If you would like to hear more about Sarah’s wonderful trip, visit her in our Haywards Heath branch or call 01444 473081
After an 11-hour flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka we were met with a warm greeting from the Kuoni Sri Lanka team for the 4-hour journey to Habarana.
If you are a couple or a small group you would have just a driver who would be your guide for the trip, in a larger group you would be allocated a driver and a guide.
On the 4-hour journey to the hotel the driver and guide will have a halfway stop for refreshments.
The Hotel Cinnamon Lodge is an ideal place to stay for a few nights whilst visiting this location all rooms are individual lodges set in lovely Sri Lankan landscape and are very spacious and comfortable. The buffet restaurant has a great choice of worldwide cuisine and a noodle station where they cook your choice of noodle dish fresh, all the food is to a high standard. There is a choice of an A La Carte restaurant if you prefer a fine dining option served to you.
The hotel has a fantastic swimming pool so you can choose to spend a day in the sunshine and have a swim. There is also a pool bar where you can get snacks and drinks throughout the day.
A day trip to the Polonnaruwa Ancient site is recommended if you like history it is one of the largest Buddhist sites in the world, some areas whilst visiting this site require you to have your shoulders and legs covered.
Also recommended for a traditional Sri Lankan curry lunch is a place called Priyamali Gedara , they cook on open fires and have a vast selection of dishes to try.
There are several Elephant Jeep safaris dotted around in National Parks, this is a must-see experience whilst in Sri Lanka.
Only 20 mins from the Cinnamon Lodge is the Famous Sigiriya rock fortress, a climb to the top will take you 1200 steps up to beautiful views that are well worth the climb,
it’s recommended to do this as early as you can in the morning to avoid the heat from the sun during the day.
If you would like a different option of luxury 5-star accommodation set in a very tranquil secluded setting the Water Garden Sigiriya Hotel would be a great choice.
Each lodge comes with a butler who will look after you whilst you are staying here, this place offers Al a Carte dining only, it has a great spa and offers yoga sessions and has a fantastic swimming pool.
A trip back for a stopover in Colombo, and a visit to the lotus flower, the tallest skyscraper in the country, you can buy tickets to go up to the top observation tower.
There is a revolving restaurant on the 5th floor serving a selection of buffet service food.
Shangri La Colombo is a fantastic hotel option for a night or two stopovers in the city, which is all you would need. Very clean, comfortable great food choices in the buffet restaurant. From the hotel you have an entrance to the shopping mall if you fancy spending the afternoon shopping.
From Colombo we flew to Maldives, Male Airport which is about an hour flight, then a speedboat or seaplane is required for transfers to the islands.
Kuramathi is one of the larger islands hosted by Kuoni, this is such a stunning place, there are many different accommodation styles to choose from; Beach Villas, Over Water Villas, Garden Villas, some with private pools and there are also two-bedroom beach houses which are ideal for families . There are several different restaurants to choose from on the island all with great selections and all cooked to a 5-star standard. If you went for 2 weeks you would always be able to find something different to eat each night. There are also several different bars on the island. A favourite is the beach bar which also has an infinity pool along the side of it. This place serves great cocktails and has a great vibe day or night.
This island has a good selection of activities you can choose from that will be advertised at reception there is a lot of water sports to choose from and early morning yoga sessions, this island has a lovely spa full of a large selection of treatments you can also choose a massage in the over water platform overlooking the sea.
For the children there is a wonderful kids club providing activity’s everyday it is a very large indoor and outdoor space for them to play with a big splash pool area, children can be left to play here all-day and will be given food and snacks leaving adults lots of free time.
The island has its own hydroponic garden growing lots of fresh produce used in the restaurants.
Kandolhu is a very small island which only has 30 villas, with a choice again of different room types from overwater villas or beach villas and ones that a comes with pools no children under the age of 6. This is a perfect destination for couples who want to hide away by themselves in a very peaceful beautiful location , there is one main bar which is next to the Market restaurant which has a great range of food and there is also 4 specialist restaurants which include a Japanese and a Mexican these only fit 6 guests so be sure to book a space, all the food is cooked to a 5 star standard.
There is a lovely spa with a great selection of treatments to choose from and also a small gym in the resort.
This is great island for snorkelling.
Maafushivaru (Outrigger)
This island is smaller than Kuramathi but bigger than Kandolhu, the resort has a nice relaxing atmosphere and again has the different selection of Villas to choose from.
The main buffet restaurant and the cuisine gallery has a large selection of worldwide foods all cooked to a high standard, they also have 2 other Al a Carte restaurant in this resort both with amazing food on offer.
This island is great for all water sports and a great place for snorkeling, perfect to see plenty of sharks!
There is one large swimming pool centrally located by the bar to sit and chill sunbathing with a cocktail.
There is also a small games area with a pool table, darts and a mini golf course.