My husband and I often talk about selling everything and moving to this island. The people are the NICEST people I have ever encountered, the food is over the top delicious, you are surrounded by stunning coast lines, yet a few hours in you could be in the middle of the jungle

#1. Visit a National Park!

While there are many national parks, we decided on Uda Walawe due to their fair and safe animal practices! Watch baby elephants stomp, eat and play at the Elephant Transit Home in Uda Walawe park. A facility aimed truly for the safety of the orphaned elephants, ETH is the ideal place to marvel at these gentle and majestic animals.

The jeeps are bumpy and you may not see anything for a bit but once you do- it makes the wait worth it!

#2. Climb Lions Rock

Located in the Central Province, the mythical ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya (Lion’s Rock) is one of Sri Lanka’s most mind-blowing sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Originally built as the fortified capital for King Kassapa (477-95) after he had assassinated his father, there is little left of the original palace today but the views from the top of the rock, nearly 200 metres high, are breath taking.

Access to the top is via a series of zigzagging staircases, past detailed frescoes of over 500 semi-naked females dating back some 1600 years. A small plateau about halfway up boasts a gateway in the form of an enormous lion, which is where the name comes from.

#3. Eat “Hoppers”

Hoppers are the Sri Lankan answer to the pancake. The batter is made from a slightly fermented concoction of rice flour, coconut milk, sometimes coconut water and a hint of sugar.

A ladle of batter is fried in a small wok and swirled around to even it out. Hoppers can be sweet or savory, but one of the local favorites is egg hoppers. It is popular for breakfast and the place we stayed made them for us each day!!!

#4. Ride a train through the countryside

People have named the train ride from Kandy to Ella one of the most STUNNING train rides in the world. That is a pretty big statement but once you see the views you can see this statement has some serious backing

The train ride from Kandy to Ella is a very popular route. The full ride takes about 6-7 hours and it’s a 100% worth the journey. A ticket from Kandy to Ella will cost you around $2,50 / 400 LKR. At each train station, the train cabins get filled with sellers of drinks, fresh fruit, and salty or spicy peanuts.

Important tip! Make sure to get the morning train. You don’t want to be riding through those tea plantations when it’s already dark outside.

#5. Talk with the Local Sri Lankans and Watch the local Fisherman

Be completely mesmerized by the local fishermen on stilts at Unawatuna, as they spend hours on end on a tiny stilt patiently waiting for their daily catch. An old tradition preserved for many years, stilt fishing is practiced by 500 fishing families and is a rare but special sight in Sri Lanka.

Sadly though, the fisherman know the tourists love to take photos of them so we encoutered a man who charged us to take photos of them. I think it was about $2 but still!

#6. Fruit Stands

Did the trip even happen if you don’t take a photo infront of a fruit stand?? Although we love exploring any sort of local market, the fruit and vegetable stands in Sri Lanka are the most lush and beautiful ones we have witnessed!

#7. Palm Tree Swing

Before visiting Sri Lanka, the number one photo we kept seeing online was the infamous rope swing where travellers would be swinging over the ocean from a palm tree. We were very guilty of wanting to visit this unofficial site of Sri Lanka! I searched the internet to find out where we can find this fun and playful attraction.

We found the location of the swing is on Dalawella Beach, which is in the south of Sri Lanka near the popular town of Unawatuna.  Once you are at Dalawella Beach the exact location is actually in front of a guesthouse called Dream Cabana.

The only guy that can get the swing down is called “Coconut Man”. He is not always there ( clearly is living the dream and sets his own operating hours depending on how he feels that day). Normally if you wait a half hour or so, he will come along

He charges about 500 Rupees for a half hour of swinging! “Coconut Man” is doing well I’d say!

#8. Watch the sunrise at Adam’s Peak

What better way to start the day than witnessing the indescribable beauty of the sunrise at the top of Sri Lanka. A 2 to 4 hours hike to the top of Adam’s Peak will leave you feeling refreshed and ready to seize the day.

Go to bed early and prepare for the night walk to Adams Peak, start walking around 02.00 AM and enter top by 05.00 AM. Watch the sunset at around 06.00 AM. Be back down at 08.00 AM.

Adam’s Peak is a unique travel moment and beautiful experience with the prayers of the Sri Lankan people praying for the sun and new day.

#9. Explore Galle Fort

In the southwest coast of Sri Lanka lies Galle Fort, a fort built in 1588 by the Portuguese. With an extensive history, Galle Fort reveals a mix between European architecture and South Asian traditions, creating stunning backdrops such as the Galle Lighthouse. This is the area of Sri Lanka that is filled with trendy restaurants, hip shops and where it feels like you are no longer in Sri Lanka. We loved this area to explore for a day but we much preferred the local areas!

#10. Stay off the Grid

One of our most favourite stays was staying in central Sri Lanka at a place called Banyan Camp! At first we thought we made a huge mistake as we were in the middle of nowhere, were sleeping in an open air bedroom and spotted a monkey and dog within 2 minutes of being there. It’s funny how these kind of experiences end up being the best ones.

