After an adventurous and cultural first few days in Sri Lanka, we were ready to start the next leg of our trip. This is part II of our Sri Lanka itinerary. Here’s the plan:

Kandy –> Colombo –> Hikkaduwa/Galle –> Colombo

Ideally, we wanted to go straight from Kandy to Hikkaduwa  but because the train timings didn’t match, we had no other choice but to do a layover in Colombo. Well there were other choices but we didn’t like them as we would have reached Hikkaduwa at 11 pm, which would be a total waste of a day.

Instead we thought let’s catch a good night rest in Colombo, get some work done and then start off early the next morning.

However, that didn’t come without a few hiccups.

Day 4 – Colombo: Terrible Start, Great Finish

We didn’t a book a place in Colombo in advance because we were still on the line about our plan for Hikkaduwa. So when we reached Colombo via train from Kandy, we used hotels.com to book a hotel. We just wanted something simple so chose the best “looking” accommodation we could find at a decent price. As it happened, we found Hotel Sansu, which look pretty decent in terms of price, pictures and facilities. We didn’t bother reading the reviews.

Big mistake!

It turned out this hotel was NOTHING like the pictures on hotels.com. First, a terrible welcome from the staff. Then we were taken through a dingy, dark and narrow hallway to our room. We were already on edge. We enter our room and to our shock, there are lizards all over, paint is coming off the wall, broken closets and furniture.

For $34 a night this place was a disaster! Seriously, how was this place allowed to operate, we wondered. We quickly read the reviews and most were quite bad. Within 10 minutes we had booked another hotel and jetted out of Hotel Sansu. Upon leaving, they asked why we were leaving and we let them know sternly. We didn’t even care that they weren’t giving us a refund. Thankfully hotels.com is in process of providing us with a $25 voucher.

Apparently, they lied about a lot of other things like having a rooftop bar and even says “Riverfront hotel in Colombo with 10 restaurants, 2 bars/lounges”. This was not the case at all.

For us, we’d go through hells of the earth for an adventure but when it comes to sleeping arrangements, we need a decent CLEAN place. (Camping is different).

Here’s where we ended up staying (even though it was a whopping $114 for a night) – Cinnamon Red Colombo.

Yes! We chose happiness and they delivered on their promise. This was exactly what we needed.

They even had a rooftop swimming pool and bar!

Day 5 – Gorgeous Hikkaduwa

Early morning, fresh from our sleep, we made our way to the train station again. With a first class ticket in hand (which we purchased from the ticketing counter a day prior), we effortlessly got into our seats.

As we started on our relatively short 2-hour long journey, we could feel the anxiety of the city fade away into the distance as it gave way to a calming sky, back-dropped against the contrasting rough sea. Every now and then sunlight would peak through the clouds and glisten the sea and the trees.

Sure, the view to Polonnaruwa was amazing and so was the route from Kandy but nothing could rival the coastal views between Colombo and Hikkaduwa.

Wow! It was simply gorgeous, as if we were passing through a slice of heavenly paradise.

It was 9:30 am by the time we reached our hotel – Hikka Tranz by Cinnamon (yes another Cinnamon hotel). According to our Tuk Tuk guy, this is the best hotel in the area so we were quite excited to stay here. However, since we came too early they wouldn’t check us in so we dropped our bags and went for some breakfast and to explore.

We ate at a nearby restaurant and then took a Tuk Tuk to nearby attractions.

Turtle Hatchery

I was particularly excited about this because ever since I was a kid, I have LOVED turtles. Kanika isn’t a big fan but I adore them.

When we got there, there was a sign saying 500 LKR for a ticket. There was a board explaining the story behind the hatchery center. Basically, it was originally built by the current organizer’s Father in 2000 who died from a heart attack. After his death, the daughter took over but sadly she died in the Tsunami along with six other members. Then in 2006, two brothers started this project again and employ volunteers from abroad to help out.

Now, at first we were very impressed with this place. There was a sad history in it but at the same time it seemed as if the owner and volunteers were really dedicated to the cause of rehabilitating the turtle ecosystem. They bred and hatched them and also rehabilitated injured turtles from the sea.

However, the red flag came up when the volunteers asked if I want to hold the turtles (despite signs saying ‘don’t touch’). Upon doing some research later (we seriously need to start doing it beforehand) we read some reviews from SOME people that this is hoax, that the owner only cares about making money and what not. I don’t know, it’s a lot better than most places. They are still doing a good thing here, are they not?

Maybe I shouldn’t have held even though they seemed alright in my hands. I’ve seen posts about how they flap about and tourists drop them (which by the way happened to me in S. Africa in 2015 with a baby crocodile) but that didn’t happen here.

Tsunmi Photo Museum

There are actually two Tsunami museums in Hikkaduwa. According to the local, the official and the unofficial one.

