Dancing Dolphins and Dazzling Seas. Kalpitiya Sri Lanka

White sand. Warm waters. Delicious seafood. Great friends. This weekend is simply for chilling with friends, feasting on seafood, and floating in the warm, clear, blue waters of the Indian Ocean. And what better place than at Nuga Villa, a four-bedroomed rustic guesthouse located on the beach at Kalpitiya, approximately 140 kms or about 3…

Delightful Café Ceylon. Kabalana Sri Lanka

About 5 kms past the picturesque and historic city of Galle, en route to Matara is a chilled out holiday destination called Café Ceylon, comprising a 5-bedroomed villa and a laid back seafood restaurant that packs a punch. Owned and managed by Anura Saparamadu (a man with the Midas Touch), together with Chef German Demaano…

Sprawling Amaara Forest Hotel. Sigiriya Sri Lanka

It is not hard to spot the great ‘pink lotus’ at the 109th milepost in the town of Sigiriya. The signboards lead me to the entrance of a sprawling resort-like hotel in the heart of this historical city. And after about 175 kms of driving (from Colombo) the welcome at the Amaara Forest Hotel is…

Tantrums and Trumpeting. Gal Oya Sri Lanka

It is with much trepidation that I set out to spend the long weekend at the Gal Oya Wildlife Department’s Ekgal Aru bungalow. More than the long drive, it is the supposed state of the bungalow that worries me, having been warned of its dilapidated condition. The route from Colombo to Gal Oya takes me…

Secrets. Surprises. Sites. Kaduruketha Sri Lanka

From soft linen to Spa Ceylon toiletries, Jetwing Kaduruketha is much more than I expected. Having travelled 223 kms from Colombo in just about four hours, I am ready to plant my feet on the ground. Jetwing Kaduruketha is located about 4.3 kms off the main Colombo Batticaloa highway (A4) and 3.5 kms from the…

Climbing Bible Rock. Aranayake Sri Lanka

Pre departure plans were somewhat skewed. Ashan Seneviratne, the man behind Little Adventures was trying his utmost to get us to focus on the ‘dos and don’ts’ of the upcoming climb. We seem to be more interested in what comes next…celebrations atop the rock. Is there ice? Who’s bringing the vodka? Wet wipes? Bites? Oh…what…

Birds and a Boulder. Anawilundawa & Anamaduwa Sri Lanka

It’s time for another weekend getaway, and this time I travel towards Puttalam en route to Anamaduwa. With an early start to avoid the weekend traffic, it’s nice to be back on the road again. Since it’s a long weekend and we are in no hurry, it seems like the perfect day to stop for…

Discovering city treasures. Pettah Sri Lanka

Suba Gaman. Great travels. This is what I signed up for on Saturday morning. Sharp at 8:30 a.m., a little white and orange glammed-up tuk-tuk, was at my doorstep to pick me up. Amiable Shane, my guide and chauffeur for the day, predicted a bright and sunny day as we tuk-tukked off on a tour…

14th century temples. Gampola Sri Lanka

It’s a nice Sunday morning. Too good to be spent lazing around the house. So I’m off, heading towards Kandy. I have waited too long to visit three famous temples: Gadaladeniya, Lankatilake and Embekke. About 2.3 hours later and approximately 108 kms from Colombo, just past Pilimathalawa, is a turn off to the Gadaladeniya rock…