Super Trip Sri Lanka
I want to share my impressions of a beautiful country and a well-planned trip. Firstly, the main points of residence were absolutely correctly identified - the first week of the trip - Kandy and visiting all the sights that are around this city, the second week - Unawatuna - a wonderful vacation on the ocean. Secondly, we were very lucky with the guide.
So - everything is in order. We traveled with two families (mom, dad and 11 year old child x 2 times). We planned and booked the trip on our own, refusing the services of travel agencies. On December 28, we arrived in Colombo, where we were met by a transfer from the hotel. The first point of our journey is Kandy, the Hilltop Hotel. We drove 120 km from Colombo to Kandy for 3.5 hours, then for the first time we realized how important it is to have a normal driver (I'm not complaining, but by the time we got there, we turned gray). Kandy is a beautiful city in a valley among the mountains.
The Hilltop Hotel is located on a mountain with great views. There is a lot of greenery and silence. But as soon as you go down the mountain, you find yourself in the city center. Very comfortably. The rooms are spacious and clean. There was always hot water. In principle, there were no problems. The hotel has a restaurant and a swimming pool. As soon as we arrived and went to eat at the restaurant at the hotel, we got to a Sri Lankan wedding. The daughter of a wealthy Kandian was getting married. A very beautiful ceremony, which is accompanied by national songs and dances. Great. From Kandy, we went to Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla, the Elephant Orphanage and the Botanical Garden (I won’t describe in detail, this is a place worth visiting) and Kandy itself with its Temple of the Tooth Relic. Near the temple there is a Museum of World Buddhism - informative. We were very lucky with the driver. In Kandy we met Gamma. He has his own car (a Toyota minibus).
He took us everywhere, and he himself suggested how best to plan the route (he speaks good English and we even taught him to speak Russian a little), along the way he arranged a jungle safari for us, brought us to the "center" of Sri Lanka , where the ruined city with a Buddhist and Hindu temple is located (tourists are rarely taken there), he did it with his soul and was not impudent about payment. Dude with a great sense of humor and an open mind. And most importantly - he drives a car very well, you drive calmly with him and enjoy the surroundings, and you don’t follow the situation on the road! ! ! m.
The coastline was wonderful. Clean, warm ocean, sunny weather and the feeling of a summer fairy tale in the middle of winter. We lived in Unawatuna beach resorts. We had great rooms (suites). The restaurant served excellent food. We could order dinner near the ocean (which we definitely took advantage of) In general, everything was super. On the beach, not far from the hotel there is a cafe Lusky Tuna. If you're there, be sure to visit.
Shrimp in different forms - very tasty, in the evening they fry fresh fish and shrimp right on the beach on the grill. And they also have a super tasty "roll mix" - this is our pancake stuffed with seafood and fried in breadcrumbs. On top - a golden crispy crust, and inside a juicy mix of seafood. Great service and little money. I advise.
On the last evening, before leaving, a large sea turtle crawled ashore and began to lay eggs in front of everyone. The children were delighted. In general, the trip to Sri Lanka left neither us nor the children indifferent. Beautiful weather, beautiful nature and great mood! ! ! But if you are a fan of all-inclusive 5-star hotels in Turkey and Egypt, you should not spend money and time in Sri Lanka. This is a country for more than just food and sleep.
