Travel to Sri Lanka
Want to travel to Sri Lanka for honeymoon, or just for a great holiday, Sri Lanka has an excellent range of accommodations in all price brackets, from basic beach-side shacks to elegant colonial mansions and sumptuous five-star resorts – indeed staying in one the country’s burgeoning number of luxury hotels and villas can be one of the principle pleasures of a visit to the island.
Types of accommodation
Travel to Sri Lanka also includes options for those on a budget. They can spend most of their time in guesthouses, usually family run places either in or attached to the home of the owners. Some of the nicer guesthouses can be real homes from home, with good cooking and sociable hosts. Rooms at most places cost between US $10 and US $15, although you will sometimes fine cheaper deals, especially around the coast. Note there are no youth hostels in Sri Lanka.
If you travel to Sri Lanka, you will discover that hotels come in all shapes and sized and prices, from functional concrete boxes to luxurious establishments which are virtual tourist attractions in their own right. Some of the finest hotels, particularly in the hill country, are located in old colonial buildings, offering a wonderful taste of thee lifestyle and ambience of yesteryear, while the island also boasts a number of stunning modern hotels, including many designed by architect Geoffrey Bawa. The coastal areas are also home to innumerable resort hotels, the majority of which – with a few honorable exceptions—are sort of plain, and populated largely by European package tourists with the full offering of organized fun.
Travel to Sri Lanka also…
Is gradually waking up to its massive eco-tourism potential, and now boasts a few good eco-orientated hotels and lodges. You can also stay in bungalows or camps within most of the island’s national parks, although can be difficult to arrange. The national parks are the only places in Sri Lanka with official campsites, and elsewhere camping is not a recognized activity. Pitching your tent unofficially in rural areas or on the beach is likely to lead to problems – and given the cheapness of accommodation, is not worth the hassle.
Sri Lanka also boasts a huge number of villas and boutique hotels, many set in old colonial bungalows in the hill country.
Hotels are classified using the usual one to five star system. In addition, hotels and guesthouses are officially approved by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board.’
Finding a room in Sri Lanka
Travel to Sri Lanka is not all grand. Sri Lanka has its fair share of accommodation hype. One way of avoiding hassle is to call ahead—most guesthouses will pick you up for free from the local bus or train station, if given advance warning.
What you will need from your room depends on where you are in the island; basic necessities change as you move up into the hill country and become progressively colder. Virtually all accommodations in Sri Lanka come with a private bathroom. In the lowland areas, you should also always get a fan, usually a ceiling fan—floor standing fans are much less common—and much less effective. It is worth checking to make sure the fan is working properly and runs at a decent speed, and does not make lots of noise. In some areas (notably Arugam Bay) many places are built with their roofs raised slightly above the walls, so that cool air can circulate freely through the gap, although it may provide access to insects. However, most lowland areas also have mosquito nets. Don’t worry about over heating. If you decide to travel to Sri Lanka, there will also be smarter places that will also have air-conditioning.
