Reviews & Feedback
"From the moment I thought of going to Sri Lanka, Experience Travel were the obvious choice. They know the country better than anyone and all their suggestions were spot on. It was a really well-thought-out itinerary with some great, undiscovered places to stay and a friendly, knowledgeable driver. I'd happily recommend them to anyone."
Carole Cadwalladr.
Journalist - The Observer and The Financial Times. March 2012.
For independent reviews of Experience Travel's service please read the reviews on our alliance website here:
Or read extracts from recent comments from our feedback surveys:
Hotels selected were great. Everything was efficient. All drivers were right on time and everything was in complete order. Destination was beautiful.
Ken, March, 2012
Experience Travel provide a wonderful service, friendly, knowledgeable, efficient. They have set up an adaptable and well researched scheme, sourced very comfortable and interesting accommodation,provided a well thought out and fascinating itinerary. Our time in Sri Lanka was a delight in all ways, thanks to them.
Judith, Feb 2012
The whole experience was extremely enjoyable and very interesting and I would not hesitate to recommend our travel company, Experience Travel to anyone planning to take a trip there.
Maggie, Feb 2012
Jan, 2012
Wonderful vibrant experience. Advice and and booking by Experience Travel was faultless.
Laurence Harvey
Jan 2012
We were very lucky on our trip. We booked it a week before departing but everything seemed to work out ok bar one minor mishap.
Private driver was fantastic - very highly rated. (Mohammed, Mount Lavinia).
Sights were astounding - I never thought that Sri Lanka had such a colourful and diverse history and culture.
Food was brilliant - we have already tried to make our own Rice and Curry.
Dominic
Nov, 2011
Totally fantastic trip to Sri Lanka. Strongly recommend that Experience Travel is used to arrange accommodation and tours. Will be going back and using the Experievce Travel team again to organise my travel requirements.
Andrew
November, 2011
We have just returned from the holiday of a lifetime in Sri Lanka.
I would highly recommend Experience travel. The package they put together for us was varied and just what we wanted.
We expereienced some incredible sights, Dambulla caves been the highlight,the culture was amazing and the friendliness of everyone was wonderful.
Our Driver Sudi was brilliant, very informative about Sri lankas, culture, plant, birds and wildlife. he went out of his was to make the holiday something to remember. nothing was too much trouble, we felt we were treated like royalty.
Caroline
WOW! We have had the most amazing holiday!
Thank you so much for making all the arrangements, everything was perfect and ran like clockwork. We have had so many first time experiences, including being cornered by several elephants intent on finding the bananas we had bought for them! Our white linen blouses covered in goo, our driver then decided to take us to a gem shop, I dread to think what the staff thought of us, but it was so funny!
We managed to get to the top of Sigirya, and the train from Kandy to Hatton was an experience not to be missed.
All the hotels had the 'wow' factor, the staff were fantastic, so friendly and attentive, nothing was too much trouble, and the food was wonderful so we have all overindulged I'm afraid.
And the icing on the cake, we were offered a free upgrade to business class on our return from Colombo to Dubai !
I foolishly left a wallet containing our passports and currency in the taxi on the first transfer, but literally within 30 minutes of contacting your emergency helpline it was sorted and returned.
It has been a first for us moving from one hotel to another, we usually either cruise or head to a beach destination, but we have thoroughly enjoyed it so we hope to contact you soon for our next adventure.
John Norman
Just a quick line to say a big 'thank you' for all your work in putting our trip to Sri Lanka together. Everything worked exactly as it should have - even the train from Kandy to Hatton was on time!
Our driver for the main part of the trip was excellent. His car was like a mobile library with books and leaflets on the sights we were seeing as well Sri Lankan culture and wildlife. A real plus for us was that he is an avid birdwatcher and pointed out and identified many birds. He even gave us a checklist so we could tick off ones we had seen!
We were also pleased with the accomodation, especially the Norwoood bungalow. The service here was superb and the surroundings magical. This really is a special place.
We're now trying to work out when we can make another trip although it won't be until next year at the earliest. I'll be in touch again when we are ready to plan something.
Once again, thank you so much!
Andrea Brittan
Thanks for all your help - the honeymoon was fantastic! Our driver, Hanif, was excellent and very helpful.
