Sri Lanka
 

Morning campers,

Seems we are off to Sri Lanka in July for a short break.

Don't want much out of it, but it's quite a specific list, if anyone can help with recommendations it would be greatly appreciated as always:

Beach front (she's keen on this).
Decent food, maybe some out-of-hotel options nearby? Or is that wishful?
Nice hotel, but no, for 4ish nights I'm not paying 10,000 dizzers.
Not too far from the airport - within an hour or so if that's possible? Short trip so don't want to spend forever in a car to a hotel.

Bentota and Beruwala seem to come up regularly? Any hotel recommendations in these areas?
Anywhere else anyone would recommend?

Again, all ideas appreciated.
Thanks

Re: Sri Lanka
 

Beach front for swimming? or just to sun bathe? The ocean currents are pretty gnarly dude, you'd be better finding a place with a swimming pool perhaps if that's the intention.

Re: Sri Lanka
 

To be honest, I'm keen to explore the opportunity to surf, but as it was 8yrs ago I stopped, I'm also keen to not embarrass myself.

That aside, not so much for swimming, more just the beach as the good lady loves a beach. A decent pool was sort of assumed by me...

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People generally go down to Galle (old historic fort town) and the beaches nearby, particularly around Unawatuna.

Never heard much talk about the beaches near Colombo.

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I'd agree with this plus there is loads to do in the Galle area. There is a new highway which reduces the journey time from Columbo to Galle to a couple of hours I believe. But use the old coast road at least one way- it's fantastic.

There is just so much of cultural and natural interest in Sri Lanka. I think you would really enjoy Sigiriya: sketchy climb up a huge Uluru-style rocky protrusion rising up from the jungle using poorly maintained stairs, slippery rocks and crevices to see the remains a fantastic 4th century tyrant's palace which occupies the whole top of the rock; totally gangster. But it's nowhere near Galle. En route there I spent one night in a hotel on the beach in Negombo north of Columbo: lovely beach but sea was just too rough in the morning for swimming even though it was nice weather.

Re: Sri Lanka
 

Thanks chaps. Appreciated.

Will look at Galle and getting there.

I'm sort of keen to spend mornings exploring and afternoons drinking / sunbathing but this mini-break is a compromise because I've turned the Japan trip into non-stop city slicking. :thumbup:

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I'd go with Galle also.

Aprrox 2.5 hrs travel time.

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West coast catches the monsoon which is generally June to September.

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would recommend this small British run hotel in Hikkaduwa (Asian Jewel Boutique Hotel).

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I love SL and will be there yet again for a few days in May.

Scamp, bear in mid that apart from the few new fast roads the general infrastructure is poor and it can take a very long time to get from place to place. You really don't want to spend all your time in a car bumping along.

Surfing is recommended for the East cost but there are fewer places to stay (and travelling time) albeit some nice looking boutique places. I really like the Galle area but tend to largely avoid Unawatuna as it's a bit 'back packer-ish' for us. There are a number of resort hotels but why bother with those if you actually want to see a country?

I'd suggest looking for smaller places to stay. Whilst beaches are fine the sea along the West and South coasts can be very rough and not great for swimming.

Take tuk-tuks to explore a local area. Cheap and as they are open and small you are not disconnected as you are in a car.

Just eat anywhere as most SL food is fab. Just order 'rice and curry' and you'll get several different curries, manly vegetarian and you can ask for a meat/fish one too. Add in a few Lion beers and that's all you need.

Re: Sri Lanka
 

Be prepared that SL 'rice and curry' is nothing like what you may expect .. overall pretty foul in my opinion and everything has a oily burnt fishy quality that seems to permeate through your pores.


Hate to admit it, food wise we were miserable inside and outside hotels, starving after 3 days and couldn't help ourselves when we seen the McD's in Columbo - and I usually don't eat McDonalds.


I would also up accom to 5 star minimum, its still pretty cheap but no point in going lower. We stayed in a mix of hotels as did the full tour, best place was up in the mountains (nura-something) , worst place was the shit covered beach. The national park was alright and I think there was a 'waterfall' in the middle of the trip somewhere.


