{"id":129242,"date":"2024-01-28T15:47:55","date_gmt":"2024-01-28T15:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=129242"},"modified":"2024-01-28T15:47:55","modified_gmt":"2024-01-28T15:47:55","slug":"25-holidays-to-the-tropical-island-tipped-to-take-off-in-2024-by-katie-bowman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/25-holidays-to-the-tropical-island-tipped-to-take-off-in-2024-by-katie-bowman\/","title":{"rendered":"25 holidays to the tropical island tipped to take off in 2024-by Katie Bowman"},"content":{"rendered":"

25 holidays to the tropical island tipped to take off in 2024-by Katie Bowman<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

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Dewundara (Dondra) light house at Matara, Sri Lanka<\/span><\/div>\n

Image Source:<\/strong>Thetimes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong>Thetimes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

N<\/span>obody is more excited than me to say: Sri Lanka is back. After a string of tough years for tourism, visitor numbers are on the rise again. Almost 200,000 Brits travelled to Sri Lanka in 2023, which is more than double the figure for the previous year. So buoyed is the tourist board, it will launch a new campaign next month with the slogan \u201cYou\u2019ll come back for more\u201d, a nod to the 35 per cent of visitors who are repeat guests.<\/span><\/p>\n

I am one such super-fan, already a repeat guest and keen to return. For a country significantly smaller than Scotland, Sri Lanka packs in so many incredible sights. My daughter will tell you it\u2019s the blue-whale watching we love most, or swimming with\u00a0turtles on Unawatuna Beach; my husband might declare it\u2019s the easy-peasy elephant safari in Udawalawe National Park, or the cashew nut curries; for me, it\u2019s all of the above, as well as ancient temples, chic tea-plantation hotels and watching cricket in Galle. But more than anything it\u2019s the fact that such world wonders are never more than two or three hours\u2019 car or train journey apart.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Growing visitor numbers means there are dwindling prices to keep momentum up; at the moment, discounts make it possible to stay for a week in a beachfront hotel from about \u00a31,000 per person, flights included (see the On a Budget entry in my following list). Hip new hotels are opening their doors in anticipation, and more are set to launch this year, including two safari properties \u2014 Kotiyagala (kotiyagala.com) and Hilton Yala Resort (hilton.com) \u2014 in Yala National Park, which has the highest density of leopards on Earth, and two new openings from Resplendent Ceylon, the company behind the Ceylon Tea Trails hotel, one of the original boutiques.<\/span><\/p>\n

Confidence is clearly growing. Even in the escorted-tour market \u2014 which is, some might say, favoured by more cautious travellers \u2014 Sri Lanka trips are quickly being booked up. Voyages Jules Verne has already sold 84 per cent of its holidays to the destination in 2024. And, unlike some long-haul destinations that tend only to attract certain traveller dynamics \u2014 honeymooners to the Maldives, for example, or intrepid adventurers to Cambodia \u2014 Sri Lanka welcomes all types of guests, be they families, birdwatchers, backpackers, surfers, luxury-hotel pilgrims, even tuk-tuk enthusiasts (I\u2019ve included a wacky tuk-tuk escapade in the list). Here are 25 of my top trips for 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. The classic trip<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Sigiriya Lion Rock fortress in Ceylon<\/span><\/div>\n
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Temples, tea plantations and a cricket match<\/b><\/span>
\nLet\u2019s start with the classic trip, shall we? You\u2019ll want to see the highlights \u2014 temples, tea plantations, a national park or two, and have some beach time thrown in, so you\u2019ll need about two weeks. At the top end of the market, Carrier differentiates its tours by including one-off moments such as a cricket match or surf lesson with locals and picks only the country\u2019s very best accommodation, including converted tea plantation bungalows at Ceylon Tea Trails (12 nights \u2014 six B&B and six all-inclusive \u2014 from \u00a312,785pp, including flights; carrier.co.uk). Less expensive is G Adventures\u2019s 14-day Sri Lanka Encompassed itinerary, covering Kandy, Sigiriya Rock and Yala National Park (13 nights\u2019 B&B from \u00a31,286pp;\u00a0gadventures.com<\/a>. Fly to Colombo). Other operators of such grand tours include Wexas (wexas.com), Cazenove + Loyd (cazloyd.com), Turquoise (turquoiseholidays.co.uk), Fleewinter (fleewinter.com) and Wayfairer (wayfairertravel.com).<\/span><\/p>\n

