Of summers in Sri Lanka

1.Benota villa: A beautiful boutique hotel on the South West coast is perfect to unwind. This villa came with a personal chef who arranged for a lovely local cuisine which included fish curry and rice. These dishes cater to your taste buds in ways you didn’t even know! With the beach right next to us, we relished the local Srilankan style food (the best meal of the trip).

2.Pedlars Inn Café, Galle Fort: The fort is a huge walking space with lovely architecture. Pedlars Inn Café serves you a mix of continental and Sri Lankan food. We tried out a Thai platter with fresh juice which was delicious. This place is a steal if you’re the kind that loves to unwind to some great music and food.

3.Blue whale spotting: One of the highlights of the trip was definitely our blue whale spotting experience. After four hours into the Indian Ocean, two large whales showed up right next to our ferry which was the most breathtaking sight. The cost of blue whale spotting is approximately INR 4,000 per head. However, taking a private boat is not recommended.

4.Geoffrey Bawa’s work: A renowned architect, his work can be seen all around Srilanka. Some of his most iconic works though can be seen in the New Parliament of Sri Lanka. Amongst the ones that we visited was The Bentota Beach Hotel in the South West province of Gale.

5.The Dutch Hospital: With a few hours to spend here, we headed straight for the Dutch Hospital. It is the oldest building in the Colombo Fort area dating back to the Dutch colonial era in Sri Lanka. It has the best fine dine restaurants like Semondu and Kinnaree. We had a lovely dinner with live singing and impromptu dancing just before we headed back to India.