My partner and I will be visiting Sri Lanka this summer for the first time. We have 7 or 8 days and were thinking of trying to focus on 2 areas instead of trying to cram too much into a short period of time.
We are open to suggestions, but were thinking of heading up to Kandy during the first part of our trip and then heading down to one of the really nice places on the southern coast for the end of our trip.
So, I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for our itinerary and for places to stay. My partner is really picky about hotels and is willing to spend a little more to find a place that is stylish, clean and with excellent service (5 star if it exists). Any thoughts?
1st visit.. Kandy and then beach, 4 or 5 star options?
Hi,
It is good start to base in Kandy for the first part then move on to south coast for the second part of the tour. Probably two or three nights stay in Kandy would sufficient.
During your stay in Kandy You can visit Peradeniya Botanical garden, Temple of Tooth relic of Lord Buddha, udawattekale nature walk, Cultural shows etc. Second day you can visit Sigiriya rock fortress, Dambulla cave temple, and Habarana elephant rides etc. It is much better if you could stay one night in the cultural triangle so that you can add Anuradhapura may be polonnaruwa too. Habarana are a good base for this purpose. Five Star options in Habarana is cinnamon lodge hotel.
On your way to south coast, you can visit Pinnawala elephant orphanage. For south coast, Bentota or Hikkaduwa will be a good base. During your stay in South coast, you can visit Galle Dutch fort, Ambalangoda mask factory, Kosgoda turtle hatchery etc. Depend your interest, you can add one-day trip Sinharaja rain forest or Udawalawe national Park etc.
Kandy 5 star hotel options are Mahaweli Reach, Earl鈥檚 Regency.
Nishantha
1st visit.. Kandy and then beach, 4 or 5 star options?
Thank you for the advice. it is helpful. I am actually going to visit my brother who is a monk near Dambulla (it is called: Na Uyana Aranya Senasana, in Pansiyagama.
Someone recommended to me a place called Kandy House. Have you heard of this one?
In terms of the beaches, would one rent a car and driver or go some other way? There seem to be a lot of nice places down south..Aditya seems to get good reviews. Have you heard feedback about this place.
Hi,
Yes, I have heard about Kandy House but no personal experience. I know a couple who got their wedding in this place. Few kilometers away from Kandy.
A car would be much convenient and time saving too. You have the liberty of stopping in the places at your choice. Yes, I have heard about Aditya but then again I have no personal experience. Many accommodation options are available in south coast. In Bentota,
Taj Exotica, Bentota Beach are few examples.
Nishantha
Hi Admqlick
I personally wouldn%26#39;t stay in Kandy, it%26#39;s a bit busy and noisy.
I think your best bet would be to skip Kandy and stay in the cultural triangle, either Habanara or Dambulla and then head down to the south coast.
Two particular Hotels stand out in the Triangle are the Kandalama (Dambulla) which is probably the top 5* hotel in Sri Lanka or the Cinammon Lodge (Habanara) which is set in fantastic grounds and the rooms (lodges) are really good. This would give you a good base to visit the sites and of course it%26#39;s in the dry zone so the weather will be good.
For the 2nd location, well there are lots of choices but we like the Lighthouse Hotel in Galle, a good 4*+ hotel with great facilities. It%26#39;s the the hotel that all of the overseas cricket teams stay in when they play test matches at Galle and everyone knows that they always choose the best hotels in the area.
Ken
Even in Kandy, there are options to stay in less noisy tranquil locations but those are not five star options. Ex: Amaya Hills
Nishantha
The comment was not on Kandy hotels being noisy but Kandy town itself being noisy and not so attractive. Highly subjective - most travellers find Kandy a MUST see as it%26#39;s the cultural heart of Sri Lanka.
And even the Kandy 5-stars are in relatively quiet suburbs of the town, both close to the Mahaweli River: Earl%26#39;s Regency is on Kundasale road across the river and Mahaweli Reach is on the edge of Katugastota, inner side of the river.
Next to this, indeed more quiet-located 4-star hotels like Chaaya Citadel and Amaya Hills.
At your service,
%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]
Hi,
I%26#39;ve visited this monastery in last april. its called na-uyana forest monastery. actually its not in dambulla, its around 30/40 kms from dambulla. i could remember that there were around 15 foreign monks. i asked my tour operator that i need to see a monastery and he added this monastery to my itinerary. he is a desciple of the cheaf monk of this monastery. anyway if you need to contact my tour operator just send me a mail and i%26#39;ll send his contact details. melinbell@hotmail.com
Melinda
Galle is nice to stay for a night but though on the coast is not a beach place. Why not opt for Mirissa which has a beautiful beach and stay at Palace Mirissa which has a wonderful position overlooking the whole bay. Paradise Beach Club, is run by the same people and is right on the sand but would only rate as a 3 star place.
Thanks for the great suggestions...it is helping me settle things down.
The Heritage Kandalama looks nice and in the general area that I think I would like to be.
I also like the idea of being on the beach, so I will look outside Galle
No comments:
Post a Comment