For a decade Sri Lanka developed a reputation as a cheap
beach holiday destination, mainly from 2 resorts; Negombo
near the airport and Hikkaduwa on the south coast; the
latter also has a coral reef. Hikkaduwa in our opinion is
full of quite horrid guest houses and cheap hotels but in
this wilderness 2 or 3 hotels do meet three star tourist
standards. One of these is Amaya Reef which we visited on
Saturday 21 February 2009. The lobby creates a reassuring
first impression
CALL US ON 020 7193 1432
The attractive feature of the hotel is that it is sited right on
the Indian Ocean beach. You can cross over from the ground floor
rooms to the beach in 2 minutes. From the semi covered dining
area to the beach is just a step away. The chef here is a man of
genius and he pays as much attention to presentation as to
taste.
To the left and south the beach makes for a pleasant walk down
many happy hour type bars and small restaurants to the more
attractive stilt fishermen posts. Since the recent military
victories, you will see Sri Lankan flags flying everywhere
including the oddest of places such as fishermen’s posts in the
waters.
Sunsets at Amaya Reef can be beautiful here and a pleasure to
watch over cocktails by the pool.
Hikkaduwa and Negombo are popular amongst “back packers” and are in
complete contrast to resorts like Galle which have a new more recent
generation of lap of luxury boutique hotels. Nevertheless, if you
are tempted to visit Hikkaduwa because of the coral reef, then the
Amaya Reef is a natural choice.
CALL
US ON 020 7193 1432
SPECIAL OFFER HOLIDAYS .COM
Unit 3, 29 Middleton Road, Manchester
M8 5DT, UK
Email: md@specialofferholidays.com
SPECIAL OFFER HOLIDAYS .COM
Unit 3, 29 Middleton Road,