Ali was due to celebrate her sixtieth birthday in November ’24 and I figured it would be nice to ‘push the boat out’, as it were. We had enjoyed such a pleasant trip to Hikkaduwa in November ‘23 we discussed returning with Miles, Michaela and Eve (Ali’s mum).
So we were to be back at the Citrus for Ali’s sixtieth, much as I’d been there in 2017 for mine.
Emirates and Etihad’s ticket prices had rocketed, and Sri Lankan Airlines had a poor reputation, so we booked to travel via Doha, on Qatar Airways, flying out of Heathrow.
We had to consider Miles & Michaela’s holiday allowances, so were tight on dates.
The return flight times were also awkward; a departure in the evening to return to London early in the morning commanded a two hundred and fifty-pound surcharge, and arriving at Heathrow at 10 pm would be impractical, so I booked a 3 am departure from Colombo.
That would get us back to Blighty by Sunday lunchtime.
Everything was going smoothly until early October, when I logged on to the Qatar Airways website to select our seats… the sector from London to Doha (operated by British Airways) had been cancelled… aargh!
I called the travel company and, after a very scary few hours, they found us an alternate route flying from London to the Maldives (on British Airways), a six hour layover and then up to Colombo. It meant that we would be arriving in Colombo early evening rather than early morning, we would lose a day in Sri Lanka, but at least we would get there.
In the intervening weeks I pressed the travel company to try and smooth our journey, by ensuring the driver meeting us was aware of our new arrival time, asking if we could blag lounge access for our Maldives layover, and possibly extending our All Inclusive package at the hotel as we were arriving late.
We skipped our usual session marshalling the Park Run down at the river, but joined my fellow Town and City Councillor – Murrough O’Brien – for breakfast in the Town Centre.
From there we returned home, finished the last few tidying-up tasks and, at midday, headed over to pick Eve up.
We then headed over to Miles & Michaela’s house in Windsor, which took a couple of hours. We enjoyed a quick cuppa and Ali opened a couple of birthday presents, one from Miles & Michaela and one from her sister Gaby and her partner, Adam. Miles then summoned an ‘Uber’ cab and we waited outside with our cases for him to arrive.
We were impressed with the capacity and flexibility of the VW ‘Sharan’ which had space for the five of us and all our suitcases.
Check-in was a little more complicated than on previous trips. One of the luggage conveyors had failed and so we were guided to a very helpful ground agent who checked our cases in for both sectors of our journey and handed us boarding passes for flight from the Maldives to Sri Lanka.
We were quickly through security and headed downstairs to the ‘Crown Rivers’ Wetherspoons pub for pre-flight drinks and snacks.
Our departure gate required a shuttle train journey and what felt like miles of walking; boarding was chaotic, but we were soon seated – the flight was full – and departed on time.
The flight itself was fine, the seats were comfortable, the food acceptable and the flight attendants very helpful, particularly when Eve had a dizzy spell, giving her oxygen and frequently checking in on her. Although her journey wasn’t helped by a nightmare passenger beside her, who kept encroaching on her space.
The islands, atolls and resorts of the Maldives looked inviting as we flew in to Male airport, but we landed in the middle of a torrential shower that drenched one end of the runway. It took half an hour to de-plane and another half an hour to get through the Transit processes.
No assistance whatsoever from British Airways, once upon a time I was only two flights away from achieving Gold Executive Club status.
Once through and into the departure lounge, we were met with chaos; flights were departing every ten minutes or so, and the lounge was hot and noisy. We quickly decided to pay thirty dollars each to spend three hours in the ‘executive’ lounge, which was quieter, cooler and less crowded than downstairs. There was food and soft drinks, but no alcohol, the Maldives are an Islamic state.
We were politely asked to leave the lounge after our three hour stay and wandered down to the departures area which, by now, was less crowded and noisy.
Our flight was called and we enjoyed a brief, one hour flight and half-hour time difference, landing at Colombo at around 5pm.
After our previous year’s experiences, Ali and I were dreading the arrivals process, but were delighted to find it swift and painless.
