About
this holiday:
This
honeymoon is a classic: a tour of soulful Sri Lanka,
from its palm-fringes west coast into its cultural heartlands
and lush tea-growing hills, followed by the pristine
white-sand beaches and turquoise waters of the Maldives,
the home of the world’s most inviting beaches
in the world. After stirring the mind in Sri Lanka,
relax, unwind and indulge yourself in the Maldives.
We have chosen high-end hotels but have steered away
from the most excessively priced options. Most importantly,
we have chosen properties that we love; properties that
draw you in and make it so difficult to leave.
Holiday highlights:
• Palm-fringed sandy beaches
• A proud cultural heritage
• Spectacular hill country
• A capital city full of renewed
zest
• The most genial of welcomes
• Turquoise Maldivian beaches
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Day 1:
Upon arriving in Sri Lanka,
transfer to the Beach, a chic five star property on the
best stretch of beach in Negombo, a short drive from the
airport. Relax and unwind after your flight, preparing
yourself for the adventure ahead. Stay one night.
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
which 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 showers like waterfalls and bathtubs. |
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Day 2, 3 & 4:
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 Mount Sigiriya and Dambulla’s Buddhist
Cave Temples are all UNESCO world heritage sites and are
included in your package. En route, you also have the
option of visiting Yapahuwa, an ancient temple and place
built on a rock described by the Insight Guide to Sri
Lanka as "one of the great architectural wonders
of the island”, and Aukana, where the Buddha stands
42 feet high, the best-preserved statue in Sri Lanka.
Accommodation
profile: Kandalama Hotel is the finest
hotel in the cultural triangle. Cleverly designed by Geoffery
Bawa, Sri Lanka’s most referred architect, to snake
along a rock outcrop overlooking Kandalama tank (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 possess telephone, satellite TV, mini bar, hairdryer,
bath/shower/WC, and all facilities aim for the highest
standards Sri Lanka. Refurbished in 2005. |
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Day 5:
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 such delights as the fabulous
botanical gardens and the Temple of the Tooth, which is
said to hold a holy relic of the Lord Buddha. We have
recommended spending one night at Le Kandyan hotel, a
friendly four-star hilltop hotel just outside the town.
Accommodation
profile: Le Kandyan has an authentic
Sri Lankan feel allowed to only a privileged few hotels
on the island. It rises from the foothills of the hill
country in traditional Kandyan colours of red, yellow
and black, while murals, flags and massive carved columns
emphasise a rich historical past. Every effort is made
to provide a special Sri Lankan experience. |
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Day
6 & 7:
Today you head for Nuwara Eliya, a former British hill
station that has retained its popularity as a hill-country
retreat. The 80km drive from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya winds
deeper into the hill country, through a succession of
tea estates. Check into the Tea Factory Hotel. The next
morning you have the option of rising early, armed with
a picnic breakfast, and being driven to Horton's Plains
for a trek amid the wild scenery of this mountain plateau.
Visit the famous viewpoint at World's End and watch out
for Sambur deer, and a profusion of endemic bird life.
Accommodation
profile: The Tea Factory lies, alone
and unique, on the slopes of the tea plantations at Kandapola,
high above the hill-country town of Nuwara Eliya. the
largest and most popular town in the highlands. It was
once exactly as it claims - a tea factory built in the
1930s by British planters. The gentle howl of the night-time
breezes is likely to lull the most troubled mind to sleep.
There is no more luxurious way to explore Sri Lanka's
history of tea making. |
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Day 8:
Leave after breakfast for Colombo,
Sri Lanka’s laid-back capital city, one of the greenest
in Asia and an interesting stopping point before your
stay in the Maldives. You may wish to go shopping during
the afternoon, or instead pamper yourself at the wonderful
Sanctuary Spa. In the evening we wholeheartedly recommend
visiting the Gallery Café for a truly special open-air
dinner. Stay at Apa Colombo, the newest ad finest boutique
hotel in the capital.
Accommodation
profile: Apa Colombo, like Havelock
Place Bungalow, possesses rare qualities in Colombo. Its
refined yet homely atmosphere offers a private and restful
alternative to Colombo's five-star hotels. It is easy
to imagine calmly opening a novel in one of its inviting
lounges, or verandas, and still being there as the ceiling
fan gently whirrs in early evening. Apa Colombo might
be classified as boutique living, but it is understated
boutique, where a sense of history remains. |
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Day 9:
Depart early in the morning
for your flight to the Maldives and a five-night stay
in one of the archipelago’s most romantic resorts:
Coco Palm Resort & Spa.
Accommodation profile: Coco
Palm resort & Spa is set upon the private island of
Dunikolu in Baa Atoll. The resort is half an hour by seaplane
from the airport and is surrounded by a beautiful lagoon
and pure white sandy beaches. Coco Palm's thatched villas
are located either amongst palm trees or on stilts on
the lagoon. The resort has 100 villas: 58 beach villas,
28 deluxe villas, 12 lagoon villas and two lagoon palace
suites, all designed to enhance the beauty of the surroundings.
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| Note:
alternative Maldives hotels can also be offered. |
| Day
15: Depart in time
for your return flight to London |
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Cost:
Price available on request
Package price includes:
- 14 night’s accommodation on twin-sharing BB
basis
- Maldivian seaplane transfers to Coco Palm
- Airconditioned car and English-speaking driver for
Sri Lanka tour and transfers
- Entrance: Dambulla Cave Temples, Sigiriya Rock, Polonnaruwa,
Temple of the Tooth |
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