We ended up having the most DELISH dinner underneath the stars with another couple who was also staying there. The food was all homemade and the hospitality we received was just out of this world.

The couple we met had moved from the UK to Sri Lanka to open a wellness resort which we will definitely be checking out next time we are there!
Take a look at the progress so far and follow along their adventure HERE

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Unakanda Sri Lanka

We stumbled upon Unakanda on Airbnb and we thank the heavens above that we did! This boutique resort is located over lush acres of greenery and sits on top of the hill! You are far away from the busy Unawatuna Beach but close enough to hop in a tuk tuk and get to the action. There is large palm trees, Bougainvillea bushes, and fruit trees that circle around the infinity pool creating the most perfect setting you can imagine. The space has three different booking options- the larger house that has two bedrooms and a full kitchen, the sky loft which can accommodate 2 people and the garden terrace that has a private infinity pool. It is a perfect place to come with a bunch of people as it would offer the right amount of privacy.

THE GROUNDS

The space was once a local villagers home and has been renovated into a modern, contemporary space with some traditional Sri Lankan decor touches. It offers the perfect blend of everything. The atmosphere in the space makes you feels like you are in a 5 star hotel. WITH WAY MORE ROOM! The spacious kitchen area, plunge pool and large, large bathrooms will make it hard to ever stay at a traditional hotel again. The grounds are protected by a large metal gate that makes you feel safe and makes it feel very private.

 THE ROOMS

The bedrooms in the house are decorated with clean white linens, traditional Sri Lankan dressers and fun accents. Our favourite part of the house though was the bathrooms. The open concept design paired with the polished concrete floors make the space look like a page from a design magazine. There is a free standing bathtub in the master bathroom, along with a rain shower and skylight. Need I say more? The house also has a tv room, fans and A/C and lots of books, games to keep you busy if you want to!

IMPORTANT TIDBITS

5 things to do here

#1. Take a morning walk and watch the locals do their thing

The villa is situated slightly up from the main road on a local street. We had the most fun taking a nice walk in the morning where we got to witness the neighboring houses getting up to their daily activities. We felt like it was the best way to understand the Sri Lankan culture- and best of all- on our own terms!

#2. Watch the sunset at the Roof top Terrace

I am a serial sunset watcher. I will scope out the ‘best sunset watching places’ before I visit a city ( see also: huge dork). I did this with Sri Lanka and we visited a place or two to watch sunsets but NOTHING and i mean NOTHING will beat the view from Unakanda. You get the lush greenery and the ocean! Not to mention your own privacy..

#3. Visit the Sanctuary Spa close by

Classic ayurvedic spa treatments are widely available in Sri Lanka. One of my favourite ayurvedic treatments is  a “third eye” treatment where hot oil is poured on the top of your forehead to calm your mind, body and spirit . The picture above shows the device used for this treatment at the Sanctuary Spa. I got this treatment right before our long flight home and let me tell you- I felt like a million bucks afterwards. One of the guys at Unakanda can set up an appointment for you here if you are interested!

#4. Enjoy a Home cooked Meal at home by one of their Chefs

The best dinner of our trip was spent around the table here. Eggplant, Pumpkin Curry, Cucumber salad, Chicken…all made fresh in house infront of you. They would buy all local ingredients from the markets early in the day and start prepping it a few hours before we were set to eat. I highly recommend it!

#5. Lounge in the Infinity Pool

It is very easy at Unakanda to feel like you are staying at a luxury hotel. The easiest way though is by lounging by the infinity pool in the bean bag chairs.

Bonus Feature?

THE STAFF! The two guys that manage the site are so accommodating and AMAZING chefs to boot!  We felt like we ended up meeting two friends when we were there. Oh and let’s not forget about our security guard aka our furry friend named Morrie who was 100% more behaved than our naughty puppy back home. I would go on a morning run and he would slowly trail behind me to make sure I was safe. I couldnt handle how sweet this pup was

Best way to book?

Directly on the website HERE or through AIR BNB

I want to apologize in advance.

I tried really hard to not do peace signs in every photo that was taken in Asia…but it turned out to be very hard. Just when I thought it would be a normal photo my right hand started creeping up and assumed position. It was like terets so I am sorry for obnoxiously peacing in every second photo.

Some very overdue photos from the Hong Kong portion of my Asia trip. Hong Kong is amazing on so many levels…I can’t get over how much I love it there.

Some reasons why:
1. You can buy Collagen masks at the corner store. YES REALLY. I’m pretty sure I was obsessed with the drug stores more than anything else?
2. Asian babies.
3. Their subway system. Hello….Phone service!
4. The fact that you can literally see 5 Chanel stores during a 5 minute walk ( and every other store you can think of…they even have stores underground in the subway)
5. Cool Asians. Every person is a walking magazine ad. Dressed cooler than I can ever imagine.
6. DISNEYLAND!!!!!!! I’m really a 12 year old deep down.
7. Wyndham Avenue-a street of amazing bars and restaurants
8. It’s such an international city…yes it’s filled with asians but there are so many people from all over the world that are living in Hong Kong.
9-10. Asian Babies

TAKE ME BACK.