All the hotels gave us room upgrades for our honeymoon, which was much appreciated (in fact we spent the whole of our time in the Maldives in a water villa!). All the hotels were very good but Warwick Gardens was fantastic - the best hotel we've ever stayed at.
Jane
Firstly, thank you so much for altering our arrangements so often and providing so much good advice. I don't think we would have changed anything- apart from the room at Nilavelli!
The Wallawwa is a real find. We loved it, and would think that anyone who has the time and who gets in to Sri Lanka after mid afternoon should stay for 2 nights before travelling on, as they can then make use of the facilities.
Chayya Village is very well situated. The food is exceptional for catering on such a large scale and the rooms are quite adequate. We altered our itinerary so that we visited just one of the sights each day (and early- we set off for Sigiriya at 7am and as we met crowds climbing up as we went down, were very pleased that we'd done that!) and were back at the Hotel by lunch time. Most people staying there are on coach tours and stay only 2 nights. Whistle stop and very tiring in that heat, I'd think.
Nilavelli is a beautiful place. The beach is wonderful, the pool is big and well maintained, and again (apart from breakfast) the food is really good. All of these places really try with the presentation of the food. The Beach Resort is obviously in the middle of a transformation. You know about the rooms! A lot of the furniture around the hotel is newish, and a lot of it desperately needs renewing. I do hope that they make a success of it as they've obviously done really well to stay open during the troubles. Our driver told us that he'd taken a trip further along the coast whilst we were there and that there are half a dozen other hotels and complexes under construction, so there will be competition!
And the driver was very good. We felt safe with him. And that's saying something on Sri Lanka's roads.
On our journey back to Wallawwa we encountered severe flooding. Murali took a side road (more like a track, just as wide as the car and totally unmade) to try to avoid it. We had a hair raising drive during which I think he was really quite scared- driving very close to oncoming vehicles, with a drop into the water on the other side. He did really well. We did encounter another flood on the track, where the water was still rising, and I think that after another few minutes that will also have been impassable. So if you could pass on our thanks again to him via your Colombo office I'd be grateful.
Gill Riley
Thank you for the part you played in organising the trip of a lifetime. We had an incredible holiday in this beautiful country.
The Mudhouse was great. We were looked after so well, particular mention to Douglas who would appear early morning with a delicious pot of Ceylon tea. We will always remember his early morning nature walk. We had some fabulous food - loved the cashew nut curry!
The Cinnamon Lodge was just beautiful, the gardens, the monkeys and the serenity of the whole place. A well appreciated 3 days of luxury. Loved the ancient cities and climbed to the top of the Lion Rock. Saw hundreds of elephants at Minneriya park.
Villa Rosa, a haven of peace high above the river in Kandy. Enjoyed the temple in Kandy and actually managed to see the Tooth Relic casket. We took the very interesting train journey from Kandy to Haputale. Really enjoyed seeing the small towns and the beautiful scenery.
Aerie Cottage, Kelburne mountain view was just heaven! A lovely welcome by the staff. We walked through the immaculately kept gardens to the patio overlooking the mountain. The view was just breathtaking! Loved the cottage and Ravi,who looked after us so well, was a gem!
Beautiful drive through Ella Gap to Hibiscus Hotel and a great safari in Yala National Park. Saw lots of animals including a leopard and were within 10 feet away from a huge bull elephant.
We had five lovely restful days at APA Villa. The hotel is beautiful, the food was delicious and the service was excellent.
On to Galle Fort Hotel - just loved it! The best beds in Sri Lanka with immaculately laundered bedding. Lovely pool and again, delicious food. Really interesting town with lots to see.
Our last stop Colombo and the Galle Face Hotel. Memories of sitting by the ocean in the evening with a G&T watching the waves crashing under the lights from the hotel.
Last but not least our driver and guide Muralie. He was excellent - friendly and very knowledgeable about both ancient history and modern Sri Lanka. He tweaked the itinerary to include lots of other interesting experiences - The Tea Factory at Dambatenne, wood carving, rice processing, making terracotta pots, the train drive from Kandy and many short impromptu stops to see temples and other places of interest. Most importantly he managed to find the the Tea Plantation bungalow near Matale, where my husbands mother was born and lived until a teenager. The Superintendent who lives there now, allowed us to look around the gardens and to go inside the bungalow. It was a very emotional experience and we were grateful to Muralie for taking us there.
