I've finally built up courage to write about our first 'proper' holiday. For the past 10 years, we have made trips to India, the U.K. and we always visit our families & friends. We had one great week in Goa in 2003, and we always wanted to do something different.
This year Spring break was approaching, we had been in Doha almost 9 months and desperately needed a change of scene. Our son had a week off school, so we decided to go away. Initially we wanted to go to Dubai, to visit my sister and our friends there, but the hotel rates were extortionist, and even the lure of pork shopping wouldn't let us spend that much per night.
Now that the seed was planted, we just
had to get away. I came up with Thailand or Sri Lanka....my husband didn't want to fly more than 3-4 hours, so Sri Lanka it was. We found this beautiful looking hotel, booked for 4 nights, booked the flights etc. Then when he applied for his leave, his boss said, oh, you can't go to Sri Lanka for 4 nights, you must stay longer. Take a week off work!! Oh wow! Little did we know that this extension would cause our budget to go haywire..........oh well. It's only money
So the excitement builds up. Josh is looking at what we can do, he is only interested in swimming, swimming, oh yeah, we can go and look at the Turtle sanctuary. Frantic dash to the shops, pharmacy for essentials, pack the bags, check, double check and finally we're ready to go. Our flight is at midnight, so we leave home at half ten, we live 5 mins away from the airport. Check in etc.,and then we're sitting in the departure lounge, the boys are both asleep, and we are just talking quietly. Eventually we board, and before the plane takes off are all asleep. We are woken up by the steward, who offers us a drink and says we are an hour away from Colombo, would we like to freshen up etc.
We are here! The arrivals are great, bright, shiny, and very welcoming. We are surprised we are in Sri Lanka.
Going through immigration is effortless, the people are so friendly and helpful. We collect our bags, make a brief stop in the washrooms to freshen up. They are also extremely clean, fresh unlike the ones at Mumbai airport (unfortunately that's my only comparison). There is a separate mother/baby room if nappies need to be changed or babies to be fed.
We find the person meant to collect us, load our bags into the suzuki van. The humidity is amazing. We had just come from temperatures of 10C and lower, to this.
We make a brief stop to buy some cold bottled water and we're off, hurtling through the traffic. The roads are narrow, traffic seems to go all over the place. Colombo seems to be very clean, there are army checkpoints & guards all over the place. An absence of beggars. And oh, so busy. Our driver tells us it will take a minimum of 3 hours till we reach Hikkaduwa, which is in the South West. Craig & the boys fall asleep within minutes, and after a while, so do I. When I wake up a couple of hours later, we're still hurtling, faster now as the traffic is quicker, and not so busy. The driver tells us that we're going to hit the coast pretty soon, and literally, he turns a corner, and I get my first glimpse of the sea.
Almost 4 hours later, we are in Hikkaduwa, and at our hotel, The Amaya Reef. We drive in and it looks just like it did on the internet, bright yellow walls, very colonial and we are really happy. While our bags are being unloaded and Craig checks us in, we sit in the open plan lobby. One of the staff bring us this ice cold drink, its green, with what Josh called 'frogs eyes' floating on the top. Can't identify the taste, but its very refreshing. We are taken to our room, at basement level, and again, it's good. A bit smaller than we expected, but occupancy is full. There's a bed for Josh, a cot for Jamie, fresh sheets, flat screen tv and about 6 channels, mini bar, little bathroom but its great.
After we shower & change we're about to step out onto our little patio, when we see the resident pet....
Josh is chuffed to bits at the monitor lizard, Jamie is petrified, so we pick him up and explore. The grounds are not very large, but so clean, trees all around us for shade, grass everywhere. We take the steps up to the beach, there's the pool on our left and a small bar on our right. Above the bar is the spa, and further ahead the restaurant.
We have a leisurely walk on the beach, Jamie hates the sensation of sand under his feet, but Josh is off, so happy.
We walk for a while, lost in the sound of the sea, we have missed it so much. We used to live opposite a beach in Kuwait, for 5 years and have missed these walks. This is so different, there is a local man fishing in the sea, he only has a line, no rod. Everyone smiles. Dotted along the beach the bars spill over from the smaller guesthouses & hotels. Reminiscent of Goa, but not the same vibe. It's a lot lazier, if that's possible. We see people surfing, it's just gorgeous.
Back at the restaurant, the boys & Craig have a lunch of ham & cheese toasty sandwiches, chips, lots of water & I try the local devilled prawns. They are more devilled than I am used to, so lots and lots of water & cola.
They have a swim, but energy is flagging now, so we head back to the room for a much needed nap.
Just as we're leaving the pool, it rains, and does all afternoon. So exciting. After the arid landscape of Doha, we love this.
We have a lovely evening meal, lots of cold Carlsberg to wash down the spicy food, watch the sun go down. And then we're off to bed.