Katherine & Sam
Australia, January 2026
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
The tea, the cuisine, the friendliness, the variety (historical, natural, geographical).
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
The [street/stray] dogs.
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
It was a mixed bag. By far our favourite accommodation was Lake Lodge by Nyne Hotels in Colombo (12 and 13 Jan) and Collectors House in Matara (16 and 17 Jan). These hotels were fantastic. John and Simon [at Collectors House] were delightful conversationalists and generous hosts.
We also enjoyed our time at:
- The Planter's Bungalow in Ella (20 and 21 Jan). The food was superb. We would, however, suggest that you book guests into the bungalow suites rather than the garish garden apartments so that they can experience the old-world charm. [Room availability was an issue due to your lastminute booking so we were unable to book heritage rooms in the main house on this occasion, I am afraid.]
- Hanthana House in Kandy (22 and 23 Jan).
- The Other Corner [in Habarana] (24 and 25).
We had a very negative experience at Mailagama Cinnamon Residence in Kataragama (18 and 19 Jan). We would strongly suggest that Mailagama Cinnamon Residence in Kataragama is removed from your list of accommodation offerings. Not only was the food that was served substandard and the treatment of staff by the manager incompatible with a responsible travel vendor but the manager made us deeply uncomfortable. He tried to intimidate us which we do not appreciate. He also suggested that in future travel we bypass Tikalanka altogether and book directly with him personally. [We are sorry to hear of your negative experience at Mailagama Cinnamon Residence. We will contact the owners directly to inform them of their manager's treatment of guests and staff. We would expect the owners to ensure that the manager does not behave in such a manner to customers or staff ever again.]
Also, Fort Bliss in Galle (14 and 15 Jan) was average. The room had a lovely aspect and the hotel itself was well situated. However, the food was average, there was about a kettle-size of hot water available for showering and the staff were unprofessional and unattentive. [We will contact the owners, who we know well, to inform them of the behaviour of the staff during your stay, which from all accounts was far from hospitable or professional.]
Lastly, Villa Hundira in Negombo (26 Jan) was a lovely venue. However, we ordered a seafood platter and, upon tasting the prawns, queried with the chef why they were black and mushy. The chef told us that the prawns (and all the seafood) were three days old. Unfortunately, Katherine got very sick as a result of the meal. We notified the staff the following morning and they offered no redress. She was very unwell on the flight home to Australia. [We are very surprised to hear that the chef served three-day-old seafood since it is well known that seafood should always be served and eaten fresh.]
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
[No comment]
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
Average. We now know that SriLankan Airlines offers direct flights from Sydney. Next time we would consider selecting travel dates which enable us to fly there and back on direct flights. [Arranged their own flights]
Any other comments?
The trip was wonderful. Each day offered something new and incredible. The Sri Lankan people are delightful. There is so much to see and experience in this beautiful country and our tour offered a lovely taster into this richly varied “resplendent land”. It was our first trip to Sri Lanka but it will not be our last!
The standout activity was our AMBA excursion which was a highlight of our stay in Sri Lanka. Neethanjana's knowledge was outstanding. He was personable and professional. Other stand-out activities were the train trip to Ambewela, our tour of Galle by archeologist Tharanga Liyana Arachchi (his passion and knowledge were unmatched), the safari in Yala (the safari guide was fantastic) and the cooking classes. We enjoyed visiting Geoffrey Bawa's estate [Lunuganga near Bentota], the [Peradeniya] Botanic Gardens [in Kandy] and the tuk tuk tour of Colombo (although we suggest that the guide select a different and better lunch venue).
A couple of other points:
- The unscheduled trip to the turtle hatchery is not recommended. We question the ethics of the site we visited. [Tikalanka does not promote or condone visits to turtle hatcheries. We will discuss this unscheduled visit with the chauffeur guide to ensure it doesn't happen again.]
- We found the ethics of Handunugoda Tea Estate (Herman's) to be questionable. We observed male staff scolding and standing over female tea pickers. The unscheduled visit to the Labookellie tea factory is not to be recommended. It serves only to highlight the disparity in quality and treatment of workers compared with AMBA. [Tikalanka does not promote visits to Labookellie tea factory. We will discuss this unscheduled visit with the chauffeur guide to ensure it doesn't happen again.]
- The unscheduled visit to the silk showroom is not to be recommended. I would love to see silk production and visit ethical workplaces but this venue is simply an overpriced tourist trap. [Tikalanka does not promote visits to silk showrooms. We will discuss this unscheduled visit with the chauffeur guide to ensure it doesn't happen again.]
- We would have liked scheduled activities each day and in the first week there were several days without any planned activities with the exception of transferring hotels. [We discussed various activities and sightseeing trips in our holiday planning conversations. Also, your chauffeur guide should have offered other sightseeing trips and activities locally while you were on the tour with him. We try not to be too prescriptive when creating holiday itineraries as many customers prefer flexibility in their itineraries and a certain amount of 'down time' in order to relax.]
- We suggest that on days where dinner is not provided, a list of recommended nearby restaurants is provided (e.g. Elita in Galle). [Recommendations of restaurants by Tikalanka is fraught with issues, including changes of management, chefs and staff, and customers' special dietary requirements and tastes. We prefer customers to choose their own places to eat out when they have the chance so they may experience independently sourced gems like Elita!]
Thank you again for giving us the opportunity to experience the joys of Sri Lanka. If you are interested in adding more tours to your offerings, we would suggest a specialised tea tour and a specialised cooking/dining tour. [We are very glad that you enjoyed Sri Lanka with us and many thanks for the recommendations of adding extra tours to our ever-increasing portfolio!]
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