Planning a trip to Sri Lanka

My husband, father in law and brother and I are planning to go to Sri Lanka next April for Easter.

Where would you advise to go for a week? What should we definitely do?

We all love beaches, sightseeing, culture, food etc. We also want a place with a swimming pool to relax by but not an all inclusive place.

Thanks

Planning a trip to Sri Lanka

Hi,

Plenty of options are available depending on your preferences. Firstly, one week is not sufficient to do much but could do some highlights.

Bentota or Hikkaduwa is a good area to be based since you have mentioned that you love beaches. But remember Sri Lanka has much more to offer other than beaches. For example you can Sinharaja rain forest where you can observe most of the endemic birds in Sri Lanka and cannot be observed anywhere in the world.

While you stay in Bentota or Hikkaduwa you can have a day trip to Sinharaja. Few other excursions can be done from Bentota or Hikkaduwa are

Ambalangoda mask factory

Kosgoda Turtle hatchery

Hikkaduwa corals

Galle Dutch fortress

Deep-sea fishing if you are in a mood

Surfing

Also try two-day trip to cultural triangle with overnight stay in Kandy where you can visit Dalada Maligawa (Tooth relic of Lord Buddha), Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Dambulla cave temple etc.

Nishantha

Planning a trip to Sri Lanka

Thanks for the reply, I have been looking at wadduwa kalutara and bentota just now.....

Hi

Nishanta%26#39;s recommendations can also be done from Wadduwa or Kalutara.

Kalutara is 20 km N of Bentota and Wadduwa about 25 km.

Hans

cheers! we have booked flights that now give us 9 nights with Kingfisher airways......just need to make some kind of itinerary..

Another question: Has anyone taken trips through Wunderbar hotel? I think we are going to stay there for the 9 nights and do trips from the area....or are there better places to stay?

Hi there...

Hotel Wunderbar, yep nice place to be, clean comfy, great food and service too, and yes they will organise trips for you too as well as your airport transfers.

Probably there is better places to stay of course, but the price will reflect that too,but for value for money then you will find that Wunderbar fits the bill just right.

If you have not already booked then maybe you should do so fairly quickly !, the time you have chosen to go to Sri Lanka is a ';Hot'; one, not only is it Easter, BUT also it clashes with a long weekend to celebrate the Sri Lankan New Year too ! (April 12/13th/14th time)

I also hope to be there at that time, as i was this year too, and had a great time.

Regards

Dave

Also from Harrow !!

cool thanks for the reply, it has certainly had a lot of good reviews. We have already enquired about rooms so its just a case of paying deposits etc.

Can you recommend any must sees in those 9 days? Apologies for all the questions my guide books have not yet arrived!

Hi again...

Easy day trips from Wunderbar would be Galle, and take in Hikkaduwa glass bottom boats over the coral reef there on same trip, maybe the Mask Museums at Ambalangoda on way back too, obviously turtle hactheries too, pleant close to Wunderbar.

Kandy and Elephants ?, well better done as a two day trip, stopping overnight in or close to Kandy, you could ';just about'; do in a single day, but really not worth trying as it would mean a VERY long day, and you would not really get time to epxlore much there.

But, Kandy would be VERY busy over the Sri Lankan New Year weekend though !, lots of local people would head there from Colombo ect, i believe that they have around 6 public days holiday, including the Sat/Sun.

Regards

Dave

Thanks for the tips, maybe we should stay put over the weekend and go up to Kandy during the week. I am definitely wanting to go to the Elephant Orphanage.

Galle also sounds good as my husbands family are dutch :)