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Spice and everything that’s nice. That’s what Sri Lanka is made of : By Alan Stables

October 8, 2013

Sri Lanka

What do you want out of a holiday? If it’s a friendly quality service, the sun and a stone’s throw from an international port, then you can’t go wrong if you choose Negombo in Sri Lanka.

Some 20 minutes by taxi from Colombo International Airport, you will find the jewel in the crown of Negombo, an eight room exclusively gay boutique hotel called Dickman Resort http://www.dickmanresort.com/

Dickman Hotel

It’s an exclusive hotel with swimming pool, pool table and bar, but what differentiates this hotel from others are the levels of service and attention to detail.

The guest rooms, named after colours such as aqua, green and blue,  look out onto the pool, so as you open your doors in the morning you look out onto a tranquil pool with deck chairs waiting to entrance you out into the sun. Two patio doors at water level flank a mirror at the centre of the pool giving an optical illusion that the swimming pool extends through the patio doors. Very clever.

Dickman HotelThe rooms come with all mod cons – television, video player, air-conditioning, remote light switches and mini-bar. Not only are there tea and coffee making services in the room, but you can order your pot of tea free of charge anytime throughout the day. That’s bliss for you tea drinkers out there.

The bathrooms have papaya scented soap and scented shampoo sets from Ayur, whilst the rooms have candles and flowers too. The beds have split tennis balls on the corners to prevent you from hurting yourself on the edges. It’s this type of attention to detail that other hotels trying to imitate the standards simply do not reach.

Dickman HotelIt’s not only the setting and rooms that are outstanding, the service is too. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff, and they will go out of their way to ensure you have a pleasant stay here. From the earlier hours of the morning, they are sweeping and cleaning, all to make sure that everything is spotlessly clean. Breakfast is how you want it – from fruit platters containing passion fruit, papaya, mango and banana with full a English breakfast set of eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes plus toast, butter,  jam and marmalade.

Dickman HotelThe owner, Dickman, or Dick for short, a tall Dutch guy, has chosen his staff well. They are courteous at all times. Shahan, the receptionist will sort out your internet connection for you, the manager Damith will ensure that everything is right for you, Rishan cooks you the breakfast and the house boy Mahenda will  clean your room. Many other boys are around too doing pool chores, cleaning and night security. The resort also hosts various special parties throughout the year including Christmas, New Year and St.Valentines.

There’s nature around too. Four tortoises and a friendly squirrel come out to play occasionally. Whilst shorts are de rigor during the day, you are better off wearing trousers in the evening as there may be a few midges.

Dickman HotelIf you want to pamper yourself with a spa treatment, besides the in-house masseur, both Jasmine Villa and Body Zone are recommended. Both will collect you from the hotel, take you to their premises, and return you back to the hotel. Best to ask the receptionist to sort it out for you. The same goes for tour information such as visiting the other major attraction of the island Kandy (2 ½ hrs drive away), Galle (pronounced “goal” by the locals) or the capital Colombo.  Negombo by the way is the fourth largest city in Sri Lanka with a population of 128,000 inhabitants.

Sri LankaNegombo itself is a small beach town with the one main street containing hotels, bars, restaurants and tourist shops selling leather goods, batik style clothes and several gem stores all authorized by their respective gem and jewelry authorities to ensure authenticity. Getting about is easy too as tuktuks (small three wheel transport vehicles), will take you from one end to the other for a couple of pounds. The tuktuk drivers though are excellent salesman and will try to sell you all types of services and tours. Locally they will show you the Catholic churches (90% of the people in the area are catholic and proud of their religious beliefs), or the Buddhist temples, the fish market or take you to Negombo town some 3 kilometres away.

Whilst much has been done to clean up the Negombo beach area, you will be approached. from supposedly teachers of deaf children to poor fishermen. They have one aim in mind and that is to get extract some money from you to support their meagre income.

Negombo was first populated by the Moors in the seventh and eight centuries as they dominated the spice trade, then the Portuguese and then the Dutch in 1644. There is a Dutch fort which was constructed in Negombo in 1672, which is now utilised as a prison. The Dutch were also responsible for the canal from Colombo to Puttalam in the North, passing through Negombo and still present today. With the decline of the cinnamon trade, the British took over in 1815 and their influence spread throughout Sri Lanka until independence in 1948.

Dickman Hotel Staff
Dickman Hotel Staff

For restaurants it is hard to beat Lord’s Restaurant http://www.lordsrestaurant.net/.  A starter will cost around 750 rupees (3.50 GB Pounds), and main dishes double that. With an international selection of dishes from Sri Lankan cuisine to salads, curries, seafood platters, vegetarian and meats, it is hard to go wrong. Under the management of the philanthropist Martin Fullerton, you can get to read his life story too. Walk further into the Lord’s complex and you can have a free fish foot spa, as well as see an art gallery hosting local artists.

For nightlife there are several gay friendly bars in the area such as Tastees Banana, and especially Serendib on Fridays and Saturdays after 11 pm.. The local beer is called Lion, and look out for the witty posters advertising the No. 1 Sri Lankan beer. I was not however impressed by Rodeo Bar when the barman tried to short change me. Having said that Negombo is full of people wishing you a good day, and is you are single, somebody will come up and chat with you. It is that friendly.

You need not travel alone in Sri Lanka as Negombo is one of the destinations offered by Holiday House Boys www.holidayhouseboys.com. Advertised as “getting the most from your holidays”, a Holiday House Boy is like your personal travel guide who looks after your safety and welfare. Note though you must provide a separate room and bathroom for him, but at least you get to choose who you want.

Temperature wise, the average annual minimum temperature is 24 C with average maximum annual temperature of 30 C. The high season is November to March, with the low season being the monsoon season from May to August.

All in all if you are looking for a relaxing holiday with attentive service and excellent restaurants in the area, but do not mind missing out on the clubbing, then Negombo could be that dream holiday that you always wish you had but never yet taken. I would also recommend it for singles just as much as I would for couples. Try it and you will see.

GETTING THERE

British Airways http://www.britishairways.com/ flies three times a week from London Gatwick Airport for 575 GB Pounds return. Also check out the local airlines Srilankan Airlines http://www.srilankan.com/.

PRICES AT DICKMAN RESORT

At Dickman Resort, the prices for single occupancy range from 85 to 115 euros (72  to 97 GB Pounds) per night, whilst doubles range from 95 to 125 euros (80 to 106 GB Pounds) per night, all depending on the type of room you book and time of year. There is an extra surcharge of 25 euros (21 GB Pounds) per room per night for the top peak season from 24th December to 2nd January. Prices include that huge breakfast. Prices quoted do not include the 5% service charge . Note if you have an overnight guest, you are only charged for the extra breakfast.

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