I am posting the long-awaited photos for the review "Magical Sri Lanka".
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I am posting the long-awaited photos for the review "Magical Sri Lanka".
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Club Bentota 4* Good day to all! two weeks ago my wife and I flew from Sri Lanka and decided to write a review. flew AirArabia A-320, Kiev-(5 hours)-Sharjah-(4 hours)-Colombo and Colombo-Sharjah-Kyiv. the planes are quite decent, the knees do not rest against the front seats. the transfer is a big plus, you can walk around the airport (about 1 hour) and the flight becomes not too tiring.
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Club Bentota 4*
Good day to all!
two weeks ago my wife and I flew from Sri Lanka and decided to write a review. flew AirArabia A-320, Kiev-(5 hours)-Sharjah-(4 hours)-Colombo and Colombo-Sharjah-Kyiv. the planes are quite decent, the knees do not rest against the front seats. the transfer is a big plus, you can walk around the airport (about 1 hour) and the flight becomes not too tiring. food is not included in the price, so it's better to take sandwiches with you or whatever you like (in "litak" the food is disgusting, 100% synthetic). on the way back, we decided to have a bite to eat on the plane and regretted it. for $18 we were given two soups like Mivina, two sandwiches and two cappuccinos.
Arrived at Colombo airport around 4:00 local time. before the trip, I read all sorts of reviews and, following the example, changed $ 500 at the airport, the rate was about $ 1. \u003.100 Sri Lankan rupees, the rate at the hotel, for example, 1 \u003.80. I didn’t buy a local SIM card, it didn’t come in handy for me (it cost 4 sms for 5 UAH with mts).
Upon arrival at the airport, we were met by a Russian-speaking guide with a driver in a fresh Hyundai Sonata. by this time it had been raining in the city for about 6 hours and in some places we stopped and scooped water out of the car. in general, the climate in Ceylon is very humid, more than 70%, but mild, you get used to it after a couple of days. Every day it rains mainly at 16.00-17.00 lasting from one to three hours. Nevertheless, this does not affect the air temperature, after the rain it is also warm as if nothing had happened. It takes about 2 hours to get to the hotel. the hotel is located on the outskirts of the peninsula and, on the one hand, access to the Bentota River, and on the other, to such a long-awaited, so unusually warm (28-30 degrees C) and salty ocean. We arrived at the hotel at about 7.00, transferred from the car to a motor boat and after 2 minutes. we are at the pier of the hotel. greeted us with two glasses of Jupi type orange juice, handed us a discount certificate for the spa and within 3 min.
settled in room 424 overlooking the river. in general, there are bungalow rooms with a capacity of 4 rooms and the same two-story ones (about 10 rooms per floor, entrance from the street). I didn’t have any questions about the number, I’m generally not very pretentious, but still. a full-size double bed, a balcony, a safe (free of charge), a shower and toilet, a TV with 15 channels, a couple of Russians, etc. The hotel area seemed large at first, but quickly got used to it, at first we almost got lost. everything is very beautiful around, coconut palms, greenery, like in paradise. the hotel is not new but good. the staff is friendly, speaks mostly English, the bartenders can speak a little German. I know a little German, English. I do not know at all, but the language was not a problem for me. German is the native language for every second inhabitant of the island, English for everyone. it is very good that the hotel is not located near the road, but is separated by a river from the island, there is no noise from cars and exhaust gases.
This hotel is very suitable for those people who want a real holiday, without noisy parties. the main contingent is over 40 years old, but there are also young couples. predominantly Germans and Russians, fewer Ukrainians. it was a lot of fun.
now for the entertainment.
there are two beach volleyball courts, two tables for table tennis and two courts for big, padded darts, dead billiards : -), boccia balls, croquet, pool (water polo) - it's all free, there is animation, but not too exciting , and the main entertainment bar. we rested 11 days ALL inc. local drinks free of charge in any quantity, elite for money. local alcohol is at a high level and is not very different from the paid one. worth noting the local rum and arak (coconut vodka), I liked the red rum Mendis and Rockland, with or without cola.
there is also brandy (very tasty and fragrant), gin, whiskey, rum (red and white of different brands), various types of arak, vodka, draft beer and bottled beer in the restaurant is called "3 coins", it is better than draft. I met a bartender named Silva, this is a short man with a mustache, there is another Silva bartender and also with a mustache, but he is larger. so say hello from me to little Silva, he is a very cool bartender, he constantly made different cocktails for my wife, served us very well, and then gave us some fruit and a bottle of rum as a gift, while no one from the staff saw. for reference, I’ll say that 0.7l of rum costs from $8.
