Island will have you coming back for more

We feel like smile millionaires when we’re here,” said two holidaymakers I bumped into strolling on one of my many Sri Lankan beach stops.

They said their feeling summed up the warm, welcoming and hospitable reactions from locals to visitors.

By the time we’d finished our holiday I, too, felt like a “smile millionaire”.

My fascination with Sri Lanka stems from schoolboy days and, after my initial trip five years ago, this island – a quarter of the size of the UK – captured my imagination.

Now I’m regarded by locals as a “repeater”, a visitor making regular visits to enjoy this island.

My last visit straddled the festive season, allowing a welcome escape to 35°C warmth and clear-blue skies of a country that offers myriad visitor attractions and 1,600 kilometres of beaches.

With tragic terrorist bombings in early 2019 having an understandable impact on its tourism industry as well as the achingly sad human costs, the island is now working to rebuild its visitor appeal. I was more than happy to come back to the island to show solidarity and explore more of its attractions.

One such highlight is the famous landmark of Sigiriya, a huge, ancient rock that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It’s a slow climb up 1,202 steps, many fairly steep, in sweltering heat to discover what’s left of a once-lavish palace

– complete with swimming pool – built on the rock for a forwardthinking 5th Century king.

The architectural splendour and stunning views from the top are worth every bead of sweat!

We stay for three nights in beautiful Habarana, a onceisolated village in the centre of Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle. Our base is the Cinnamon Lodge Hotel, an eco-focused complex.

A team of nature experts are on hand to offer a great selection of activities from yoga to birdwatching and answer any questions about their 48-acre site.

Our elephant safari guide enhances the experience, identifying best vantage points to get a glimpse – often very close-up – of the area’s