Sri Lanka Advice and accommodation???

Hello,

I hope to book my flights to Sri Lanka this weekend for the first two weeks in July. Anyone have any experience they can share with me with places you must see or spots you must try?

I am really looking any advice on good accommodation there near the kalpatiya Lagoon. I have looked at some of the kite centres there but they are a little expensive. any reviews or other suggestions for nice place for me and my girlfriend to stay for 12 days??? or are some of those centres worth the money?

Malaysia airlines seem to be the cheapest airlines to there. Anyone with any experience flying with them and kite gear?? hope to bring two boards, boots 4-5 kites for me and my girlfriend.

Thank you for any help and lets hope its a windy winter!

Barry

When I fly home with Malaysia airlines, I normally put my gear in a golf bag and kept it below 15kg. Told them its a golf bag and the allowance is free. But depends on the person at the counter.

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Irishbaz said...
Thank you for the replies.

I loved this:

MRPAPY said...
...
We were only there for 10 days and had wind every single day.
...
Seeing as we had limited time we headed straight to Kalpitiya which is the main kite boarding destination.

10 days being limited time! ha

If 30kg is the allowance i always play dumb and just say i have an oversized bag and always get away with it. as soon as you mention kites or boards or sports equip they tend to nail you.

Looked at deSilvas and it seems cool! Are prices for accommodation not a bit high at 50$ per night per person??? Hoping for somewhere cheaper??

Any more suggestions?

I traveled through Sri Lanka last July and found accomodation in general always more expensive than most other asian countrys, Thailand, Malaysia, Indo all cheaper to travel in, and quoted prices have been doubling within 3 months where as the standard is prety low as well. Thay all say its got to do with taxes, locals tell me no one pays taxes its all cash.
So bargain hard, as most stuff is over priced. Food is also not as good as Indian, Its OK if you can get fresh fish though.

I think i paid less than $50 but only because he had not officially opened for business yet and some rooms were still being built sorry i didn't see the prices on his website. In my opinion the price is reasonable at $50 per night as most of the kite resorts are more than double.

If you hire a car and just drive north you shouldn't have any trouble finding cheaper accommodation or renting a room from one of the locals in the Village. The really cheap accommodation most probably wont be listed on the internet so best to just turn up and search if you want to waste time to save money. It depends what your after i guess.

Also it is well worth the one our boat trip to go to the small island (cant remember what its called) the wind was much better there (not as gusty as the main kite spot gets in the afternoon) and dead flat water. We organised to go with a few other kiters because that was definantly very expensive for sri lankan standards.

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southerly said...
Really, Sri Lanka????
It is certainly not on my list to ever go back (at least for kitting).
If your girlfriend doesn't kite she will likely kill you amd even if she does it is still a possibility. Kalpitiya is without doubt one of the biggest holes in the world and the kite locations are crap. Small, cramped and muddy inside the lagoons and outside is cropped up bad. The centre we stayed with was depressing, so depressing I had to buy Safires to make myself feel better about the whole trip (lol)
The accomodatin is either palace like or basic. If you go up market expect servants which generally makes me feel very uncomfortable even being a total Princess most of the time. Sri Lanka is still very basic and tourism is still a new concept to them. The further north you go the less there is.
Air Malysia is certainly the way to fly in, easy from Oz and generally a good price. Suggest staying over in KL to recover on the way home. You don't need that many kites for crying out loud, take a 9 and an 11 and really one board is enough.
I wish you luck, maybe hide the knives from your girlfriend.

WOW!!!! you really do make it sound awful! That is the first bad report ive heard about the place. Ive a few mates that i worked with as kite instructor that have worked with schools there and said how amazing the kiting was.

we plan on hiring a car for the whole trip as we want to explore and see the wildlife and culture. just thought that lagoon would be a good base to see more and the kiting is "suppose to be" good?

As for the gear im bringing how do you expect two of us to kite with one board and just because everyone in victoria seems to believe a 12meter kite is perfect for 15-30knots of wind doesnt mean it is! I love freestyle and Im bring that many kites to cover that range of wind! which I have been told it is?? i have 7,9 and 11 C's and my girlfriend might bring a 7 and 9 SLE.

