The Fortress Hotel is perhaps the grandest hotel in Sri Lanka of all. Owned by reputedly the richest family in Sri Lanka, it is part of the Per Aquum group of resorts, who also have a large presence in the Maldives and the Seychelles. The Fortress only opened its doors in 2007 and has certainly started with a bang, often being fully booked (especially for weddings and large functions) despite the negative news coming out of the Sri Lankan tourism industry.

The hotel is in a glorious location, set right on the Indian Ocean seaside and close to Koggala Lake, about a 20 minute drive from Galle. What sets apart the hotel from many of its competitors is not just its location, though, but its magnificent architecture and ambience, both outside and inside. We don’t often like to quote off a hotel’s own website, but in this case they have it spot on:

A hotel fashioned in the style of a powerful fortress. Rising next to the beach, the resort’s walls enclose verdant gardens and water features, a spa featuring Ayurvedic treatments, a freeflow swimming pool, wine cellar, restaurants, boutiques and exquisitely appointed rooms, lofts and residences. The resort’s architecture forges historic Dutch and Portuguese styles with the motifs of Sri Lanka.

There are 47 guest rooms, all stylishly decorated with a Colonial effect and Modern finish. There are five choices, each with its own different views and appeal: the fortress room, the beach room, the ocean room, the ocean loft and the residence. There is also a glorious spa: the Lime Spa, which specializes in traditional Ayurvedic treatments. And let’s not forget the culinary and gourmet aspects, be that the main restaurant lounge by the pool: Pepper; the modern cave for a fine glass of wine; Heat: where delicious tapas are served by the sea; a dedicated Tea section to enjoy Sri Lanka’s most famous export and the Sea Lounge where you are allowed to enjoy just one fruity cocktail too many!

Oh! and the main attraction itself: the most decadent and luxurious infinity swimming pool that one could hope for. Of course, all of this doesn’t come cheap. You’re not going to get a room for much less that $500 per night, although if you contact the hotel directly, they may give you 20% off if it’s during a quiet period.

We couldn’t recommend the Fortress Hotel more highly for those that want a luxury holiday in Sri Lanka!

Yeah, I have been on a tea kick lately. For some reason, as much as I love coffee, I can’t go a day without having a cup or two of tea. I do not claim to be a tea connoisseur but for those of you who are into tea, you would know that some of the best tea in the world comes from Ceylon.

The good thing about world trade opening up is that one can find Ceylon tea practically anywhere in the world. The question is: just how pure or genuine is the Ceylon tea that you buy?

Here’s a good gauge: look for the Ceylon Tea Lion Logo. This logo was created by the Sri Lanka Tea Board in an effort to identify tea products as the real thing. It lets you know where the tea is from exactly and the quality as well. This logo has been registered in more than 75 countries worldwide, giving you the assurance that you are getting the real deal. You should also know that the Tea Board does not take the logo lightly. Before anyone can use it, they must satisfy some conditions. These include:
• The logo can be used only on consumer packs, which contain 100% Pure Ceylon Tea
• The brands should be packed in Sri Lanka
• The brands, which use the Lion Logo, should conform to the quality standards set out by Sri Lanka Tea Board
I particularly like the first condition: that the tea should be 100% pure Ceylon tea. As anyone would know, it is so easy to dub a package as pure Ceylon tea and yet mix the tea leaves with inferior quality leaves. If you see the Tea Lion Logo, however, you can rest assured that every single tea leaf inside that package is Ceylon tea. In keeping with this standard, the logo also makes sure that the product was packed in Sri Lanka. While that alone may not ensure the quality of the tea, the combination of the first two conditions pretty much guarantee excellent quality. More so, the Tea Board is very particular when it comes to their standards for tea products.

The next time you go shopping for Ceylon tea, make sure that you look for the Lion logo.

Some interesting pieces of trivia about tea:

• Camellia Sinensis is the scientific name for the tea plant. Sometimes, though, the term is used to refer to brews that are not made of pure tea. Infusions with other leaves are also called tea.
• Tea is believed to have originated in China. It was also believed that tea can detoxify various kinds of poison. While that property hasn’t been proven today, tea does have wonderful relaxing properties.
• Ceylon Tea is the number one industry making foreign income for the country today. It is no wonder as the tea from this part of the world really is practically unmatchable!

For a lot of people, when Sri Lanka or Ceylon is mentioned, tea is the first thing that comes to mind. You can’t blame them, for Ceylon tea is some of the best to be found in the entire world. Indeed, I know some people who will not settle for anything less than Ceylon tea.

