Which tour should we go on?

My husband and i are hoping to go to Sri Lanka and maldives twin centre holiday in feb 2010 for wedding anniversary.

We are interested in doing an organised tour in Sri Lanka (so we feel we have experienced Sri Lanka, and then just chill out in the maldives). Virgin offer a 7 day adventure tour, as do First choice and Kuoni. I have ME, and don%26#39;t want to end up doing loads of walking/trekking and it being a struggle.

We also don%26#39;t know whether to do an organised tour, or just take day trips out from the hotel? (seems better value to do organised tour, and saves on the long days and early starts, and lots of travelling each day). Also, concerned we may not have any chill time during the organised tour?

Can anyone help? offer suggestions? Recommend tour operator?

Thanks in advance!

Marianne x

Which tour should we go on?

Hi Marianne,

Cannot really comment on the 3 offers. But can give a general advice: those organised tours often go ahead even with only 2 passengers, and then become a private tour. Why not organise your own private tour and add the amount of chilling that you need? It would roughly mean expanding a 7-day %26#39;organised%26#39; itinerary to 10 days, or on the inverse removing a part of the route from it to have more relaxing 7 days. These private tours can be arranged by most Lanka-specialised tour operators; e.g. Red Dot (also office in UK), Hemtours/Diethelm, Walkers Tours, Jetwing etc. etc...

Hope this helps a bit,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya] - always doing the DIY tours...

Which tour should we go on?

Hi Marianne,

I go along with Erik on this one.

If I were you,I wouldn%26#39;t even consider a tour where you might be one of a coach load where you have to fit in with everyone else%26#39;s itinery.

With a tour worked out to your own wants, needs and timing I don%26#39;t reckon it would be any more expensive and obviously, tailored entirely to you.

Organised tour verses day trips.?

If you try to do everything as day trips, you%26#39;ll end up going up and down the same stretch of road several times.

Far better to work out what you%26#39;d like to see and where you%26#39;d like to go, either between yourselves , with help from members on here or in collusion with a driver/guide.. Or a combination of all three, then work out with the guide the timing for the tour.

That way you%26#39;ll agree on how much you want to do in any day or how long you want to spend on the road, etc.

It%26#39;s your money and your holiday, make sure it%26#39;s worked out exactly right for you.

Getting it right won%26#39;t be a problem for any number of companies out there or for one of the many excellent Ceylon Tourist Board accedited tourist guides.

If you want contact info for any of these, either, Dave, Erik, myself and several others can send along info for people that we know from experience are excellent at their job.

Rod.

Hi Marianne. Having been to Sri Lanka twice there are two hotels in Sri Lanka which I can recommend, booking through Mercury Direct. I also have the details of a English speaking Government approved tourist guide who is very knowledgable about the Island,birds,flora etc. He lives in Negombo where one of the hotels is located. He will give you a great tour in his air. con. vehicle and take you to the places you need to see. Mercury will let you stay at the hotel and then let you take the required number of days for your trip and then book you the plane back, or onward, as they go to Mauritius where I have not been. For further details contact me again.

Hi Marianne

My wife and I went to Sri Lanka with Kuoni just before Christmas. We did the south tour, and then had 7 nights at ';the Lighthouse'; to chill out. I actually work with a female friend that also has ME and know how debilitating it can be.

On this particular tour there were 6 of us (3 couples) and we were escorted by a driver from www.walkerstours.com . The tour part is extremely tiring and involves travelling quite long distances over very poor roads. We thoroughly enjoyed the holiday with the hotels on the tour generally being pretty good, although St Andrews and Centauria were just about acceptable. As a travel company Kuoni are the best we%26#39;ve travelled with having used them for both Egypt and Sri Lanka now.

There was absolutely no ';chill'; time during the tour as when we weren%26#39;t walking, visiting tea factories, batik factories, wood carving factories etc etc, we were travelling. Most days we were travelling from 8am and arrived at next hotel around 6 or 7 each evening. Its certainly worthwhile but with the ME you might struggle. The tarvelling in SL is a bit of an experience as the roads are generally quite poor and can be very busy.

If you want any more info then please feel free to contact me. BTW we flew with Sri Lankan airlines who were great and stayed the first night at Mount Lavinia hotel which is definitely worth a visit if only to receive the big grinning welcome from the doorman there all kitted out in white uniform and pith helmet :)