Friends and I visited Uda Walawe National Park over Easter weekend (20 March 2008) and I was delighted to see that the park is back to its former glory. It was closed for nearly two months due to security concerns but was reopened on 1 March.  We were able to see many herds of elephants… Read More »

The Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS) is the first organization established outside of Sri Lanka with the sole purpose to conserve the dwindling biodiversity of Sri Lanka. After researching Human Elephant Conflict in Sri Lanka, the SLWCS initiated its’ first project in 1997 with the community-based initiative, Saving Elephants by Helping People (SEHP). The… Read More »

Hotel Sigiriya has added yet another “feather in its environment and sustainability cap” by being highly recommended in the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2008, in the large category of hotels, as announced at the World Travel Market in London last week. The Responsible Tourism Awards are one of the most competitive and prestigious awards… Read More »

The latest boutique hotel to open on the south west coast is Reef Villa in Wadduwa, a seven bedroom luxurious villa – ideal for a pampered beach holiday.   Owned and designed by a British architect, Reef Villa is a blend of Sri Lankan manor house architecture and colonial grandeur. Antique Calcutta four-poster beds and ceiling-fixed… Read More »

The Weligama Bay Resort was supposed to open in time for the 2007 England cricket tour, then April 2008, but we are pleased to announce its arrival has final come. We have long felt that there is a shortage of quality beach hotels in the island with only The Fortress standing out between Galle and… Read More »

Last week on a hotel inspection trip down south we visited the Mandara Resort, a newly opened 20-room beach hotel by the same owners of Rosen Rennaisance in Kataragama. The arrival of the hotel fills a much-needed gap in the market for a quality mid-market hotel on the Galle to Matara stretch of coastline. We… Read More »

Red Dot has always loved the mixture of accommodation available in Sri Lanka and we regularly create tailormade itineraries using guesthouses, beach cabanas and eco retreats. Well, a few weeks ago we made a welcome discovery: Mangrove Garden. We’d heard about it for a while, but our sales team likes to visit all properties and… Read More »

The Red Dot sales and operations team travelled to the south coast last week to inspect beach properties. The first port of call was The Last House, the last private villa designed by Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s most famed architect. We arrived tired and exhausted after the bumpy 6-hour drive along the Galle Road from… Read More »

Galle’s growing reputation as a hub for literature grows again in October with the launch of AROUND THE FORT IN 80 LIVES at the Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel on Friday 24 October. The launch of this fascinating book on the Galle Fort should be great fun with a cocktail party and dinner.

For those that are looking for Ayurveda wellness by the sea, now there’s a new addition in Beruwala – Muthumuni Ayurveda Beach Resort. Opened about a month ago, this is a well laid out place with individual chalets, swimming pool, serene Ayurveda centre and yoga / meditation pavilion. Muthumuni started out many years ago with… Read More »