If you are a tea enthusiast, then Ceylon should be at the top of your list of travel destinations. Naturally, you would expect to find accommodations that highlight this national specialty. If we’re to rely on the opinions of experts and seasoned travelers, you will not go wrong in choosing the Tea Factory Hotel. The name itself tells you what to expect – what you see is what you get.

The Tea Factory Hotel is a hotel located in the premises of a tea factory. It is as authentic as you can get, really. The edifice used to be a tea factory, and the current hotel bedrooms used to be the areas where tea leaves were withered. For those unfamiliar with the tea making process, withering is the first step in manufacturing black tea. Once the tea leaves (still green) are picked, they are delivered to the factory to be withered. There is no doubt about it – even in your very room, you can feel the genuineness of the tea factory experience in this hotel.

The Tea Factory Hotel is located in Nuwara Eliya, a town about 160 kilometers from Colombo. It is set at 2,200 meters above sea level, making the conditions perfect for growing tea. The hotel is classified as a 4-star hotel, making sure that guests enjoy the luxury and pampering that they are yearning for. There are 57 rooms in the hotel, 4 of which are deluxe. All of the rooms are heated or cooled, depending on the needs and preferences of the guests. Rooms are also equipped with satellite TV, phones with IDD access, and Internet ports. For a relaxing bath after a long day of rambling around the estate, the attached bathrooms are equipped with bathtubs and showers (with hot water, naturally).

Within the hotel, there is a small tea factory, which is open for the use of guests. An experience that you must not miss is picking your own tea leaves from outside of the hotel and then turning them over to the factory for processing. At the end of the whole process, you may enjoy a cup (or two) of tea made from the very leaves that you picked up!

Around the estate, guests may enjoy the ambiance of an authentic tea plantation. You will certainly enjoy interacting with the plantation workers, who find it a pleasure to share their craft with others. There are also natural springs around the area. The best time to visit this area is from March to May, which are the hottest months of the year. Be warned, though, that April usually draws in crowds of people yearning for the authentic Ceylon tea experience.

One of the most interesting places to visit in Sri Lanka is the Yala National Park. With the interest in eco tourism continuously increasing these days, this national park welcomes a steady stream of visitors. Eco tourism is perhaps one of the most significant developments in the travel industry today. We have all seen – and are seeing – what we’ve done to the environment. And, while we can travel all we want, we cannot ignore the fact that we need to pay more attention to our surroundings. No matter how luxurious a trip to Sri Lanka may be, we also need to take a look at the impact of our activities on the environment. And, that’s where eco tourism comes into the picture.

Going back to the premier eco tourism destination in Sri Lanka – Yala National Park – any environmentally conscious visitor absolutely cannot miss it! Yala National Park is not very near Colombo. In fact, it is about 300 kilometers from Colombo and is much nearer to Tissamaharama – about 24 kilometers northeast.

This national park covers a huge tract of land, more than 100,000 hectares of it! With this size, Yala National Park offers visitors a huge variety of ecosystems – the eco tourist’s idea of heaven! From monsoon forests (both humid and dry) to thorn forests to deciduous forests – you can find them all in the national park. There are also wetlands as well as sandy beaches. Indeed, Yala National Park will not bore you for one minute.

If you’re a leopard enthusiast, then you will Yala National Park as it is widely recognized as one of the best places in the world to observe this magnificent animal! For this activity, you have to visit Yala West (Ruhuna) National Park , which covers a huge block of land. FYI, the Sri Lankan leopard is the largest of its kind in Asia. There are about 30 leopards in the park; and, while that may seem few, it is the highest density of leopards in the entire world!

There are countless land based and water based activities that visitors can undertake in the national park. For the former, you can take your pick from leopard watching, bird watching, caving, cycling, mountain biking, hiking or trekking, offroad adventures, rock climbing, and safaris. For the latter, the choices are just as varied: fishing (both inland and deep sea), kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, turtle watching, whale watching, dolphin watching, white water rafting, water skiing, and wind surfing. And, that’s not even the full list!

Important info: the best time to visit is between May and August, when the weather is quite dry. Also, the park closes for a bit sometime in September and October.

If you’re interested – and I can’t see why anyone would NOT be interested – in visiting Yala National Park, you can visit their web site for more specific information. In this day and age, responsible and conscious tourism (as I like to call it) is something that we all ought to engage in.

When it comes to luxury and pampering, you probably won’t find anything that can beat what Heritance Kandalama has to offer. This hotel is located in an area which has been dubbed as the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka. With five UNESCO World Heritage Sites located nearby, the moniker is but understandable. Heritance Kandalama, the hotel, itself is hailed by many as an architectural masterpiece attributed to Geoffrey Bawa.