I appreciate the tip with the lack of things to do but kite. what is the weather like in july? warm and sunny or very hot and overcast? Im kinda happy its not a busy place with lots to do and westernised to meet tourists need! you go on hoiday for peace and quite if i want things to do i might aswel book a hotel in melbourne dont you think?

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Irishbaz said...

southerly said...
Really, Sri Lanka????
It is certainly not on my list to ever go back (at least for kitting).
If your girlfriend doesn't kite she will likely kill you amd even if she does it is still a possibility. Kalpitiya is without doubt one of the biggest holes in the world and the kite locations are crap. Small, cramped and muddy inside the lagoons and outside is cropped up bad. The centre we stayed with was depressing, so depressing I had to buy Safires to make myself feel better about the whole trip (lol)
The accomodatin is either palace like or basic. If you go up market expect servants which generally makes me feel very uncomfortable even being a total Princess most of the time. Sri Lanka is still very basic and tourism is still a new concept to them. The further north you go the less there is.
Air Malysia is certainly the way to fly in, easy from Oz and generally a good price. Suggest staying over in KL to recover on the way home. You don't need that many kites for crying out loud, take a 9 and an 11 and really one board is enough.
I wish you luck, maybe hide the knives from your girlfriend.

WOW!!!! you really do make it sound awful! That is the first bad report ive heard about the place. Ive a few mates that i worked with as kite instructor that have worked with schools there and said how amazing the kiting was.

we plan on hiring a car for the whole trip as we want to explore and see the wildlife and culture. just thought that lagoon would be a good base to see more and the kiting is "suppose to be" good?

As for the gear im bringing how do you expect two of us to kite with one board and just because everyone in victoria seems to believe a 12meter kite is perfect for 15-30knots of wind doesnt mean it is! I love freestyle and Im bring that many kites to cover that range of wind! which I have been told it is?? i have 7,9 and 11 C's and my girlfriend might bring a 7 and 9 SLE.

I appreciate the tip with the lack of things to do but kite. what is the weather like in july? warm and sunny or very hot and overcast? Im kinda happy its not a busy place with lots to do and westernised to meet tourists need! you go on hoiday for peace and quite if i want things to do i might aswel book a hotel in melbourne dont you think?

You want to hire a car in Sri Lanka ?, DONT DO IT !! big mistake, although once you get further north and on some good roads you will be OK, lets say you dont want to drive on the bottom half of the island, and you cant use public busses unless you are ok with some one putting his stuff on your lap, 4 people on 2 seats etc, the train is over cowded and the train official wants a bribe, on the road from Kandy to Sigiria the overtaker will be overtaken by an overtaker, in both directions with potholes a small pig can live in. The problem with the accomodation is its totaly over priced for what you get, dirty and grubby on the lower scale, forget about getting around the Island in a week unless you have driver and he drives every day and you look at nothing.
20 million people on an Island the size of Tasmania says it all.
There are some great places and I can tell you but this would get out of hand.
Sri Lanka is one of the few places I would not go back to.
The kiting on flat water may be great but just get a driver to take you up the coast from Colombo ,which is a massive mess and leave the girl friend at home..

i would have to disagree with most of the comments you guys have made. i think driving is fine in sri lanka. We hired a Toyota hilux for 10 days from Colombo and drove everywhere sharing the driving and did not have any issues. We paid about $350 for 10 days and all of the locals we met said we got ripped off so you should be able to find better deals. It will depend on your confidence i would not let my mum drive there thats for sure but we certainly did not have any issues at all. The hire places will usually insist you take a driver but we didnt want to. We used the GPS on our iphone to get everywhere which worked perfect.

As far as kiting goes i would say it is the best place i have kited overseas the wind was consistently 20-25 knots everyday i was there and iv heard similar reports. Yes some parts of the lagoon look like a %$# hole. I am going back i find it a really relaxing place to go. Very quite and good place to get away from the hussel and bussle and just kite (guaranteed). Nothing is worse than going for a kiting holiday when there is no wind. I also looked at going to Vietnam and Phillipines which are more popular tourist destinations and probably similarly priced but we picked Sri Lanka based on the wind consistancy. Just check out wind guru.

