cavernous colonial building, with exhibits dating back to antiquity.


Elsewhere, Viharamahadevi


Park is the green lung of the city, the town hall is reminiscent of the US Capitol Building, and Independence Memorial Hall marks the end of British rule in 1948 with fountains, stone lions and a colonnaded pavilion. Transfer times are also a selling


point for including Colombo. Kandy is about three hours away, and Galle two hours via a new highway – journeys that might be too much for some straight after a 10-and-a-half-hour flight. Kate Coleman, travel


9 August 2018 travelweekly.co.uk 55


PICTURE: SHUTTERSTOCK


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