...about the beach.
the beach is 30-40m wide and several km long, covered with golden sand, very fine, so nice to walk on it. no one is lying on the beach, probably because of the sun, all the sun loungers are under the palm trees on the territory of the hotel near the entrance to the beach.
I think that this is right, here you can both roll out a deck chair in the sun and sunbathe, or hide in the shade and control your tan or just take a nap. there is a volleyball court on the beach, we gathered teams from 3 to 6-7 people. and played for hours on end without feeling any fatigue. the ocean, as I said, is very warm, there is simply no such feeling as getting used to the water. nevertheless, it’s not very calm (it’s the ocean after all) and it’s not particularly possible to swim, only jump on the waves. for lovers of crawl on the chest, please, the pool, although it is not large, it is almost always empty. the water in the ocean is unusually salty and at first stings our eyes, the next day we did not notice it.
By the way, I read in many reviews that some midges bite on the beach, and so they didn’t bite me or my wife, but there were vacationers bitten by something similar. Mosquitoes appear in the evening, but the usual remedy easily solves the problem.
...
about the restaurant.
I will say right away that the food is not too varied, but you can choose something for yourself from the offer. among other things, it is worth noting a corner with spicy dishes, there are not many of them. Sri Lankans are very fond of curry and put this seasoning everywhere. I personally liked the pea curry, beef curry and chicken curry. other dishes are not spicy or slightly spicy. vegetables, unlike fruits, have no taste. others, on the contrary, are very sweet, juicy and do not at all resemble (taste) those that are sold with us. no pineapples, no bananas, no mangoes, nothing else. lots of chicken, fish and beef. I personally liked toast with fried bacon. many varieties of bread and different buns. for a side dish, mostly red, white rice, and some other, potatoes, less often pasta. the food is quite tolerable, always left with a full belly and from the restaurant.
... and excursions.
all the rest (almost 15 people) just spat and did not hit half of the places at all. His intrusiveness infuriated me so much that I could hardly restrain myself. but he persuaded me to go shopping by tuk-tuk for $1. I decided to buy a sapphire ring for my wife and our journey began. we come to the store (according to him, the cheapest), and the prices are probably lower in our Mandarin Plaza : -). small earrings, in which even a pebble is barely visible, cost more than 300 euros. I tell this Pati let's go to another store - we are coming to some house converted into a store. it's a horror to touch there, in general, nothing is allowed, everything is so dirty, the decorations are covered with an impenetrable layer of dirt. I realized that I should not waste time in vain and returned to the hotel. one family from Zaporozhye told that they took a 4-day excursion along with the tour and they were very satisfied. visited all the planned places and even more. so decide for yourself what to do with excursions.
on leaving the hotel, locals always attack with offers to give a ride. But sometimes you just want to walk. and then one day a man named Sena became attached to us, but he didn’t try to soar anything to us, he just asked where we were from and talked about himself. He accompanied me everywhere, told a lot of interesting things. I gave him $1 a day as a thank you (he didn't demand anything) and he was happy. showed a bunch of temples and other attractions. before leaving, I got some tea in the supermarket, this is the cheapest place where you can buy it. and let them not say that this is not real - a lie. I bought tea there 7 times cheaper than in private shops. and in general they take our brother for a fool. They tried to sell me coconut oil for $40 a bottle, and 100 meters further I bought it for $3 and still overpaid. and bargain with them, and if they don’t want to give up to your price, just leave and buy elsewhere - that’s what I did.
in general, I am very pleased with the time spent in Sri Lanka. for me it was a real vacation and the disadvantages that I described above were not so significant. I recommend everyone who is looking for a relaxing holiday to visit Sri Lanka. it is relatively inexpensive (Kiavia 2500 USD for two with a flight to ALL inc. 11 days / 12 nights) and an ocean of pleasure. It is a pity that I did not have time to visit the spa, they say great.
