9 дней в РАЮ 9 days in Paradise

First time in Sri Lanka. The country struck my imagination as an experienced traveler (Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Europe, USA). I liked everything very, very much: the room, the staff, the beach, the food and the country as a whole. There is NOTHING not to like. All bad reviews and comments about the hotel and the country are written, in my opinion, by inadequate, narrow-minded, flawed people.
And why they don’t write: they don’t clean the room (we were cleaned, they gave us 100 rupees = $ 0.6 each time), and the mold is black (there wasn’t), and it’s dirty in the room (if you apply sand from the beach, then it will be everywhere), and the food is bad (he gorged himself on fruits, and scrambled eggs, and bacon, after cheap Egyptian hotels the food was normal. - they only took breakfast).
I will say about the country that it is not dirtier than in Ukraine, where I come from (if, of course, you have seen the country outside the capital and its central streets). They "prick" no more than in Egypt (if you are not a "teapot", then you will understand everything). You can not swim in the ocean everywhere, and on the territory of the hotel, however, it is almost impossible (huge wave height): tons of water hit your head and throw you on the shore. But for half a dollar you will be taken on a scooter to one of the neighboring bays, where the waves are calmer, and to the one on the left 10-15 minutes. walk along the beach (there is a natural pool protected by a reef).

The road is hard, with a transfer in Dubai (FlyDubai). Water in the plane is only for money, entertainment (I apologize for Americanism) is paid, $ 10 = 35 dirhams. I advise you to try to carry water in small bottles on board, we were lucky with both water and juices for the child, both of which the airport security missed in hand luggage. Coffee costs $3, tea $3. And you can watch the movie together with your wife, using the same headphones (each one in the ear). You have to take sandwiches with you on board. In your luggage, take 4 sticks of dry sausage, a knife (so that you can cut it later), a dozen Roshen chocolates for "bribes" to locals, a couple of one and a half liter bottles of water (in general, there are no problems with it, but it's just inconvenient and expensive to run around to buy ), a towel for each family member (the hotel provides, but sometimes they do not dry on time, and for a clean one it was necessary to go to the lifeguard on the beach 100m away). By the way, the hotel has an "Ayurvedic" attitude to the towels in the hotel: no cards and their subsequent surrender (you just take it and don't hand it over, throw it on a sun lounger, no accounting). The road to the hotel from the airport lasted 6 hours, back 5.
Immediately after settling in and going to the beach, we met the local guide Kumar, who organized our cultural program: he took me on a scooter to Hikkaduwa Bay to the Banana Garden hotel / restaurant, where we ate (soup, beer, shrimp, french fries - Ukrainian prices, affordable ), brought ready-made fish (tuna, sea bass, yellowtail) and shrimp, lobsters - prices were always from 600 rupees per pound of shrimp to 4800 rupees per kilo of lobsters, took them on excursions (half the price of the "official" hotel guide), oriented according to real prices for everything and drove to the shops of producers, not hucksters, as well as to a local fruit shop, where they give 3 coconuts for a dollar, not one.
Emotions are still running high. I fell asleep on the beach with my wife hand in hand to the sound of the ocean waves. Swimming in the warm Indian Ocean. By the way, "well-wishers" said: "Where are you going? ". There is "dirt", "stink" and "bedlam". To put it mildly, everything is not true. Saw whales in the ocean. Whoever goes, I recommend not to eat before, during, or after the tour and drink pills (the ship's team suggests). Saw elephants in Udawalawe National Park. Bathed with wild sea turtles in Hikkaduwa. Bought for 2000 UAH. a peignoir made of natural silk for his wife, visited a tea plantation, a nursery of snakes, drank coconuts instead of water (60 rupees a piece). I ate mini bananas for 20 UAH = 100 rupees per kilo, I tried durian (I don’t advise, it smells like shit and tastes not much better), rambutan, lychee, 3 types of coconuts (even brown one can be eaten, the pulp, of course: it is much tastier than our coconuts in Auchan), yellow mango, pineapple.
Conclusion: MUST go. I do not advise the elderly (over 70) and families with small children (under 6). It is desirable to have basic English, but if not a "teapot", then you can explain yourself using gestures and a calculator. Google translate, at least, will help. Sri Lanka gives a truly fantastic, incomparable experience. I "came", got an incredible "experience". You can relax both in a luxury hotel and in a budget hut, or mix a homeless trip with luxury. Everyone, I think, will find his own in this amazing country. I wish you all successful and interesting travels!

P. S. Be vigilant, because the prices sometimes try to podzalamat, and do not sign any left pieces of paper when leaving: they tried to divorce us twice on the last day: they say, "help", sign the paperwork, and then they demand 200 rupees = $ 1.2. It seems that the amount is small, but the very fact of awareness of the divorce is unpleasant. This little thing is nothing compared to all the positive received during the holidays.