Red Dot are committed to regular hotel checks and May is a month which offers us opportunities to escape the office from time to time to check out new hotels and also to catch up with those who have become a well-known part of Sri Lanka’s holiday scene. So this time it was obvious where… Read More »

If ever there was a tour that ran the whole gamut of emotion, joy, excitement, fear, despair, relief, humour my recent trip to the North and East would be it. It all began  when three of my friends – Thilina, Anoma and Thushari – decided to tour the North and East and invited me along.… Read More »

The ICC Central Organising Committee (COC), chaired by ICC Vice-President Sharad Pawar, have met in Mumbai to approve the first phase of sales for in excess of 100,000 tickets for the 2011 World Cup – less than nine months out from the tournament. Mr Pawar said afterwards: “The prices confirm the promise we made that… Read More »

I have long dreamt of the day I would get a chance to visit the eastern part of the famous Sinharaja Rainforest. Since access to this section is quite remote with a 4WD jeep is a must and the only place to stay being a forest department bungalow, getting there has been a challenge. However,… Read More »

The dawning of peace in Sri Lanka last year opened up the exciting potential for tourism in the east coast and the first visible sign of this is the opening of Chaaya Blu last week. Owned by John Keells Hotel Group and called Club Oceanic previously, the “retro-chic” four-star beach hotel was conceptualised by master… Read More »

First came the New York Times accolades and now National Geographic has brought Sri Lanka into the tourism spotlight again announcing that Sri Lanka was rated their second best island destination in the world this year. The accolade puts Sri Lanka ahead of St. Lucia, Hong Kong, Seychelles, Bali, Sicily, Manhattan island, Mauritius, and even… Read More »

Having finally had the chance to visit the North of Sri Lanka after many years, some of my birding pals planned a trip to experience and enjoy the bounty of bird life in the other half of Sri Lanka. First on the list was Mannar Island. Mannar Island and the strip of land on the… Read More »

Sri Lanka’s north-west coast was alien territory for me and the name Kalpitiya only brought to mind images of a rural fishing village when I was told of my impending familiarization tour as a new recruit of the Red Dot sales team. Little did I know then that  the tour would culminate in one of… Read More »

Wild life enthusiasts will be happy to note that Wilpattu National Park finally reopened last week after being closed for 25 years due to terrorism in the North.  After extensive mine clearing operations, the army has now declared it safe for the public to visit.   Fans of Wilpattu’s leopards have once again started making… Read More »

One of the many blessings of a peaceful Sri Lanka is being able to explore some of the ancient sites that were hard to see just months ago. One such ancient marvel is Tantirimale, a magnificent site both humbling and inspiring. I visited recently at dusk as the sun was going down over the acres… Read More »