Great destination - book with Slimline holidays - DC. Date of travel: Jan 2011
We had a fantastic trip to Sri Lanka, we spent 11 days touring around the island. We visited all the main sites, Lion rock, dambulla rock temple, Kandy and Polonnaruwa are the must see places. I recommend you use a local tour operator as we did, our guide from Slimline holidays was excellent and had a lot of knowledge about the history and all sights which made the tour a lot more interesting.

We had a brilliant time! Excellent tour with Rohan! - Beverly. Date of travel: Sep 2010
After reading the reviews on various websites for Browns Beach Hotel, we were a little apprehensive. I felt very depressed when we arrived, the weather wasn’t fantastic and I was very tired from the travelling and to top it all, I started to believe everything I’d read! But after a few hours sleep and a wee word with myself, it ended up being the best two weeks ever, we decided it was one of the most enjoyable holidays we’d had.

The rooms at Browns Beach are a little bit dated but very clean, rooms are cleaned daily with fresh bed linen and towels, the weather was lovely so we didn’t spend too much time in the room. The food was lovely and plenty to choose from always something for everyone’s taste and the desserts and fresh fruit were to die for. The service from the staff was excellent and this more than made up for any initial thoughts.

The beach sellers were all very friendly and when you said no they soon left you alone for the rest of the day, Wilma in particular was my favourite. The pool area was great and clean, the attendant sorts everything for you.

I had been given the name of a Tour Guide before we left for our holiday, I contacted him and he called me to make arrangements. His name is Rohan and was absolutely brilliant. It was my dad’s 70th birthday whilst we were there, Rohan organised a really special day for us riding an elephant, a safari and a fab firework display in the evening at the hotel. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience and really enjoys giving you a holiday to remember, we spent 6 days travelling around and cannot praise Rohan enough, he treated us like VIP’s nothing was too much trouble for him. He really gave us a taste of real Sri Lankan life. We made a big saving with Rohan we had 6 days and 5 nights half board accommodation, all 4 of us, for the price of 1 person with the holiday company!! And I’m sure we saw a lot more! Please feel free to e-mail me, beverly sayle at yahoo. co. uk, leaving a mobile/landline number and I will organise for him to call you, cheaper for you. He made our holiday one of the best!

Nuwara Eliys train ride through the mountains is a must, it’s beautiful, very cold at the top so take a jumper – only spend 1 night there as there isn’t much to do after you have been to the Tea Plantation which you will do on the way up. The Botanical Gardens in Kandy are lovely and Pali Harpana made it for us – he is so knowledgeable and funny! Riding the Elephants is great, especially if you have children – it will be something they will never forget as with the Safari, elephants, birds, monkeys and water buffalo in abundance, this is all in the area of Sigirya Rock. Full Body Massage at a Spa – lovely! Coconut Factory, Brick making and fruit tasting along the way – Interesting! Temple of the Tooth and Kandy dancing – brilliant!

We had a day in Columbo, stopping on the way in Negumbo to have a look at the fisherman attending to their daily catch and selling (very smelly!) We did so much more, too much to mention – we had a really great and memorable time. If you go with an open mind and go with the flow, I guarantee you a lovely holiday. But don’t go if you like to moan as the standard of living in Sri Lanka is below ours in the UK. The Browns Beach is due for refurbishment next year! Dont be put off by the reviews Sri Lanka is a beautiful island full of the most wonderful friendly people you could wish to meet.

Avoid Southall Travel, Nightmare company, very poor customer services. - Daryl Smith. Date of travel: May 2010
Definitely go on the elephant orphanage trip, it is brilliant, very good value for money. Restaurants are good value for money. Lovely people shame about the accommodation from this hotel chain. Southall travel sold me a rubbish holiday.

sri lanka is a fantastic place - lauramac. Date of travel: Sep 2009
Sri lanka is a great country to go , the hotel club palm bay is excellent. the staff are fantastic. the views on the island are great. I would tell anyone who visits to take a tour with local tour guides, we used slimline tours, excellent, kind, family run, we had some fantastic tours all over the island, slimline are always happy to tailor your tours to what ever you want, we went white water rafting, it was great, lots of other fantastic places, the family always welcome you into there homes, always make you feel special, the beaches are great , all the local people are fantastic, nothing is to much for them, we have been to club palm bay twice and are going back this year , its such a lovely place to be ,we used the same tour guides slimline tours,they make your holiday special,and personal to you , great experiences , loved it

We really liked Sri Lanka - Dave & Sylvia Felton. Date of travel: Feb 2009
The people in Sri Lanka are so friendly and we will definitely be returning.

