Sri Lanka is a 4 1/2 plane ride from Abu Dhabi and the flights generally depart around 11 PM and arrive at 5 AM (there's an hour and half time difference). From Colombo, we hired a driver for the 5 hour drive south to Tangallle. There are a lot of unwritten rules for driving in Sri Lanka and it's not something we would recommend for novice tourists like ourselves. There's no way to describe it other than an organized chaos of overtaking and honking.
We spent the next 5 days at the Eva Lanka Hotel just outside of Tangalle. It's a small hotel of 23 cottages built on the hillside overlooking the beach and Indian Ocean. The reception area, restaurant, bar, and lounge are all open air with foot paths radiating out to the cottages and swimming pools below. The rooms are very basic, but at $90 per night for the Sea View cottage, who can complain. There's no Internet or TV in the rooms and after the initial shock, we realized it was a blessing and the key to truly unwinding in our new found paradise. We highly recommend Cottages #6 or #7 for the amazing views.
We literally spent the entire trip sitting in a thatched hut shack down on the beach eating lobster and shrimp and drinking Lion Beer. The only respite from the beach was a trip up to the "spa" for a massage. We literally had the best massages of our lives for the equivalent of $25 per hour.
On our way back to the airport we stopped into Galle Fort for lunch and a little shopping. Nothing too strenuous or taxing, just a leisurely stroll. And then back on a plane to AD and the real world.
Sri Lanka has become one of our favorite places and we've already started looking ahead to our next trip back in 2014.
