Skip to content

Style in Sri Lanka

Tag: Mount Lavinia Hotel

March 23, 2019

Where to Eat in Mount Lavinia

Continue reading →

Search:

Search for:

Instagram

One of the (many!) breathtaking views at @kalundewaretreat in Dambulla 🙏🏻 They have electric buggies to transport between the room, restaurant & pool and gave us a ‘buggy safari’ trip to explore the fields and local wildlife 😁 • The Cultural Triangle is a beautiful part of Sri Lanka, with a handful of once in a lifetime style hotels like this. My advice is to leave some time to enjoy instead of rushing around #ontour all daylight hours! After all, hotels are part of the full Lankan experience too 🇱🇰

Sunset from Ranjit’s Beach Hut in Hikkaduwa 🙏🏻 I had a chat with Ranjit who’s had this place since 1978 when he was in his late teens 🇱🇰 It was a great spot for a sundowner with a glass of arrack and sprite 🥃 Yeeeas I know everyone has their favourite preference of mixer with arrack- whether its on the rocks, a splash of water, ginger beer etc but I have a sweet tooth 😆 • I was also super impressed by a charity called Pure Oceans 🌊 doing a beach cleanup along Hikkaduwa Beach shortly after I took this photo 🙌🏻 If you zoom in you can see litter scattered across the sand. I haven’t posted the photo I took after to show what a difference it can make 💙 Let’s all do our bit to keep Sri Lankan beaches clean and gorgeous 🏝 • This photo was taken during our stay at @lazykoala_sl which is an affordable ‘boutique hostel’ with a beautiful pool 💦 and rooftop deck which is another perfect spot for sunset (check my highlight reel). It’s a short tuk ride from the main Hikka stretch which works for me as it’s peaceful when we want some down time! 🙏🏻😅

Another place I’ve recently visited (for the first time!) is Hiriketiya 🌊💙 a small beach village popular with surfers and Indian Ocean lovers like moi 🙋🏻‍♀️ A huge thank you to @serenehiriketiya for hosting us, I loved the architecture and how it embraces the jungly nature 🙏🏻🌱 • The owners of Serene Hiriketiya also run @salthouse_srilanka which is another super laid back hotel with a glorious little pool (which guests of Serene can enjoy) and yoga shala 🧘🏻‍♀️ Don’t forget to visit Salt House for lunch or dinner, the food is oh so delicious 🤩 Locally sourced Hiriketiyan mahi mahi fish tacos was our fave 🇱🇰 Visit my highlight reel 🎞 for all the Instastories at Serene Hiriketiya, Salthouse and Hiriketiya beach! 🏝

Poolside vibes at the @ellertonbungalow just 45 minutes outside of Kandy 🇱🇰🙌🏻 I love staying at boutique hotels like this where the air is fresh, nature is EVERYWHERE 😍 and the views are panoramic ⛰💚 • The owners Luca and Iromi are incredible hosts. Comfort and little luxuries are nice (FYI they are one of the only hotels I’ve stayed at which offer complimentary fresh milk in the fridge instead of creamer powder!) but a personal touch goes a long way 🙏🏻 In my 15 years of experience travelling this magical island, Sri Lanka is best experienced with a combination of local (#homely) AND luxury! 🇱🇰 • On tour with @qtravelsrilanka by @quintessentiallyceylon

Breathtaking view at World’s End in Horton Plains National Park 💚🙌🏻 It’s about 9km to walk around the Park, visiting Little World’s End, World’s End (this! 👆🏻) and Baker’s Falls along the way 🇱🇰 Leave early, bring lots of water, a few snacks, suntan lotion (and/or an umbrella the local way!) and enjoy the walk! Trainers are best, not flip flops as we wore! 🤦🏻‍♀️ • At the beginning you can decide whether to walk left or right. My advice? Choose left! ⬅️ It’s easier to walk from left to right as the left way has several jungly off road downhill steps and the right is easier to walk up but a bit more precarious to walk down. • We left our hotel @the_argyle_SL in Hatton at 5am which brought us to the entrance soon after sunrise☀️ More photos and travel tips to come! It’s been a bit full on so it’s been hard to upload each day. I hope you’ve enjoyed the Instastories 🙏🏻 They’re slowly creeping onto the highlight reel 🎞 too ❤️❤️❤️ • This trip is a collab with @qtravelsrilanka by @quintessentiallyceylon 🙌🏻 FYI I‘m now available (on special request) as a consultant if you’re planning a future trip. Just ask for Alice A.K.A #styleinsrilanka 🙏🏻