What to do in Sri Lanka - Dinesh. Date of travel: Jan 2009
Nearly everyone in the pearl shaped island of Sri Lanka is very nice and simple. People who want to get away or don't like cement jungles should avoid Colombo. Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Arugambay and hopefully soon Jaffna are must sees in Sri Lanka. Try your best to walk around instead of just taking a rickshaw. Don't be offended if they try to overcharge because it is peanuts anyway compared to transport back home. It might not be the most clean but it is much cleaner than India and after you get out of the city, the hills and beautiful blue sky make you forget your worries. I am sorry that I can't write more on this great island and that my writing isn't so good. Don't listen to the radicals that say that the Sri Lankans unmercifully kill the Tamils. The Tamils and Sinhalese of this country get on pretty well.

Marawila, Sri Lanka - KS. Date of travel: Nov 2008
First hotel I went to was one of the worst I have ever stayed in. After that the trip improved. Sri Lanka on the whole was fantastic.

Sri Lanka is great! - Steve Wilson. Date of travel: Jul 2007
Highlights of my trip to Sri Lanka were a visit to an Elephant orphanage, watching wild monkeys, going on Safari and seeing bears, elephants, crocodiles and very rare birds, climbing to the top of Sigiriya Rock - a 2000 year old palace built on top of a huge outcrop, releasing baby turtles into the sea, swimming in the pool at night whilst fruit bats swooped a few feet above us, 30ºC + all day and night, and even the monsoon rains which only lasted an hour or so came down warm! We met some great people over there, but I've got to mention Kumara, a tuktuk driver who became a great friend and took us to some great places. A lot of tuktuk drivers will try to overcharge you, or take you to shops to earn a commission, but Kumara was as straight and honest as they come. If anyone is visiting Beruwela, I will pass on his mobile number!! He is based at the tuktuk rank directly opposite the Riverina Hotel and Club Palm Gardens driveway. There are touts/guides who will offer to take you to their friends/fathers/brothers gem shop/wood carving shop/clothes shop/spice garden/ayurveda massage centre etc, but all are on commission, and the sales people in these shops are VERY persistent. We found that the official tours arranged by First Choice were reasonable value, and took two separate overnight stays with them - 1 to Kandy. Pinnewela, Dambullah, & Sigriya, and another to Udawalawe, Yala and Galle, all entry fees (pricey at some places) and 5* accommodation, breakfast and evening meals were provided. Although both were very reasonable - approx £75 per person per day, we later realised the trips were sub-contracted to local tour operators who do the exact same trip themselves with the same English speaking guides for around half the price! We went on a number of trips to temples, tea plantations, ancient monuments, coral reefs, rainforests, historic cities and also a National Park Game reserve for my girlfriend's birthday. We stayed in a wooden cabin in the park, which meant we could not leave the room at night as wild animals wandered freely around! We only had wild boar snuffling around, and a Lizard in the room when we woke, but the previous night an elephant was in the grounds! The road trip to the Yala national park was with a guy called Desha - from deshatours.com - and as it was only a group of 4 passengers so it was a very laid back affair. Desha had a Vengaboys tape that perked everyone up on the longer stretches of the journey, and the minivan we were travelling in became known as the Vengabus! He is worth contacting if you want a high quality, but good value and informative trip. We also took a number of day excursions arranged by the local "Beach boys" - look out for Luba and Miguel outside the Riverina - well-spoken, polite, friendly, non-pushy and set us up with some very good trips to local places such as Sinharaja rainforest, Hikkaduwa coral reef and the turtle sanctuaries. We paid around £15 per couple for most trips lasting most of the day - depending on entry fees. Again the guides may take you to gem stores etc, but we found these to be less pushy and better priced than the shops the street touts took us to. The standard of Driving in Sri Lanka is awe inspiring - in that it amazed me people were not dying every few seconds! I've uploaded a 7 minute clip to Youtube that was taken on a trip to the Hill Country, but NOT on the Vengabus! There is still huge areas still devastated by the Tsunami, 50,000 died in Sri Lanka, and even though we were on the West Coast, the wave was still 12m high - reducing many concrete buildings to rubble, and leaving no trace whatsoever of the shack type houses. It's not all grim - the people are incredibly resilient, and eternally grateful that us tourists still visit, despite the civil war that was going on in the North and East of the country (it's relatively peaceful at the moment, and the coast south of Colombo was never really affected by it anyway). The locals are some of the most polite and civil people I have met on my travels! If you only learn two words of Sinhalese, then make sure they are "stoo-tee" - Thank you, and "Aye - you - Bo - Wan" have a long and happy life. This latter phrase is used a greeting, a farewell, and also as a very effective term to use to get rid of street touts. They tend to graciously accept defeat when you politely say no thanks, Ayubowan to them! We really could not fault it (except for the chillies disguised as green beans - BAD mistake to make!) and would recommend to anyone to take the opportunity to go! We will definitely be going back!

