Sri Lanka Holidays - Classic Island Tour - 14 Nights
About this holiday:
The
Classic Island Tour includes the best that Sri Lanka can offer
ancient cities, tea-growing hills, wildlife parks and Indian
Ocean beaches and the finest hotels. The Island Hop does NOT
lock you into large group on a prearranged coach tour. You
can explore the island at your own pace, in a car or minivan,
with your personal driver-cum-guide. Note that we can tailor
this itinerary according to your preferences, so feel free
to ask for modifications.
Holiday highlights
• Palm-fringed sandy beaches
• Spectacular hill country
• Abundant wildlife
• A proud cultural heritage
• The city of Galle full of renewed zest
• Exquisite villas and hotels that share a unique
experience with its visitors
Itinerary:
Day 1 & 2: Upon arriving in Sri Lanka, transfer to The Beach,
a five star property
located a short drive from the airport, on the best stretch
of beach in Negombo. Relax and unwind after your flight, preparing
yourself for the adventure ahead. Stay two nights. Children
will love the new Mark Warner Water Sports Centre. Red Dot clients
are entitled to a 20% discount on pre-booked activities.
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 with a more modern touch. Rooms are spacious
and furnished with beautiful dark wooden furniture and high
quality linen. The bathrooms have bathtubs and showers like
waterfalls.
Day 3, 4 & 5: Sri Lanka's famous cultural triangle offers plenty
to fire both mind and body over the next three days. The ruined
capital of Polonnaruwa, the lion rock of Sigiriya and Dambulla’s
Buddhist Cave Temples are all UNESCO world heritage sites and
are included in your package. Explore these three cultural sites,
all set in beautiful scenery, at your own pace, planning your
days with the assistance of our expert drivers. You might also
consider a safari at Minneriya National Park when you visit
Polonnaruwa or an adventurous elephant safari at Habarana where
you’ll be taken on elephant back through a jungle trek
and across shallow waters.
Accommodation profile:Kandalama
is the finest hotel in the cultural triangle. Cleverly designed
by Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s most revered architect,
to snake along a rock outcrop overlooking Kandalama tank (an
ancient reservoir). The hotel is a naturalists dream. Stroll
along its restful, atmospheric corridors and you may spot a
tame monkey, or some of the 160 resident bird species and you
can experience it all in the finest comfort. Tasteful bedrooms
with telephone, satellite TV, mini bar, bath/shower/WC - all
facilities meeting the highest standards in Sri Lanka. The hotel
was refurbished in 2005.
Day 6: The journey from the cultural triangle
to Sri Lanka's hill capital - the small lakeside city of Kandy
will occupy most of the morning. In the afternoon, a city tour
includes the fabulous Botanical gardens and the Temple of the
Tooth, in which a sacred relic of the Lord Buddha is enshrined.
We recommend spending one night at the Kandy House, a small
boutique hotel located in the outskirts of the city.
Accommodation profile: The Kandy
House is what the hill-country-capital has been waiting for
so long: a brilliant small boutique hotel capable of offering
stylish and private accommodation, personal service, delicious
food, all in a stunningly beautiful natural setting. The inspired
refurbishment of the `walauwa’ – with its light
white interiors, polished hardwood floorboards, Jack wood staircase,
Dutch style antique furniture and careful injections of colour,
has been a triumph. The bedrooms are the finest in Kandy, with
four-poster beds, soft white linen, concrete-washed bathrooms
and Victorian bathtubs. The freshwater infinity pool in the
garden provides an irresistible opportunity to unwind and relax
under the shade of tropical trees.
Day 7 & 8: Travel on into Sri Lanka’s
tea-growing highlands. A two-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, the Castlereagh bungalow is a century-old bungalow offering
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. Delicious meals
are served by a butler in your room, in the dining room, or
on the terrace overlooking the pool.
