Sri Lanka: My Favorite Things
A few of my favorite things to do on my native island (Now Updated to Include 2023 Recommendations)
Sri Lanka has been one of the hidden travel secrets of the world, due to the thirty-year old civil war that ended in 2009. Ever since then, this beautiful tropical island, with its dazzling beaches, lush jungles, spiritual ancient cities, verdant tea country and welcoming people has been on everyone’s radar. I get so many people asking me about what to do and where to go that I thought I’d just write a Medium post about instead, and share some of my favorite things to do.
(Note: This is by no means an exhaustive guide, just a few thoughts on cool stuff. Make sure you do your homework before you go!)
A few topline thoughts:
- Getting there: From the US, Sri Lanka is a 24-hour journey. The least painful way to do it is one of the Middle Eastern carriers like Emirates, Etihad or Qatar airways. Be sure to build in time on both ends to recover from the wicked jet-lag. But trust me it’s worth it.
- The best way to think about Sri Lanka is in terms of different ‘zones’: Beach, Jungle, Ancient City etc. Ideally I would spend no less than 3–4 days in each zone so you don’t hurry too much — especially given the fact that the roads between them (with the exception of the awesome highway between capital city Colombo and the beaches on the South Coast) aren’t great for speedy travel.
- Consider flying internally: There are some great cheap-ish internal domestic flights to be had between the different zones which make an enormous difference in travel time. Driving from Colombo to Batticaloa on the East Coast for instance, would take around 8 hours by car: by seaplane, it is a picturesque 1 hour 15 minute trip which costs a couple of hundred dollars. Perfect for the time-starved. For more information check out Cinnamon Air or Sri Lankan Airlines.
- Work with a local travel agent: Give them a brief and they’ll work out a detailed itinerary that maximizes your access to awesomeness — plus they can also hire a car and driver/guide to take you around. I recommend Red Dot Tours or Sri Lanka Instyle .Or for the ballers amongst you, Quintissentially Ceylon.
- Of course, Airbnb also has a great selection of places to stay if you prefer to be independent.
- For up-to-date recommendations, check out Yamu, which is the Sri Lankan version of Time Out. Trekcurious also has all manner of cool experiences across the country.
Let’s start by whetting your appetite with some videos:
Disclaimer: I’m not sure why these have so many women in bikinis in them.
OK, so onto the good stuff. The following is my ideal two week itinerary for a trip to Sri Lanka. I’ve packed too much in — you would ideally do this trip in four weeks if time was no object.
Also — this is meant as an ‘evergreen’ guide: make sure you do your homework about when to go, as the monsoon seasons make certain parts of the island less inviting during certain parts of the year.
Day One: Arrive in Colombo. My advice is to spend as little time in Colombo as possible on the way in, and devote perhaps one day maximum on your way out (more at the end). Unfortunately it’s become a bit of a traffic-clogged nightmare which makes it difficult to get anywhere quickly.
If you have to stay a night, I recommend the Galle Face Hotel (upscale, old-school, by the sea) or the supercool Black Cat B&B (chic, low-key). Treat yourself to a 90 minute massage at Spa Ceylon to get over your jetlag (warning: I’m a spa junkie, so there’s going to be lots of spa recommendations).
2018 Update: For restaurants in Colombo, I’d also recommend Botanik, a rooftop bar that does excellent cocktails, and Epicure, a fine dining restaurant with a casual atmosphere . Best new find was Monsoon, a South East Asian-themed restaurant at the end of Park Street Mews, an atmospheric street with lots of dining options.
Day Two: With your hired car and driver, hit the Southern Expressway (also called the E01) to start exploring the gorgeous South Coast of Sri Lanka.
2023 update: Stop off for lunch at the supercool Palm Hotel in Ahangama— a gorgeous boutique hotel with sleek A-frame cabins and peacocks wandering the grounds.
Another great hotel to stay at (or stop for lunch at their funky restaurant) is Kurulu Bay, a brand new hotel, featuring Japanese style cottages and rooms (complete with soaking tubs), on a beautiful property overlooking Koggala Lake, featured in the New York Times.
Your main hub for South Coast explorations should be Galle, a UNESCO Heritage site and lovely old town, filled with cool buildings, great shopping and unique villas. Have a rice and curry lunch on the verandah at the Amangalla Hotel, part of the Aman Group, where I also recommend spending a night — a graceful old hotel with luxury bones and a pool that is wonderful to lounge by while you breakfast on egg hoppers and fish curry.
An alternate family favorite hotel is the Lighthouse, which is about ten minutes outside of Galle Fort. Designed by iconic Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa (whom I love and have now directed a documentary about), the place has some great, spacious rooms, pools, and food. We’ve been there maybe a dozen times.
I also highly recommend the Baths at Amangalla, as another excellent spa experience (see, I wasn’t joking about the spas). Plan on spending at least a day here, there’s lots to see.
