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The itinerary for our Sri Lanka trip was great. In three weeks, we saw most of the country and felt we had a good overview of the people and culture. Thanks to Miguel and Nicola for their hard work.

The people of Sri Lanka are some of the gentlest and friendly people we have encountered. The likely adverse effects caused by the US tariffs did not seem to change the way they dealt with us.

The food was one of the big surprises. We had two cooking classes where we “helped” the chefs. In each of those we prepared about ten curry dishes, most of which were various vegetables. We had two meals where there were more than 20 curry dishes. Once we got to the south coast we switched to crabs, prawns and tuna—all some of the best seafood we have ever had.

Our activities were varied. We had tours of cities, temples, a tea plantation and a cinnamon plantation, hikes on two sections of the Pekoe Trail, two boat trips where we saw a great number of birds and flying foxes, a visit to a woman potter, and five game drives (four in Yala) where we saw a leopard, multiple elephants, and more birds. The guides were excellent. The only activity that was disappointing was a whale watching cruise on the south coast. We saw two blow spouts and one whale (for about 30 seconds).

The hotels were all good. The biggest surprises were the three “all inclusive” hotels—W 15, Castle Reigh (Ceylon Tea Trail Hotel) and Chena. Our prior experiences were that “all-inclusive” meant so-so service, food and facilities. These three were the opposite. They were the best hotels we visited.

We did have some comments on the two Aman hotels at which we stayed. The service and facilities at both hotels were outstanding, as you would expect for an Aman property. The Amanwella on the south coast has a beach that we felt was not conducive for swimming. There is a strong surf on the south coast and the beach at Amanwella has a steep drop. This results in an undertow. The hotel has personnel at the beach to help guests get back onto the shore through the surf. We are used to the shallower beaches on the Florida and Gulf Coasts so this was a bit of a challenge for us. In retrospect we would likely delete the stay at Amanwella and the whale watching cruise. One last comment re the Amanwella. Their main restaurant had a hamburger on the menu for $55.00. The Aman hotels are pricey but this was the winner.

The Amangalla at Galle Fort is located inside the fort and is thus a UNESCO site. We did not realize the property did not have an elevator. Our initial room was on the third floor (second floor European style). To get there required climbing four flights of steep stairs (56 steps) in a non airconditioned stairwell. Fortunately, the hotel was able to move us to a ground floor room. If the hotel had been full, we would likely have moved to another place. Once we got the new room we loved the hotel. I think potential guests need to know they may have to climb lots of stairs when they decide if they want to stay at the Amangalla.

We had breakfast with Miguel at the Amangalla. We really enjoyed meeting him. He has done a great job creating the Pekoe Trail. Hiking the two segments was one of the highlights of our trip.

Again, a great trip.

Wendy Tucker and husband at UNESCO World Heritage site Galle Fort in Sri Lanka.

Travelers Wendy and Marco enjoy UNESCO World Heritage site Galle Fort in a 1971 VW convertible.

My husband Marco and I just returned from a wonderful three-week trip to Sri Lanka planned by Miguel and Nicola. We experienced a vast range of geographic areas and experiences from cultural, beach, safari, religious and most important to us, immersive with the local people.

Our guide/driver, Manjula, was stellar. Before we left the airport upon our arrival, we all agreed that for our 3 weeks together we would be a “family,” and we were—despite many 3-hour-plus drives, we were comfortable, relaxed, and spent time chatting, listening to Sri Lankan music or just quietly looking at the passing scenery. Manjula quickly learned the nuances of my husband’s challenges remaining from a traumatic brain injury due to a motorcycle accident years ago. Although Marco is physically fit, he still has challenges with uneven terrain and stairs without handrails as well as environments with a lot of commotion and people. Manjula always made Marco feel comfortable and supported without being demeaning, which we were both so grateful for.

This trip was unique for us as in total we stayed at 8 different places but I am so glad we listened to Miguel and Nicola as to the rhythm of the trip. After 24 hours to travel, staying an extra night at the beginning at the tranquil boutique Wallawwa Hotel was perfect. We saw so much and had so many great experiences including all the historical highlights like Sigiriya Lion Rock, Dambulla Cave, Temple of the Tooth, and the ancient city of Anuradhapura, beach down time at the gorgeous Amanwella with a fantastic cooking class, and visits to tea and cinnamon plantations where we were astounded at how much hands-on labor is required.

Our favorite experiences included a visit to the Botanical Garden in Kandy with an incredibly knowledgeable botanist who has written numerous books and knew every plant and tree in the garden. A visit to a quiet beautiful Buddhist cave temple inhabited by only two monks where we received a lengthy blessing and were the only ones there. And our WOW Moment—a drive around UNESCO World Heritage site Galle Fort in a 1971 VW convertible with a local guide whose family ran a tea shop in the area. My husband, who is a classic car lover, had a grin ear to ear when we walked out of our hotel and saw the car!

Miguel and Nicola spent time learning about us and our interests and their recommendations of places to stay and experiences and the overall feel of the trip showed that they listened. They each made time to meet us personally, which was a lovely surprise and another opportunity to chat with a local and learn more about this beautiful, welcoming country and people.

My husband and I had an amazing 16-day trip to Sri Lanka in February 2025, organized to perfection by Miguel and Nicola. Sri Lanka is a fascinating place to travel, with so many things to do, from ancient cultural spots to leopard safaris, from whale watching to staying at a renowned architect’s home, from great hiking on the Pekoe Trail to artist visits, from city walking tours to a final delicious dinner at Colombo’s Ministry of Crab.

Miguel and Nicola helped us devise an itinerary that included all of the above, plus more. I know we would not have had so many interesting experiences if it hadn’t been for their guidance, especially the batik and mask painting workshops which we really enjoyed. We even bought a painting!

All of the hotels they chose for us met our brief of intimate, charming hotels and we had great rooms and service throughout. Our driver Udesh was safe, knowledgeable and personable.

Where their service really came through was when I suffered a dislocated shoulder while hiking, partway through the trip. Their advice to go to a private hospital, even though it was a lengthy drive, was spot on. They quickly reorganized our itinerary to get us to our next stop with barely a hiccup. Our driver made a very lengthy drive to retrieve our luggage while we traveled in comfort via seaplane. A shout out here goes to the staff at Castlereagh bungalow, Ceylon Tea Trails hotel, who packed up our luggage for us and got our documents to the seaplane stop. I know that if we hadn’t had our planners and the staff at the wonderful hotel we were staying at helping us, the whole incident would have ruined our trip. As it was, we continued to enjoy all Sri Lanka had to offer.

Sri Lanka had been on my bucket list for a long time, and it more than delivered, mostly due to Miguel and Nicola. Highly recommend!

We traveled to Sri Lanka and the Maldives in December 2024 with the help of experts from Wendy Perrin. Wendy put us in touch with Miguel, and the guides, driver, and tours were planned with great attention to detail. The highlight of Sri Lanka was the Ceylon Tea Trail region. It was just stunning! We loved Sri Lanka, it is a beautiful country. Thanks to Miguel and his team for seamless planning.

Thanks Wendy for another great vacation experience.

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