My Sister is Here!

Well, as I write this, she's technically still in France, and by the time I publish this, she will probably be back in America. However, it's the perfect time for me to write about what I have planned for her, as well as share some "must sees" on this lovely island. 

I'm chuckling as I type this because I just had a talk with a friend about how many of the "must sees" of Sri Lanka, we are simply not going to get to do while we are here.  It's all about where you are in life.  Goals, budget, and family status.  For us, many of these adventures would be so fun for our 12 year old but aren't feasible for our newly turned 3 year old.  We've got quite an age gap with our children and that has definitely influenced our decisions on which adventures we will take and which we will pass up. 

That being said, here are a few plans I have for Megan and Jonathan, when they arrive. 

Day 1: Mt. Lavinia Hotel.  This hotel is over 200 years old and has a magical story attached to it that you can read about it here.  It's absolutely breathtaking and the views from the pool and beach are equally breathtaking.  They will arrive Jan. 2.  They'll be jet lagged, so if we sleep in, and have a lazy morning at home, Mt. Lavinia will be the perfect 1st activity. We will take in the gorgeous views, lounge by the pool, have dinner at the pool bar (I actually prefer that to the buffet) and watch the sunset before coming back home. 

pictures from some of our trips to Mt. Lavinia Hotel

Day 2. 1st Road Trip!  We have a van coming at 7:00 a.m. to take us to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and to the Royal Botanical Gardens near Kandy.  The Elephant Orphanage is truly amazing and a memorable experience.  While there is so much more to see and do in Kandy, the Royal Botanical Gardens are beautiful and you're almost always guaranteed to see tons of monkeys.  Which is quite a treat when you are visiting the island. 

Pictures from our trip to Pinnawala last April when my parents visited.

Day 3. Shopping, touring, high tea and sundowners.  It's a full day!  We plan to take them around to a couple of the specialty shops, after brunch at a favorite of ours Whight and Company (You literally have brunch while overlooking the Indian ocean... it's magical) Erik plans to give Jonathan a tour of the New Embassy compound while Megan, and the girls and me have high tea at the historic Galle Face Hotel.  This hotel is no joke.  I have written about it before. It is other worldly.  You truly feel as if you have stepped back in time.  After High Tea, we will slide down to the pool bar, meet Jonathan and Erik for sundowners... the sunset view from The Galle Face Hotel is the most beautiful I've ever seen in my entire life, and I cannot wait to share that with them.  Afterwards, we will walk over to Galle Face Green and watch the kite flying and just the general Friday night action on the green. 

Taken at one of our many sundowners at the Galle Face Hotel.

Day 4-5: Road Trip number 2! We will be heading south to Weligama/ Mirissa!  We leave early on Saturday morning.  We are staying at the new Marriott Resort inWeligama Bay.  We haven't stayed there but some friends have and said its wonderful!  We will have that day pool/beach side and then an early bedtime because the next morning is Whale Watching!  We booked through Raja and the Whales.  They have excellent reviews on Trip Advisor  - I'll follow up on how well it turns out.  The brochure says that the trip can last anywhere from 3-7 hours depending on how long it takes to see the whales.  The length will determine if we have time to come home through Galle and see the fort or not.  If we can squeeze it in, I want to eat at Wijaya Beach B&B... best mango prawn curry EVER! I highly recommend it. 

Pics from our last trip to the fort

Day 6: The girls go back to school.  I plan to take Megan and Jonathan shopping at the Old Dutch hospital, and probably dinner at a favorite of ours: The Gallery Cafe.  It's the former office of renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa. And the atmosphere + food make it an amazing experience.

Photo Credit

Day 7: Megan and Jonathan catch a late flight home, so we still have the day! They can either tour the girls school or we can spend the morning sunning at the American Club pool. Then one last meal at our favorite Seafood restaurant... Off the Hook.

It's not the most adventurous 7 days in Sri Lanka, but when spending time catching up, laughing, sharing stories is as important as seeing sights, it will be the best way we could possibly spend our time together.  I. Cannot. Wait!