To eat, I also really like Sugar Bistro, Fort Bazaar and Pedlar’s Inn Coffee Shop ; Fortaleza is a great place for lazy evening cocktails, and Isle of Gelato is an ice cream store with some intriguing flavors (Buffalo Curd anyone?)
2023 Update: Perhaps my favorite restaurant in Galle Fort is The Bungalow: a small cozy courtyard with great food where you can hang out under the stars and enjoy a nice meal.
To shop my favorite is Barefoot for books and textiles. You can also buy amazing jewellery in the stores there : I bought my wife’s engagement ring there.
Book-lovers: If you can, try and attend during the annual Galle Literary Festival in January which has seen great writers like Sebastian Faulks, Amitav Ghosh, Richard Dawkins, Romesh Gunasekara, Joanna Trollope, Sir Tom Stoppard and many more. It’s a superb experience.
2018 Update: I also highly recommend Wijaya Beach as a great beach restaurant to spend the day at. A chill atmosphere, great food (ceviche, pizzas), and shallow waters for the kids to splash around in. Conde Nast even included it on its 2018 Gold List. And the Sea Turtle Farm in Habaraduwa is also a great place to take kids, they rescue injured turtles and nurse them back to health.
Day Three: Move down the Coast to experience some beach life. I recommend staying at the Weligama Bay Resort or the Mandara Resort.
If you feel like splurging, I highly recommend renting Taprobane Island which is a private island with its own jewel-like villa, open to the breezes. Built by an eccentric Frenchman who dubbed himself the Count de Mauny (note: he wasn’t a real count, he just made it up), this island has played host to writers like Paul Bowles (‘The Sheltering Sky’) as well as numerous travelers, aristocrats and the occasional astronaut. My wife and I got married there, and we had a splendid three day celebration (not counting the logistical difficulties of getting a wedding cake across on a fishing boat).
Real Paul Bowle’s account of his time on the island to get you in the mood: ‘How to Live on a Part-Time Island’.
Other supercool places to stay include Red Cliffs Villa by Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, which takes the radical form of a pavilion with no walls, overlooking the ocean and open to nature, with a private beach down the aforementioned red cliffs.
A must-visit is also Lunuganga, Bawa’s private country retreat which blends Italianate country gardens with lush tropical foliage to create a spectacular estate. According to legend, Bawa had a series of bells with different tones arrayed around the gardens, each signaling a different request to his staff: a morning coffee, an afternoon gin-and-tonic. More evidence of his genius, in my book. Definitely worth visiting to have lunch and a garden tour.
For architecture fans, you may also consider the stunning house by Pritzker-Prize-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban which features an infinity pool, stark lines and luxury touches like a movie room with windows looking into the pool. Available on AirBnb for $700 a night. Bargain.
Day Four: Spend a day at Mirissa Beach. Back in my misspent youth, Mirissa used to be a secret haven, with only one bar nestled at the end. Today it is a total hipster scene, with man-buns, tattoos and people taking perfect Instagram selfies of themselves in front of gorgeous sunsets. Sigh. Still, it’s worth taking a swim in the cool, sea-green waters, and grabbing some food at one of the many restaurants on the beach, many of which display their fresh catch outside to lure you in.
I would recommend Zephyr, Kama or Bay Moon for some fresh sea-food and ice-cold beers.
You can go whale-watching in Mirissa, though I’ve never been. For more gentle pursuits, you can also visit a turtle-hatchery.
Stop off for lunch at The Doctors House, a funky bar and restaurant in a 200-year-old former Dutch Ayurvedic hospital, in the beautiful beach side village of Madiha.
2023 update: I discovered Hiriketiya.
Day Five: Head to Hiriketiya, which is now one of the coolest places in Sri Lanka. Some have called it Sri Lanka’s version of Tulum (before Tulum became….what it is now).
I mean, just look how gorgeous this bay is?
Hiri (as it’s known to the locals) also has some excellent bars and restaurants. Here are some of my favorites:
Smoke and Bitters: This dreamy, balmy beach front bar in a grove of coconut trees ended up on Asia’s 50’s Best Bars. How? Smoky, spicy, exquisite cocktails and delicious food, all served up overlooking neighboring Dickwella Bay.
Check out these concoctions and this view:
Dot’s Bay House is another excellent spot for cocktails by the beach.
Remedy is a new restaurant which has opened up on Dickwella beach which is getting rave reviews.
Also, check out Mond, a rooftop bar and cafe, which has supercool architecture.
Verse is also a cool co-working space, cafe and hotel.
I stayed in Salt House, which is a lovely chill guesthouse with nice rooms.
Jasper House also looked like a cool place to stay but I didn’t have time to check it out.