We were through immigration in moments, our baggage arrived at the carousel and we found our driver, who claimed to have been waiting for us since our original morning arrival time.
The drive to Hikkaduwa was hair-raising, the driver had an impressive and intimidating array of spotlights on the front of his bus and he spent much of the journey tail-gating and flashing drivers that were in his way.
We arrived at the hotel just before eight and were warmly greeted with Jasmine garlands and a soft drink by the management team who invited us to light an oil lamp in the reception area, all very grand! Then into the restaurant for dinner, where many of the waiters greeted us and shook our hands. We introduced Eve, Miles & Michaela who also warmly welcomed.
We didn’t stay up late, we’d been travelling for about twenty-six hours and were exhausted.
Monday was, after the travails of our journey, a lazy day. We found five loungers under a tree and settled. There were plenty of ‘Soviet’ tourists, some of whom started their first beers at 10am. Breakfast and lunch were enjoyable, with Michaela successfully navigating the less spicy menu options.
Throughout the day, staff whom we’d met the previous year continued to welcome us back, which was nice.
Ali, Eve, Miles & Michaela wandered along the beach to a safer swimming area, but got caught in a scary rip-tide that, despite Ali, Miles & Michaela being strong swimmers, dragged them further out to sea. They were rescued by a long-haired surfer but it was, by all accounts, a harrowing experience.
The Mercury rep arrived at lunchtime, and I questioned whether the driver had indeed been informed of our altered arrival arrangements, he called his office and they told him that the driver had indeed been informed. Somebody’s telling porkies along the line. I asked me to check with the hotel as to whether we could extend our ‘All Inclusive’ package beyond lunchtime on our last day and he, after speaking with the hotel management, said that that would not be possible. Our drinks privileges would cease at midday on Saturday, but we would be allowed lunch.
So, of the three requests I’d made of Mercury Holidays, they’d failed on two and possibly all three. This was a grave disappointment, I’d used them on possibly a dozen occasions in the past, but when the going got tough, they failed us.
Miles & Michaela went exploring in the afternoon and found their way to the Turtle sanctuary a little way up the beach, Michaela was thrilled, another one off the ‘to do’ list, although I’m sure we’ll go back.
Later that afternoon, Ali came up with a cunning plan. As our ‘All Inclusive’ package will have expired, after lunch on Saturday we could head up to the Asian Dreams hotel for the afternoon and evening. It would make for a nicer afternoon than sitting around the hotel, and we would be supporting Dale’s business.
By chance, after dinner Ali spotted Dale – the owner of Asian Dreams – in the hotel bar. He was getting ready for the karaoke, we suspected – I spoke with him and he said that it would be fine, so that was to be the plan.
Tuesday – Ali’s birthday and our 3rd wedding anniversary – was to be a lazy day. By now Ali had negotiated with one of the pool guys to reserve our preferred sunbeds, in the shade of a large tree. We reclaimed our loungers under the tree and spent a quiet day reading our books and taking the occasional dip in the pool. In the evening we dined in the hotel restaurant, but ordered an additional platter of grilled prawns. The hotel surprised Ali with a card from the management team and a birthday cake – with candles!
We’d arranged a day out on Wednesday, I’d booked the hotel minibus and driver for the day so, after breakfast, we headed off to Galle. Our first stop was the tea plantation I’d visited some years earlier with Gaz and, while the minibus driver was unclear of the route (or indeed the destination) we were there by eleven thirty. Ali and I had both visited Sri Lankan tea plantations in the past, and Eve one in Kerala, but neither Miles nor Michaela had been to one. The tour was informative, taking us through tea, coffee and rubber plants and showing us vanilla and pepper plants.
Midway through the tour we stopped for a cuppa and, by chance, Herman – the plantation owner – arrived. I’d met him on my previous visit and is a friend of Phil & Anne, so we chatted over a second cup of ‘complimentary’ tea. Then down through the factory, equipped with Victorian machinery (no hope of Health & Safety), saw an artisan worker stripping cinnamon bark, then on to the inevitable gift shop and away.