I wish you all a good holiday
I hope my review will help you make a choice.
If you have any questions write to boryss@ukr. net
Good day to all!
two weeks ago my wife and I flew from Sri Lanka and decided to write a review. flew AirArabia A-320, Kiev-(5 hours)-Sharjah-(4 hours)-Colombo and Colombo-Sharjah-Kyiv. the planes are quite decent, the knees do not rest against the front seats. the transfer is a big plus, you can walk around the airport (about 1 hour) and the flight becomes not too tiring. food is not included in the price, so it's better to take sandwiches with you or whatever you like (in "litak" the food is disgusting, 100% synthetic). on the way back, we decided to have a bite to eat on the plane and regretted it. for $18 we were given two soups like Mivina, two sandwiches and two cappuccinos.
Arrived at Colombo airport around 4:00 local time. before the trip, I read all sorts of reviews and, following the example, changed $ 500 at the airport, the rate was about $ 1. \u003.100 Sri Lankan rupees, the rate at the hotel, for example, 1 \u003.80. I didn’t buy a local SIM card, it didn’t come in handy for me (it cost 4 sms for 5 UAH with mts).
Upon arrival at the airport, we were met by a Russian-speaking guide with a driver in a fresh Hyundai Sonata. by this time it had been raining in the city for about 6 hours and in some places we stopped and scooped water out of the car. in general, the climate in Ceylon is very humid, more than 70%, but mild, you get used to it after a couple of days. Every day it rains mainly at 16.00-17.00 lasting from one to three hours. Nevertheless, this does not affect the air temperature, after the rain it is also warm as if nothing had happened. It takes about 2 hours to get to the hotel. the hotel is located on the outskirts of the peninsula and, on the one hand, access to the Bentota River, and on the other, to such a long-awaited, so unusually warm (28-30 degrees C) and salty ocean. We arrived at the hotel at about 7.00, transferred from the car to a motor boat and after 2 minutes. we are at the pier of the hotel. greeted us with two glasses of Jupi type orange juice, handed us a discount certificate for the spa and within 3 min.
settled in room 424 overlooking the river. in general, there are bungalow rooms with a capacity of 4 rooms and the same two-story ones (about 10 rooms per floor, entrance from the street). I didn’t have any questions about the number, I’m generally not very pretentious, but still. a full-size double bed, a balcony, a safe (free of charge), a shower and toilet, a TV with 15 channels, a couple of Russians, etc. The hotel area seemed large at first, but quickly got used to it, at first we almost got lost. everything is very beautiful around, coconut palms, greenery, like in paradise. the hotel is not new but good. the staff is friendly, speaks mostly English, the bartenders can speak a little German. I know a little German, English. I do not know at all, but the language was not a problem for me. German is the native language for every second inhabitant of the island, English for everyone. it is very good that the hotel is not located near the road, but is separated by a river from the island, there is no noise from cars and exhaust gases.
This hotel is very suitable for those people who want a real holiday, without noisy parties. the main contingent is over 40 years old, but there are also young couples. predominantly Germans and Russians, fewer Ukrainians. it was a lot of fun.
now for the entertainment.
there are two beach volleyball courts, two tables for table tennis and two courts for big, padded darts, dead billiards : -), boccia balls, croquet, pool (water polo) - it's all free, there is animation, but not too exciting , and the main entertainment bar. we rested 11 days ALL inc. local drinks free of charge in any quantity, elite for money. local alcohol is at a high level and is not very different from the paid one. worth noting the local rum and arak (coconut vodka), I liked the red rum Mendis and Rockland, with or without cola.
there is also brandy (very tasty and fragrant), gin, whiskey, rum (red and white of different brands), various types of arak, vodka, draft beer and bottled beer in the restaurant is called "3 coins", it is better than draft. I met a bartender named Silva, this is a short man with a mustache, there is another Silva bartender and also with a mustache, but he is larger. so say hello from me to little Silva, he is a very cool bartender, he constantly made different cocktails for my wife, served us very well, and then gave us some fruit and a bottle of rum as a gift, while no one from the staff saw. for reference, I’ll say that 0.7l of rum costs from $8.
