We arrived in Colombo in the evening via a 70 minute Emirates 777 flight from Male — you can read about our short holiday in the Maldives here. The arrival terminal was filled with Duty Free shops quite unlike any I had ever seen in the world. Rather than cosmetics, alcohol, and luxury fashion brands, these were nearly all appliance or electronics stores. Interesting.

 

 

We opted for a hotel near the airport rather than the city as we were driving north the following morning for our clockwise tour of the island. If timed had allowed, we may have included Colombo city to our itinerary.

 

The Wallawa is a former colonial estate, part of The Teardrops group of Sri Lankan boutique hotels. It is surrounded by a beautifully manicured and serene tropical garden. One would never guess it was only a 20 minute drive from the airport.

 

Our 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom family suite was large with stylish finishings, beautifully renovated bathrooms, and access to the gardens. 

 

Meals are served al fresco — we had dinner and breakfast during our stay and both were delicious. We tasted on our very first Sri Lankan curry and rice here — medium spice requested. The curry includes several small plates of accompaniments to add as you desire. The a la carte breakfast is included in the rate, and it was so nice to sit outside and enjoy the peaceful gardens.