I loved Negembo beach, also Colomboom - Manuel Fernandes. Date of travel: Feb 2006
Its a great place for the tourist to really enjoy the courtesy provided by the people of Sri Lanka . A Nice place to feel like a paradise. The Tea plantation, Elephant orphanage, the Silgiri rock, the Negombo beach which is famous for the fish. Tour Operator: None

Palm-fringed beaches - Jose Kokkad. Date of travel: Jan 2006
Sri Lanka is a great place for the budget traveler. There are exotic palm-fringed beaches, deliciously spiced seafood, tea gardens, Buddhist temples and a great deal more. Accommodation is expensive by local standards, but at a 100 Sri Lankan rupees to a dollar, the Western tourist can live like a king. Colombo is heavily guarded and always under threat. The beaches however are beautiful, the food is special and shopping is inexpensive. The Buddhist temples are worth visiting. Negombo, a quiet beach resort located north of Colombo is a good place to spend a few days in solitude Ratnapura is the heart of the gem trade. Kandy, easily accessible by bus from Colombo, is where the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha is housed. Boating on the Kandy lake is a pleasurable experience. (Don’t fall into the water because there are crocodiles!) Nearby is the elephant orphanage at Pinnewala, where you can see baby elephants being bottle-fed and bathed. Nuwara Eliya is a holiday resort high up in the mountains. The climate is cool and the ambience distinctly British., the buidlings reminiscent of the colonial days. You can take a bus from Colombo or Kandy. The route is both scenic and hazardous and if you love life dearly, then don’t go. The condition of the roads is pathetic, there are hordes of hair-raising hairpin bends, the roads are often wet and slippery, and…and…..The saving grace is that the tea estates on the hill slopes, the rivers and waterfalls en route present a pretty picture. I missed the southern beach resort of Galle and the ancient capital at Anuradhapura. I hope to make it the next time. Tour Operator: None

Sri Lanka is FAB! - Wendy & Graham. Date of travel: Jul 2005
The best, do go and try something new and different. Tour Operator: Mercury Direct

Ben Lovett. Date of travel: Jun 2005
Had a fantastic trip to Sri Lanka, people very friendly and lots to see and do. We visited the tea plantations, elephant orphange (well worth a visit) and a jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park.... I would recommend Sri Lanka to anyone, if you want to sit back on a beach and relax then there are lots of beautiful ones, if you want to explore the island then you will not be bored.... Tour Operator: Kuoni

Sue Preston. Date of travel: Jun 2005
Had a fantastic trip to Sri Lanka. There is so much more to this country than just beaches. We visited the elephant orphanage at Pinnawella, the Temples of Kandy, the tea plantations, which are set in some of the most fanatastic secenery I have ever seen and, we even did a jeep safari at the Yala national park where we were lucky enough to have a sighting of a leopard. The people in Sri Lanka are very friendly and are eager for tourists to return to their country after the disaster of the tsunami. Tour Operator: Kuoni

Franklin Paul. Date of travel: Mar 2005
Pinnawela Elephant orphanage is a must see in Srilanka. Best time to visit is Noon when the baby elephants are bottle fed at 13:15 hrs immediately followed by the elephants going to the river for bath at 14:00 hrs. One disappontment was to learn that half of the Yala national park in southeast coast is destroyed by the Tsunami.

Andy Bell. Date of travel: Oct 2003
Fantastic beaches, friendly people, amazing wildlife and stunning natural beauty, Sri Lanka has something to offer everyone. I would particularly recommend visiting the rock of Sigiriya which you can walk to the top of for a fantastic view. Pinnawela elephant orphanage is really a must (if you are lucky you may get to feed a baby elephant). And I would especially like to mention the Kandalama hotel in Dambulla, the best hotel I have ever stayed in, it has a pool carved into the side of a mountain and you can lay back and look out across Sri Lanka. Combine these with the gorgeous beaches and people who can't do enough for you and you really are onto a winner. Tour Operator: Hayes & Jarvis

Megan Aldred. Date of travel: Jun 2001
I went to Sri Lanka during their slightly rainy season! It was still hot, but hazy. I had a fantastic time, the food was amazing and the chefs in the hotels I stayed in where only to happy to cater to the needs of my companions fussy needs. The flora and fauna of the county was amazing, from monkeys sporting odd hair do's to the cats and bats of the island. The History of the island is fascinating ranging from insights into the people and their faiths to the changes in capital cities. The Elephant Orphange is a "Must See", along with The Temple of the Tooth and the Buddha Caves at Dumbula whilst visiting this amazing country. The people themsleves are some of the most generous and selfless people I have ever met, they put everyone else in front of their own needs and those that I met where there to make you happy and thrived off the knowledge that this had been achieved. I couldn't find fault with any part of my tour and hotel stays and the beaches were simply stunning and peaceful. A fantastic destination for any intrepid holiday maker. Tour Operator: First Choice