Well, what more can I say? The whole experience was fabulous and we have very special memories (and photographs) of our wonderful holiday. The weather was very kind to us only 2 days of rain and a lot or very warm sunshine!
Thank your for your help in arranging the itinerary. I will definitely recommend Experience Travel Group to my friends.
Val and Bob Perry
Claude our guide really became part of our family and a really important part of our holiday. He was always cheerful,calm and prompt. We all loved him and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.
Foggo Family
Our guide Ranjith was exceptional. He was polite ,courteous and went out of his way to ensure our every need was met. We could not have asked for any more. He made sure we had a clear idea of the days activities, the van was kept really clean and he made sure we got the very best from our experiences
All of the events we experienced were different but fantastic. We particularly enjoyed the elephant ride and the elephant safari at Minyerna. The Perahera at Kandy was fantastic ( we did end up at pizza Hut not Queens Hotel!!) Dambulla cave temple was our favourite on the cultural part of our tour.
We had a fantastic time.
White Family
Dear Nick
We had a fantastic holiday! The Victoria was wonderful and the Kulu
Safari was amazing. The drivers were excellent especially considering
the very heavy traffic around Colombo. Thanks for all your help in
organising the trip. Most amazing of all was that the flight left
inspite of the snow.
Jewell, Dec 2010
just wanted to pop a quick email to yourself and say a BIG thank you for the Honeymoon - which you arranged for me and my wife.
We had a trip of a lifetime and the experiences in Sri Lanka and The Maldives, won't be forgotten.
Maldives was particuarly exceptional as we got an Upgrade to the Jacuzzi Water Villa's at Komandoo Paradise Island on only our 2nd day at Meeru, and we liked it so much we extended our stay til the end - the Seaplane transfer was an experience on its own!Thank you so much for arranging such a truly wonderful holiday.
Krishan Novermber 2009
Apart from the transport thing at the beginning, the holiday could not be faulted. The story of the villas at Southpoint, the villas, the setting, the staff, the food, the dogs, the pools, the view.
Just superb. I could ramble on forever. We loved visiting Galle, and loved Galle fort. We also enjoyed all the trips from the villas.
Chauminda, was an amazing driver for the second part of our trip, he was charming and very relaxed. He took us to a variety of places all of which were of enormous interest. The route planning was great, sometimes long periods of being in the people carrier, but all well worth it.
We loved Hapetaele and the bungalow, the amazing breakfasts on top of the world, and above the clouds, amazing views too. Chaaya village, a very good choice , all trips stunning, including the elephant ride, and Sigoriya. Incredible.
I have recommended experience travel to many people.
Anna and family August 2009
This is just a short note to thank you at Experience Travel for the holiday in Sri Lanka that exceeded our expectations. All the arrangements went according to plan; but a special note should be made of Samantha our driver and guide who was quite exceptional and made our stay all the more enjoyable and for providing a 5 star service.
Parker family 07th Aug 09
I have so many wonderful memories of this place that was my first home. How lucky was I to come into the world in such a wonderful part of the world...
Special thanks to you for arranging such a brilliant trip; to Ranjith who was an excellent driver and very good company besides (as well as a good cook!); to Anoja, Ranjith's delightful wife, for taking Ray and I into the family home and who cooked for us at very short notice (from Ranjith!); to Eddie - a most excellent guide, and to Somisilli and his staff at Castlereagh.
We just wanted to send a quick email to say thank you for your help in organising a truly fantastic holiday. We had a wonderful time exploring Sri Lanka, and felt truly blessed to see a side of the island that many people do not get the opportunity to see.
Elizabeth and Ray June 2009 (special thanks for such a detail report - please ask if you want to hear more!)
Our guide, Haniffa, was brilliant, very friendly, and took us to lots of additional places that were very interesting, and we would highly recommend that you continue to use him as a guide in the future.
Thanks once again for the excellent service - we will definitely be recommending you to our friends, and may well book a Thailand trip with you in the future!
Ben and Emma June 2009
just got back from holiday in sri lanka-
just thought i would say a big thank-you for your input.
we had a fantastic time at both resorts
kumar and molhi were brilliant at the mudhouse food fantastic and could have stayed for longer
the team at Alankuda beach were also very good-
be putting feed back onto trip advisor soon
any suggestions for our next hols in sept/oct
Mandie April 09
Just wanted to say we had a fantastic honeymoon!
