The Live Loud Girl Escape Guide To Sri Lanka

The Super Stylish Live Loud Girl Team Share Their Sri Lankan Secrets

At the Live Loud Girl head quarters, we focus on interior styling and photo shoots. And when we are on a holiday, we love to get inspired by our new surroundings.

The whole team has visited Sri Lanka and loved it. Not only the interiors of our lodging, also the food, the vibe and the friendliness.

After sharing our favourite spots on our Instagram account, we received so many reactions that we decided to write a small travel guide for on the blog. Today we are very happy to share it with all the Sassy mamas out there because Sri Lanka should be on everyones travel list. With kids? Yes! With the kids. They will love it.

As our kids refer to it as the ‘Land of the Coconuts’ where you travel per tuk tuk and have chill family dinners with your feet in the sand, this destination is as close as you get to paradise on a short distance from Dubai.

Sri Lanka has plenty to offer for the experienced “hard core” backpackers amongst us yet is easy enough for first time adventurers. Beach, sun, impressive greenery and an amazing cuisine in combination with the small scale boutique style hospitality and a million smiles from the Sri Lankan people are the perfect ingredients for a memorable family holiday.

Although we will still need to see much more of this pretty island, the Live Loud Girl team is happy to share her tips knowing that there is something for everyone.

Sleep:

If you want to spoil yourself with a high end boutique hotel, The Villa Paradise Road in Bentota is the place to stay. The beautifully converted villa by architect Geoffrey Bawa makes you forget about the world around you. Monochrome lovers will thrive here. If it is not for sleeping you can always enjoy the setting over lunch or dinner in the restaurant.

Nice to know:

• There is a (well fenced off) train track right in front of the hotel. Kids love to see it come by and wave.
• Cross the train track to walk through the mangroves to a very wide unspoiled beach. Depending the season, the sea might be to rough to swim in.
• The large garden is perfect for ball play, hide and go seek and running off a sugar rush. The two pools can keep kids and parents entertained all day.

Apa Villa in Thalpe is a mid range hotel on a perfect location. The styling of the rooms is simple with our favorites concrete, wood and white. The concrete swimming pool with beach views is where the kids were found the whole day. This is the place to truly relax.

Nice to know:

• This place is very child friendly and the food and staff were fantastic.
• Suite no. 4 and 5 are nice for if it is just the two of you, otherwise ask for a family room.
• Near this hotel you can step on the train to Galle which is only 2 stops away. Great outing to get the local transportation on your list.
• If you enjoy a nice beach walk, this is the place. You can stroll down to Wijaya beach for example for a pizza.

The Jasper House with it’s amazing beach in Hiriketiya is a real find. With swaying palm trees all around and sea views, this is a place we could stay forever. It is not for prudes or very private people though since the rooms have no windows, we repeat… no windows! It is a very chilled place, nothing too much yet the location and beach make it totally worth while. We trust this place made us 100% cooler. The only thing you need here is your bikini.

Nice to know:

• Just a short beach stroll away is the Beach House where the serve nice coffee and juices. It is very low key with delicious basic meals.
• Learn to surf here. From 8 years onwards they offer surf lesson at the hotel, does not get more beach life then that.
• They serve freshly made meals every night offering three choices yet you can always let them know your preferences.

Eat:

The Gallery Cafe in Colombo, from the same owners as The Villa in Bentota, is a beautiful restaurant with lots of monochrome and natural materials to make you forget about the busy streets outside. Opposite you can find the gallery shop where you can buy most of the items from the hotel and cafe. Kids will have to step it up a bit, there are no chicken nuggets on the menu here.

For those who want to enjoy a good slice of pizza with their feet in the sand, Wijaya beach is a perfect spot. It is on Unawatuna beach where the kids can go for their last swim of that day while you enjoy some sundowners.

In Galle, we were very happy to come across Poonies. This little vegetarian and organic cafe served us some fantastic food. We are craving their salads and cakes and wish they would open an outlet in Dubai.

The Fort Bazaar in Galle was our other favorite for food. The interior styling of this place also made us enjoy the afternoon here. This very warm and welcoming restaurant used lots of wood in combination with cooler basic materials like concrete and steel.

Do:

A highlight definitely was the epic train ride from Ella to Kandy. It does not get more green and lush than the tea hills of the inlands. The scenery is breathtaking. If it’s not on your bucket list yet, be sure to put it on!

If your kids are too young to go on an adventure like this, take them on a train ride just one or two stations down (From Galle naar Talpe for example). It’s fun to buy a ticket, get on the train and look out the window, that’s an experience on it’s own. If you want to play it safe, arrange a tuk tuk driver to pick you up and drive you back to the hotel.

There are moments in the holiday where we chose a pool over the sea, especially when it got a bit too rough. Talpe Beach Club is a fabulous place to hang out for a day to go for a swim and a curry afterwards.

Visiting a turtle hatchery with the kids must be on the list. This is a great outing to learn about turtles and see the babies swim in the bassins. At sunset there are some hatcheries that free the turtles which is amazing to experience. Ask around if it is the right season and on what beach it is.

Galle is one of the bigger cities of Sri Lanka, even though the centre is quite small yet beautifully conserved. The light house and Fort are worth a visit and the city has many sweet shops and good restaurants.

Good to know:

• Transportation can be arranged by any hotel where you are staying. Contact your hotel to arrange a pick up from the airport and arrange further trips as you go.
• Sri Lanka is big and not all roads are good so traveling takes time. Don’t try and see the whole island in one holiday, you will stress yourself out. Try to minimise traveling by car and make day trips by tuk tuk. Although most of us are used to having kids strapped up in a 5 point harness car seat, being on a lap in the back of a tuk tuk it’s the Sri Lankan way to get around.
• The sea can be rough. This depends on the place where you are and the season. If they tell you not to swim then don’ Most hotels have lovely pools. Keep the beaches for a stroll in the afternoon.

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