Sri Lanka: Hikkaduwa, Thalpe, Galle, Yala
In 2013, we decided to head back to Sri Lanka, after enjoying a wonderful holiday there the year before (you can read my previous blog post here). This time, we travelled along the south coast. Summer time is monsoon season in Sri Lanka, but this wasn’t a problem…the occasional light shower during our holiday did nothing to dampen our spirits.
Once again, we were mesmerised by this beautiful, fascinating country. We soaked up the magnificent, green scenery and marveled at the wonderful wild life.
This time, we didn’t stay in Colombo and, instead, our trusted driver picked us up from the airport and took us straight to Hikkaduwa, where we stayed at the Hikka Tranz. (My Trip Advisor review can be found here). The staff were exceptionally welcoming and the views from our rooms were simply stunning. Our corner room had a wrap-around panorama of the sparkling turquoise sea; such an invigorating delight to wake up to every morning and the perfect way to unwind and start our holiday!
The best thing about this hotel is that wild, giant sea turtles visit the beach every morning. Hand feeding them seaweed was an almost surreal but utterly amazing experience that none of us will ever forget.
After a few days of feasting on delicious Sri Lankan curry and enjoying the beach, we headed onwards to Thalpe, where we stayed at Alfie’s Beach House. (My Trip Advisor review can be read here). It’s a beautiful, private villa with a garden that leads straight to gorgeous sparkling rock pools, where we spent many hours happily wallowing, safe from the stronger waves further out.
Alfie’s is ideally situated just outside the pretty, colonial town of Galle. We loved spending time inside the old fort, which is lined with boutique shops and an impressive array of superb eateries. I bought lots of handmade toys for the children and some vintage Ceylon posters which now take pride of place in my home. We enjoyed a variety of delicious food, but high tea at the beautiful Amangalla hotel is a stand-out memory. Sitting inside this stunning colonial building, surrounded by dark wood, antiques and high ceilings, we almost felt as if we’d been transported back in time!
Between Thalpe and Galle is the seaside town of Unawantuna. The beach there was nice, though not particularly special, but we found ourselves journeying back and forth to this area a lot because it was where our favourite restaurant was situated: Jina’s. Jina cooks up a mouth-watering range of vegetarian and vegan food and is a very friendly, interesting guy to chat to. The restaurant garden has a little playhouse where the children entertained themselves while we waited for our food to be cooked. They all got quite a shock one evening though, when a snake slithered its way through the wooden roof while they were happily playing inside –Ahh!
Back at Alfie’s our breakfasts and lunches were generally provided by the in-house staff and served in the garden. At lunch time, a group of monkeys would tend to swing their way over and hang around, waiting for us to ply them with bananas. The kids absolutely loved it! Then we’d often while away the afternoons in hammocks, overlooking the ocean, or take a beach walk and play in the water. They were truly relaxing, magical days.
There are some great options for nearby outings. One day, we visited Handunugoda Tea Estate, a virgin white tea plantation, where we enjoyed a fascinating free tour and a fantastic tea tasting session, which, for a tea aficionado such as myself, was nothing short of heaven!
Another day we visited a turtle sanctuary situated just up the road from our villa. The team here does an amazing job of helping to conserve these beautiful creatures, and we learned a lot about their lifespan, habitat and threats. Even though lots of measures have been put in place to protect sea turtles in Sri Lanka, they still face many challenges. In fact, while we were there, my husband saw a fisherman catching a sea turtle on the beach outside our villa. He refused to release it, so my husband had to buy it from him in order to return it to the sea. It’s heartbreaking to know that these majestic creatures are still sold for meat, when otherwise they would naturally live to one hundred years and beyond.
After feeling thoroughly refreshed and recharged after a glorious time at Alfie’s, we headed onwards to Yala Safari park. On the way, we stopped at Talalla Retreat, a peaceful spot that’s popular with yogis. My sister was working there over the summer as a yoga teacher, so it was good to see where she’d been living and a pleasure to meet her friends. When we headed for a stroll along the beach, a huge monitor lizard crossed our path and I was delighted that the children had chance to see one of these Jurassic looking reptiles in its natural habitat.
Finally reaching Yala was nothing short of thrilling. Our hotel, Cinnamon Wild, was right in the national park, so we were immediately surrounded by an awesome range of wildlife, from peacocks and wild boar to crocodiles and flamingos. (My review for this hotel can be found here). In the evening, guests are escorted back to their rooms by a safari ranger because of the risk of wild elephants passing through! On the first evening I asked our ranger, 'What should we do if an elephant comes along? Continue to walk slowly? Stand still? Hide?' His reply: 'Run Madam. Fast!' The children all thought this was hilarious and it really made us feel that we were on a brilliant adventure.
One evening an elephant did pass by the reception area and I was impressed with how expertly and gently the staff coaxed it out.
We enjoyed incredible buffet meals in the evenings, and in the mornings we relaxed by the pool, overlooking a lake full of buffaloes lounging, crocodiles lazing, and beautiful flamingos and storks doted about. It was so beautifully peaceful and enchanting.
In the afternoons, we set off on our safari expeditions, which were amazing. I have a huge soft spot for elephants, so I was happy to see lots of them, and on our last day we were very excited to finally spot a leopard. It was the perfect way to end our very memorable holiday.
On the way back to Colombo, we stayed at Ranweli Holiday Village in Waikkal. (My Trip Advisor review is here). It’s a lovely beach resort close to the airport, so it ticked all our boxes, but I would caution anyone from spending their entire holiday here as Sri Lanka has so much more to offer!
All in all, our second trip to this wonderful country firmly cemented it’s place in our hearts. Bursting with culture, beauty, wildlife and exceptionally friendly people, it’s the ideal family holiday destination. In fact, writing this has made me want to go back again! Soon!