Vacationing in Sri Lanka

It has been a while since we last posted! Sorry about that, we have been a little busy flying half way across the globe! First of all, we know this blog is longer than usual but trust us, it's worth it. We have a special surprise at the end, so go on, keep reading. We planned to go home to Sri Lanka for my brother-in-law's wedding in December. As soon as they got engaged, I knew we needed to start looking for flights (yes, almost a year in advance). We had heard good things about an app called Hopper (a flight tracking app that helps get you the best deal), so we decided to take it for a test and added Sri Lanka to our "watch list". Around 2 days later I got a ping on my phone saying there was a great deal through Singapore Airlines for only $1,066 each, round trip! The last time we went home, we spent around $1,600 for EACH ticket, so this was a steal! Keep in mind, Singapore Airlines is one of the best, so we jumped on this deal! Here's a look at the video we filmed from our incredible trip:

We wanted to do so much on our trip and make the best out of every day we had on our beautiful tropical island. Instead of staying at hotels for a couple days in a row, we decided to have a couple mini vacations of one night each. First stop Cantaloupe hotel near Galle.

We found this hotel while browsing on Instagram and was starstruck by the incredible views, and we have to say, the photos don't do it justice. Waking up to views of the crystal clear blue ocean was incredible! We took the train from Mount Lavinia to Galle and walked around for a couple hours just taking in the beauty of Galle Fort and stopped by A Minute By Tuk for lunch. Again, a gorgeous view! A 20 minute tuk ride brought us right to the hotel. We were greeted with fresh coconut water and a breathtaking view. One of our favorite things about this hotel was its close proximity to Galle while still holding that boutique hotel feel.

It was surprising how small the hotel was (we think it had around 13 rooms), but it was great for relaxation. We took an evening dip their infamous plunge pool that looks over the ocean as we watched the orange hues of the sunset. It was the perfect spot to relax after a long day on the train and out and about in the city. A delicious candlelit dinner was the perfect ending to a great day in Galle.

If you do visit the hotel for a couple days this would be your perfect itinerary: Day 1: arrive at the hotel around or after lunch, go for a swim or read a book while listening to the waves crash just feet away from you, have dinner at the hotel. Day 2: enjoy a complimentary (might we add delicious!) breakfast poolside, then head into the city to walk around Galle and explore the beautiful architecture. Come back to the hotel after an early lunch and relax for about an hour or 2, then head over to Wijaya Beach Restaurant (maybe 1 5-10 min tuk tuk ride from the hotel) and lay on the beach while you're greeted by giant dea turtles, climb up the Instagram famous rock, or go for a swing on the rope swing. End your day with Wijaya Beach's incredible pizza (p.s their seafood pizza is the bomb). Go back to the hotel to get some beauty sleep and head out the next day.

Our next little adventure was actually right in the heart of the city. Rumma's brother, Manju and his fiance (now wife) Candy, were getting married at Shangril-La Colombo. As soon as we heard they had selected their location, I started looking up rooms so that after the big celebration we could just head to our room after a long day. As a bonus, breakfast was included! To be completely honest, this was the most incredible hotel we have ever stayed at! Everyone who worked there had exceptional customer service that made everything seem flawless. As you enter the hotel, you feel how grand and calm it is with the soothing music. We knew we wanted a late checkout right away and they were able to offer us a 4 pm check-out.

After check-in, our concierge walked us up to our room and explained the amenities they had to offer. We were blown away by the view of the Lotus Tower from our room. To our surprise, they didn't have regular hotel toiletries, they had Spa Ceylon products that smelled divine, and they had plenty. I needed to get my eyebrows done before the wedding and it was so convenient to have a salon in the same building. The wedding was absolutely perfect, it felt truly magical and the food was out of this world! We had the best time with all of our friends and family.

The next morning we went to have some breakfast, I know I keep saying this, but WOW, it blew us away. The buffet was filled with pastries, fresh juices, Sri Lankan food, Asian cuisine and so much more. We had a view of the coast as we sipped on tea and enjoyed our food. A very nice touch to the breakfast was that they had servers walk around with items that you could try, I had some nice hot chai tea and Rumma and I split a hot sausage roll. It really are the little things that made them stand out.

The pool was next on the list. They had little cabanas that were perfect for relaxing in and the pool had lounge chairs with jets actually in the water which were pretty cool. At check-out, the concierge was so kind and offered us a gift of tea especially made for Shangril-La. Seriously, they know what first class is!

Our last and final adventure was to visit an area we had never been to, Chillaw. We stayed at Anantaya, a resort very secluded from everything else. It was a beautiful drive getting to the hotel as we passed the lagoon. On arrival we were greeted with ambaralla juice and escorted to our rooms. My parents and Rumma's mom stayed in standard rooms while Rumma and I stayed in a superior room. That room was amazing! We had our own dining/lounging area, a giant jetted soaker tub, and a balcony with a killer view of the pool and ocean. In the dining area, we were seated in a very fancy section that had a soothing ambiance.

The food was good and there were fun action stations where you could customize your order. There are so many activities you can take part in at the hotel such as volleyball, table tennis, pool, kayaking, darts, bocce ball, and taking a spa day. Breakfast was so relaxing as we felt the the cool breeze while we sipped on hot tea. We went for a dip in the pool and walked along the long, sandy beach. The manager kindly showed us around the over water lagoon villas and to be quite honest, we much preferred our room over the villas. They were really nice, but didn't have a view of the ocean. As we checked out from our rooms, we enjoyed some yummy coconut toffees and headed home.

Overall, if you are looking to get away from the city and enjoy the secluded views, Anantaya is a go-to location. For a fun day around Galle, and pool day at a boutique hotel with a killer view, Cantaloupe is the perfect location. If you love the hype of the city and want a first class location, Shangril-La is absolutely incredible. Let us know what you think of these hotels and if you haven't visited them already, we hope you get to in the near future.

To top it all off, our friends at Cantaloupe would like to offer one of our lucky Instagram followers a 2 night stay at either Cantaloupe Aqua or Levels (stay between May-June or September-October)! How incredible is that?! Take a look at our Instagram profiles to learn how you can enter the giveaway.

XOXO,

RuRu