Setting off from Colombo at 4:30am meant that reaching the Nilaveli Beach Hotel, 13km north of Trincomalee, in time for lunch was a real possibility. 280km later we pulled into the driveway of the hotel after 6 hours of driving and many an iPod playlist. The journey between Dambulla and Trincomalee, one which I hadn’t… Read More »
Hotel Sigiriya has added yet another “feather in its environment and sustainability cap” by being highly recommended in the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2008, in the large category of hotels, as announced at the World Travel Market in London last week. The Responsible Tourism Awards are one of the most competitive and prestigious awards… Read More »
The latest boutique hotel to open on the south west coast is Reef Villa in Wadduwa, a seven bedroom luxurious villa – ideal for a pampered beach holiday. Owned and designed by a British architect, Reef Villa is a blend of Sri Lankan manor house architecture and colonial grandeur. Antique Calcutta four-poster beds and ceiling-fixed… Read More »
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 »
Last week on a hotel inspection trip down south we visited the Mandara Resort, a newly opened 20-room beach hotel by the same owners of Rosen Rennaisance in Kataragama. The arrival of the hotel fills a much-needed gap in the market for a quality mid-market hotel on the Galle to Matara stretch of coastline. We… Read More »
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 »
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 »
For those that are looking for Ayurveda wellness by the sea, now there’s a new addition in Beruwala – Muthumuni Ayurveda Beach Resort. Opened about a month ago, this is a well laid out place with individual chalets, swimming pool, serene Ayurveda centre and yoga / meditation pavilion. Muthumuni started out many years ago with… Read More »
During my travels to Hikkaduwa recently I discovered the House of Lotus, a homely and tranquil yoga retreat in Dodanduwa just by Hikka town. Short-term to more intensive two week Yoga programmes are conducted here by the owners Claudia and Ernest. The five rooms are nice and airy and have private terraces opening out to… Read More »
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 »
