Rebecca experiences a Sri Lanka and Maldives Multi Centre
Sri Lanka and Maldives are the perfect combination of culture and secluded island living. In fact, a Sri Lanka and Maldives Multi Centre is one of our most beloved honeymoon destinations to twin with each other. Most of our couples tend to fall in love with Sri Lanka’s abundant wildlife and World Heritage Sites, before jetting off to a paradise isle with palm fringe beaches, exquisite dining options and laid back ambience. Our travel advisor Rebecca visited a collection of luxurious hotels in Sri Lanka and Maldives with Kuoni to help you decide where to stay on your honeymoon!
What to do in Sri Lanka
“Sri Lanka is rich in culture, with Buddhist structures and temples dotted around the Island. The ancient city of Sigiriya is the place to go for incredible historical sights, below you can see the anicent sights of Dambulla situated in central Sri Lanka”
“Sigiriya Rock is a truly incredible landmark, it takes around 1202 steps to reach the top, but if you can’t make it all the way to the top, the views are still absolutely incredible half way up!”
“Heritance Kandalama is set admist the jungle, which homes a variety of wildlife, we were lucky enough to see a herd of elephants during a walk.”
Where to stay in Sri Lanka
Ulagalla resort
“Ulagalla is very romantic & accommodation is designed for privacy, which is perfect for honeymooners. Rooms included a private plunge pool, very large bedroom and living areas with high ceilings. Due to the resort’s isolated nature, I would recommend this for clients wanting to get away from it and have a peaceful retreat (4 hours from the airport), however you can take part in activities like horse riding and jungle kayaking. We had a meal in the middle of the jungle area which was fab, (this would be an additional private dining experience for guests) breakfast was delicious, with great choice of hot and cold foods and the smoothies were yummy!”
Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana
“Cinnamon Lodge Habarana has more of a resort feel to it, and is in great location for exploring the sites, such as Minnereya National Park (we saw elephants, buffalos and monkeys), Sigiriya Rock boasts amazing views from the top, it took 1202 steps to reach the top! There is great choice of food in the buffet restaurant – they had a separate room just for desserts – I was in heaven! Lots of couples having private dining experiences round the pools and different areas of the hotel proved to be a popular choice of dining. Rooms are designed in blocks and I was situated on the upper floor. My room was designed with black, white and orange decor. Deluxe Suites sleep up to 5 guests, with a lounge and an upstairs area, making this great for families. I’d say Cinnamon Lodge is a great 4* resort and ticks the boxes for most clients. We also saw some monkeys just casually chilling by the reception on the morning we left.”
Heritance Kandalama
“Heritance Kandalama looks great from the moment you arrive, you can tell its a 5*. The hotels unique in the way it’s built into the rock face. Over 1km long from side to side so more of a larger hotel. We had a lovely meal in the buffet restaurant and the décor is lovely with gold and black features. We saw some baby bats flying above us outside the bar entrance which was an intriguing encounter! The pool areas were fab and offered beautiful views of lakes and grass areas, in the distance you could see Sigiriya, which as a majestic sight. I stayed in a Luxury Room, which was lovely, nice and spacious; the bathroom was great and views of rock face and trees added to the tranquil ambience. Deluxe rooms are the same room but include a Jacuzzi in bathroom and have views over the lake and Sigiriya. The only downfall are the monkeys, one of the other girls opened her balcony for 2 minutes and 6 monkeys ran in grabbed her fruit bowl and ran off!! I would advise guests travelling to be aware of leaving things lying around.”
Jetwing Sea
“Jetwing Sea is a beach hotel and serves as a great base for a night or two before going back to the airport as it is located less than an hour away. We stayed in a Deluxe Room on the ground floor, which allowed us direct beach access; we saw the most amazing sunset on the beach too! Rooms were large and vibrantly furnished. The hotels location is moments away from a choice of shops, bars and restaurants in Negombo, with a more touristy atmosphere. At each hotel in Sri Lanka we were welcomed with a cold towel, welcome drink and we all lit a candle as a way of them welcoming us, which was really lovely. All staff and Sri Lankans in general would always say’ Ayubowan’ when we met them which means have a long life.”
