Luxury Sri Lanka Holidays

The heavy warm air, rich green foliage, multi-coloured Buddhist flags, and a kaleidoscopic display of saris, fruits, jewellery and spices inspired Marco Polo to describe Sri Lanka as the most beautiful island in the world. For a small island, it offers a truly amazing variety of attractions: archaeological sites and well-preserved national parks inhabited by elephants, leopards, monkeys, crocodiles and rare bird life; vast tea and spice plantations and sacred Buddhist shrines.

In the misty highlands, the picturesque lakeside town of Kandy is home to the legendary Temple of the Tooth, while other attractions within this vast cultural triangle include the Sigiriya Rock Fortress with its extraordinary rock paintings. Elephants – symbols of the island – can be found working in the countryside and gathering en masse by the temples at festival time. Do pay a visit to one of the elephant sanctuaries which act as both conservation and educational centres on the island.

There’s hardly a month goes by without some kind of religious celebration - every full moon day or ‘Poya’ is special in the Buddhist calendar because the Buddha was born, attained Enlightenment and died all on a full moon day. Consequently, shops and banks are closed and alcohol cannot be served in public places but hotels do make special arrangements for their guests.

Helicopter transfers from the airport now make access to popular Sri Lankan destinations even easier.

Bentota
A Sri Lankan coastal city famous for golden beaches, Bentota is situated on the southern coastal tip of the Galle District of the Southern Province. The town is a popular tourist attraction. It is especially famous among the foreign tourists. The name comes from a mythical story which dates back to kings time saying a demon called Bem ruled this river ( tota = river bank. Bentota hosts a handful of world proclaimed hotels. It is the hosting land for the famous Sri Lankan Jeweler Aida. Bentota also delivers an ancient art of healing called Ayurveda. Bentota is also famous for its production in Toddy. An alcoholic beverage made out of cocunut nectar. The city's population is estimated to be between 25,000-50,000. Bentota was heavily damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami which devastated the Sri Lankan coastal belt on the morning of the December 26th

Columbo
Colombo is the largest city and former administrative capital of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the present administrative capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins and a city population of 647,100 at the 2001 Census. The Colombo Metropolitan Region, defined by the districts of Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara, has an estimated population of 5,648,000 as of 2006, and is covering an area of 3,694.20 km².

Galle
Galle, is a town situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle was known as Gimhathiththa (although Ibn Batuta in the 14th century refers to it as Qali) before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, when it was the main port on the island. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, before the arrival of the British, who developed the harbor at Colombo. The major river is Gin River (Gin Ganga) which starts from Gongala Kanda and passing villages such as Neluwa, Nagoda, Baddegama, Thelikada, Wakwella and kisses the sea at Ginthota. In Wakwella over the river there is Wakwella Bridge which is the longest bridge in Sri Lanka

Kandy
Kandy, is the English name for the city of Maha Nuvara (Senkadagalapura) in the centre of Sri Lanka. It is the capital of the Central Province and Kandy District. It lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy Valley which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka. Kandy is of both an administrative and religious city. It is the capital of the Central Province (which encompasses the districts of Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya) and also of the administrative district of Kandy

Tangalle
Tangalle, is a town on the southern coast of Sri Lanka located in the Hambantota District. It has a mild climate, in comparison to the rest of the district, and beautiful sandy beaches. The name of the town means "projected rock" in Sinhala and this refers to the rocks which form the coastline in the town area, as opposed to the sandy beach of the surrounding areas. Tangalle is a regionally important fishing port and a center of tourism. In the city center there is an old Dutch fort which is used as a prison today. The town also serves as a starting point for visits to the rock temple of Mulkirigala.

Taprobane Island
Taprobane Island is a historic luxury hotel located on a rocky island close to Weligama, Sri Lanka. The hotel is named after the old greek word for Sri Lanka. The island was previously owned by the Count de Maunay who, exiled from France, fell in love with Weligama Bay. It was he who had the villa built on this tiny island. It can house ten guests in five double rooms; there are six staff in residence.

Weligama Bay

Yala National Park
Yala National Park is a national park in Sri Lanka. The reserve covers 979 km², although only the original 141 km² are open to the public. Much of the reserve is parkland, but it also contains jungle, beaches, freshwater lakes and rivers and scrubland. The latter zone is punctuated with enormous rocky outcrops. The range of habitats give rise to a good range of wildlife. Yala has the world's highest concentration of Leopards, although seeing this largely nocturnal carnivore still requires some luck. There are good numbers of Asian Elephants, Crocodile, Wild Boar, Water Buffalo and Grey langurs amongst other large animals