Lunch was at the Ladyhill Hotel, that Ali and I visited the previous year. We enjoyed a very pleasant lunch and – bizarrely – the waitress remembered us from last year’s visit, and the fact that we had been accompanied by Lakshan on that occasion.
From there we popped down to the department store where I had bought shirt material last year, a quick drive round Galle town and the fort, then back to the hotel just before five. I snuck down to the bar for a few beers while I caught up with messages and watched the sunset, while the others adjourned upstairs for a rest.
Thursday was a quiet ‘relax by the beach’ day, under the aforementioned tree.
Miles & Michaela wandered down the beach to try their hands at surfing, and enjoyed a pizza in one of the beach bars on their way back.
Coconut Seller in 2017
Same coconut guy, nearly seven years on!
Phil & Anne came over late afternoon for a catch-up and a drink, I handed over the stash of provisions I’d brought out for them, and they met Eve, Miles & Michaela.
Miles & Michaela decided to return to Galle for another visit on Friday, so Lakshan collected them after breakfast. They revisited Galle Fort and watched some cricket from the ramparts, before exploring the shops and cafes inside the fort. They bought a lovely painting from the ‘KK’ store that I’d visited in previous years and visited a turtle sanctuary on their way back.
We spent our last few hours under the trees on Saturday morning before checking out of the Citrus at lunchtime. The hotel management were around while I settled the bill and I managed to negotiate a two hour extension to our ‘All Inclusive’ package – where previously our package would have expired at midday. We enjoyed lunch and a couple of drinks before Lakshan collected us to visit ‘Asian Dreams’ up in the hills. We spent a couple of hours lounging by the small pool, after which we showered and changed into our ‘travelling clothes’, before enjoying a farewell dinner with Phill and Anne in the evening.
Dinner was delicious, Eve, Miles & Michaela enjoyed ‘western’ style foods, while Ali and I enjoyed the sumptuous ‘Sri Lankan Curry’ with side dishes.
Phill & Anne always enjoy ‘traditional’ Fish & Chips.
Lakshan collected us just after 9pm and shuttled us all back to the Citrus where we packed our bathing togs into our suitcases. The minibus was waiting for us and the hotel management – who presented us with a framed photo montage of our ‘welcome ceremony’ – bade us all a fond farewell. It was all very nice, we had been made so very welcome by all the staff, for the entire week.
The journey back to Colombo airport went smoothly, check-in and emigration were as painless as our arrival, and the flight left on time. This time, rather than a code-share, we were served by a Qatar airlines crew, but on an ageing Oman Airways airbus.
Our two hour layover in Doha airport on Sunday morning went swiftly, the terminal building is reminiscent of the terminal in Abu Dhabi, but with even more shops. It even has ‘Watch Valley’ – a street of high-end watch retailers.
The final sector – to Heathrow – was our first on a Qatar aircraft, the service was okay, but scarcely “the world’s best airline”; they ran out of one main course barely six rows into the economy cabin. They did have the most comprehensive selection of films I have ever seen on an aircraft, there must be a sizeable server sitting somewhere on board.
We landed at Heathrow slightly ahead of schedule but, inevitably, had to wait for our gate. Passports and baggage collection were straightforward, Miles & Michaela’s ‘fragile’ picture made it through the journey unscathed. From there we crossed to the short-stay car park while Miles booked another Uber cab.
Back to Miles & Michaela’s in Windsor, we loaded our baggage into the Skoda, then hit the motorway home, dropping Eve off at about 5pm, then home.
Thoughts after another enjoyable week in Hikkaduwa:
- The Sri Lankan government has vastly improved the arrivals and departures process at Colombo airport
- People are investing in Hikkaduwa area, former shacks are being transformed into chic boutiques
- There are a lot of ‘Soviet’ guests in ‘The Citrus’, and they have no social graces whatever
- Wherever possible, I think in future we will try and fly direct, rather than endure stopovers en-route