The idea behind the whole complex is for it to blend as seamlessly as possible with the amazing natural formations in the area. The hotel is situated in between two natural rock formations and is designed so that it resembles the wings of a bird spread out in flight. With its size – an astounding 1.8 kilometers from one end to another – one might think that it is impossible for the edifice to blend with nature. However, the opposite is true: one look and you will wonder at just how natural everything seems to be! Even more amazing is the design itself, which allows the natural waters from the mountains to flow underneath the building, which is raised using platforms and columns. One should not be surprised to find out that animals range freely underneath the building as well.

The environment-conscious visitor will love the Heritance Kandalama for all its efforts to conserve energy. It has a very comprehensive program geared towards saving energy. The hotel makes use of auto-power controls, energy efficient lighting systems, and solar energy to heat the water supply. More so, the hotel does NOT make use of surface water to meet its needs. The water supply is a mixture of deep well water (using tubes going as deep as 200 feet) and rainwater.

For the ultimate pampering experience, one will not go wrong with the Six Senses Spa, which has won numerous awards from all over the world. The philosophy of the spa focuses on the five senses – finding the perfect balance among them. Think of a pyramid with the base constituted of sight, sound, and touch; and taste and smell constituting the middle portion; for the apex, think of a symbolism of the entire sensory experience.

The Six Senses Spa follows ancient Asian traditions geared towards rejuvenating the mind, body, and soul. They make use of indigenous herbs as well as tropical fruits and natural oils. Combined with steam, scrubs, massages, and other techniques, these herbs, fruits, and oils, are certain to please any visitor.

While a visitor would probably be more than content to spend time at the spa and lounge around the premises relaxing, the hotel also offers other activities to engage the active guest. There are three swimming pools – each of which offers a unique attraction. The Infinity Pool blends with Kandalama Lake. The Nature Pool shares the same bedrock which the hotel is built upon. The Rashmi Pool is the largest pool in the hotel and is naturally warmed by the sun.

Indeed, the Heritance Kandalama is the ideal place to go for a period of total relaxation.

When one talks of Sri Lankan food, curry is what usually comes up. There is no doubt about it – curry is everywhere in this country. That is not to say, however, that Sri Lankan cuisine doesn’t have various dishes to offer the gastronomic visitor. Still, we cannot have a discussion about Sri Lankan food without talking about the omnipresent curry.

A visit to Sri Lanka might very well mean a curry dish as the main feature of every meal. The dish can be made of pork, fish, chicken, beef, or mutton. In addition to these meats, various vegetables are also made into curry. A mixture of meat and vegetables is also possible. The common ingredients for Sri Lankan curry include coconut milk, onions, and chillies – lots of them! A word of warning is warranted, especially for those who cannot tolerate extremely spicy food: Sri Lankan curry can be VERy spicy. However, in most restaurants – especially in hotels – you can ask for a less spicy version to suit your taste.

Sri Lankans know that the best partner for curry is rice – plain boiled rice. Just like many other Asian countries, rice is a staple in Sri Lanka. It really is perfect to offset the rich (and spicy!) flavors of the curry dishes.

Aside from curry, Sri Lankans like to serve side dishes during a meal. Side dishes are usually pickles and chutneys. A signature side dish is sambol. This dish is made of fiery peppers mixed with coconut and other spices. Other popular side dishes are parripu (red lentils) and mullung (spiced green leaves which are shredded or ripped and stir-fried).

For breakfast, forget the traditional pancakes and bacon and eggs that you may be used to. Instead, go for hoppers. It’s not what you probably think it is (no insects in this recipe!). Hoppers are actually a kind of pancake but fried egg or sweet coconut meat is placed in the middle. It is fried in such a way that the edges are crisp but the middle stays soft.

Sri Lankan desserts are one of a kind and there are many varieties to choose from. A popular dessert is kevum or kavun. It is flour cake mixed with treacle and deep-fried. If you’re more adventurous, try moong kavun, which is made from green gram. It is shaped into diamonds prior to frying, making it more interesting. Wattalappam is another Sri Lankan dessert which visitors must try. It is actually egg pudding and is of Malay origins. For a sweet but healthy snack, kiri peni is the choice. It is curd (yoghurt made from buffalo milk) mixed with honey. If you happen to attend a ceremonial occasion, you’ll probably get to try another dessert called kiribath. It is made of rice cooked in coconut milk and served with sambol. Of course, you might be able to persuade the chef to prepare it just for you.

Wherever you go in Sri Lanka, you will not find yourself lacking for excellent dishes made with only the freshest ingredients.