Not sure what your on tony Armstrong??

Hmmmmmm! Your have half scared me off the idea but look at this...... Not many Places off this forecast in july!! most of asia is 15-20knots if you are lucky!




Cheers For All the usful information. I reckon we are still going to book it but will hold off on a car as we might get a driver and book our first two night for when we arrive so we can get a feel for the place and try bargining as you said.

I feel we are all different kind of kiters! I dont care about muddy water and some of the other small things you picked out! if there is consistent wind a flat water im happy! as for the lack of things to do, once we can relax and see some of the culture and the country its something ticked o0ff the list! I hope its not all as bad aas you make out so ill try and film and get some nice snaps and give you a report when im back!

Hopefully me and my girlfriend are still together!!

Have you heard that there is great wind in Sri Lanka between May and October?

Check out www.kitesurfinglanka.com/ or just visit us in North West Sri Lanka!!

We offer kite lessons, rental, kite safaris and trips, accommodation, great food and a chilled out ambience.

There is a choice of where to kite, there are lagoons- small, big and enormous. There is miles of coastline with shore break to explore, allowing a choice of long downwinders, flat water or ocean- you choose. We do kite trips to perfect spots.

We offer kite lessons with our experienced and friendly IKO qualified instructors. We have a perfect spot for teaching, in a safe lagoon with waist deep water, we use good quality equipment and have a safety boat.

The trade wind blows nicely from May till October, last season there was just 5 days of no wind in 5 months... check out the statistics here www.windguru.cz/fr/historie.php? ... &model=gfs

We offer a range of accommodation in our camps and our catering team provides great food served in a buffet style so you will not go hungry after a day of kiting.

Here are a few videos from our kitespots:

Please contact me on this email address if you want more information :
info@kitesurfinglanka.com
willontour@hotmail.com

Please have a look at our website www.kitesurfinglanka.com/

and browse the reviews of our past guests www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review- ... vince.html

Thanks for looking! May the wind be with you!

I am travelling this weekend to Sri Lanka for about 6 days just to reassure that I have learned everything and to be able to do the walk of shame without getting hurt. I'll give you my honest review as soon as I get back from there.

Sri Lanka gets consistent North Westerleys during this time so i think you will be in the completely opposite side. Are there some lagoons there perhaps for kiteboarding? I was told the water is much cleaner/ less muddy than the North East side of the island however i think it is due to the wind direction which makes the water merky. Argume bay is aparently good for surfing and diving. i never went there though because every one told me there was no wind there. hope i am wrong

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taxi said..

Booked a3week surf kitesurf trip to Argume Bay at the end of July,doint think there is muddy water there,well at least l hope not,anyone kited the Southeast side lve been told the wind is consistent..

Arugam bay is an interesting place, if you cant kite due to lack of wind at least take a surf board, its got a perfect point break and the waves the run along the beach for about 300m so you can catch a wave come in and walk back up to get the next one. The pros stay out at the point
I didnt take my kiting gear there and its a bit of a mission to get to Arugam bay. About $100 to get a car / van from Colombo, try to share theres always guys going back and forth
I walked south west out of the surfing area and there was probably 20 -22 knots cross shore with some dunes. looks like a spot yet to be properly dicoverd. Water is clear, accomodation totaly over priced, got a bit of a surf vibe going and a nice live miusic venue.

hey .. kalpitya is a great spot! youll love it, you should check out kitesurfing lanka the atmosphere is great there, i spent two weeks over christmas period and being a girl travelling alone they made me feel very comfortable, i learnt with these guys and they took care of me! was a bit worried at first but the staff are really cool and the camp theres always activities, good vibes and lovly remote beach out the front! plenlty to do! the kite spot is great i got 11/14 days learnt a lot in this time :) plus the guys are really honest will only charge you for the hours you did if the wind drops during the day , ive heard other places can still charge full days!!

