Slow Travel: Sri Lanka

Last November, my boyfriend and I decided we needed a break from London, the city and from what can become, the ‘tedious’ nature of daily life. 

We quit our jobs, both on different journeys to discover a new way of living, a new way of life. 

We knew remote working was going to be our next step and wanted to find an escape beforehand where we could deeply relax, explore and revitalise ourselves (maybe our ‘souls’ after city-living) but perhaps that’s a little dramatic. 

We chose Sri Lanka as it offered surfing, jungles, safaris and a yoga retreat that I was keen to try. As Sri Lanka is such a small island it has two monsoon seasons. In the South and West this is: April to October, with North expiring heavy rainfall between November to March. 

We visited when it was best to discover the South coast and stayed in: Hikkaduwa, Kabalana, Mirissa, Yala, Ella, Kandy (yoga retreat) and finally back to Kabalana. 

Our journey was totally unplanned, enabling us to stay in areas longer if we enjoyed them; staying in a mixture of high-end hotels, homestays and family run B&B’s.

“Perfect if you are looking for a break from Western culture and to dive into a slower pace of living”

Terra Resort

We stayed at Terra Resort as a ‘treat’ to ourselves after travelling through Hikkaduwa.

It was heavenly and just a stone’s throw away from Kabalana beach, which became our favourite place on the whole island. Our room was beyond spacious with watermelon smoothies waiting for us upon arrival and a terrace leading onto the pool veranda. Allowing you to step out of bed and plunge into the pool.

Unfortunately, the yoga terrace was not open when we were there but judging by the aesthetic of literally all areas of the hotel, this will be a tranquil place to practise and centre yourself.

Stays from £150 per night

Unwind and relax at Terra Resort

Whilst staying in Kabalana, we had a magical time exploring the area which offers a plethora of surf schools, yoga studios and unbelievably delicious restaurants.

We notably visited Tri Koggala for dinner which felt like a honeymoon-esque experience.

The following night we ate at Citra which exceeded all expectations as a fine dining experience (try the leeks) (incase you didn’t get that, try the leeks). It’s a starlit restaurant with impeccable service and a really special feeling about the place.

We would spend our days lazing by the beach, renting surf boards for approx £4 per hour and eating incredible lunches at Black Coffee, Nuga or Crust.

Yoga Retreat

I’m not sure where to start. Sri Lanka is full of different styles of retreats; surf, yoga, silent etc, so it can be hard to cut through the noise and discover where you can find a true disconnect.

Luckily, we discovered just that. 

“Imagine waking to the sounds of birds from your cabin nestled deep in the jungle. You take a 10 min jungle trek to the yoga shala, roll out your mat, and say hello to the monkeys welcoming you in for your morning Yoga practice…”

Palwatha Yoga Retreat was everything, if not more than what we wanted. Staying in the quiet of the jungle, mixing with beautiful souls from around the world and practicing yoga in a shala nestled in the canopy of trees. We ate so much (too much) food, all home-made by the cooks on site and got to enjoy river walks, a visit to their coffee and spice factory and truly connect with our inner selves. 

I almost don’t want to give more away as it was one of the most special travel experiences that I can only recommend you go an experience for yourself.

Food

As a vegetarian (who eats a teeny bit of fish) Sri Lanka has by far been the best place I have travelled. A traditional Sri Lanka curry is usually served as 5 small bowls of deliciousness. Most of these are nearly always vegetables. I ate some of the best food of my life whilst there. Here are the spots you simply must go to. We ate at many places over the 3 weeks but below is a snippet of some of the places that if I went back, I would be gutted not to eat their again. 

Hikkaduwa 

$ Red Lobster – unbelievable Sri Lankan curry 

$ Shady Lane – acai, eggs and smoothie bowls (sister restaurant in Mirissa is equally as good) 

Kabalana

$$$ Kurulu Bay – basically a James Bond hotel 

$ Hotel De Uncles – Street Food Indian that is a must go 

$$ Black Honey – specialises in coffee 

$ YAYA – close to the beach and you might see a cute dog 

Mirissa 

$ No.1 Dewmini – It’s illegal how good their roti is 

Midigama 

$ Golden Beach – the BEST Kutthu we had whilst there 

Hiriketiya 

$ Dots Beach House – have to get the brownies

$ Hoppers – best Hoppers (obviously)

$ Verse Collective – go for lunch and try the Chana Massala 

$ Bahia – beautiful (quite Western) breakfast 

$$$ MOND – expensive so go for the sunset view and a view drinks

Extra bits

https://christinaintheclouds.com/restaurants-in-ahangama/ – up to date Ahangama spots

https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/sri-lanka-hotels 

The further North towards the airport is cheaper so that’s the best place to get beach towels and general bits when you first arrive 

Kandy’s has an incredible market; ‘Kandy Municipal Central Market’ for food

Getting a scooter instead of using tuktuks at a beach town is cheaper but I would recommend staying a walking distance to the beach to reduce on those fumes 

Buses are so cheap- you can travel all up/down the South coast in them 

‘Short eats’ is the name of the snacks- eat loads of them

Struggled to find Western sun cream but there was lots of 100% aloe vera for aftersun

A re-usable water bottle is a good idea as there’s lots of refill stations

Whale Watching in Mirissa – would look into getting a private tour as the big boat was so rocky and took ages getting back

Loads of people we met went to Sigriya (even though it’s off season)- elephants walk on the road there, need I say more