Sri Lanka is well known for its festivals, and the month of January is one of the best times to visit this country. I already shared the Galle Literary Festival with you. The excitement is actually building up exponentially as the time draws nearer and nearer. Before this festival is held, however, there is another art festival that you should know about: Kala Pola.

Dubbed as Colombo’s grandest open air art festival, Kala Pola is traditionally held on the third Sunday of January. This festival is relatively new – it started only in the early 1990s, thanks to the genius of George Keyt. This man has impacted the Sri Lankan art culture in unparalleled ways, giving birth to a foundation named after him. Keyt’s supporters founded this organization in an effort to support and promote Sri Lankan artists and their works. More on George Keyt from Art Sri Lanka:

Promoting art and assisting Sri Lanka artists including painters, sculptors, musicians and writers, establishing a gallery of modern Sri Lanka art, restoring and preserving George Keyt’s work in all media, publishing writings and reproducing works of art of George Keyt and others to enable more and more people to have access to them.

Drawing from the inspiration and contribution of George Keyt whose life spanned almost the whole of the 20 Century – as a Painter, Poet, and Writer was a legend in his life-time, the George Keyt Foundation has in over twelve years made a major contribution to promote the Arts, and in a way revive it from the end of the nineteen eighties.

Today, the foundation continues to host Kala Pola at the Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo. The festival has indeed gone a very long way. From the 35 or so artists that took part in the original festival, there are now hundreds that participate and showcase their talent during Kala Pola. Artists come from all walks of life with all sorts of talents: painters, sculptors, etc.

The Kala Pola is actually reminiscent of the open air art galleries or fairs that are held in many European countries during the summer period. The atmosphere is relaxed and yet tinged with the passion of artists. One really important thing to remember about this art festival is that it showcases not only those artists who have already made a name for themselves, but it also provides a chance for budding and struggling artists. The latter group actually benefits a lot from the festival as they get the exposure that they may not have otherwise. From an art enthusiast’s point of view, this is the perfect chance to discover artists and their work. After all, you never know what you may find as you’re strolling along the streets of the art fair.

Art enthusiasts – especially those who are interested specifically in Sri Lankan art – should not miss this festival. The grandiosity of the display and the amount of interaction with artists and other enthusiasts are something that one may experience rarely in a lifetime.

Spending a luxurious holiday in Ceylon is not at all that hard to do, and of course, your “home base” for your holidays will be at the center of it all. There are a lot of places where you can stay in Ceylon, and one very highly recommended hotel is the Galle Fort Hotel.

Situated on Church Street in Galle Fort, this boutique hotel has already received a lot of attention from foreign visitors as well as the press. It is no wonder, really, as the hotel is perfect in so many ways! Take a look at this list to see what reputable entities have to say about the hotel:

• Conde Nast Hot List 2005
• Chosen by Conde Naste as one of the best new hotels in the world under $200
• Most desirable hotel bed linen in the world Wallpaper magazine
• Winner of the 2007 UNESCO Award of Distinction for cultural heritage conservation
• Selected by The Australian Travel Magazine as “ one of our top five places in the world to chill and relax”

Conde Nast has spoken – no need for further questions, don’t you think? Most desirable bed linen? Count me in! And of course, to be the recipient of such an award from UNESCO speaks volumes.

The hotel is housed in a piece of property dating back to the 17th century, ensuring guests of a stay steeped in history. It is reminiscent of what colonial Ceylon used to be and at the same time showcases the chic modern side of the culture. The hotel has a total of 11 rooms and suites, all of which are quite spacious. Indeed, many a traveler has described their rooms as enormous. In this day and age where chain hoteliers put such a high premium on space, the size of Galle Fort Hotel’s rooms is very much welcome. The design and décor of the rooms are a mix of Sri Lankan and Chinese – very minimal but extremely relaxing.

One of the best features of the hotel is the pool, which is in the courtyard. It really is a simple pool, not very large, but the whole setting is very serene. I doubt that you would want to leave once you find a shady spot to relax in!

Of course, I have to talk about the food, which has garnered so much praise from its guests. The food that the hotel serves is mainly Chinese and Thai, although chef Christopher Ong has quite a few tricks up his sleeve. One thing is for sure – you will have all the fresh seafood that you want! For cocktails, wines, teas, and other drinks, the front verandah is the place to be. It is also open to outside guests, making it the perfect meeting place for a lot of people.

If you’re looking for a quiet and luxurious place to stay – at an affordable price – then you can’t go wrong with the Galle Fort Hotel. For more information, visit the Galle Fort Hotel web site.