Crazy about Sri Lanka

It took a while and it has been too long, but hey the new year is the perfect reason to set new goals. I know, i know it’s already mid February, but better late than… About that trip to Sri Lanka. Waaaaaaaaaw! That’s the short version 😉

How we loved it, surfed our souls out and discovered some beautiful places in those
10 days. The last months of 2018 were so busy and too hectic. We all needed some time off. Lots of things to handle and organise before we could go. But at Christmas day, our crew was ready to head off to Paris.

Paris-Kuwait * Kuwait-Colombo * Kuwait Airlines. Big recommendation! The travel was smooth, the connections good. Thanks for that guys @Kuwaitairways

Arrived in Colombo, we were picked up by 2 vans, packed with our boards to hit those endless waves of Sri Lanka. Direction: The Surfer! We had a warm welcome by Lahiru, proud owner of this surf house in Weligama. Clean, practical, surf vibe, (very) close to the Indian Ocean… Long story short, we arrived in heaven after a travel of 6 + 6 hours flight.

Service was great, breakfast delicious, the surf courses for us and the kids were well organized… Only positive things to say actually! Check it out The Surfer.

One of the great things there, it’s quite unspoiled. No mass tourism, a lot of local stuff and on the right spot an international hub created by the right people. So here are the must sees – dos in my humble opinion!

the must sees – dos In Sri Lanka

  • Ceylon Sliders: shop*drink*eat*sleep in the perfect surf vibe! Small shops, proving (again) that size doesn’t matter. Lots and lots of beautiful, nice to have things ». We all (small & big) enjoyed visiting and went back euuhhhh 3 times. Perfect terras to chill and enjoy one of their delicious coffees or refreshing juices. Unfortunately we didn’t have the honor to taste their food menu, it was always fully booked. A good reason to go back 😉 And what about sleeping? Well it looks really really nice, although not kids-proof (for <12y) but a nice place to stay as a surfing traveler.
    No 9 New Galle Road, Rest House Junction Weligama, Sri Lanka / instagram.com/ceylonsliders / facebook/ceylonsliders / +94 (0)76 3594734 / Bookings: hello@ceylonsliders.com
  • Dreamsea: impossible NOT to be on my favorites list. Same vibe as ever in their surf-camps around the globe. Beautiful as ever, yes they have it all! The looks, the people, the food, the setup… Only love for « my Dreamsea family » We visited our friends more than ones in those 10 days and enjoyed every visit to the fullest. The kids had a great time in the pool, on the beach and on the palmtree swing ? We caught up with our surf buddy’s and enjoyed the love that surrounded us.  We definitely had the best new years eve EVER and the most incredible rooftop yoga session in years.
    92 Matara Rd, Ahangama 80650 – Sri Lanka / (+94) 772966764 /  srilanka@dreamseasurfcamp.com
  • Lamana: A few steps away,  we discovered a small café with a big garden.  Check their Instagram. It’s a beautiful place right in front of the Indian Ocean, with even more gorgeous people. Real people, very welcoming. The real coming home feel. We’ve spend hours in their garden and even organized a reunion with other Belgians. Nothing is too much asked for Bea, Cris and Lena! We’ve met some beautiful souls in this magic place, we’ll definitely be back!
  • The doctors house: Not quite sure where i found it, but i had the right feeling from the start that this was something we had to visit (haha must be one of my talents) First impression? Is this real?!?! The website is nice and trendy, but like the book is always better than the movie, this is so much better in real life 😀 We went for diner and arrived in a… how the explain this, surf fairy tale? Pirate feeling ✅ * cool surf shop ✅ * the kinda people we love ✅ * simple, fair, delicious food ✅ The kids (all6) had a great time running around, playing cricket, chilling, shopping,… We enjoyed every minute of seeing them so happy and chilled? Again we’ll be back!
    87 Pujitha Nevasa, Beach road Madiha, Matara 81000, Sri Lanka / goodtimes@thedoctorshouse.lk / +94(0)76 642 2734
  • Coconut tree spot: the perfect spot to get your “picture of the year” Take a picture of this beautiful piece of nature, get your nature shot and go back to have yourself a rum and coke in the local bar. Location: https://g.co/kgs/iCVBBs

 

To finish this hymn on the South-West coast of Sri Lanka i give you the highlights of our last trip of 2018 and the first of 2019:

  • Favorite person of the trip (excl. the crew;-) * Maria Betnaza * Thank you Maria for the love, for making us feel at home, for your positive energy. We are all counting down the days to be reunited; X-154 🙂
  • Favorite moment of the trip * 31-12-2018 24:00 * magical, emotional, no words to describe the feeling to have a magical moment with our framily and the Dreamsea family.
  • Favorite surf session * surf session at Fisherman * definitely without any doubts the best of the trip, the best of the year, yes i might even say the best of my life! The trip to go to the reef with the local fisher boat; the wave smooth, yet powerful enough and looooooong. Ok I have to stop, it was the best ride of my life, and to see those little monkeys riding those waves. OMG this was the best!
  • Perfect partner in crime to go the coolest places on the island saltinourhair.com Thanks for that!