In Beruwala, Sri Lanka

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A sketch I'd made of the view from Cinnamon Bey, Beruwala

One of the best things about our trip to Sri Lanka was the magnificent properties we stayed at. The trip was organised by my father's alumni association ( Batch of '79, Agriculture college, Dharwad) with a conducted tour operator in Bangalore ( Ujwal International holidays) who has good tie ups with travel companies in different countries. In Sri Lanka, it was with Royal holidays . There were 34 of us. It was a surprise to me that we would be staying at swanky hotels, the likes of which I have seen only in TLC and insider TV.

My favourite hotel was Cinnamon Citadel in Kandy. It's right next to the swampy Mahaweli river and the way it's built is fantastic. It is built on a hill, so our rooms were closer to the base, with the river in our backyard while the lounge and the pool are built upstairs with a superb view of the surrounding dense forests. Do check out their website - the aerial view is unbelievable.

And the second best - Cinnamon Bey in Beruwala. This hotel has only two floors but man, is it wide! To reach our rooms, we had to walk through a corridor that snaked through the hotel for miles, until we could find ourselves close to our rooms, only to discover that we still have a long way to go. But this was not without its benefits. We had a room with a view of the ocean. Temple trees are ever - present with their lovely blossoms scattered on the ground. And the best part - A bathtub in the balcony from which you can gaze out at the sunset or sunrise as it dips into the sea, screened discreetly from other travellers by a small partition.

The hotel's surroundings are picturesque too. We saw picture perfect homes and guest houses on the narrow roads on our morning walk and very friendly locals. They would grin from ear to ear, delighted, when we spoke our few Sinhalese words and we beamed with pride. Such a difference language makes, doesn't it?

From inside the hotel, and this is the part that endeared me to it, were little square windows placed strategically - they make perfect frames for the houses outside. When I first saw them, I stopped in my tracks and  gasped and wondered at the ingenuity of the architects who built the place.

Cinnamon Bey, Beruwala 

Cinnamon Bey, Beruwala

Cinnamon Bey, Beruwala




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