A moment of peace at Silent Beach in Tangalle 🙏🏻🇱🇰 One of the quietest beach spots in the South Coast with just a couple of restaurants/bars for a much needed thirst quencher! 🌴💦 Thank you @serenehiriketiya for a tuk tuk ride of adventure exploring in and around Hiriketiya ☀️ There’s something about beach life in Lanka which relaxes every muscle in my body! 🏝🙌🏻

Completely spoilt for choice 😍 Clockwise from the top; parippu (dhal), brinjal moju (oh so good caramelised aubergine), tempered potatoes, gotu kola, prawn curry and beetroot 🇱🇰 All Lankan curries of course 🤗Accompanied by my favourite red rice 🍚 (they need a red rice emoji!) ❤️ Lunch at @sinhagiri_nuwaraeliya #styleinsrilanka

Can you believe this is in Sri Lanka?! ❤️ Nuwara Eliya has a lot of traditional colonial bungalows so you can imagine how happy I was to find somewhere as quirky as this for a new experience! 🙌🏻 Thanks for an amazing stay at SinhaGiri @manor_house_concepts 🇱🇰 More photos from our trip coming soon 💚 #styleinsrilanka

Drinking barrel aged margaritas at the Galle Face Hotel 😅 Just ordered a third 😂🍸 I know it’s a Monday buuut we worked at the weekend and have a shoot tomorrow at @omirissacafe in #Mirissa 🌴☀️ Who would like a guide of the best margaritas in Colombo? 🙋🏻‍♀️ FYI one is a pineapple 🍍 margarita at @ozocolombo, does that still count? I know it doesn’t to die hard Margarita drinkers (myself included!) but trust me when I say this one is an exception 🙌🏻😍 #styleinsrilanka

Yesterday we visited the breathtaking Lunuganga Gardens designed by Sri Lankan architect #GeoffreyBawa 🙏🏻🌳 It was my third visit and I enjoyed it as much as my first! ☀️ • The guide explained he had different spots in the house and garden for different times of the day (morning breakfast spot overlooking a distant Buddhist temple, evening meditation spot next to the butterfly shaped lake 🦋 Each spot has a loud bell to ring for attention 🔔 • Each detail is intentional, from the manmade structures and pieces of art to the planting of a tree. Every experience of the garden is intended to allow oneself to connect with nature 🙏🏻🌿 I find the concept beautiful 💚 Especially in an era where we need to return to our roots to protect the planet for future generations 🌍 • Other designs by Geoffrey Bawa include the Seema Malaka meditation centre in Colombo (go at sunset, it’s beautiful!), Colombo’s Parliament building, @jetwinghotels Lighthouse Hotel in Galle, @manor_house_concepts The Last House and @heritancehotelsandresorts Kandalama to make a few 🇱🇰 • I will share more photos from our visit soon! It was so nice to visit Bentota for the weekend which is just over an hour from Colombo 🙌🏻❤️

Mouthwatering prawn curry cooked by our butler Ranjit in Dehiwala ❤️ The best place to buy seafood in Sri Lanka is not in the supermarkets but the specialist fish sellers 🦐🐟 early morning! We’re so lucky to have Ranjit cooking curry for us at home 🏠 as it gives me more time to work, take photos and share travel tips! 🇱🇰 • Don’t forget to check out my Instastories from @auntys_srilankan_cooking_class yesterday, I’ve been looking for a good cooking class to recommend for years and I’ve finally found one! 🙌🏻 They serve their thambili king coconuts with sustainable bamboo straws and sell them for just Rs.300 each too 🙌🏻 we bought three! 😁 • It’s great to see more experiences emerge in recent months and years that are founded on the beautiful, simple and easy concept of supporting local people and sustaining the environment 🙏🏻 #kudos

