Travel Answers

Southern Province

I will be travelling with two friends in October. is it possible to hire a driver one way from Colombo to Kataragama, and if so - how would I do it and what is it likely to cost?

We are a group of 3 adults planning a holiday in Bentota.
How do we go from colombo airport to Bentota. I'm told that there are taxis available at the airport at any time.

Any know a tour operator / driver who can arrange for a taxi pick-up & drop at reasonable rates

I am staying at the Coral Sands Hotel, Hikkaduwa. I need transport from this hotel to Panadura (Old Galle Road) on 18 April morning. What are my options ? Train, Private Bus or taxi. What is the cost ? Thanks. James Peiris

My husband and I are travelling to Sri Lanka in January for 6 months. We are hoping to rent somewhere for a few months in Bentota, does anyone have any useful advice about costs etc.

Hi, I am thinking of visiting Bentota in July. Where is best to stay (currently looking at Vivanta by Taj). Also, how much should we pay p/person to transfer between Colombo Airport and the Bentota area? Thanks, Priya

Any ideas if Yala National Park would be accessible form Trincomalee? Following a stay on the coast my daughter & I would like to move inland with a hope to seeing the Park or similar while making our way back to Colombo for flights home. We would have 4 days between Trincomalee & Colombo. We don't like the idea of the advertised upmarket safaris. Any suggestions welcome.

Hello Myself and a friend (2girls) are planning to stay at Funky de bar in a few weeks. I've only been able to find reviews on this place as a restaurant but wondered what it was like as a place to sleep? All feedback welcome. And recommendations on Hikkaduwa too :) cheers!

Hay all, im interested in having my honeymoon in srilanka. main interests are exotic beaches and shopping. interested in visiting srilanka for around 7-8 days. for the purpose i have been looking at bentota and unawatuna. Kindly suggest nice beaches and accomodations(within LKR7,000-8,000). will appreciate weblinks of hotels, beaches and images. thanks :)

hi, we are trying to book a villa in induruwa for this new yrs till 7th. id like to know if its a good idea to stay in induruwa. we want a relaxing holiday rather than a sightseeing one. we will be taking a diving course probably. we want to eat good food and shop. but what id like to know is that, if we want to do allof the above can it be done by staying in induruwa? how much will the travelling be? can it be managed by hiring a bike? thanks for your help. sjk india

can anyone help me telling me about the places near bentota and what is the exact time to reach those places...like i know about breif garden .it is about 7 km to bentota ...likewise i want to know about other places....pls help me out

we are three middle aged men coming to srilanka for a brief holiday for the first time. choose unawatuna. can some one guide on the night life and related activities and any other info that could help.

Hey there anyone have any idea on how much it costs to go to the cricket in sri lanka going in 2weeks to galle kandy n colombo to watch the aussies play the tests there Its the one thing can't find an answer for Thanks Piers

Hi everyone, I am planning a trip to Lihiniya Hotel, Bentota in March 2012 and have just found out the Englabnd cricket team will be playing in Sri Lanka in March & April. The 1st test is in Galle which I believe is very far away but I imagine they will play a warm up match in Colombo? How far is Colombo cricket ground from Lhiniya Surf, Bentota and is it affordable in a taxi or would you go an alternative way (train?). Thanks for your help :-) Chris

I plan to visit bentota, kandy and nuwara eliya in August. So kindly advise me on the weather conditions. will there be heavy rains or will it be a good beach holiday.. is it advisable to visit during august..

I am staying in Heritance Ahungalla hotel in bentota and would like to know if anyone stayed there and what do they think of it? its my first time in sri lanka and ill be coming on 2nd June..i would like to plan a program which is feasible for 4 days stay .. where can i go?? is yala national park and kandy far away from bentota?

We are planning a visit to Kataragam on 6th August. Would like to join in the prayers and have a small pooja at the temple on the 7th morning prayers. how do we go about arranging this? How far is the temple from the Mandara Rosen hotel where we plan to stay

Next week i will come to Bentota and i would love to do some cycling there. So is it possible to rent a bike, and are there any suggestions for a nice route ? Thanks Tom

Hi guys and gals We are looking for a beautuful resort/venue for our wedding next year. 5 Star if possible and we'd love the cermony on the beach. Does anyone know any place in Sri Lanka like that? We were thinking of the Bentota beach area. Thanks for your suggestions Kyles

I'll be in Bentota in mid december with five friends. I was wondering if we should book rooms with dinner inclusive or would it be better to check out local restaurants? Susanthas has been widely reviewed and suggested by a lot of tourists. And, are there places on the beach at bentota where you can just hang out and have a couple of drinks...like in Goa, India (like the shacks they have on the beach)?