Things to do in Maldives
“Before you even get on dry land, you can enjoy the most incredible views of the Indian Ocean with glimpses of the Maldivian islets”
“Below is the seaplane transfer from Maafushivaru back to Male airport, the views are just as incredible!”
“Snorkeling and diving is a must-do while in the Maldives – although, you don’t have to dip into the waters to see the incredible marine life that comes to the island daily.”
“The food at Kandolhu Island Resort was out of this world, their menu took on classic dishes with a fine dining touch.”
Where to stay in the Maldives
Kurumba
“We had a lovely 10 minute speedboat ride from Male airport to Kurumba, on arrival we were greeted with a lovely coconut sorbet. Kurumba is fab for foodies and families as there is lots of things going on for children, such as kids clubs, playground area and outdoor splash park. As Kurumba is so close to the airport you can unfortunately see Male from a few of the restaurants and reception so that was one of the only downfalls for me, didn’t have the whole private island feel that I would expect from the Maldives. We had a fab cocktail drinks reception and got to mingle with some of the other guests and I also had a cheeky 15-minute neck and shoulder massage! We then had a gorgeous meal at the Thila restaurant, food was fab and service from staff was great. We stayed in a Deluxe bungalow so we could walk straight out onto the beach and we were in the best location for sunsets. The rooms were really spacious the décor was lovely! Bathrooms were huge too.”
Kuramathi
“On the day we went to Kuramathi the weather changed and it was very windy and rainy, we had a 1 hour 30 minutes boat ride from Male airport to Kuramathi. We were staying in the two bedroom beach houses so only 2 of us in each room so we actually had a floor each. I was upstairs so had my own bathroom and balcony, which was great. I really liked the modern white décor with spots of purples, blues and yellows featured in cushions and furnishings. The rooms are very separate; it felt like having 2 complete separate rooms. The stairs in between the rooms do not look as finished due to no wall art, or stylish lighting features, so this felt as though this could be worked on a little, but overall the rooms were great in size and perfect for families or couples travelling together. I took a peek at the Sunset pool Villa, they are located at the newer top part of the island, offering plenty of space and the rooms overlooked the stunning Sandbank. We ate in the Buffet restaurant Farivalhu, which had a great choice of food, lovely décor and views overlooking the ocean. We ate in the Palm A la Carte Mediterranean restaurant for our evening meal, which was delicious with excellent service. After dinner, we went down to Fung bar and there was a live band (it was the best live band I’ve ever seen), great atmosphere, with guests getting up to dance and have a really good time. Even though Kuramathi is a large island, it certainly ticks a lot of boxes, which makes it really popular choice among our customers.”
Kandolhu
“From Kuramathi, we took a 45-minute boat ride to Kandolhu (calm waters this time). Kandolhu is the ultimate luxury island with personal service. We were lucky enough to look around the Ocean Pool Villas, which are stunning! Kandolhu really offers the complete luxury package for clients. We were provided with 2 Jacuzzi Beach Villas to use whilst we were there, on the bed there was a beach bag with towels, bat and balls, silver drinks flask and water guns (cool idea). Some of the group went snorkeling and some of us stayed and chilled out on the beach in front of our room. We then had a meal in Olive which is an upstairs restaurant with lovely views of the ocean, I had fish and chips which was amazing and presentation was fab, wrapped up in a newspaper, which was all about the Maldives.”
Maafushivaru
“Maafushivaru is suitable for couples who don’t really want too much going on and want a more chilled out feel. There is a private island which takes about 5 minutes to get to via boat, this was unique in the fact that clients can pre-book to have exclusive use of the island to have a massage, a meal or even stay overnight in the room which has its own massive Jacuzzi. Michelle Keegan and Mark wright had most of their OK magazine shots taken over there. We had a beach Villa, which was good sized, although the bathroom was a bit of squeeze as they had used most room for the outdoor shower area. The patio area was lovely with a big day bed that you could chill out on. Maafushivaru does have limited dining choices compared with other islands, with 1 main buffet and 1 Teppanyaki restaurant (not included in all inclusive). Maafushivaru is a wonderful island for guests looking to stay for a short duration.”
Inspired by Rebecca’s trip to Sri Lanka and Maldives? Why not contact us today and start planning your amazing honeymoon!