After a very very long hot Delhi summer, our family escaped for a week to the beautiful teardrop island of Sri Lanka. We spent two nights in Colombo and five in Thalpe, about 15 minutes from Galle.
I have been to Sri Lanka before and remember then being surprised about how different it was to India - so close yet so far. A lot less people, a lovely sea breeze and supermarkets with aisles are my main take-aways from Colombo. I fell in love with Paradise Road, a homewares store with beautiful crockery, pottery and tableware. I bought a teapot, milk jug, serving platters and some linen - all really lovely and nowhere near the price of Oz. A trip back may be necessary to stock up on more plates and things......
Next stop was Thalpe. We took the new highway from Colombo to Galle - WOW. It is amazing, about six months old and smooth as silk to drive on. 400 Sri Lankan ruppees ($A3) gets you through the toll gates and then it is one hour of the smoothest driving I've experienced in this part of the world.
In Thalpe we checked into Apa Villa and couldn't have been happier with it. We had Saffron Suite 7 and it was perfect for us who were travelling with a toddler. There was a bedroom, bathroom, sitting room and covered deck, where we ate breakfast, dinner, enjoyed the view and hunted for hermit crabs. It was super chilled at Apa, they had a beautiful pool right on the ocean and lovely staff. You couldn't swim in the ocean, as it was very rocky and rough, but I loved just looking at it and breathing in the fresh ocean air.
I have been to Sri Lanka before and remember then being surprised about how different it was to India - so close yet so far. A lot less people, a lovely sea breeze and supermarkets with aisles are my main take-aways from Colombo. I fell in love with Paradise Road, a homewares store with beautiful crockery, pottery and tableware. I bought a teapot, milk jug, serving platters and some linen - all really lovely and nowhere near the price of Oz. A trip back may be necessary to stock up on more plates and things......
Next stop was Thalpe. We took the new highway from Colombo to Galle - WOW. It is amazing, about six months old and smooth as silk to drive on. 400 Sri Lankan ruppees ($A3) gets you through the toll gates and then it is one hour of the smoothest driving I've experienced in this part of the world.
In Thalpe we checked into Apa Villa and couldn't have been happier with it. We had Saffron Suite 7 and it was perfect for us who were travelling with a toddler. There was a bedroom, bathroom, sitting room and covered deck, where we ate breakfast, dinner, enjoyed the view and hunted for hermit crabs. It was super chilled at Apa, they had a beautiful pool right on the ocean and lovely staff. You couldn't swim in the ocean, as it was very rocky and rough, but I loved just looking at it and breathing in the fresh ocean air.
In addition to just chilling at our villa, reading books and eating seafood, we had a couple of trips into Galle Fort and checked out some shops and eateries. We had a great lunch at the Galle Fort Hotel, bought some cool replica Air Ceylon pictures and checked out the lighthouse. It is a cute old town and lots of shops to look through and spend a few dollars at.
We also visited Apa's sister property in the countryside. This is a stunning garden setting and very relaxing. The head gardener showed us all around and we tried to spot an elusive monkey - without any luck.
Other than that we did very little - we swam, slept and chilled. Even our toddler got swept up in the relaxed vibe and had a good sleep in every morning!
We'll be back ........
