Day 1 & 2:
Red Dot will meet you at the airport in the early afternoon,
probably slightly bleary eyed and in need for some rest. Stay
at The Beach Hotel in Negombo, a short drive from the airport
and a popular choice with families both because of its stylish
luxury and the array of activities available for children and
adults, from sloshing in the swimming pool to sailing lessons
in the well equipped and professional Mark Warner Water Sports
Centre. Spend two nights here to recover fully from the long
journey and prepare for the exciting days ahead.
Accommodation profile: The
Beach is the best thing to have happened to Negombo in the past
decade. The five-star hotel was reopened in Jan 2005 after a
complete refurbishment that has transformed the property into
a chic and stylish hotel offering great luxury and a warm and
attentive level of service. Red Dot highly recommends it. The
theme for the interior décor is similar to The Lighthouse
in Galle, another Jetwing Hotel, with an emphasis on natural
simplicity, but there is also a slightly more modern touch.
The rooms are spacious and furnished with beautiful dark wooden
furniture and high quality linen. The bathrooms have bath tubs
and showers like waterfalls.
Day 3 to 4:
Travel towards the central highland to the Pinnewala
Elephant Orphanage in Kegalle near Kandy. Set-up to protect
the island’s abandoned or orphaned wild elephants, from
small modest origins, it has grown into one of Sri Lanka’s
most famous attractions. With elephants as far as the eye can
see, Pinnewala will enthrall kids and adults alike.
Elephants of all sizes roam freely within the sanctuary, except
when occasionally shepherded by their Mahouts (keepers). The
highlight of the day is their regular bathing sessions where
you see them splashing and playing in the river close by. Travel
on to Kandy, capital of the hill country. Check into the Chaaya
Citadel where you will be spending two nights. Kandy, officially
a city, but more a lakeside hill town has so much appeal. Visit
a gem museum and see how precious gems are cut, polished and
set into intricate pieces of jewellery, enjoy traditional Kandyan
dance and drumming, visit Kandy's age-old Botanical gardens,
with its orchid collection and formally laid-out trees, and
visit the British cemetery, where the tombs include that of
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. Most important
is a visit to the Sri Dalada Maligawa, also known as the Temple
of the Tooth where a sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha is
enshrined.
Accommodation profile: Chaaya
Citadel sits at the edge of the Mahaweli River on the northern
outskirts of the hill-country capital of Kandy. `Chaaya’
means an `image’ or `reflection’. Thus, Chaaya Citadel
is an extension or representation of its surroundings, remaining
attuned to its Kandyan heritage. This reliable 3/4-star hotel
has been rebranded and refurbished, and provides tranquil surroundings
away from the busy city of Kandy. Days begin to the sound of
birdsong and perhaps a warm mist rolling away from the river.
The riverside setting also adds lustre to the twilight hours.
Day 5, 6 & 7:
Travel on into Sri Lanka’s tea-growing highlands for a
three-night stay at Ceylon Tea Trails, a wonderful collection
of refurbished tea planter’s bungalows in the southwest
corner of the hills, an area renowned for its fine tea and beautiful
countryside. You might like to enjoy the “Tea Experience”,
which involves a visit to a plantation to observe first hand
the process, starting from the plucking field where it all begins
with the picking of “two leaves and a bud” to the
factory where the processing begins. The Tea Trails also provides
an excellent base for a variety of adventure activities. There
are a number of mountain bike trails that loop through the surrounding
tea estates and guides are available on-demand. The reservoirs
of Castlereagh and Maskeliya offer a pristine lake environment
for kayaking. Maps, guides and safety gear are all provided.
A number of treks and scenic walks are also available.
Accommodation profile: Travelers approaching
Castlereagh from the road can glimpse at tantalizing views across
the lake. Nestled in a wooded dell close to the water, this
century-old bungalow offers unrivalled water views and superb
garden suites. |
Elegant parquet floors with open
fireplaces in the dining and drawing rooms evoke recollections
of a bygone colonial era. Castlereagh is a private bungalow:
delicious meals will be served up by a butler in your room,
in the dining room, or on the terrace overlooking the pool.
