Travel Red Dot by car, train, plane and helicopter
1) Car or minivan with driver-cum-guide:
Even hardened travellers can find Sri Lankan roads a culture
shock -- cyclists swaying across rush-hour traffic and
cows ruminating in the middle of a main road.
That makes Red
Dot's Drivers' Code even more important in
ensuring your travel is as safe and enjoyable as possible.
You can read this code by following the click at the foot
of this page.
Red Dot’s team of experienced drivers will
make your safety and relaxation their chief concern. And
their good English and extensive knowledge of the country
enables them to double up as a tour guide, whenever requested,
to make your holiday even more satisfying.
Red Dot’s drivers know the special out-of-the-way
places to make your holiday extra special. They can advise
accurately on driving times to reduce the stress of travel
to a minimum.
Car and minivan travel remains by far the most popular
option for Red Dot travellers and you will be pleasantly
surprised to find that you can book your own Red Dot car
or minivan, with driver-cum-guide, without breaking your
budget.
If you would
rather scramble an airport taxi, in the early hours
of the morning, to take you to your first hotel, or
adventure around Sri Lanka in packed, lurching public
transport, then we are the first to admire your spirit.
We’ve been there. We can’t match the prices
on an old Sri Lankan service bus!
But a Red Dot driver does not
mean that you lose your independence – in fact
it gives you maximum freedom to go where you want, when
you want. And, in Sri Lanka, extra convenience comes
at a price you can afford.
Characteristically, for Red Dot, we offer transfers
when and where you need them: perhaps you just want
to arrange airport transfers to ensure a cheery greeting
at the end of a long flight? Or perhaps, if you are
heading of on an island tours, you just want the car
for part of the stay – releasing it, for example,
during long beach stays, so ensuring that you are not
paying for it to stand idle.
Extra luxury: The
Nissan X-trial
For extra luxury on your island tour, Red Dot
can now offer a Nissan X-trial 4x4. Just ask
us for details. The Nissan x-trial offers greater
comfort and style on Sri Lankan country roads
and its excellent handling, extra legroom, spacious
luggage compartment, leather interior, sun roof
and a host of extras ensures that your driving
hours can be spent in maximum comfort.
Our
customer feedback pages tell just how highly
our drivers are regarded. They can help make your holiday
in Sri Lanka that extra bit special.
2) Self-drive car hire:
If you are an experienced traveller in Asia, and feel
that Sri Lankan roads hold no special fears for you,
then we can offer some competitive rates for car hire.
We have arranged special rates with one of the leading
rental company in Sri Lanka. We guarantee that booking
your hire car with our help will not cost you a rupee
extras.
We can arrange:
(i) Cars: BMW, Mercedez, Toyota, Mazda,
Mitsubishi, Nissan, Hyundai.
(ii) SUV’s: Prada, Montero, Land Cruiser, Pajero
(iii) Vans and space wagons: Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai
With the help of Red Dot, you can be confident that
your booking has been properly recorded – and
that car-hire arrangements will dovetail with your accommodation
arrangements. And you will also not pay hidden extra
costs, such as poor exchange rates on credit-card transactions.
Vehicles are checked between each rental and there is
a 24-hour breakdown service throughout Sri Lanka –
with a replacement vehicle provided if necessary.
Driving in Asia carries additional risk. Driving methods
can be haphazard and unpredictable. We only advise self-drive
car hire if you are:
(i) Familiar with driving in Asia.
(ii) A confident and secure driver.
(iii) Possessing a basic knowledge of Sri Lanka’s
road system.
3) Trains:
Rail travel can bring extra pleasure to your
Sri Lanka holiday.
The winding journey from Kandy into the highlands featured
on Great Railway Journeys of the World – there
are few more beautiful. The quick morning train from
Colombo to Kandy – comparatively quick anyway
– is also an alternative to joining the traffic
on the busy Kandy road.
Sri Lankan rail tickets generally cannot be booked too
far in advance. But, when the time is right, we can
make the arrangements and do the queuing on
your behalf.
Increasingly, at the luxury end of the market, SriLankan
Airlines’ sea plane service is seen as the most
convenient way of all to travel.
The eight-seater Cessna Caravan planes use waterways,
lakes and domestic airstrips to land and take off and
dramatically reduces travelling times.
There are two ways to use the sea plane
service:
(i) Book your own plane – you can
only do this about two weeks in advance.
You will find more details about this at "Click
Here"
(ii) Use the daily scheduled return service:
Katanayake airport - Ratmalana (south Colombo) –
Bentota – Galle.
The service leaves Katanayake airport soon after dawn
and is particularly appealing to those travellers arriving
at Katanayake airport and journeying down to Galle.
Concessionary rates: If you book your seats on the sea
plane at the same time that you book your Red Dot flights,
you can travel from the airport to Galle for concessionary
rates – down from about GBP £235 to GBP
£180 per person for a return flight.
SriLankan Airlines also offer a night’s complimentary
accommodation on arrival, where necessary, in a mid-range
hotel in Negombo.
If none of this quite fits the bill, helicopter
hire is another possibility at the super-luxury end
of the market. We have all the details of the only civil
helicopter operators in Sri Lanka. For visiting VIPs,
businessmen, specialist workers and sightseeing tours.
The Bell helicopters can be booked with less than 24
hours and are licensed to land anywhere outside restricted
areas in the north and east. Prices are not cheap. But
what could be more convenient than that?
Red Dot's Sri Lanka holidays and Sri Lanka tours
are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority as long as you buy Sri Lanka
flights from us. So, for full protection on your Sri Lanka holiday book your Sri
Lanka flights with Red Dot, as well as your Sri Lanka accommodation. Red Dot has
the largest selection of Sri Lanka hotels, villas and guest houses at competitive
prices and offers independent advice and flexible itineraries. Trust Red Dot for
your holiday needs in Sri Lanka, Kerala and the Maldives. ATOL protection extends
primarily to customers who book and pay for their Sri Lanka tours or Sri Lanka
hotels in the United Kingdom. [ Check
our licence ]