I spent two weeks in Kalpitiiya three months ago and had a blast. I had the most basic accommodation at www.srilankakite.com run by a pro kiter and tester for North kites called Fabio. Watching him kite is a real treat. The room without bathroom was from memory 35euros per night but including all meals, which are buffet and mostly Sri Lankan food with the odd night having pizza. They've just upgraded the communal shower area too. It was perfect for me or a couple on a budget and I met loads of great people.

From what other kiters told me about their centres, it was by far the best kite centre in the area. But I didn't see the other centres in person, so can't say this with 100% confidence. But the one I stayed in comprised of rustic local construction huts and rooms with more primo and family sized huts if you want them dotted about the sandy complex. A nice open air communal dining area. And best of all a cute little open air bar which we got going at night, run by Fabio and his partners. All very relaxed up for a laugh European guys. There were a lot of Europeans there who like a party at night, so we cranked up the stereo and drank and danced until am most nights. It was the only place in the area that had a party at night. No restaurants in the area either.

The lagoon is sweet. They take you over by boat to the other side and bring you back for lunch and diner. You can kite directly off the kite centre but it can be tricky as the wind often comes off the land behind the centre and trees (depending on what time of year) and can be lumpy. But they have the best spot on the lagoon, with other centres further away and needing to truck people in for their sessions.

There's also a totally fabulous day trip by boat for another 60euros to the "dream spot". About an hour by boat, (they're also planning to turn it into an over night camping trip). But basically a sandy crescent shaped bay on a remote island northwards in Puttalam lagoon. A huge 1.5km run with wind coming over the island uninterrupted by any trees or buildings, so really smooth and consistent. The water on the leeward side is totally smooth and shallow and I would say it is by far the most perfect spot I've ever kited. (Not that I've been to Brasil). But regardless it's awesome. You can practice all your tricks here so confidently and two boats to keep an eye on you and retrieve you if you get into trouble.

But there really is nothing else to do in the area. It's surrounded by salt flats and rubbish strewn palm forests. There is a small town nearby but you can look around it in half and hour, so it's more for getting supplies like the chemist. You might want to spend only a few days in this area and then head to Aragum Bay where there is more for non-kiters, and waves if you want to break things up. Your girlfriend would really need to have lessons to occupy her time as there isn't even a decent beach to swim on at the kite centres in Kalpitiiya.

More details here on Fabio's facebook page: www.facebook.com/ingrossof?fref=ts

Wherever you go as a tourist you must expect to get ripped off by the locals regarding car rental, food, accommodation, whatever. They see you as an opportunity to line their bank balance and you must be aware/understanding of that.

We stayed in Sri Lanka for a month, and while we had some good experiences, aren't planning to return. Mostly those experiences were away from the Coastal/tourist areas and up in the hills or major cities. I would describe it as over rated in all aspects excepting food. And even then, I had to take my wife to a local hospital at 2am because she got a so sick after a meal. (The stay included birds flying around the wards crapping on patients, food and implements, cats wandering around and locals coming in to stare at the whiteys lying on a bed. Wife covered herself with a sarong to protect from flying poop and prying eyes).

We found Aragum Bay to be crowded with arrogant dickheads, both local and tourist. Wife was felt up during a massage, myself and a Kiwi had to breakup a knife fight at our accommodation between locals and also experienced a beach riot with shots fired, significant blood spilt and jail for the Israelis who 'caused' the incident. Aragum Bay is near the Tamil/government controlled border line of the war and while the war is over, there is still much tension. Our favourite local guy was a guide who was fantastic to us, but bearing the scars from interrogation by soldiers because he was not from the local area. (Postscript; since heard he was accused of child molesting, although it would not surprise me if this was a malicious claim because he was hard working and not from the local area). Many workers come in from other areas chasing the tourist dollars.

We heard good and bad things about Kalpitya. Wind good, hassle to get to, primitive, not many options, trees, dirty water, rubbish, etc. May be different because it is further from the war front line, so the conflicting ideal goes are less in your face.

Go with an open mind, keep your eyes open and go with the flow.

I'm sure you can find similar conditions/wind in Aus without the hassles