Ayubowan

The emerald island of Sri Lanka is known for its sandy white beaches and turquoise sea, its abundance of rare wild-life and rich foliage, its precious gem mines, its rolling hills carpeted with the best teas in the world, and its rich history and cultural heritage. But it’s the warm and hospitable people of Srilanka is what makes this country more beautiful than it already is that you would want to go back there time and again.

I was privileged to be part of the Familiarization trip sponsored by Anantara Resorts, Sri Lankan Airlines and Columbus Tours in December 2018 along with 9 of my fellow Travel Counsellors. Sri Lanka is situated in the Indian Ocean just three degrees north of the Equator, meaning the weather is constantly hot, humid and tropical making it ideal for holiday-makers throughout the year. Our trip to Sri Lanka was 4 nights which was split into 2 nights stay at the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle and the next 2 nights at the Anantara Kalutara resort. We took the 23:00 Sri Lankan Airlines flight out of Dubai and landed into Colombo airport at around 05:00 am local time. We were received at the airport and were escorted by Columbus tours staff that arranged the transfers, tours along with an English-speaking guide for us.

The transfer from the airport to our first resort Anantara Peace Haven in Tangalle was 4 hours and well worth the drive. The transfer coach organized by Columbus Tours was a large bus and comfortable enough for a large group. It is highly recommended to get a good quality private transfer arranged on the winding and narrow roads of Sri Lanka. There is also a VIP transfer option for clients who would like to make their way to Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle via seaplane that takes about 30 mins and can be arranged from the airport to land straight at the resort. This could be perfect for a honeymoon couple.

My understanding of ‘Ayubowan’ began here on our arrival into the absolutely stunning Anantara Peace Haven Resort in Tangalle. We were greeted by folklore and refreshing drink of King Coconut. ‘Ayubowan’ literally means ‘Long Life’ in Singhalese and it is said as a greeting by joining your hands in a prayerlike manner. We stayed in the Ocean View Room with a really large view of the ocean from the window. The balcony had a nice lounger overlooking the hotel grounds and the sea. The overall standard of the hotel facilities was excellent with spa, gym, yoga studios and some really fantastic F&B outlets with jaw dropping settings. My two favourite restaurants that we dined at were IL mare located on top of a cliff serving Italian Cuisine and the Verele where we got to try our hands at cooking Sri Lankan food at the Spice Spoons experience. You could also arrange a ‘Catch of the Day’ where the chef accompanies you to the beach in the morning and you get to pick your own fish from the fish monger that is later prepared for you by the chef the way you like it. There was more to do in the resort than anticipated like yoga sessions, aqua aerobics, badminton, tennis and paddle boarding.

We were also taken on a 90 mins nature walk around the hotel grounds which is complimentary for all guests. We had an amazing 2 days at the resort here and learnt so much about Sri Lankan culture with the interactions we had with the staff, the rituals and ceremonies that they prepared for us to give us the whole Anantara experience. Our next resort was Anantara Kalutara that was 2 hours transfer from Tangalle on the way to Colombo airport.

This resort is located on the banks of Kalutara river where the river meets the ocean and so the property has both ocean facing and lagoon facing rooms. We were put up in a Lagoon View Room which overlooked the river. The two pool areas were lovely out of which one pool was strictly adults only. Unlike the previous resort we had an opportunity to get out and about on our second day at this resort. We started our day with the visit to the Handunugoda tea plantation where they you can learn how the tea is harvested and processed. We also learnt about the tea making history about a particular Virgin White Tea which is completely untouched by hand. It follows an ancient Chinese ritual where the Mandarins employed virgins to cut the tea leaf with golden scissors into a golden bowl. Only the emperors lips touched the tea. We picked up a few tea boxes at the shop on the premises as gifts before we headed to the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery.

This was a brief tour of the place where we learnt how they rescue turtle eggs from the beach. They collect the eggs from the beach, harvest them and bury them in the sand until the turtles are born. They let the baby turtles grow for a few weeks before they are released back into the ocean. Not many turtles survive as they are either eaten by birds and animals or consumption of plastic.

The next place we visited was the Galle fort which was built by the Portuguese and fortified by the Dutch. If you are looking to shop some authentic Sri Lankan gemstones then there are a few shops in the area along with other small boutiques selling all kind of different things such as srilankan handicrafts, spa products, sarongs, clothes and teas. The colonial streets of Galle Fort are lined up with quaint little cafes and pubs where you can grab a bite after some retail therapy.

We were back to the hotel in the evening in time for our dinner and our final night at the resort. The next day we spent at leisure in the spa and admiring the laid back colonial charm of this resort. The resort grounds are huge and can be explored on a bike which you can borrow from the resort. For the adventurous one there are lots of opportunities for motorized and non motorized water sports and there is also a Zip line that is on its way this year over the Kalutara river. It was time to say good bye to the amazing hospitality of the Anantara Staff and the Sri Lankan people. I will definitely be returning back soon to explore more of this beautiful country.