Sri Lanka / Hikkaduwa – Coral Sands Hotel and its secrets

Travel tip:

Selim and Angelika had an awesome tip for backpacking travelers: when discovering a brand-new country and a too-reasonably-priced hotel or B & B, it pays to arrive during daylight hours. Failure to do so can lead to a sleepless night in a seedy hotel, covered from top to toe with anything one can find (socks, gloves, berets) to quarantine you from the festering sheets that you happen to share with thousands of bed bugs that are all too happy to be sharing their bed with you.  Sounds like the smells create the same sensation as that final tequila shot that you *just*shouldn’t*have*had*. They speak from experience.

The Coral Sands Hotel held no such nasty surprises. It was a great place for anyone: happy couples, miserable couples who have run out of conversation who need distraction to distract them from their predicament, couples with kids, groups of friends and solo travelers who wish to remain solo. There was a good mix of all nationalities.

The food was very varied and mostly excellent. Some are still fresh in my mind: banana leaf-packed tuna, banana-fries, different crab dishes, tender spicy chicken dishes, amazing soups (the seafood soup – mmmmm) and lots of Sri Lankan food, mostly vegetarian, super tasty. Almost nothing was too spicy and almost nothing was too bland. I test-tasted as many dishes as I could every night on the open buffet and was only disappointed with very few. There was live music every night – not the type you wish to trance-dance to but the type that gets your fingers tapping and your mind humming: a trio playing different themes every night (Sri Lankan music, western pop / country ballads) and even a solo pianist one night (I ate very, very slowly that night, it really was beautiful and made you feel like you were in love – even if you weren’t).

Little snack.

Right on the beach with the scuba diving centre right under it and the coral reef, perfect for snorkeling, right outside.

The restaurant – where all the deliciousness happens. This is a teeny corner, it is quite large and has almost no files.

The lobby. All common areas have internet access – the rooms do not… unless you rent a room that is close to a common area where the wireless internet then can reach the balcony – a tip that was sweetly given to me by the hotel staff. Rain-watching and the internet made me spend a good amount of time on my balcony.

The staff walked around with Santa hats and Santa smiles the whole time. Polite and courteous, honest and helpful. Did not feel uncomfortable even for a second, whether in sarong or bikini.

The weather report had said it would be raining a lot and it did. If you do not live in the desert like I do and actually wish to have some sunshine this can get a little disappointing. This is a pretty good hotel to be in if it does rain – lovely views.

I did not see a single cockroach.
There were no monsters under the bed or demons in my head.
There was no noise.
It was bliss from beginning to the end.

One of my friends asked me what the hell I did for a whole week almost completely on my own and if I got bored. I said I read, wrote, ate, explored and slept like a baby every single night. And I was not bored, not even for a single second.

Time to head back to the green, green grass of home… so to speak 🙂