Some of THE BEST rice and curry I’ve ever had at @the_theva_residency in Kandy ❤️ What’s one step better than a mouthwatering Sri Lankan meal? Rice and curry surrounded by beautiful island nature of course! 🌴 • I’ve stayed at Theva 3 times now and have never been disappointed. It’s 15 mins up the mountain from Kandy city which is the perfect distance to avoid the city fumes and admire the view 😍🙌🏻 #viewformiles • If you’re not staying at #Theva, swing by for a cocktail, lunch or dinner👌🏻 I’m always on the lookout for hotels to recommend- hit me up with your favourites across the island 🇱🇰 P.s butter chillis are the best (second from top right!) 😋🌶 #styleinsrilanka #sogood

I’m always looking for hotels to recommend in Colombo which is why my man and I booked 2 nights at @paradiseroadhotels Tintagel before moving into our rented apartment in #Dehiwala 🇱🇰 Plus we wanted a bit of luxury after a manic few months in the UK 😂🇬🇧 • We stayed here once before after our trip with @saillanka in Trincomalee but arrived quite late and left super early in the morning at 5am for a shoot in the South Coast (FYI their packed breakfast is pretty good!) • It never feels like one night is enough to stay in any hotel 🤔With 2 there’s a WHOLE day in the middle to experience, explore and R E L A X ❤️ And in the Colombo, there‘s a lot to do! Foodie spots, shopping, heritage houses & hotels, cultural sites and more. Something for everyone with a little research 🙌🏻 You need a plan in Colombo. It’s too hot for 100% spontaneity! • I will be writing a post on my favourite hotels in Colombo (and close to the airport) very soon which includes @teardrop_hotels, @maniumpathy_boutique_hotel, @gallefacehotel and more ❤️ What are your favourite hotels in Colombo? FYI #notsponsored 😅

Driving past Kompannavidiya (A.K.A Slave Island) railway station in #Colombo 🇱🇰 I always love taking candid shots of people as I think it captures the true essence of local life in Sri Lanka 🙏🏻 • It’s been 6 MONTHS since I was last physically in the country and I can’t explain how good it feels to be back 😅 Our travel plans at the moment are indefinite which is super exciting. We’re renting a house in Dehiwala for the next couple of months then seeing where the serendipitous island takes us 🌎🛩 • The first 3 days have been amazing, staying at our favourite @gallefacehotel for the first night and @paradiseroadhotels Tintagel last night and tonight. Moving into our house tomorrow so it’s like a little holiday first! 🏡 Having a proper base instead of constant hotel hopping makes posting SO much easier! 🏃🏻‍♀️ • I deleted my personal account last year where I posted a gazillion iPhone photos of instastories etc. A few weeks ago I created a new one for a fresh start. Funnily enough under 200 followers on @alicelukerphoto feels oh so good 😂 A new challenge 💪🏻 • So what’s new in Colombo? Any hotels and restaurants I need to know about on the island? Any advice needed for your future trips? 🙏🏻 I launched #styleinsrilanka to be of service to anyone seeking authentic travel tips 🇱🇰🇱🇰🇱🇰

A Lankan brew (no milk, quite sugary!) on Delft Island in #Jaffna ☕️ I was waiting for the ferry and decided to have a little rest stop for tea and local snack vadai 😋A cow popped it’s head through the door 🐮and a group the Delft islanders popped in for an afternoon tea break too. We were all attempting to converse in broken Tamil (me!) and broken English 😂 Moments like this are what makes travel truly magical and unforgettable ✨🙏🏻❤️ So much can happen over a cup of tea! 🇱🇰

Alice Luker

Alice is a UK based travel blogger & professional travel photographer who has been venturing across Sri Lanka since 2004.

View Full Profile →

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,614 other followers

Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In