In the end Taru / Taprobana were very respectful of our privacy and looked after us exceptionally well - we were so impressed. This hotel's service is exceptional and perfect for a romantic hideaway.
The Cinammon Lodge is amazing and our resort in the Maldives was lovely. We definitely stayed at the right end of the island.
Our driver was very professional, reliable and experienced though seemed rather moody on our last transfer to Bentota. We were worried we'd upset him or maybe he didn't like Bentota! All your arrangements though were perfect.
We're now trying to work out how we can afford a week in Vietnam or Cambodia for a holiday in September!
Sarah and Ollie, April 09
Hi Sam!
The holiday was lovely and despite my slight vertigo I did Sigiriya and am so pleased I did! We have done lots of travelling and for me this place is magical! We both really enjoyed the cultural triangle and the caves at Dambulla.
Horothapola was a lovely place to stay and start, you really feel as though you are in someone’s home and Joseph looked after us well. Cinnamon lodge was good, both staff and food but in a different bracket when the Ukrainian tours arrived!
Tea Trails lived up to our expectations we really enjoyed the change of scenery and the cooler weather.
Aditya was lovely and a great way to chill for the last few days. Galle seemed very quiet and the atmosphere a little depressed prob due to the lack of tourism. Anyway I was glad not to have stayed there.
In all we really did enjoy ourselves and driving around you do get a flavour of the place and what is going on. It is a lovely country and we do hope the political situation gets resolved, the people really need more tourists. We felt perfectly safe there.
Randjit our driver was also quite a character which greatly added to the experience!
Many, many thanks for your organisation,
Sally and Mike March 08
Just a note to thank you for organising a fantastic holiday in Sri Lanka for us. All the accomodation and locations were great, in particular the Sanda Kirana, where the staff were all excellent, friendly and most helpful. In particular, our guide Jayantha was great, friendly, helpful and most knowledgeable, the best we've ever had..
Tony, March 09
Just thought i'd say we had a fantastic honeymoon and can honestly say the 5 days in Sri Lanka were some of the best days we've had on holiday. We'll definitely be keen on exploring Sri Lanka again. Thanks for everything.
Warren & Gemma Jan 09'
A superb honeymoon to Sri Lanka, Exp S L provided excellent advice and assistance before and during our holiday. We stayed at amazing luxurious hotels and experienced a level of service from Exp S L, both before travel and in country which complemented this. Thank you all very much"
Mr and Mrs M, Surrey. September 2008.
Thank you so much for organising our trip to Sri Lanka. It really was exceptional. All the transport was in the right place at the right time and the accommodation was much better than I could have ever found by myself. The Park Street Hotel in Colombo was like a little oasis and a perfect place to de- jetlag. Many thanks for all your information and help
Best regards
Sasha (August 08)
A belated thank you for all the time and effort you put into our organizing our honeymoon. Was truly amazing and accomodation, staff, drivers (Siri) and level of service wonderful throughout.
Coconut Villa was superb, and very special. Mudhouse was excellent and a wonderful guide took us out and about - a great couple of days.
Wish we had spend longer in Kelburne Bungalow -
breathtaking. Lansiya very special - Arul and his family excellent and beaches beautiful.
Aditya was very special and got upgraded to a seaview room - food etc top class.
Thanks once again for all your help - we have
recommended you to many friends already.
Christian and Jiwon Aug 2008
I just wanted to let you know that we had an absolutely fantastic holiday in Sri Lanka. From the moment that we left Manchester everything ran like clockwork: we were met by a really friendly taxi driver at Colombo who took us to our first hotel (the Horathapola) which was most definitely our favourite. Our driver / guide Mahesh was superb - really knowledgeable and extremely protective.All of the hotels were excellent and quite different from each other which was nice. We lived on rice & curry for most of the first week (by choice) but it was easy to order alternative food if we so wished.
So I would like to say a big thank you for organising such a memorable trip. Sri Lanka is a fascinating country and hopefully the tourist industry will pick up quickly after the recent problems. We felt perfectly safe at all times in all of the places that we visited and would highly recommend it for anyone to visit.
