DESTINATIONS WINTER SUN | SRI LANKA
expertexper ASK THE
“Now that the FCDO advisory has been lifted, agents will
find Sri Lanka an easier sell than a lot of long-haul winter destinations, many of which have high prices and low availability. Compared with other ‘winter’ destinations, Sri Lanka is excellent value – especially for boutique hotel luxury. The famously warm welcome will be more effusive than ever, and your clients’ visits will directly contribute to the economic recovery.” Sam Clark, director, Experience Travel Group
5
OF THE BEST
PLACES TO STAY
Galle Face, Colombo Colonial splendour with a pool in a waterfront setting. From £85.
gallefacehotel.com
Jetwing Lighthouse, Galle Modernist-style hotel with a beachfront location. From £78.
jetwinghotels.com
Kalu’s Hideaway, Udawalawe Tranquil five-acre retreat near national park. From £29.
kalushideaway.com
EKHO Ella, Ella A firm favourite in the hill country. From £90.
ekhohotels.com/ekhoella
Jetwing Kandy Gallery, Kandy Luxury rural retreat. From
£70.
jetwinghotels.com All prices per room, per night.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Benota Beach; the ancient structure of Polonnaruwa Vatadage; traditional Sri Lankan dishes; tea plantation at Nuwara Eliya PICTURES: Shutterstock/Aleksandar Todorovic, ngoc tran, maheshg
tagline ‘Please come on board, to support an Island of Hospitality’ has been launched, too. Sri Lanka’s reputation for
hospitality is well deserved, and for a country that desperately needs tourists, now is arguably the perfect time to sell this multi- layered Indian Ocean destination. Ordinarily teeming Unesco World Heritage Sites such as Sigiriya, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are ethereally empty, and at sacred spaces like Dambulla Cave Temple and Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Dalada Maligawa) in Kandy, queues are non-existent. Gorgeous south coast beaches like Unawatuna, Mirissa and Jungle Beach are virtually deserted, as are the national parks of Yala, Minneriya and Bundala, and the popular hiking routes of Adam’s Peak, Ella Rock and Horton Plains. As a first-time visitor to Sri Lanka, I was keen to explore both the highlights and quieter sites, and found the mix everywhere.
40 13 OCTOBER 2022
In between underrated capital Colombo and the walled city of Galle, I stopped at Brief Garden, the estate that belonged to the brother of one of Sri Lanka’s most famous architects, Geoffrey Bawa, and shared the beautifully landscaped gardens with just a handful of visitors. On a sunrise birdwatching safari to Bundala I heard birdsong from some of the 452 resident species, but that evening, on a bike ride in the paradise-like Tangalle, I saw and heard the same birds settle down for the night at a local pond. Between Tangalle and Udawalawe, the rock-carved temple site of Buduruwagala was a revelation to my chauffeur and guide Sanjaya, who had never been there either. And just on the
BOOK IT
Experience Travel Group offers a 14-day Laidback Sri Lanka trip from £3,850 including international flights, chauffeur/guide, B&B accommodation in a range of boutique properties, and tips.
experiencetravelgroup.com
travelweekly.co.uk
outskirts of unmissable Kandy, the sheer scale, colours and scents of more than 4,000 plant species in Peradeniya Botanical Gardens left me open-mouthed in wonder. Ending my trip at the Suriya resort in Negombo, I thought of the things I hadn’t seen and done: eastern beaches such as Trincomalee and Arugam Bay; whale and dolphin watching on northwest Sri Lanka’s Kalpitiya Peninsula; scuba and wreck diving along pretty much all of the coastline; exploring the northernmost city of Jaffna and amazing beaches such as Casuarina; not to mention trekking in the Unesco Sinharaja Forest Reserve. However, Sri Lanka will endure, and tourists will return to discover these fabulous places . . . as will I.
TW
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