Souvenirs from the Sinhala countryside

You would wonder how apt it is that Sri Lanka is called ‘the pearl of the Indian Ocean’, because it actually looks just like a pearl, floating upon the ever so wonderful and never ending Indian Ocean. But, once you visit this island nation, you start questioning if being called ‘the pearl’ does full justice to the country. With beautiful sunsets, isolated beaches and an incomparable warmth that people showcase, you literally run out of words to describe the joy that is Sri Lanka.

Now, the perk of being invited by SriLankan Airlines is that you get the best of the best services and even though our journey from Bengaluru to Sri Lanka was a short one, travelling in business class was an experience in itself. With more than enough space to stretch your legs and experience mouth-watering delicacies, we travelled in style.

The flight was squeaky clean and the seats were very comfortable. With a glass of wine and a hearty meal, we didn’t realise when we fell asleep. After the quick nap, since Colombo is just two-hours away, it was time for touch down and the first thing we noticed once we stepped out of the airport was how similar Ceylon (its erstwhile name) was to our very own Kerala. We waited quite sometime to find our chauffeur, but thankfully we met him before dreadful thoughts made their way to our minds. We then made our way to destination one: Cinnamon Grand Colombo — the first of the properties we were staying in. For the rest of the night, we just caught up on some much needed sleep.

The next day, for breakfast, we opted for in-room dining. We ordered a cappuccino, one ham sandwich and a french toast. These gave us the perfect start to our morning. Following this, we headed out for some shopping and the only thing that we wanted to buy was tea. We made our way to a local shop nearby where we bought small packets of tea which included flavours like Earl Grey, Lavender, Rose and Honey & Ginger. It was time for lunch by then and so,we headed back to the hotel for some much-needed culinary indulgence. We ordered Grilled chicken skewers, Thai style basil chicken noodles and Lime tart and once we'd polished those plates clean, we spent the rest of the day just lazing around, until it was time for dinner at the hotel's seafood restaurant— The Lagoon. We tried a couple of their cocktails, along with Tamarind cuttlefish, Fried anchovies, Modha in chilli and lime sauce and Prawn spring rolls. We called it a night, following this seafood soirée.

Breakfast the next day was at Plates, the hotel’s multi-cuisine restaurant. We started with cut fruits like apples, bananas and pineapples. We also tried the french toast and scrambled eggs and topped it off with a cup of coffee. We toured a bit around the hotel for a while, till it was time for lunch, which was planned at a different spot. We found ourselves at the entry of Long Feng Restaurant in Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, which serves Chinese cuisine.

We tried their meal box, which included Fried Chicken Rice with chilli, crispy chicken with Dry chilli and vegetable spring rolls. Following this, we headed out and covered four major religious spots in Colombo (Gangarama Temple, Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque, Sri Ponnambala Waneswarar Kovil and St Anthony’s Shrine). All these spots were equally beautiful and provided a sense of peace in our minds.

As we headed back to the hotel, we probably had the best view one could ask for. Think driving alongside the beach with the setting sun in front of you and people enjoying while looking like they were having the time of their lives. We quickly freshened up as we reached the hotel after that drive and we were excited about our dinner at Nuga Gama (one of the best heritage restaurants in Asia in 2023). The restaurant is a recreation of a traditional Sri Lankan village, nestled amidst the urban landscape. We tasted delicacies like Chicken kotthu, Village Black chicken curry and crispy hoppers. This hearty meal was perfect for the night.

The next day, we were all set to head to the second property — Habarana Village by Cinnamon — nestled in a tropical forest almost 175 kilometres from where we were staying. So, we quickly had our breakfast at Plates Restaurant and were off to our second destination. As we listened to some music and enjoyed the picturesque beauty that Sri Lanka is, we didn’t even realise how four hours passed by. Now, for starters, Habarana Village by Cinnamon is a beautiful property surrounded by pristine green. But, while you roam around, do keep your eyes and ears open as you might encounter monkeys and water monitor lizards.

Already mesmerisied by the property and the nature surrounding it, we made our way to our cottages and freshened up for lunch. The lunch was as simple as it can get. We had steamed rice, dal, chicken fry and fish curry and we finished every last morsel on our plates. We ended our lunch with a fruit custard, which was also absolutely delightful. After such a meal, we decided to stay indoors and rest till dinner, which was an experience in itself. This restaurant named Seilama, is a village hut inspired restaurant, overlooking lush paddy fields. We started with Thambun Hodi, a rasam-like soup served with crusty firewood oven-baked bread. We also tried Pol (coconut) Rotis and string hoppers along with dal curry, Polos Ambula or baby jackfruit curry, Jaffna Prawn Curry, a vegetable stew and chicken curry. Our meal came to a close with Wattalapam, a Sri Lankan caramel custard, topped with a cube of jaggery. With happy tummies, we danced our way to our rooms.

Next day, we had our buffet breakfast at Ehala, a multi-cuisine restaurant at Habarana Village by Cinnamon and headed for a property tour. Along came the guide at the property, who helped us spot various exotic birds and explained to us about them. Following the walk, we headed back to our rooms and freshened up for lunch and the cooks were all ready to give us some cooking lessons. Featuring delicacies like Chicken chutney roast, Potato tempered and red rice, among other dishes too, we were absolutely full by the time lunch came to a close. The rest of the day was all about walking around the property and embracing nature. It was finally time for us to say goodbye to Habarana Village by Cinnamon and head to our last and final property. So, following a light buffet breakfast featuring sandwiches and a cup of coffee, we began our journey to Cinnamon Bentota Beach, almost 230 kilometres from our current location.

Even though we reached the property after an almost five hour drive, the spot we were staying at was worth the wait. Keeping the best for the last was the perfect phrase here. With River Bentota Ganga on one side and the never-ending Indian Ocean on the other, the view was breathtaking. As we pulled the curtains from our room, we entered a garden area, followed by the beach. After a buffet lunch at their restaurant, we hopped on a boat and headed for a ride into a nearby mangrove forest. As we entered the forest, accompanied by a slight drizzle and the sunshine coming through the small gaps in the forest, it felt like we were in a different world altogether.

Following the boat ride, we went to our rooms and got ready for the evening, which featured a cocktail night followed by dinner. We sipped on some cocktails and followed it by dinner at Sea Meets Spice, we slowly realised that our time at this beautiful island nation was coming to a close. The following day, the kick-started with a buffet breakfast and took part in an art and craft workshop. We followed it up with lunch and headed back to our rooms to pack our bags. By evening, we were all set to head back to India but there was one small experience left for us at the airport. Remember how we mentioned in the beginning about Sri Lankan Airlines inviting us? Well, we had access to their Serendipity Lounge, which served some mouth-watering delicacies and drinks. Following a quick security check-in, we made our way into our flight back to Bengaluru. With just one thought on our minds, we said goodbye to this beautiful country — we already knew we are surely coming back, no matter what!

Flights from Bengaluru to Colombo start from INR 8,300.

Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com

X: @al_ben_so