Day 8 & 9:
You now travel out of the hills and head southwest to Sinharaja,
a large tract of virgin rainforest. Spend two nights at the
Boulder Gardens, a unique hotel designed around a crop of gigantic
black boulders, just 20 minutes away from the entrance to the
Sinharajah forest. Activities include a guided walk into the
forest, a treasure trove of plant and animal life, and a guided
cycle ride in the surrounding countryside.
Accommodation profile: Boulder
Garden is a quite remarkable new hotel, lovingly designed around
a crop of gigantic boulders 15 minutes from the Sinharaja rainforest
in south-west Sri Lanka. Reflecting the fort-like exterior building
style of Boulder Gardens, there is a slight medieval charm to
the 10 large and immaculate bedrooms, with their rock walls,
timber beams and polished cement floors. But, thankfully, it
is medieval with modern luxuries attached. Food is taken seriously
at Boulder Garden with Sri Lankan and Nouvelle cuisine both
vying for your attention. Activities benefit from the beauty
of the verdant tropical forest that surrounds and include trekking,
biking, forest photography, camping and birding.
Day 10, 11, 12 & 13:
Next destination is the Amaya Reef Hotel in the coastal town
of Hikkaduwa where you will stay four nights. Situated on the
palm-fringed west coat beach, and conveniently located close
to many fun-filled experiences, Hikkaduwa has some of the best
surfing beaches and a wide range of watersports. Visit the Kosgoda
Turtle Conservation Project further south along the coast, which
is a pioneering effort in conserving the endangered Marine Turtle
species that come to nest in along the west coast of the island.
The historical town of Galle, with its The Dutch Fort, a UNESCO-protected
World Heritage site and a melting pot of cultural influences,
is one of our favourite corners in this magical island and is
a short drive from Hikkaduwa. Beautiful beaches and small bays
surround Galle. With its well-preserved ramparts overlooking
the cricket stadium, lighthouse staring into the Indian Ocean,
narrow streets and, interesting restaurants and boutique hotels
full of character, Galle deserves a visit.
Accommodation profile: The newly
refurbished and renamed Amaya Reef located on the coast of Hikkaduwa,
has 54 comfortable air-conditioned rooms with en suit bathroom
and balcony or terrace facing the sea. The Waves restaurant
serves both eastern and western cuisine. Children will have
plenty to do including water polo, volleyball, table tennis
and a wide range of watersports nearby including surfing. Adults
can choose to relax at the swimming pool with stirring views
of the Hikkaduwa beach.
Day 14: After four days on the beach,
travel north along the West Coast to the capital city Colombo
for your final night. We recommend the Galle Face Hotel, located
on the beach and in front of the famous Galle Face Green. Centrally
located, the hotel is a short ride away from some of Colombo’s
interesting shops and restaurants. Red Dot recommends dinner
at The Gallery Café, Colombo’s most atmospheric
restaurant, to provide a fitting finale to a wonderful holiday.
Accommodation profile: The Galle
Face Hotel, hailed as a masterpiece of Victorian architecture,
retains the dignified and polite atmosphere that gave it such
fame in the colonial age. Sympathetic renovations and refurbishments
are helping to protect its historic status in more demanding
times. Rooms tend to be spacious, with wooden floors and antique
furniture, The Seaspray restaurant, specializing in fish, is
blessed by an ocean frontage. There is nowhere better to watch
a Colombo sunset than from its immaculate terrace and gardens.
Day 15: Depart in good time for your flight
home. |
This ‘Children’s Explorer’ is suitable for
families with young children who will enjoy fun-filled activities
along with a glimpse into Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage,
its wildlife and ecology. We have designed an easy-paced holiday
that allows families to experience real Sri Lanka, pockets
of the island that are unscarred by ugly package-style tourist
development. We have selected high-quality accommodation with
character and also sufficient activities to keep the children
entertained so that the adults can also relax.