If you've never been then yeah tick it off your list - but a relaxing enjoyable getaway - not quite, more of an adventure.


edited to say - in some places scenery is amazing, and everywhere you see remnants of the tsunami impact and how lives were changed- everyone you speak to lost someone, you can see the waterlines up 10 floors - very humbling in that respect.

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Sorry you had a poor experience but I rate SL curries as some of the best and most people will tell you about their skill with spices. Where did you stay? Your experience is not mine, nor that of anyone I know who has ever been there.

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We went back in 2009 - stayed at The Fortress near Galle which was very good for a relaxing holiday.

The beach was crap, but everything else spot on.

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In a real turn-up for the books, I fully agree with Meow. Best rice and curry we had was in the St Andrews hotel up in the tea-growing hill station of Nuwara Eliya (I guess that's where Shawland meant - spelling might not be right...). White glove service in the dining room of what used to be the plantation owners' club; pressed tin roof, dark wood and smoky atmosphere (from the past, not from people smoking and not at all unpleasant), impeccable service. Mind you that was during the civil war...

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Scamp, there's a few Sri Lankan restaurants in Dubai. Chef Lanka in Karama on the square and Red Box (better, I think) in the no-man's land between Nahda and Ghusais. Give them a try. Sri Lankan is generally very spicy and not for everyone. Curries tend to be dry (dry fry), not like the creamy North Indian ones. Without the tempering influence of the yoghurt or even regular cream in the bastardised versions, the heat is very pronounced. Someone will doubtlessly come along (Bipat?) and gush about the wonders of spices but I say bugger that, it's all just brown spicy mush and tastes the same. I find Sri Lankan less heavy than the typical North Indian but many of their dishes are so spicy that you don't taste anything ;) which sort of defeats the point of eating, in my view, except if you enjoy the occasional sweat breaking, beer swilling meal, and there is a place for that especially if dining in one of those open air restaurants in the tropics when it's humid and there's a thunderstorm approaching.

They also do a lot of seafood and seafood is the one thing I cannot have spicy.

I've also heard some good things about Ayubowan in JLT but haven't been there.

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:sarcasm: Surely you're joking yeah?

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What does the evidence suggest?

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That you brown nose each other at every opportunity..... :p

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Thank you everyone.

Lots of research happening.
Notes taken.
Updates soon - because I know you all love to hear back from me about these trips.

Re: Sri Lanka
 

The dirty secret about Sri Lanka:

You go there because 1) it's cheap from Dubai, 2) hotels/food are cheap, 3) it's a heck lot cooler than Dubai in the summer, 4) you can have cheap beer in a tropical climate. ;)

End of.

All the talk about 'culture' and 'historic monuments and temples and palaces' and 'scenery' is fine but nothing comparable to the real stuff in India (although, before Miss Anne and Meow accuse me of racism, there are pretty green bits to Sri Lanka, but it's not really the reason we go there :sneaky: )

Re: Sri Lanka
 

While being in the region, its def one to tick off - I would never go to SL from the UK.




SL fits the bill more as a stopover to the Maldives rather than the end destination itself. Rough it with a full circle tour(in 5 star accommodation still), sweat it out with the minging curries and mosquitoes, then spend 4-5 days in the Maldives relaxing and recovering. Enjoy it while its still above water.

Re: Sri Lanka
 

Points 1 and 2 are our motivation.
It's the trade off for me having the Japan holiday in August....she can have a beach holiday with zero 'exploring' pressures.
Point 4 interests me greatly too.

I'm sure SL has loads to go and explore but it's not why we are going and I know I'll probably do some anyway, I can't help myself. :thumbup:

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I can accuse you of complete ignorance - and what a silly comment about the "real stuff" in India as most of that is just a few hundred years old compared to much older stuff in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has excellent historical sites and the advantage of being a compact size so it's easy to follow the narrative thread of their history through the various sites, for example the three successive capitals.

