Just got back...

What a bloody amazing holiday!!!

I made up my own itinerary with the help from the people on here and it was absolutely fantastic!!!

I%26#39;ll be posting reviews of the places we stayed, the places we ate and where we went etc later today...

But firstly, thanks to everyone on TA who made it possible and thanks to Dave (worldtravellerguy) for putting us in contact with a world class driver (Jally). The driver gave us the space we needed when we wanted to do things ourselves and was there to help us when we needed help. He never tried to take us to hotels we didn%26#39;t want to stay and yet was able to offer us recommendations when the hotels we visited weren%26#39;t as good/clean as we thought they would be. A fantastic chap!!

We stayed at some great hotels/cabanas too, Coconut Beach Cabanas in Tangalle is brilliant, right on the beach, only 4 cabanas, so a great ';homely'; atmosphere and they were only finished in December so they are brand spanking new and immaculately finished!!

The washing machine has just finished it%26#39;s first wash so I%26#39;ll be back when I%26#39;ve got another load going!!!

Just got back...

Wake up, faceman! And tell us all! We leave on Thurs so your up-to-date recommendations are welcome!

Just got back...

OK matey!!!

Arrived in Dambulla and stayed there for 2 nights, we stayed at a place called JC%26#39;s, about 500 metres from Dambulla Caves and Temple... The place was ok, the rooms were pretty clean, they were cabana type rooms and the place had a pool. The food was very good and cheap, evening meal was about (I think)500rs for the sri lankan curry and it was one of the best curries we ate whilst there. It%26#39;s very popular with the locals at the weekends. I%26#39;d give the place 7/10 as the shower was a bit tempermental (hot water ran out after 5 minutes) and the shower curtain was a bit minging. Nice big rooms with A/C (as it was our first few days we thought this would be a good thing and it most certainly was. It gave us a bit of time to get used to the heat. The place was 3500-4000rs per night. Perfectly placed for the cultural triangle.

First day we went to Dambulla which was very good and then onto Sigiriya where we took an elephant ride which was fantastic!! We went into one of the lakes that surround Sigiriya on the back of the elephant and the chap with us took loads of brilliant pictures with the rock in the background.

Then we visted Sigiriya Rock. Sigiriya is stunning, no other words can explain it. I%26#39;m terrified of heights but made it right to the top. We climbed at 3.30pm ish and it was fine, quite hot, but not too bad. Our driver dropped us at the entrance then drove off to park his car near the exit and met us at the bottom of the steps that climb up. Don%26#39;t bother getting a guide as you don%26#39;t really need one. Our driver made the climb with us and told us how it was made etc. he climbed to the lions platform and then let us climb the rest.

We went to Anarapudura (sp!!)the next day which was bloody amazing!! We only saw a few other white people at the two massive stupars (one is being restored and is currently made of brick and the other is the major white one). We then visited a place which had only been partially excavated by archaeologists. This place was absolutely amazing as we were the only people there, our driver dropped us off at a place called The Elephant Pool and told us to walk up a dusty path for about 1km. We walked through jungle and were surrounded by stone pillars and the remains of the city. It was enchanting as we were the only people there!! Occassionally some local women would cycle past on their bikes, but that was it.

We drove down to Kandy after and stayed at The Olde Empire for a night. What a great place!! It%26#39;s an old colonial building in the centre of Kandy overlooking the lake. Go for Room 2 upstairs as it%26#39;s big and has a door leading onto the balcony which is amazing!! The rooms are tired, but that just adds to the charm!! The place has no hot water but it%26#39;s a great place to stay for a night or 2. It%26#39;s also very cheap, our room cost 1300rs. 8/10.

I%26#39;ll post this now and keep writing about the rest of the trip...

We did the Kandy thing for a few days, Pinnewela, Botanical Gardens, Temple of the Tooth etc. Had a great time.

We stayed in a place for 2 nights which was superb. Kandy Panorama resort is based right at the top of Kandy and (as the name suggests) has stunning views over the city and the Knuckles range. We were the only people in the hotel and I really don%26#39;t know why... The food was brilliant and the staff were excellent. 4000rs a night, but we didn%26#39;t bother haggling as the place looked so nice!!! The hotel has only been open for 1.5 years and it%26#39;s really clean with marble floors everywhere. Here%26#39;s the website:

http://www.kandypanoramaresort.com/index.htm

We then headed south through the tea country and visited Devon Falls, St Clairs Falls and headed to Dalhouse to climb Adam%26#39;s Peak. The scenery on this drive was almost as stunning as the roads are narrow!!!

We stayed at Dalhousie for the evening at Slightly Chilled Guesthouse which was also great. Cheap, clean and cheerful. We had another great curry and got our heads down early as we had to get up at 2am for the climb. One thing that annoyed me was a woman who insisted on stamping up and down the stairs until 11.30pm I suppose 11.30pm is early but as we were getting up in a few hours I really didn%26#39;t feel like being kept awake. No fault of the guesthouse though, it was a great place with a great atmosphere and I%26#39;d recommend it for anyone. I think this place was 2000rs for a double, but I%26#39;m not 100% as after climbing Adam%26#39;s peak I was a bit knackered...