Nicki and Dawn, August 2008
Just a quick email to say how much we enjoyed our trip and our stay in the Villa Sanda Kirana and how rare it is to have a holiday that exceeds all expectations the Villa and staff were wonderful and made our stay very special.
Thank you for your help
Regards
Justin April 2008
We wanted to write and thank you for your patience and encouragement in helping us plan and organise our trip to Sri Lanka. Despite all the security worries and concerns before we left, we actually felt safer than being in London. The warmth of the welcome given to us by the Sri Lankans was overwhelming and made up for the potholes in the roads, the long journeys between our five destinations and the early arrival of the monsoon season!
The coconut plantation was the perfect place to unwind after the flight. The cultural triangle was tiring but worthwhile as some of the sights are quite spectacular. We also loved seeing so many birds and wildlife in their natural habitat. We were sorry there were so few people there and sad the hotels were so empty. Kandy House was a good stopover and has a beautiful pool but our favourite destination was our stay at Tea Trails where the staff worked so hard to try and help us in every possible way and we completely relaxed in beautiful scenery. We loved the tour of the tea plantation and factory with our guide Andrew Taylor, who is descended from James Taylor who introduced tea to Sri Lanka.
Our final stop was at Aditya just west of Galle and a lovely hotel to end our holiday. The sea was too rough to swim in but our own plunge pool overlooking the sea and the hotel swimming pool made up for it. Again the staff were caring and professional and really looked after us and the food was delicious. Last but not least our driver Wilhelm was very friendly and knowledgeable and most of all an excellent driver - definitely a plus on Sri Lankan roads.
Thank you Sam for helping us plan an exciting and well balanced trip. We are encouraging our friends to visit this beautiful country - with the help of 'Experience Sri Lanka' of course!
Angela and Philip April 2008
we had the most incredible and extraordinary time, thank you so much for organising it. The first place we stayed, the coconut estate, was sort of beyond belief: incredibly magical, peaceful, brilliant food, best room we stayed in all trip I think. I can’t think of anything to fault it. Vil Ulaya was, as you said, something special – the architecture was amazing, and it was a great place to explore that region from. I can’t say I whole-heartedly loved it though, perhaps because it’s very new, or part of a big chain, it felt a tiny bit soulless – though the staff were great and friendly. I’m glad we stayed in those though – was great to have a private plunge pool. Kandy house was lovely too, though – and perhaps this is just in comparison to the acres of space we had at the first two hotels – the room was a little small. can’t really complain though. Aditya was again totally extraordinary – the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen or stayed in, we both absolutely loved it, and the amazing sri lankan breakfasts! room was gorgeous, pool and beach were beautiful, staff were great. and then the galle face – it was sort of brilliant in its awfulness – completely faulty towers: dreadful food, mad room that looked as if it hadn’t been touched since 1937, very rude staff, I’ve never been anywhere like that, but I’m really glad we went, it had its own special and peculiar charm!
anyway, I sound like I’m being picky, I’m not, honestly – it really was the most wonderful and unforgettable holiday. Oh, and Lalit, our driver, was great – we loved him. so, thanks again, I think our only regret is that we couldn’t stay at kandalama, but we will next time.
Beth Coates and Oliver Montfortbebb Feb 08
Just thought you would like some feed back.
Flights with sri lanka air were good and on time. Good idea flying mid week as neither flight was full and we were able to spread out.
Ranwalli Eco Lodge our first stop was wonderful. The only problem was that we were not staying longer. I would definately use it again.
After that our itinery changed due to the problems and you threw in a surprise stay at the Mud House. We have to admit to being slightly surprised when we eventually got there-However once we got over the initial shock and settled in we really enjoyed our stay. Kumar, the owner, was charming. The food fantastic and we had the best 2 nights sleep we have ever had.
The hotel at Habarana was excellent and our driver was a very pleasant elderly gentleman who showed us all the cultural sights without too much waffle-which suited us.
Kandy-the hotel was more than adequate for a town. Loved the monkeys. Bit dissapointed you didnt include the elephant orphanage as we missed the elephants in the national park, but it leaves us something to go back for.
Thanks again. Yvonne and Keith Ford Feb 2008
Visited Ranweli (good) and the Mudhouse (superb). Thanks very much for the introduction to it. I will be back to Sri LAnka (via ExperienceSriLanka)
as soon as I can afford it.
