A BIT OF HISTORY
In his 1891 book Palms And Pearls: Or
Scenes In Ceylon, Alan Walters highlights a 14th century Icelandic work which
names Paradise as an island off India 'studded with flowers', which he believes
to be Ceylon, renamed Sri Lanka in 1972.
And French author Hugo Victor is
believed to be referring to Sri Lanka when he writes: 'Paradise is a spot in
the Orient productive of all kinds of woods and pomiferous trees: it contains
the Tree of Life; there is neither cold nor heat but perpetual equable
temperature.'
Arrival in Sri Lanka, with the chaos
of Colombo airport and the surrounding roads, seemed some way from that early
notion of Paradise.
But once you reach the areas of
natural beauty, you'll see why the Paradise description is so apt. There are 26
national parks in Sri Lanka, each one teeming with wildlife. I stayed at the
Uga Escapes resort of Chena Huts, in Yala National Park.
Cape Weligama beach sunset
A PLACE TO RELAX
The hotel is intimate, with just 14
luxury suites, and they're spread out to ensure maximum privacy.
A sign on the path to the hotel
declared that an elephant had last been sighted here just three days before.
One lunchtime, we were enjoying a
watermelon martini at the bar when four monkeys sat down just yards away. And
on another occasion, we wandered down to the sandbanks below the resort and
heard a huge crash. Turning around slowly, we came face to face with an
elephant. He was unfazed, but we were overcome with emotion. It was one of the
best moments of my life.
You might think that the staff would
become blasé about living so close to wildlife, but they delighted in showing
us photos of leopards, crocodiles, wild boars and elephants which had all meandered
into the hotel grounds. The private suites at Chena Huts are similar to safari
lodges: vintage camping lamps, a freestanding bath, a huge bed, colonial style
rugs and - a safari essential - Nespresso machine.
Dinner overlooking the see at Cape Weligama's dining pavilion
There's a plunge pool in the garden of
each suite, too - as well as an enormous, lagoon-like pool moments away.
Meals and alcohol are inclusive and you can turn up
to eat at any time. And once you've tasted the Sri Lankan fish curry, you'll
want to sign up for the cookery classes offered by the head chef.
At 6.30am every day you can set off on
a safari tour of the park (or at 3.30pm, though morning gives you a better
chance of leopard sightings). Driving through the park, you'll suddenly come to
a clearing which looks as if you've been transported to Africa, with huge lakes
covered with water hyacinths, and mountains looming in the background.
We saw toucans, elephants, leopards,
monkeys and water buffalo - a fabulous experience.
Try some delicious Sri Lankan village style food
Following our stay at Chena, we set
off on a three-hour drive to Weligama, a popular surfing beach on the south
coast. Here we stayed at Cape Weligama resort, perched on a clifftop.
The resort has an activities centre
where you can take out surfboards, snorkels and paddleboards. There are also
scuba-diving courses. I was happier sitting by the Moon Pool - an infinity pool
fringed with palm trees where you can watch the surfers bobbing like buoys,
waiting for the next big wave.
Rent a bike and start your day with some cycling at Cape Weligama
A VISIT TO GALLE
The nearby town of Galle is one of the most distinctive on
the island. It features a 16th century fort built by the Portuguese. We had tea
at the Galle Fort Hotel, the most chic destination on the coast.
Back in Colombo,Residence, another Uga Escapes hotel, is the
perfect sanctuary. It's a ten-minute walk from the Town Hall and near the
Gangaramaya Temple, so ideal for sightseeing. We sat by the hotel pool sipping
a gin and tonic and plotted how to return to Paradise as soon as
possible.
First published in the Mail Online - September 2018
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