Я влюбился... I fell in love...

I fell in love with Sri Lanka.
Before deciding to travel to this hotel, quite a few Internet resources were rummaged, but there was no sensible report. Decided on this hotel - And we were not mistaken. But everything is in order.
1. Flight: Flight from Kyiv - 9 hours. 4 hours flight to the Emirates, 1 hour transfer, 4 hours to Colombo. Eir-Arabia on board feeds for money (not big but some of their own). When calculating in US dollars - there is no change. : ( Drinking alcoholic beverages (even your own) is strictly prohibited. I saw how Martini was confiscated from "our" tourists and threatened with a large fine. In general, the flight is normal, comfortable airplanes, take off easily and quickly and land softly.

2. Colombo Airport: Attention!! ! Colombo airport has the most inexpensive duty free. Martini 1L - $18, Baileys Liqueur 1L. - $22 (and then I regretted that there was no empty suitcase *), perfumery and cosmetics - at ridiculous prices (as my wife said and made a purchase for $300 : ) ). The import of cigarettes is prohibited. They took a couple of blocks, scattered them in packs in different suitcases - there were no questions.
* In Sri Lanka, there is a problem with normal drinks, with the exception of "Leon" beer.
3. Transfer and excursions: On the recommendation of our travel agent, we took an excursion program for 4 days in Sri Lanka and only then to the hotel. And it was right. Ride * Colombo - Sigiriya - Pinnawala - Kandy (Visiting Dambulla along the way) - and somewhere else (already forgot).
* In the first couple of hours you feel very uncomfortable, as right-hand traffic, narrow roads, traffic rules are based on intuition. Constantly scurrying under the wheels of Tuk-Tuks. But then you get used to it and you understand that the level of qualification of drivers of tourist cars is the highest. For the entire trip - not a single sharp braking or acceleration, everything is smooth, soft and most importantly with a smile. : )
The only thing we were not lucky with the guide. Our guide hardly spoke Russian and even worse English. Thank God all the main attractions have descriptions in English. And I really didn’t like that they obsessively push around the shops with insane prices, and despite the fact that they explained 10 times - “bricks” (“precious” stones) - they are not interested, “we came to look at culture, nature, animals and architectural monuments. But the guide is neither in Russian, nor in English, and even more so in Ukrainian, do not understand. : (

4. The hotel itself: I liked it very much. Spacious rooms, room cleaning twice a day - before lunch and evening preparation for bed. An electric kettle and tea, coffee (not tasty), cream and sugar are attached to it and stocks are always replenished. With tips and smiles on your faces, flowers and fresh fruit are guaranteed. The hotel staff is very attentive (to the point of indecency), the manager on duty, as soon as he saw us, ran up (walking at a brisk pace is running in Sri Lankan : )) to us with questions - are we all right, how did we spend time, is everything to us I like whether there are comments on the staff or the hotel in general. And so every day. Breakfasts are really not such a huge choice as in Turkey, but everything is balanced, and you don’t leave with a heaviness in your stomach. Six types of freshly squeezed juices (included) and a bunch of fresh exotic fruits - what else do you need for breakfast? We did not take lunch - I can not say about the quality and choice. We had dinner at the hotel (sometimes) but not in the common room, but on the third floor. A very quirky restaurant. Of course the prices are high but it's worth it. Dinner by candlelight with a loved one... : ) And what are the crabs with mushrooms, I remembered already drooling.
5. Beach: For many - the hotel does not have a beach, there are solid stones. But as for us - it turned out to be the most acceptable beach. We calmly flopped (under the supervision of two rescuers) between the stones and everything was fine. But when we went to the best public beach....In general, as they call it, a calm sea, it is calm for them, and when a person has never seen such waves, it is dangerous for him. Which has been proven. The wife, when trying to enter the ocean, was covered by a wave, knocked down, dragged a little from the shore, lifted up on the wave and slammed against the shore. Bruised hands and hips. After that - it is better between the stones, at least they break the waves. : )
6. The city of Gale and surroundings: We walked around the fort on our own. A bunch of cafes interspersed with shops - museums. The school is right there, the court and the police department are right there. There is something to see.
Mysny market. For the purchase of fresh fruit. Large pineapple - 80 - 100 rupees ($ 1 - 110 rupees). Tuk-tuk to the fort from 200 to 400 rupees. Back - in the same order. Local shops with alcohol - dark beer "Leon" - 230 rupees (160 if the return of the bottle : ) ) In the hotel beer "Leon" from 600 to 1400 rupees depending on the time and bar or restaurant ("upper" is the most expensive).
7. Local "guides": Met a local under the hotel. My name is Nishan Taranga. Very friendly guy, hardworking and diligent. Diligently learns Russian. We went with him to the "Safari on the river", to the turtle farm. Beautiful, unforgettable experience and for a penny. He also showed normal shops and fish restaurants.

8. Tips: We tried not to be mean and supported the local economy. ; ) Car driver - every day for 1000 rupees. Once the guide was given 1000 rupees for a meeting, but after not wanting to understand and dragging us around all sorts of backwaters, they didn’t give us a penny. At the hotel - in the morning 200 rupees were left on the table and after lunch 100. When we went to restaurants, Nishana and his brother (driver) always sat down with them and paid for dinner. And during dinner we listened to interesting stories about the Country.
9. Overall impression: I fell in love with Sri Lanka! I really want to live there. Upon arrival in Kyiv, the impression that from Paradise (Sri Lanka) came to Hell (Kyiv).