Best wishes Anne Lonsdale - Nov 2007
A BIG thank you for organising our honeymoon.
The itinerary you arranged offered a healthy mix of town and country and the choice of hotels was excellent.
Despite a dubious start (courtesy of an unscheduled collision, on taxi, with a BA 747!) we were soon able to relax into what became a memorable occasion.
Sri Lanka is South Asia's hidden gem. I cannot think of another country which offers such a diversity in its scenery. Food was sublime and the Sri Lankan's friendly demeanour counts for a lot!
Pick of the trip - I would have to say the Tea Trails and the wonderful Castlereagh bungalow. Pure luxury.
Thank you all very much.
Here's to another trip......!!!
Matt and Andrea Walton, Greenwich, London. Oct 07
We just wanted to say thank you for organising such a wonderful holiday for us. We thought the hotel was amazing (Aditya), fantastic service, lovely people, delicious cuisine, everything went according to plan and we felt like we didn't have to worry about a thing.
Thanks again
Polly & Howard Barnard (October 2007)
I've already sent you a couple of photos but just wanted to say thank you for the great itinerary you planned for us - it worked a treat. you seemed to be on exactly the same wavelength as us and gave us a great insight into the real Sri Lanka both people and wildlife. There was also enough luxury sprinkled around to let us recharge our batteries for the next adventure!! We now share your enthusiasm for the country and in particular the fantastic welcoming people.
The quality of our experience was greatly enhamced by having Sidantha 'Sid' as our guide for 5 days. What a fascinating guy and a real star. He has a real commitment to showing visitors the real Sri Lanka and gently encouraged us to sample a very different cultural triangle experience which included Sigiriya and Minnierya but also bullock cart rides, night safari by tractor, eating with the villagers at their house and sampling road side tea shops and food. It became the highlight of our trip. His trip to the Abode was also outstanding - really priviledged to see Village life at close hand.
Mudhouse and Kumar - brill - loads to do swimming in tanks, picnics, temples and great food including BBQ fish for their first time.
All in all a fantastic holiday and thanks again for your help
Diane and Yvonne August 2007
Back home again after a memorable holiday in Sri Lanka.Thanks for organising everything.The accomodation was everything we could have wanted and Ajita de Costa from Netherbyres was fantastically helpful in contacting the local tea guru who arranged for us to see the factory and bungalow at Dambatenne where Bridget was born.
Please pass our thanks to Ranjith,who was good company throughout our trip, sharing with us his knowledge of and enthusiasm for Sri Lanka.
Allan and Bridget, April 07
Hi there!
I just thought I’d offer you another review if you wanted to post on your site. My friend Sabrina and I stayed at the end of January.
I can not recommend this pllace (Treetops), this experience, enough. I loved every minute – it was simply perfect. I still think about my days at the Jungle Lodge a lot…remember the animals… the amazing food (and I have tried several Sri Lankan restaurants upon my return to London, but it just doesn’t taste the same)…the stars at night…the elephants, the birds…the long walks. The funny toilet ;-) It’s truly a special place. I felt like a kid again for a few days. Carefree and so close to nature.
Best wishes
Rilana, March 07
Just return to UK and thought I would let you know that the bungalow at Kikili Beach was as good, if not better, than the details on your web site.
The property and location were perfect but the main plus was the "Houseboy" who looked after me like a king.
I certainly hope to visit again (and maybe stay for longer as I am looking at the possibility of buying some land or a property in the area)
Kind regards
Peter Corbett, March 07
Thank you for arranging an excellent holiday, one of our best ever. We loved the country, the people and the food.
All your arrangements went well and we enjoyed Ranjith's company as driver and guide. Of course there were a few things that could be improved upon which I list below for your information and to help others. Do NOT take them as criticisms - they are intended to help!
Horathapola was just perfect as a place to unwind. Could not be better and 2 nights just right. Kandalama comfortable with excellent service and food but getting a bit "tired" (masking tape holding the bathroom window together!). Also our room faced the hillside with no view - we should have asked for a lake facing room. The "jungle walk" is not worth doing (we saw neither bird nor beast) but the early morning boat ride is excellent for bird watching or just being out in the open air and having a cooling ride on the breeze.