The ancient capital, Anuradhapura is in a reasonable state of preservation given that it's 2,500 years old - there is certainly no site of the same scale and quality of that antiquity in India. It's worth a visit even if your interest in ancient history is only passing (unlike my obsession) and blessedly free of hordes of tourists - though it is a bit out of the way hence the absence of tourists I guess. The huge stone ponds are particularly spectacular, comparable to Roman engineering in scale and artistic accomplishment. The adjacent site of the temple of the Bo tree supposedly grown from the branch brought by Buddha (with branches supported by golden struts so they don't touch the ground) is fascinating more from what it demonstrates about Sinhala culture and the intertwining of monarchy, state and religion.

The medieval capital of Polonnaruwa is more visually spectacular, spread out over a large contiguous site. It's a thousand years old and somewhat reminiscent of Angkor Wat given the adjacent massive water management systems though it is older and not as huge. You can see the structures of many of the buildings so is more relatable than Anuradhapura which requires some interpretation and is also much busier but so so worth it. If you had to pick one of the ancient capitals to visit this would be it - though again it's not easy to get to in the middle of the island. Again, there is nothing comparable from the same era in India.

The late medieval capital of Kandy is notable for its beautiful location on a mountain lake but not nearly as historically or archaeologically interesting as it is a modern city with little left to see of the old city save the temple of the golden tooth. This is where the Buddha's tooth is kept (under wraps so you won't see it) but you can follow the chain of history as possession of the tooth defined kingship. Granted India has far more impressive sites from the same period, particularly from Mughal rule, but the hassle factor in Sri Lanka is much less and I am much more interested in the older stuff frankly.

Kandy is also a gateway to the highlands and a few hours drive from elevated tea-growing country with spectacular scenery - granted it is similar to tea-growing areas in India or Kenya or Myanmar but much more accessible. The previously mentioned Nuwara Eliya is 3,000m and the climate feels like Scotland which is apparently why so many Scottish plantation owners lived there and the feel of that is evident in the colonial architecture of the old clubhouses and hill stations. The drive on down through the mountains via Ella is truly spectacular.

That is without mentioning Sigiriya, the fantastic 4th century palace atop a huge rock which is an adventure to climb in itself and the hilltop shrine of Dambulla not far away. Or the very well preserved fortified 18th Dutch city of Galle. Or the several national parks with wildlife safaris and mountain climbing, far less crowded and chaotic than what I have experienced in India. Or the newly accessible sites in the north around Trincomalee and Jaffna. Or the beautiful buildings of pioneering 20th century Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa (he was the originator of that "modern tropical" style of dark wood and open pavilion style buildings). Or the stilt fishermen, spice gardens etc etc...

Sri Lanka has a huge cultural and natural bounty contained in a compact space: coast, jungle and mountains in very close proximity. The hassle factor is far lower than in India though there are plenty of rip-off merchants but they are very easy to spot.

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There is plenty of history in SL and many good reasons to go there apart from it being cheap. I went there from the UK long before I moved to Dubai.

Re SL curries, Rick Stein has a great SL chicken curry in his book Far Eastern Odyssey which I make regularly. Even my SL cleaners reckon it's pretty authentic. You have to make a full dry spice mix first but I made a load a couple of week ago so have plenty of that going spare if anyone want some. (The Roasted Sri Lankan Curry Powder in the recipe.)

The Highs and Lows of a Conflicted Cook: How to feed a crowd of people . . . . Sri Lankan Chicken Curry Recipe

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;) Some people can't pass up an opportunity to show off how culturally and morally superior they are. I see I won my private little bet.

You go to Sri Lanka because it's cheap, it's green, it has beaches and as you admitted in your final paragraph, it's far less of a hassle than India. It's India lite for those who are afraid to tackle the filth and hassles of India. ;)

As a backwater island the cultural and artistry heritage of Sri Lanka pales in comparison to the chaotic complexity and artistry splendours of India but it's decent enough to keep you occupied for a few days on a cultural circuit where you pretend you're looking for something beyond greenery and cheap beer.

