Reading all the reviews in advance, most of them did say that they wished they had been able to stay longer... I think Sri Lanka is just that king of place though - maybe on a 2nd or 3rd visit, but a first time visitor usually has a fairly fast paced itinerary to follow...
We arranged the airport pick up and our driver was waiting for us - with lovely cool bottles of water (in their own reusable bottles as they have a no-single-use-plastic policy) and a nice air-con 4x4 to take us on the short drive to the hotel. Our first sights of Sri Lanka and it made us all smile - cows in the road, colourful tuk-tuks and friendly people. It was great to drive through the smaller back roads instead of heading straight onto the busier main roads.
And then the hotel - wow! The bathrooms are amazing... the family suite we had was amazing... the grounds, gardens, pool and restaurant were amazing. Unfortunately after a long connecting overnight flight, we had a lovely lunch and a swim, and then crashed out for the whole afternoon which felt like a waste...
After a lovely shower we headed for a drink on the terrace and the stunning sunset - accompanied by fruit bats. The waiters showed us how to play the traditional board game of carrom before a really enjoyable dinner. We then had a look round the hotel and off to bed, such a comfortable bed ensured that we all slept well, despite the good sleep in the afternoon too.
My first taste of a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast the following day was a highlight! And before we knew it, it was time to leave.
The weather - I was a bit worried about the forecast, but we had lovely hot sunshine during the morning - it clouded over in the afternoon and then heavy rain and thunder at night. It was perfect to be honest.