Day 9: Leave first thing in the morning
for Yala, the national park at Sri Lanka's southeast tip. En-route
visit Buduruvagala to see Sri Lanka's tallest rock-cut Buddha
statue (51 ft. in height) and other Mahayana Buddhist statues
that date back to the 8th-century AD. Close to Buduruvagala
you could visit the Handapangala Tank, a watering hole for Yala
elephants in the summer months. In the afternoon check into
Yala Village.
Accommodation profile: Yala Village
opened in 2003 as a much-needed deluxe accommodation addition
to the sprinkling of hotels serving visitors to Sri Lanka’s
finest game park. It blends subtly into shrub forest, close
to the Yala game park, overlooking the historic Yala lighthouse.
Forty well-appointed chalets, which come in three different
sizes (single, twin and quad) enjoy a scenic location, stretching
from a lagoon to the border of Palatupana-Kirinda beach, which
boasts some of Sri Lanka’s finest unspoilt sand dunes.
Animals may wander through the Village unhindered.
Day 10 & 11: To gain the full benefit
of Yala National Park, we recommend you to rouse yourself for
a departure by jeep around 5.45am. Yala, nearly 400 sq. miles,
was declared as a game park in 1938. Look for herds of elephants,
sloth bear, crocodiles, wild boar, wild buffalo, peacocks, jackals,
monkeys, porcupines, leopards and varieties of deer, as well
as numerous bird species. Drive along the beautiful southern
coast to Galle, an important coastal town that offers a comfortable
resting place to break the journey. We recommend staying two
nights in the UNESCO-protected Galle Fort, arguably one of the
most uplifting and cultural experiences that Sri Lanka can offer.
Accommodation profile: The renovation
of Galle Fort Hotel is a triumph. The hotel evokes a subtle
sense of colonial grandeur, skillfully updated for the modern
age. The inner courtyard, with a tiny garden and 10-metre swimming
pool, offers a tranquil and exclusive area for guests. But a
sense of history does not mean that the Galle Fort’s guests
will gather dust; far from it. The small bar-cum-verandah cafe
is becoming a favoured meeting point, with the two Australian
owners encouraging a convivial atmosphere where intelligent
opinions are to be shared, not hidden. An exciting restaurant
offers classic Asian-Western dishes. The friendly staff, ensure
a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Day 12, 13 & 14: After breakfast, we travel
north up the west coast to Bentota, one of the finest beaches
in the island, offering safe swimming, water sports, and excellent
accommodation options. We recommend Sri Villas blessed with
a prime location, for three nights of beach relaxation. If you
can tear yourself from the crystal clear waters of the Indian
Ocean, we also recommend a visit to Lunuganga, a Renaissance-inspired
tropical garden and plantation house, which was the former country
residence of world-renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa.
After an inspiring walk through the gardens, have a delicious
meal under a frangipani tree overlooking the Dedduwa Lake.
Accommodation profile: Sri Villas
is a luxurious and cozy boutique hotel with more of a homely
feel, making it a perfect getaway for a family holiday or even
a romantic escape. Situated on a beautiful and unspoilt stretch
of beach in Induruwa, where occasionally the sounds of the ocean
waves are mingled with songs of the fishermen bringing onto
shore their bountiful catch of the day, Sri Villas offers a
perfect blend of comfort, style, good home cooking and service
with a smile. Sri Villas is a collection of three separate luxurious
two-storey villas.
Day 15: Depart in good time for your flight
home.
Cost: TBC
Package price includes:
• 14
night’s BB accommodation on twin-sharing
basis
• Airconditioned car and English-speaking
driver for tour and transfers (excluding
Bentota stay)
• Entrance: Dambulla Cave Temples, Sigiriya
Rock, Polonnaruwa, Temple
of the Tooth
• Entrance and jeep hire for Yala.
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The
Classic Island Tour includes the best that Sri Lanka can offer
ancient cities, tea-growing hills, wildlife parks and Indian
Ocean beaches and the finest hotels. The Island Hop does NOT
lock you into large group on a prearranged coach tour. You
can explore the island at your own pace, in a car or minivan,
with your personal driver-cum-guide. Note that we can tailor
this itinerary according to your preferences, so feel free
to ask for modifications.