Tea Trails was excellent in every respect.Galle Fort was good too. Galle Face much as we expected. Our room not ready on arrival but they upgraded us to a suite. Run down now and probably not a repeat visit for us. We hope to go back before too long and would gladly use your services again.
Regards,
Sir Charles, Feb 07
Hi Sam
We had a fantastic holiday in Sri Lanka. All the hotels were superb. (Even the food at Villa Rosa was good!!). Especially good were Horathapola and Club Villa. I could go to Club Villa for a fortnight and not leave the hotel grounds save for a walk on the beach. It was the perfect end to a great holiday. We loved the country too. So much flora and fauna not to forget the history and stuff. We would love to go again one day and do the tea trails and other stuff we 'missed'.
One other thing, in Kandy, lovely as Villa Rosa is, the terrible state of the road to it means that it's not really on to go eat in town in the evening. I would have sacrificed the view to be in town. Anyway, I don't want to complain. It was a great holiday and I thank you for organising it for us.
Regards
Simon, Feb 07
Just wanted to thank you and let you know that we had a fantastic holiday,think you will hearing from us again!!. You did a great job and we loved Horathapola. Sadly had an awful flight, delayed in Heathrow for 30 hours so very sadly missed a day and 1/2 there. Pia looked after us brilliantly and the children loved it, such a great place to unwind and we saw so much.
The Maldives was fantastic, quite a hike to get to but worth it, so private,loads of space and a brilliant lagoon to swim in by our villa and fantastic snorkelling the other side. We were looked after by Manjit who was from India, so thoughtful, low key and kind. Were fantastically lucky to come across 3 manta rays that we all swam with for 20 mins. If you want to know any more about it, photos etc let me know. Thank you again for all your help and patience ( I recommended you to someone on the plane!)
Many many thanks
Elizabeth, Feb 07
happy new year!
Thank you very much indeed for the fantastic trip you put together for Anna and I over the New Year. All three stops were spot on and TreeTops in particular was a wonderful
experience.
We'll be recommending the country and your company to all nearest and dearest.
Regards,
Mike Stacey, Jan 07
I just wanted to email to say a massive thank you for the amazing and wonderful honeymoon you organised for us. I know Marc called your office when we got back to say thanks, but just in case you never got the message i just wanted to say it again.
The whole experience was truly fabulous. All the transport and arrangements worked like clockwork, and everyone we came into contact with were helpful and kind.
The hotels in Sri Lanka surpassed my expectations and we totally fell in love with the country and will definitely return.
We really did have the most magical and special trip of our lives and I really want to thank you again for all your organisation.
We hope to use your company again in the future and will definitely recommend you to our friends.
Kind regards,
Laura Jackson Jan 07
I just wanted to thank you for recommending the villa in Mirissa (Mirrisa Hills). We had a wonderful time and it suited our needs perfectly. The place is a wonderful combination of luxury and simplicity, beautiful without being fussy - and the views are astonishing, aren't they?!
We're all keen to return as soon as possible so fingers crossed!
Thanks again, Belinda. (Jan 07)
Hi Sam,
The short version is: We had an absolutely fantastic time and enjoyed (almost) every minute of it.
…Kandalama - you had said this is a "personal favourite" of yours, so there's probably little need to explain why we wholeheartedly agree. The setting is simply unbeatable - a pool with eagles soaring overhead...
Helga's Folly met our expectations spot on. What a lovely degree of excentricity!
Next day into the mountains via Mackwoods tea estate and through Nuwara-Elyia to Netherbyres, where we were indeed the only guests. What a sweet place!
cheers and all the best
Peter & Sally
Well, what can I say! It was awesome! We had the best time and fell in love with Sri Lanka! The Maldives were also lovely but we both felt 5 days was enough even with the diving! We ended up doing our PADI in the end which was quite an achievement for someone who doesn’t or didn’t, like fish!
Ranjith was a really lovely guide, so knowledgeable and passionate about his country, the scenery was breathtaking, the Mud House and hotels were perfect for what we wanted and of course, curry at least twice a day is always good!
The itinerary that you put together suited us totally and I can safely say it was the best holiday either of us have had … so far!!!
Thank you for everything you did and we will definitely be in touch for our return visit!
