Выше всяких похвал Above all praise

The decision to go to Sri Lanka was spontaneous and impulsive. Having accidentally stumbled upon a special offer on the Internet from a hotel offering discounts on accommodation during the "low season", I immediately called my mother, and we decided - we were going!
The euphoria from the anticipation of a sudden vacation was replaced by anxiety, I have never had to fly so far. I was worried about the weather, the safety of the flight, the situation in the country...
But all fears were in vain. From the first minute of our stay at the hotel, we plunged into an atmosphere of bliss and a kind of oblivion. We plunged into the atmosphere of boundless hospitality and cordiality. It seemed that the familiar world with its worries and problems ceased to exist forever.
This feeling persisted from the first to the last day. The hotel pleased with a beautiful well-groomed territory, a bewitching view of the ocean from the balcony, excellent cuisine and impeccable service.

The day began with friendly smiles from the breakfast waiters and ended with a fresh flower on the bed, attached to a postcard with the inscription "Good night". The maintenance staff always showed up exactly at the moment when it was needed. And one of the hotel managers came up to us every day to ask if everything was fine with us, and if the hotel could do something to make it even better. But it couldn't be better
We were also very lucky with the weather. Out of 8 out of 10 days were sunny, with light rains, which ended as suddenly as they began, and did not interfere with the rest in the least. In the last two days the weather has deteriorated, it has been cloudy and rainy…
The only thing that slightly spoiled the impression of the rest was acquaintance with local beach-boys. It all started with the fact that we decided to leave the hotel to look around. Immediately, a tuk-tuk drove up to us and the driver offered to take us where we wanted for a purely nominal fee. And we wanted to go to the Saffron fish restaurant, which we knew about from the reviews. The driver immediately said that he knows another great restaurant and recommends dining there. We still insisted on our own and did not regret it. The restaurant is really very good. The tuk-tuk driver tried very hard to impress us, helped choose a table, gave orders to the waiters, and then sat down at the table with us, explaining that he was now responsible for us. We must pay tribute, this man was fluent in English and brightened up our evening with interesting stories about the life of the Sri Lankans, as well as about his hard fate. Impressed, we paid him more than we originally agreed, because the price seemed ridiculous and incommensurate with his efforts.
The next morning he met us on the beach with his friends who brought coconuts to treat us. After that, the "processing of the brain" began. We were assured that tour operators are trying to deceive tourists and "pump" more money out of them. While our new friends are ready to organize any excursions for us on favorable terms, because they liked us very much. It turned out that in addition to a good restaurant, they can also advise us a good jeweler, a doctor, and anyone else... Usually we are suspicious of such proposals, but this time we believed (most likely the lack of rational men nearby affected). Without hesitation, we went to the spice garden, where, after a story about herbs and a free massage, we bought all sorts of Ayurvedic remedies for $200, convinced that we were buying "at the manufacturer's price. " What was our surprise when, exchanging impressions with other tourists, we learned that in any Ayurvedic pharmacy all this costs one and a half times cheaper.

The next day, I reported our unpleasant discovery to our friend, who was faithfully waiting for us on the beach behind the hotel's fence. He made a very surprised face, said that he did not know about such a difference in prices, but if we want, he will return the difference in money to us. It's funny, isn't it? By the way, tuk-tuk trips have also risen in price, because. at the time of settlement, we did not have small bills, and the driver did not have change. By this time, we had already managed to agree with him about the excursion. Feeling the deceit, we decided to compare prices. To do this, we went to the travel agency D. J. Travels, located at the hotel reception. After talking with the guide, it turned out that the cost of the services of the beach-boy is twice the cost of the services of a licensed tour operator.
Naturally, we refused the services of a whip-boy, thanking him politely for everything and laying out our arguments. The reaction was very strange. From “his boyfriend”, he suddenly turned into an angry beast, began to scream, waved his arms, accused us of using him and deceived him, and finally shook my hand with such force that his joints cracked and muttered through his teeth: “I hope never not to see you again. " Such treatment, of course, greatly upset us and frightened us.
But the rest continued and we turned to the services of D. J. Travel. It's a pity we didn't do it sooner!! ! A guide named Pradeep helped plan our leisure time, taking into account all our wishes. We were provided with a comfortable air-conditioned car and Pradeep personally accompanied us on trips, being both a driver and a guide. At the same time, we paid only for car services according to the price list, depending on the mileage. And they could manage the time at their own discretion: adjust the excursion program, spend as much time in interesting places as they like, dine in the places they liked and sunbathe on the beaches they liked. Pradeep was irreplaceable. He was with us everywhere: he negotiated the exchange of money at a very favorable rate, helped us make purchases in the supermarket and choose fruits in the market, showed places where souvenirs are sold for a penny... At the same time, short-distance trips by car cost us as much as on the tuk tuk. And on the last evening D. J. Travels and Vos surprised us by offering a free transfer to the restaurant where we wanted to have a farewell dinner. While we enjoyed
freshly cooked seafood, Pradeep waited in the car for about 2 hours. Then he took us to the hotel and said goodbye very warmly. The holiday ended on a pleasant note. I really want to return to Blue Water Resort again and entrust my leisure time to D. J. Travels.