Day 6 ALTERNATIVE: If you don’t feel like staying in Hiriketiya, head further down South towards Yala, the wild-life preserve. Stop for lunch at the Amanwella Hotel (another Aman outpost) in Tangalle, and check out their spa, which arranges massages on the beach or in the wilderness. Bliss.
For your stay in Yala, I recommend the Nikara Yala Villas, which is a quiet oasis by the beach, with a lovely swimming pool and a garden with wild peacocks wandering around. They’ll organize a moonlit dinner by the beach with a soundtrack of breaking waves, with an excellent seafood barbecue.
I have mixed emotions of going on safari in Yala, which you either do early morning or in the afternoons. It’s great to see animals like leopards, elephants, monkeys, deer and more in the wild: but the park is crammed full of jeeps belching out exhaust fumes and overtaking each other. One spotting of a leopard caused a traffic jam of thirty vehicles, each getting a minute’s worth of photo-taking. Not exactly a relaxed, organic experience.
Day Six: Time to change zones. Head from Yala up into the Hill Country, home to all the great Ceylon tea, which is about a seven hour drive.
Stop off in Nuwara Eliya for lunch at the venerable old Hill Club, which is like a postcard from Victorian Britain preserved in the hills.
For a more modern experience, you could also try lunch at The Tea Factory Hotel, which is a contemporary hotel which used to be, you guessed it, a tea factory.
Your destination is the hill capital of Kandy. Stay the night in the iconic Queens Hotel. Side-note: if you are here during the annual Perahara, a spectacular festival of bejewelled elephants, acrobatic dancers and whip-crackers, a balcony at this hotel is the best place to watch the action.
If you want to stay out of the city centre, I also recommend the Citadel Kandy which is by the banks of a river.
Day Seven: Spend a day sightseeing in Kandy picking up handicrafts and textiles. Definitely visit the Temple of the Tooth, which is believed to house the ‘upper left canine of the Lord Buddha’ (according to it’s remarkably specific website).
If you want a completely bonkers experience, Helga’s Folly is an art-drenched, bohemian, magnificently eccentric place to visit. Words can’t describe how nuts it is. Here’s a Daily Beast article on the place.
Day Eight: Head north to change Zones again, this time to see some ancient cities.
As you head north from Kandy, make sure you detour to Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, where you can see baby elephants rescued from the wild and taken care of. Aww.
I recommend Vil Uyana Hotel. Relaxed and spread out amongst paddy fields and reed beds, the hotel has great rooms on stilts. It’s a great place to base yourself and make day trips out over the next couple of days.
Day Nine: Make sure you take half a day to climb Sigiriya, the ancient rock fortress built by a king, surrounded by fantastically intricate water gardens. The climb itself seems suicidally dangerous in places, so don’t attempt this if you suffer from vertigo. But the view from the summit is worth it; pretend to be a bad-ass king looking for enemies approaching on all sides.
Day Ten: Time for some ancient cities — this time, Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa, with their giant dagobas and centuries-old ruins. I’m not an expert so I will leave it to the Lonely Planet to give you the skinny.
Day Eleven: Head East to Batticaloa, or Batti for short, which is a chilled-out place. You could just opt for some beach action at one of the hotels like Uga Bay or Maalu Maalu there.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, you may want to head up a couple of hours north to Trincomalee to visit the dramatic Koneswaram Temple, jutting out over the sea.
Day Twelve: Take a seaplane back from Batticaloa Lagoon back to Colombo, which gives you a beautiful view of the island from above.
In Colombo, have lunch at the Barefoot Cafe, my favorite spot to chill out in the city. Barefoot is a store featuring fabrics by the legendary Sri Lankan designer Barbara Sansoni; they have the most tastefully curated bookstore, as well as great gifts to pick up for your friends, like notebooks, totes and other goodies.
Have dinner at Cafe Francais for great steaks and wine in a lounge-y atmosphere in the buzzy Park Street Mews ; or Lagoon if you like freshly-caught lobster, crabs and oysters.
Day Thirteen: Have another massage, perhaps at the Angsana Spa this time, just for variety. Go shopping at Odel for fashion brands like Zara, etc which manufacture in Sri Lanka. Buy some art or handicrafts at Paradise Road.
Take a ‘Cooking by Color’ Sri Lankan cooking class with the awesome Mohara Dole at her house. Tell her I sent you.
Celebrate with dinner in style at The Gallery Cafe, my all-time favorite restaurant, in the former city studio of architect Geoffrey Bawa. An atmospheric yet buzzy place: I recommend the tamarind margaritas, and the calves liver with mashed potatoes, though you really can’t go wrong with anything.
Day Fourteen: Pack your bags, dry your tears, update your Instagram one last time and fly home.
Shameless plug: If you want some reading to get you in the mood, may I suggest my book of poetry ‘China Bay Blues’ or my novel ‘Strange Fruit’, both set in Sri Lanka.