We opted for the unofficial but more personal one. Basically it is the actual house of a victim from the tsunami, which has been transformed into a photo museum.

While looking through the pictures and stories, a women popped out. We figured she is the survivor and owner of the house in its former glory.

It was a really heart wrenching experience as she explained every single detail about how the tsunami hit, what her family went through, the bodies and destruction she witnessed. We could barely keep our tears in. It was pretty emotional.

As we were leaving, we noticed a donation box so we gave as much as we could and recommend everyone do the same. We didn’t even bother going to the official museum because this place gave real life encounters of the disaster while the official one would probably just give facts and figures.

The rest of the evening was spent at the hotel for some incredible R&R. We’ll just leave you with some gorgeous photos.

Even though we went to Hikkaduwa during its off season (monsoon and rough seas), we’re glad we did anyways. We could have opted to go to the east coast of Sri Lanka (Trincomalee, Pasikuda, Batticaloa, Arugam Bay) but

1. prices were more expensive there (high season)
2. we found a great deal for Hikka Tranz resort (50% off!)
3. we just didn’t have the time to go all the way that side

Day 6 – Exploring Galle Fort

The next morning we wanted to check out Galle Fort (the main reason for coming down to the South). There’s so much history and culture here we couldn’t miss out on it, even though it is so touristy. Galle Fort in Galle is literally like 20 minutes away from Hikkaduwa and good enough for a day trip. Some even stay a night or two but we didn’t feel the need to. 

The Fort is a huge historical, archaeological and architectural site, which was first built in 1588 by the Portuguese, then extensively fortified by the Dutch in the late 1600s.

We absolutely loved walking down the cobblestone streets, all the while admiring the different colonial buildings and the influence it had over the communities in the area. It actually reminded us a bit like Kandy but less intense and more European style but similar in the way that communities, cultures and religion coexist so harmoniously.

It’s strange to see that because even in Bangkok, Thailand, there are zones or areas where certain communities exist and usually distanced from each other.

For all you Instagrammers, Galle Fort is a paradise for taking those shots with amazing rustic backgrounds.

There are lots of cafes, restaurants and boutique hotels here too but since we had a massive breakfast we didn’t visit any of them. We just simply walked around, took pictures and admired the beauty of it all. The most interesting part is that right at the edge of the fort is the sea and you can climb up a few stairs for a magnificent view.

On one side lays architecture and a bustling city while on the other side, an alluring sea.

Sri Lankan Culture Show & Wedding

The rest of the day was spent at the hotel with some more R&R but it wasn’t at all boring. It so turned out that there was a Sri Lankan wedding going on at the hotel, which was a real treat. We got to see an actual Sri Lanka wedding! That was pretty cool. While it might disturb some guests, we loved it since it gave us a look into their culture (a lot like Indian/Pakistani weddings).

At night the hotel also organized a spontaneous cultural show near the lobby. This was a really cool addition to our stay at Hikka Tranz. Who ever said that luxury travel can’t give you insights into a culture? Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find the photos from that night so I leave you one from expressionsholidays.co.uk

The show was very entertaining, interesting and highly engaging as the performers often interacted with the crowd. A great immersive experience indeed.

Day 7 – Partying it up in Colombo

We’ve got one more night and 2 almost full days left in Sri Lanka so we decide to head back to Colombo. We checked back into Cinnamon Red hotel since we loved it so much the first time, even though it really killed our budget.

We didn’t do much during the day in Colombo instead of hunt for last minute souvenirs for the family. At night we had a quick dinner and decided to check out the nightlife of the city. Now before coming to Sri Lanka, I asked a few travel communities about the nightlife in Colombo. Many said there isn’t any.

After doing some research of my own (through a combination of TripAdvisor, asking people on Twitter and browsing through foursquare), I found out that there indeed is one. A very happening nightlife at that.

First we went to a rooftop bar on the 4th floor of a building called 41 sugar. Very trendy with lots of locals and expats gathering for a drink.

After this we were heading to a different place when we noticed that just two floors below there was a bar that was really happening. Lots of commotion and loud music blaring from closed doors with two huge bouncers standing outside. The bar was called The Floor by O! We decided to check it out.

Entry cost was 2000 LKR for men and women got to go in for free. It turned out the 2000 LKR (~$14) ticket was redeemable for drinks at the same amount. Not bad, considering in Bangkok it’s about the same amount to enter a club but you get only 1 drink with it. Here we got 3 drinks easily.

Inside we could only see Sri Lankans with a few odd foreigners. The ambiance was a bit dodgy but it was fun! We got to see how Sri Lankans party.

Overall our entire trip to Sri Lanka was a whirlwind of different experiences. We never believe in traveling in one way or another. We like to experience everything and anything and Sri Lanka did not disappoint in that. This is why we definitely fell in love with the country.