All the best,
Anna & Nick Kerridge
Nov 06
Nathan and I had an amazing holiday one which we will cherish for a very very long time. I loved the fact that all but one hotel was boutique style and just perfect. We were there as you know for 2 weeks, but our holiday felt more like a 3-4 week break.
Personally my favourite place was the Tea Trails and the Castlereagh Bungalow - it was just divine it was so green and so picturesque - stunning. The staff there were just wonderful so friendly and couldn't do enough for us - they made us feel right at home the minute we arrived. I think that is what I found so special about all the small boutique style places you felt like you knew the people and had visited before they made us feel so welcome.
Lisa La Marca, Nov 06
Amy and i are back from one of our best holiday experiences. I would just like to say that the itinery ran like clockwork. Kelbourne was without doubt a stunning place to stay and to have breakfast on the patio being slowly enveloped by the morning cloud was worth the trip alone!!!! We also left our mark on the tree with the other artwork.
Your suggestion to stay at the horathapola coconut estate was spot on, its a fantastic, secluded home that gave us a great reception and we were sad to leave as our flight to india was early the next morning.
Our driver wilhem(will), was absolutely priceless. Better than any guidebook he answered all our questions and took us to all the best places of interest for areas we were in. We very quickly became friends and he instantly made us feel welcome.
Sam, thank you for all your help we really do appreciate your knowledge and expertise in arranging our sri lanka leg of the holiday. We will of course pass your website details on to anyone who even thinks about going to this beautiful island. John and Amy(tea-totalist)Nov 06
Dear Sam and Tom
Thank you for organising our wonderful holiday in Sri Lanka. You took great trouble at the outset to understand what experiences we wanted to have, and then shaped the holiday to deliver exactly those experiences. All the 5 hotels were of a high standard, but varying in character and style. All but one of them were small exciting boutique hotels not generally known or used by the bigger travel companies. Our driver was also excellent at all times throughout the trip. We would strongly recommend Experience Sri Lanka to anyone wanting something better than the standard Sri Lankan tours and packages offered by the bigger travel companies.
Peter and Susie Stevenson
Edinburgh July 2006
Sam, i just wanted to thank you for organising a fantastic holiday! We loved Sri Lanka - everyone was so friendly and the hotels were - as you had promised perfect! It was only in the Horathapola coconut estate that I realised you had personally lived and worked in Sri Lanka! No wonder you knew what you were talking about!
Going over the accomodation serves no other purpose but to congratulate you on your service and help me relive some wonderful memories!
Club Villa: Oh THAT sort of club!!! Club Villa was in fact a perfect start to the holiday. Relaxed, subtle service, one of the best rooms in the place with such a lovely veranda that led onto the dining garden. Great walks along a deserted beach, wonderful pool with just the right amount of other people - like 2! So you could have a minor amount of conversation and get to know people's experiences. We loved it - thank you.
Nether Byrnes the bungalow - WOW! this family home is only rented out 5 days a month - we are told. It is divine - mostly because of Nixon the butler, who is discretion and charm itself. The dog, Blackie is also a plus as he knows exactly how to behave and never to enter the bungalow and talkes the guests for walks up the tea planation pausing appropriately so we can admire the view! Loved it.
Mud House - what a contrast. The staff were brillant and Kumar is so enthusiastic and loves to take guests out. He is a bit of a mountain goat when taking us up rocks but I managed! We got drenched in rain - that was fun! loved lazing about - read loads. The food was interesting. V Having said all that I would not have missed it for the world. It really halped me - in a very superficial way I am sure - get a feel for the REAL Sri Lanka.
And Horathapola: A lovely almost fading house with again the best room - a huge verander, brilliant bed and fantastic view. Pia was so friendly and gave us the feeling of getting back on a holiday rather than experiencing another kind of life! A perfect ending.
I will recommend you and Experience Sri Lanka to anyone I can. It's been great communicating with you. I almost feel I know you - it's been such a personal service. Thank you for everything
Marion Lee Aug 06
September, 2011
Our two weeks in Sri Lanka was packed full of wonderful experienecs which kept the whole family interested. Our guide Ranjith was superb and could not do enough for us. The standard of accomodation was fantastic and far exceeded our expectations with
excellent service and wonderful food with great choices.
We would highly reccomend Experience Travel for their attentive and knowledgable service. Our custom designed tour was Just perfect!
Carolyn
