Brian Spencer entered our 'Subscribe and win!' newsletter competition.
And guess what? He won. Now he's on his dream trip and we're going along
for the ride. First stop - Sri Lanka, and the benefits of low-season travel.
'Welcome to paradise, Mr. Spencer.'
Like Mr. Rourke greeting me at the gates to Tangalla's version of
Fantasy Island, Rohan, the smiling, mild-mannered manager at Palm
Paradise Cabanas, hands me the keys to our spacious bungalow on deserted
Goyambokka Beach. A few feet away, the brilliant sapphire sea pounds
the peach-hued sandy shore, tall, skinny coconut trees rock gingerly in
the hot midday breeze, and plumeria and hibiscus trees in full bloom
blanket the neatly manicured grounds.
It's low tourism season here in Tangalla
and, in fact, in most of southern Sri Lanka. Aside from a friendly pack
of local dogs, we're fortunate to have this small slice of beach heaven
mostly to ourselves. That's the beauty of this time of the year: many
travelers are scared off by the threat of monsoon rains and sweltering
temperatures, but the heat has proven manageable and we haven't seen a
drop of rain in days. There are, indeed, many benefits to low-season
travel, including empty beaches, lower costs, and an especially warm
welcome from locals.
It's hard to believe how much we've seen in
this wildly diverse country in just one short week: the steamy capital
city of Columbo, breathtaking scenery on an unforgettable train ride to
Kandy, ancient cave temples in Dambulla, the towering rock fortress of
Sigiriya, the cool, rolling hills of tea country, spotted leopards and
wild elephants in Yala National Park.
Soon we'll continue moving down the
southwestern coast, stopping briefly in Mirissa and Galle before one
last night in Columbo; from there, it's on to the Maldives. For now,
though, there's no better place to reflect and unwind than here in the
lazy, dreamy paradise called Tangalla.
Source :Lonely Planet
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