...about the beach.
the beach is 30-40m wide and several km long, covered with golden sand, very fine, so nice to walk on it. no one is lying on the beach, probably because of the sun, all the sun loungers are under the palm trees on the territory of the hotel near the entrance to the beach.
I think that this is right, here you can both roll out a deck chair in the sun and sunbathe, or hide in the shade and control your tan or just take a nap. there is a volleyball court on the beach, we gathered teams from 3 to 6-7 people. and played for hours on end without feeling any fatigue. the ocean, as I said, is very warm, there is simply no such feeling as getting used to the water. nevertheless, it’s not very calm (it’s the ocean after all) and it’s not particularly possible to swim, only jump on the waves. for lovers of crawl on the chest, please, the pool, although it is not large, it is almost always empty. the water in the ocean is unusually salty and at first stings our eyes, the next day we did not notice it.
By the way, I read in many reviews that some midges bite on the beach, and so they didn’t bite me or my wife, but there were vacationers bitten by something similar. Mosquitoes appear in the evening, but the usual remedy easily solves the problem.
...
about the restaurant.
I will say right away that the food is not too varied, but you can choose something for yourself from the offer. among other things, it is worth noting a corner with spicy dishes, there are not many of them. Sri Lankans are very fond of curry and put this seasoning everywhere. I personally liked the pea curry, beef curry and chicken curry. other dishes are not spicy or slightly spicy. vegetables, unlike fruits, have no taste. others, on the contrary, are very sweet, juicy and do not at all resemble (taste) those that are sold with us. no pineapples, no bananas, no mangoes, nothing else. lots of chicken, fish and beef. I personally liked toast with fried bacon. many varieties of bread and different buns. for a side dish, mostly red, white rice, and some other, potatoes, less often pasta. the food is quite tolerable, always left with a full belly and from the restaurant.
... and excursions.
all the rest (almost 15 people) just spat and did not hit half of the places at all. His intrusiveness infuriated me so much that I could hardly restrain myself. but he persuaded me to go shopping by tuk-tuk for $1. I decided to buy a sapphire ring for my wife and our journey began. we come to the store (according to him, the cheapest), and the prices are probably lower in our Mandarin Plaza : -). small earrings, in which even a pebble is barely visible, cost more than 300 euros. I tell this Pati let's go to another store - we are coming to some house converted into a store. it's a horror to touch there, in general, nothing is allowed, everything is so dirty, the decorations are covered with an impenetrable layer of dirt. I realized that I should not waste time in vain and returned to the hotel. one family from Zaporozhye told that they took a 4-day excursion along with the tour and they were very satisfied. visited all the planned places and even more. so decide for yourself what to do with excursions.
on leaving the hotel, locals always attack with offers to give a ride. But sometimes you just want to walk. and then one day a man named Sena became attached to us, but he didn’t try to soar anything to us, he just asked where we were from and talked about himself. He accompanied me everywhere, told a lot of interesting things. I gave him $1 a day as a thank you (he didn't demand anything) and he was happy. showed a bunch of temples and other attractions. before leaving, I got some tea in the supermarket, this is the cheapest place where you can buy it. and let them not say that this is not real - a lie. I bought tea there 7 times cheaper than in private shops. and in general they take our brother for a fool. They tried to sell me coconut oil for $40 a bottle, and 100 meters further I bought it for $3 and still overpaid. and bargain with them, and if they don’t want to give up to your price, just leave and buy elsewhere - that’s what I did.
in general, I am very pleased with the time spent in Sri Lanka. for me it was a real vacation and the disadvantages that I described above were not so significant. I recommend everyone who is looking for a relaxing holiday to visit Sri Lanka. it is relatively inexpensive (Kiavia 2500 USD for two with a flight to ALL inc. 11 days / 12 nights) and an ocean of pleasure. It is a pity that I did not have time to visit the spa, they say great.
I wish you all a good holiday
I hope my review will help you make a choice.
If you have any questions write to boryss@ukr. net
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