“This December, my wife and I went to Kerala In India to spend some time with her family. On our way we were lucky enough to have a 24 hour layover in Colombo and had the most fantastic evening courtesy of the Hummingbird Sri Lanka team.
Despite the extra strain on travel that Covid has caused, our arrival was exceptionally smooth as the team had booked us the Silk Route VIP arrival and departure service, so we sat in the comfort of the lounge enjoying a nice cup of Ceylon tea while our documents were processed with minimal fuss. We went through immigration in no time at all and quickly boarded the Hummingbird SUV and enjoyed the drive on the new motorway connecting the airport to Colombo. The whole process was smooth and hassle free and the vehicle was the perfect way to get us around the city in comfort.
We stayed at the beautiful colonial style property of the Uga Residence which is situated in one of the hippest areas of the city and is the perfect launch pad from which to explore Colombo which is undoubtedly experiencing something of a renaissance in art, music, shopping and dining. The whole city is really buzzing and an exciting place to be right now.
We were taken on the Hummingbird Colombo after dark tour, one of the many finely curated tours our team has put together to show off the best of Sri Lanka and take people off the beaten track, away from mass tourism and towards hidden gems. To start with, we were whisked off to the Tintagel hotel for dinner and enjoyed a delicious Sri Lankan prawn curry, washed down with Arrak which is made from fermented coconuts and packs quite a punch.
The Tintagel is another spectacular period boutique property and of historical interest since it was once the residence of a Sri Lankan prime minister who was assassinated on its Veranda in 1959. And so begins our after dark tales. There were so many highlights that evening, including visiting one of oldest hidden temples in the city, a second snack at the superb “Ministry of crab”, live music at the old Dutch hospital, the last King of Kandy’s tiny jail cell and finishing the tour overlooking Colombo harbour with a Lion Lager and a big smile.
These were the kind of experiences you could easily miss without local knowledge and it made me excited to come back to Sri Lanka and see what other extraordinary adventures the team have concocted!”