Archives

Yala, Back to its former glory

Yala National Park has been re-opened for 3 months now and I am happy to say its back to its former glory. In a resent visit to the park we were able to observe several Elephants, Jackals, troops of Gray Langers & Toque Macaques and to top it off a Leopard resting on a Palu… Read More »

Birding at Mihintale.

Declared a sanctuary for animals in the 3rd century BC by Arahath Mahinda, Mihintale is one of the hidden treasures of the Cultural Triangle. If you have an keen interest in ancient history or natural history, Mihintale is a great place to spend a few days. In a resent birdwatching trip to this ancient city,… Read More »

Uda Walawe, Open for visitors and teaming with wildlife

Friends and I visited Uda Walawe National Park over Easter weekend (20 March 2008) and I was delighted to see that the park is back to its former glory. It was closed for nearly two months due to security concerns but was reopened on 1 March.  We were able to see many herds of elephants… Read More »

Weligama Bay Resort – at last!

The Weligama Bay Resort was supposed to open in time for the 2007 England cricket tour, then April 2008, but we are pleased to announce its arrival has final come. We have long felt that there is a shortage of quality beach hotels in the island with only The Fortress standing out between Galle and… Read More »

Mangrove Garden, For the Crusoe-like beach experience

Red Dot has always loved the mixture of accommodation available in Sri Lanka and we regularly create tailormade itineraries using guesthouses, beach cabanas and eco retreats. Well, a few weeks ago we made a welcome discovery: Mangrove Garden. We’d heard about it for a while, but our sales team likes to visit all properties and… Read More »

Last House – Tangalle’s best-kept secre

The Red Dot sales and operations team travelled to the south coast last week to inspect beach properties. The first port of call was The Last House, the last private villa designed by Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s most famed architect. We arrived tired and exhausted after the bumpy 6-hour drive along the Galle Road from… Read More »

Sinharaja Rainforest, A Naturalist’s paradise

Having left Colombo at 4am on a Sunday morning, three friends and I left for Sinharaja Rainforest. Anyone who has been there would know that one never gets sick of exploring this last remaining rainforest in Sri Lanka. Taking three others who were going there for the first time made the trip even more exciting.

Pre-holiday reading – New website with leading Sri Lanka authors.

A Sri Lankan company called Z–World has started a website to sell books by Sri Lankan authors, on the internet. Soft copies of the books are available for download on this site and to my knowledge this is the first such opportunity offered to readers to buy books from Sri Lankan authors on the internet.… Read More »

The Fortress re-launches the 'Lime Spa'

The Fortress Hotel, Red Dot’s favourite beach hotel on the south-west coast, is re-launching its “Lime Spa” in August 2008. The Lime Spa, managed by Per Aquum, manages the spas at Fortress in Sri Lanka and Huvafen Fushi, Maldives. Per Aquum has gone though a complete re-branding of all spas in the properties they manage.… Read More »

River Café chefs in Galle.

Two chefs from the famous River Café in London, visiting Sri Lanka on a 5 week surfing tour, took time out from the beach to cook a stunning 6 course dinner for 30 at The Dutch House in Galle. A starter of Inzimino, a dish involving chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, white wine and spinach, was followed… Read More »