Hi fellow travellers My fiancee and I are considering having our wedding in the Taj in September/October 2011. Has anyone had a wedding there? What was your experience? Did you have a planner from the hotel? Were they helpful? So many questions.....as we have never been to Bentota and are relying on forums like this and the internet for advice. We are looking for 5-star quality..will we get it? Any advice would be appreciated. And of course I have to ask if the area is safe? We will be a group of about 40 ppl. Thank you for your help... kyles

OK I arrive in Colombo by 3 AM on 28th, when I take a bus to Bentota where do I get down? what is a good place to stay which is easily accessible to the beach? How do we commute inside bentota? I have not booked my hotels yet. It would be great if you could suggest budget hotels in bentota! And IS it raining there?

Hi there - How far is this hotel from the airport and is it beach front?

I am in no intention to bring in controversy to this forum....however I (my Wife) have this feeling of insecurity about the public travel i.e. busses/Auto Rickshaws etc as we are "Tamil speaking people". We are definitely in no intention of ticking anyone off...how is the temperature there in Colombo and Bentota about the above mentioned concern???? you could drop in an email as your response if you feel that this forum may not be appropriate...

I love to travel. And I travel impulsively. I wanted to visit Sri Lanka ever since childhood and now after 27 years I have the opportunity. I have 3 nights and 4 days to spend in the country. My research has lead me to 2 cities Bentota and Colombo. I do understand that there is a forum separately for Bentota however I was thinking a one-stop solution would definitely help. My budget (excluding air fare) is roughly 25000 LKR. I am not a fussy traveler. here are my following questions that will help my quest. 1. From the International airport there is a bus that takes me to a bus stand. Do I have priate/state transport busses that take me to Bentota and a rough cost in LKR? 2. I have a flight that lands at 02:30 Local time and post immigration etc I may be free by 04:0 AM. Is it ideal for me to go to bentota at that time and will there be public transportation available? 3. Will I be able get budget accommodations in Bentota within a price range of 2000 LKR (twin sharing). Please note that I am travelling with my wife (good looking) and I want no trouble where I stay. 4. I am planning 2 days in bentota and 1 day in Colombo. Is that an ideal cost effective plan or coming to Colombo on the 2nd day and staying there makes better sense. Wife likes to shop and we both club too. (28th October - Thursday to 1st November Saturday morning) 5. Which is the central part of Colombo where I could stay and have easy access to shopping/pubs/clubs? 6. Over and above all of this, is 25000 LKR sufficient to conquer my quest? I love the country and I need your advise...HELP PLEASE

I've seen a few comments on this website that the sea has dangerous currents near Tangalla. I'd love to stay in that area, as there seem to be more sights to see nearby, but definitely want to spend several days swimming and relaxing too. My guidebook lists the Palm Paradise Cabanas as having 'safe swimming nearby' and the Mangrove Garden as having 'safe swimming in a natural rock pool', also the Lagoon Paradise Resort as being on a lagoon (which I assume means safe swimming but I could be wrong). Has anyone stayed in any of these places? Or anywhere else in Tangalla with safe swimming? I'm not a strong person ...but I love swimming.

I am planning to travel to Sri Lanka in March this year, when I will be attending my daughters wedding which will take place at the 'Taj Exotica Bentota Beach' hotel. I visited Sri Lanka 9 years ago with my wife for a short holiday but this time I will be travelling alone and would very much like to learn more about Sri Lankan cultures and customs. I feel that 'Homestay' may be a good way of doing this. My intentions are to come over in mid to late February and stay for about one month during which time I would be also interested in getting involved in voluntary work. Can anyone please give me any assistance or recommend who I should contact in order to arrange this? I would welcome any advice you may have. Thank you Noel O'Halloran England noelisgreat@aol.com

Hi We are headign to Colombo Friday 1st of May, and planning to stay there for two days then hit the souhthern beaches. But we can't quite decide where to go, we've heard Bentota, Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna are among the best beaches. So we can't decide where to go since we have to pick only one. I read somehwere that Hikkaduwa can get a bit crowded, Is it during this time of year? Ideally we're looking to stay 2 days for relaxation, somewhere right ont he beach, in a nice Hotel, budget is no issue, maybe learn surfing. Is there such a place? Any advice on somewhere special to stay? thanks

I am travelling to Bentatota on the 4th June and staying at the Taj Exotica. Please can someone advise what the weather will be like and also any feedback on the hotel would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, We are a group of three going to unawatuna around Xmas time,is it imperative that we book accommodation prior to going or is there plenty available?would anyone know where i can find a detailed map of unawatuna with hotel listings?looked in google,not that helpful.appreciate your replies. Regards sid

Hi everyone My girlfriend and I are off to Sri Lanka on Saturday 29th Nov for two weeks. Had assumed the south-west was going to be clear of the monsoon but looks like it's still raining? Can anyone give me an update on current weather conditions in Galle/Unawatuna? I'm looking for a relaxing beach holiday so if anyone can recommend guaranteed sun somewhere else just let me know! Cheers Tom