Just back from a super relaxing holiday in Sri Lanka. I was travelling with my girl friends from university. Needless to say their company was the highlight of the trip especially because we were travelling together after ten years.
I wasn’t sure what to expect given the recent economic crisis. However, things appear to be gradually improving as long as you are the at major tourist hotspots.
Day 1: I flew Sri Lankan airlines to Colombo which was pretty decent. Since we landed late night, we spent the night in Colombo.
Day 2: Next afternoon, we drove to Galle where we spent the next three days. It’s a 2.5 hour drive and the highway is quite nice. It gave us major Kerala vibes and a strong sense of nostalgia given thats where we studied together. We stayed at the beautiful and serene Niyagama House. It was perfect place to unwind in the midst of nature. The hosts promote sustainable living and this was evident in everything right from the food at the restaurant to the room.
Before heading to Galle, we had a memorable meal at the Ministry of Crab which is kind of a rite of passage on any trip to Colombo.
Day 3: We spent most of our next day at Galle. Galle is a picturesque port town with lots of cafes and shops. The interesting history of the place can be witnessed at Galle fort which was built by the Portuguese and later extended by the Dutch followed by British control. The fort walls and it’s numerous bastions provide for sweeping views of the ocean while the lighthouse is an excellent backdrop. After lunch, we did some shopping. There were a number gemstones and jewellery shops in Galle, most of them selling Sapphires. Sri Lanka is one of the few places in the world where Sapphire is mined and refined.
While I had fun at Galle, I was a bit underwhelmed maybe because my expectations were a bit high based on what I had read online. The place is very ‘instagrammable’ but lacks general cleanliness and upkeep.
We spent the evening at Unawatuna beach. We heard great things about it but overall were disappointed by the vibe and food. It was a bit dead and the beach wasn’t very clean either. Probably the good reviews were from pre-covid/economic crisis times.
Day 4: We spent our entire day at the gorgeous beach town of Mirissa. It was a 50 min drive from our villa at Galle. Again, nice highway and reminded us a lot of Kerala with so much greenery (read coconut and palm trees) around. Our first stop in Mirissa was the insta famous coconut tree hill. It surely lives up to the hype. The place was stunning to say the least: vast views of the bay, swaying coconut trees and lovely breeze. I could have sat there all day!
From the hill, we walked along the shore to cute little beach shack called Tipsy turtle. Our original plan was to walk all the way to Parrot rock but chilling took priority. Our shady corner at the Tipsy turtle was so amazing that we spent the next few hours just enjoying the breeze and sunshine. The beach was beautiful with sparkling blue waters. It was generally clean, though I believe we could all do a better job! In short, I loved Mirissa. We ended the day with relaxing massages and a hearty dinner of local dishes at our villa.
Day 5: After our morning yoga session and a scrumptious breakfast, we left back for Colombo. We hopped a couple of casinos in the evening. In the first one, we got strange looks being the only women there so we quickly moved on to the next one. This one was a bit better but I was really put off by the excessive smoking. Nevertheless, after enjoying a few fancy performances and losing 30 USD (SL casinos have too many rules!) we retired to our hotel and flew back the next morning.
Voyage Treasures 
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