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SL is great, I loved it. It's basically Thailand with desi food.

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I am sure you never used to be so unpleasant.

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I see a pattern: you make some grossly generalised or unsubstantiated claim. Then when it is undermined by facts you:
a) resort to personal insults and mischaracterisation;
b) try to pretend you some other point entirely.

You must be President Trump!

My idea of holiday bliss is trekking around (sometimes obscure) historical and archaeological sites. I find sitting on the beach excruciating though I am very fond of beer. Maybe I get a bit carried away with my enthusiasm for the subject and waffle on a bit but in this case it's because there is so much to waffle on about. India is a huge and diverse place with countless splendours but little in the way of well preserved major sites dating back more than 500 years except religious sites of often very highly questionable provenance. Sri Lanka does have excellent and unique ancient sites, all in a compact manageable area as well a host of other interesting cultural and natural attractions and that is why I went there (and have also been to lots of different parts of India).

I really don't know why you insist on this pointless argument in the face of irrefutable facts? Oh yes, sorry, it's the Trump thing...

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Me too. It's beyond dull. It's soul-destroying.

Slowly I shall turn this trip into activity mornings, beach/pool afternoons....which basically means I get to go exploring in the morning and sleep all afternoon, then drink....repeat.

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That's why I get on with Cambodia, you can drink while exploring! Instead of doing one of the rip off temple tours in Siem Reap I rented a Tuk Tuk the night before (when he brought me back from the bar) for the next afternoon. I told the dude I needed to see 3 specific temples in a few hours and that I needed a chilly bin stocked with travel beers. Had a great afternoon the next day wandering round a temple, then beers en route, then temple, then beer, then a smoke on top of a temple, then beer.... then beer.... then beer......

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Sounds pretty epic to me. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

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There is a hotel+restaurant in Dambulla (home of the famous Buddhist caves ); place had the absolute greatest fish-n-chips I ever had.

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Scamp we're in Nuwera Eliya right now. I'm sat on the terrace at the utterly delightful, slightly rackety,colonial Golf Club with a Lion beer. There are rooms here too..

Re: Sri Lanka
 

Just googled the golf club, looks seriously old school / colonial.....appreciate the heads up greatly but keep in mind this short break is to balance the longer city holidays in Japan....I think being inland playing golf for five days would go down like a fart in a space suit.

Very jealous. Got the post-holiday blues at work today so I hope you enjoy :thumbup::thumbup:

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We are on day 6. Am utterly amazed by the history. I knew it had loads but kind of had a Mauritius lookee likee in my head with a few more temples (lived there as a child). My son has discovered God (he's 6) and it's Buddha. Dambulla caves converted him and climbing Sirigiya rock was a highlight for all if us.

Re: Sri Lanka
 

We are on day 6. Am utterly amazed by the history. I knew it had loads but kind of had a Mauritius lookee likee in my head with a few more temples (lived there as a child). My son has discovered God (he's 6) and it's Buddha. Dambulla caves converted him and climbing Sirigiya rock was a highlight for all of us.

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Sounds amazing :thumbup:

I can't wait, only a few weeks until we go.

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I did 2 trips to Nuwera Eliya for a project at the radar site, right on the top of Mt Pidurutalagala (8,281 feet) plus whatever it was to the top of the tower. Awesome views.
I don't remember the name of the hotel but it was a big old black and white colonial era place. Rooms had iron bedsteads with fire places tiled and with black iron grates. Old chap in the billiard room in his whites with the gloves on ready to polish your balls. A quick gander on booking.com has me thinking it was the Glendower hotel but the fact there are some 300 hotels listed there tells me the place has changed a lot in the the last 10 years or so.

Gets chilly up there in the winter time. Never had a better cup of tea anywhere.

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What's the best way to see sites and visit the country (or any tourist destination for that matter) ?

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Sounds like the Grand Hotel. I stayed there last month. Very colonial and the rooms are out of the 1950s. Has the most gorgeous gardens surrounding it.

The golf club is very close.