2. On a budget<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

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A beach in Bentota<\/span><\/div>\n
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Bargain package break to the islands\u2019s southwest<\/b><\/span>
\nLooking to keep costs down? Then buy a package holiday that includes great-value beach resort accommodation and plot your own day trips to see the sights. The coastline around Bentota in the southwest is where affordable and all-inclusive properties congregate, but that doesn\u2019t mean ugly high-rises; even the cheapest Sri Lankan package digs are usually pleasant traditional whitewashed complexes with pools. From Bentota, you can make it to Galle, Kandy, Udawalawe National Park and even Yala on a long day\u2019s excursion. The best deals we found are with Tui and First Choice and often include direct flights. Also try a package from Flight Centre (flightcentre.co.uk).<\/span>
\nDetails\u00a0<\/b>Seven nights\u2019 B&B at at EKHO Surf Bentota from \u00a31,034pp, including flights (tui.co.uk<\/a>)<\/span><\/div>\n
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3. South coast villa<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Villa Mine<\/span><\/div>\n
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MADHUSHAN INDIKA DE SILVA<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The ultimate villa with its own slackline and skate park<\/b><\/span>
\nMulti-gen families or big groups are usually denied the boutique hotel experience, instead having to seek out larger properties that cater for every budget and sleeping arrangement. But Sri Lankan villas tick both the style and substance boxes, often sleeping up to 16 guests (and rarely fewer than 8) in surroundings that could star on the front cover of an architectural magazine. One example is hilltop the Villa Mine, which sits pretty 20 minutes\u2019 east of Galle on the south coast. There\u2019s a 13m pool, your own swimmable lake and ocean views, and it all sits within a spectacular two-acre walled garden. A chef, steward and housekeeper are on hand too, so there\u2019s no need for supermarket runs. Children will love the slackline, trampoline, games pavilion and \u2014 get this \u2014 floodlit skate park.<\/span>
\nDetails\u00a0<\/b>Seven nights\u2019 self-catering for ten from \u00a33,570 (edenvillas.com). Fly to Colombo<\/span><\/p>\n

4. East coast secret<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

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Sun Siyam in Pasikudah<\/span><\/div>\n
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TOM FALLON<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Swimmable beaches and whale-spotting<\/b><\/span>
\nI\u2019ve been to Sri Lanka a few times but I\u2019ve never made it to the undiscovered east coast, where word is that the gorgeous landscapes match those of the jungly north and ancient south. The beaches too are said to be as good as the Maldives and swimmable, which can\u2019t always be said for Sri Lanka\u2019s popular wild west coast, where it\u2019s often too rough to bathe. So it makes sense that the Maldivian-owned hotel group Sun Siyam has just opened Pasikudah in this pristine location, where guests stay in one of just 34 suites and villas, many with private pools \u2014 I foresee a new honeymoon spot. Doable day trips include whale-spotting off Trincomalee, visiting the fortress at Sigiriya Rock, and Minneriya National Park, home to elephants, buffalo, crocodiles and leopards.<\/span>
\nDetails\u00a0<\/b>Twelve nights\u2019 B&B from \u00a32,170pp, including flights (travel-gallery.co.uk)<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Colombo culinary tour<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

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Experience the flavours of Sri Lanka<\/span><\/div>\n
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Street eats, spice gardens and cooking in a mud house<\/b><\/span>
\nSee how many flavours you can squeeze into this six-night foodie circuit. It begins in the capital, Colombo, giving you pitstops for street food on a city walking tour. Next up, you\u2019ll visit the Dambulla Cave Temple, with a bull cart ride followed by a cookery session in a traditional mud house. End this culinary adventure by taking the train through tea country and visiting Matale Spice Garden, where they both grow and cook their plants. In short, it\u2019s the perfect itinerary for time-strapped foodies, or as a beach holiday add-on.<\/span>
\nDetails\u00a0<\/b>Six nights\u2019 half-board from \u00a31,849pp, including flights (tropicalsky.co.uk)<\/span><\/p>\n

6. South for surf<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n