Adam%26#39;s Peak was like no other place I%26#39;ve ever been. The trek up took 3 1/4 hours and whilst it was tiring, it was nowhere near as bad as we had feared. The views as the sunrise loomed are immense. It%26#39;s a truly magical place. My legs ached on the way down, but it wasn%26#39;t too bad.

I suppose I should give a bit of background on what I like to do as what%26#39;s good for one person isn%26#39;t necessarily what%26#39;s best for everyone. I%26#39;m 33 and have travelled a fair bit in the past. I%26#39;ve backpacked throughout the Middle East on a shoestring budget a few years ago and been to South Africa and lots of places in Europe. Like most people I enjoy a pint/wine and I don%26#39;t class myself as particularily fit. I smoke and I didn%26#39;t find Adam%26#39;s Peak too bad at all. Whilst walking up the peak we passed people who were 70 years old plusso if they can do it, most people should be able to do it. As long as the guesthouse/hotel is clean (beds and toilets etc0 then I don%26#39;t mind staying in cheap places, although a bit of out and out luxury does occassionally fit rather nicely into my travel itinerary!!

More to follow...

We left Dalhousie at 10.30am and travelled to the beach section of the holiday. I asked our driver to take a scenic route and he took us through the Peak Wilderness Park down to Tangalle.

This took 5-6 hours and it was an amazing drive. Our driver (Jally) took us through some amazing scenery and was really interesting, telling us about the park and the flora and fauna found within it. Considering I%26#39;d been awake since 1.30 am and had only had a couple of hours sleep the journey flew by as he told us about plants, fruit and the Tamil people who lived in the hill country and the movement of people and cultures in Sri Lanka. Jally dropped us off in Tangalle, had a beer with us and then drove back to colombo. A real shame to see him go as he was a brilliant bloke and an excellent guide.

We arrived in Tangalle and stayed at Coconut Beach Cabanas. Within 30 seconds of arriving we knew we were going to love this place.

Lesley, the owner made us feel instantly welcome and my girlfriend and I both felt instantly relaxed after our hectic 6-7 days of travelling. The Cabanas were only opened in December 2008 and are absolutely immaculate. She has 4 cabanas and a restaurant is being built. It%26#39;s situated only a couple of minutes walk from the centre of Tangalle but it feels like it%26#39;s a million miles away from anywhere. There is a freshwater lagoon on one side of the property and all the cabanas look directly out to sea. I%26#39;ve seen reviews that say that you can%26#39;t swim on Tangalle beach but we swam everyday with no problems at all. The beach is clean and only 20 metres from the cabanas.

We planned on staying here for 1 night but ended up staying for 3 nights. She took us to another beach in Tangalle where there was coral and lots of fish. We snorkelled and the visibility was very good and we saw a fair amount of brain coral, lots of Parrot Fish and many other types of fish (Scorpion Fish etc).

We had King Coconuts picked in front of us and opened in the morning for our juice and there was a great selection of fresh fruit for breakfast.

I can%26#39;t recommend this place enough, the cabanas were 3000rs per night. Lesley also gave us the number of a lady from Tangalle who was going whale watching a day later from Mirissa. I was worried about the cost as i had been quoted 8000rs each for a 5-6 hour trip but her friend had hired a boat and we went for 3000rs each. Great value and I have to thank Lesley for saving us 10000rs.

I loved Tangalle beach as it%26#39;s a working beach with the villagers putting out nets and then hauling them in right in front of us. The beach was very clean and Coconut cabanas was amazing. It will be more expensive than 3000rs in a few months when this place gets properly established so get there while you can!!!

If anyone wants to see pictures, email me as I can let you know my name and you can add me as a friend on facebook so you can see them all. I%26#39;ll post a few on here but there are too many to put them all here!!!

Hi , sounds like you had a amazing time just as we always do there. How was the flight with Kingfisher. having been to Sri Lanka many times its are first trip with Kingfisher.

Thanks

maris

I forgot about that!!!

Kinfisher flight was first class. 40 minutes late leaving Heathrow but the wings had to be defrosted so that%26#39;s nothing to do with kingfisher.

The in-flight meals were very good, the plane was brand spanking new.

We arrived in Bangalore 20 minutes early and in Colombo bang on shedule.

On the way back everything was great too. I%26#39;ll post a detailed report later as there was a small problem on the way back but I%26#39;m just about to eat my dinner!!!

thanks for the great tips - I am really excited about going now!

Wow what a great report. Glad you had a great time.

Roll on April we can not wait to go.

I%26#39;ll do an update on Mirissa and Bentota next. I won%26#39;t bother mentioning Negombo as it wasn%26#39;t for us at all... Marbella/Benidorm springs to mind!! Puke on the pavement etc, glad we only stayed there for the night before we left.

Great report faceman, really getting me excited about our visit in May!