Sri Lanka and the Maldives: ‘I took my dream honeymoon on a test run’
For some, it’s the dulcet tones of David Attenborough or Stephen Fry reading their favourite book. For many, it’s white noise or something laughably niche like “loud rain on a car roof”. For my boyfriend and I, every night we play “ocean waves crashing against the coastline” on a ten-hour loop out of our bedside Roberts radio, much to the annoyance of our housemates.
So, when we arrived at Kayaam House in Tangalle, Sri Lanka, and laid down our bags in our sea-view room, we felt a little starstruck. The sound that had so reliably been our audio-Valium over the past six months – the Indian Ocean lapping rhythmically against the sandy shore – was, it seemed, to be the soundtrack of our stay. And this one was on a 24-hour loop.
Is Sri Lanka and the Maldives a good honeymoon route?
On what might just be the most romantic holiday of your life, the origami towel swans on the bed and sand-between-toes beach dinners are a fun touch, but personally I want my honeymoon to have a little grit alongside the whole candle-lit bit.
The adventure of a Sri Lankan safari lodge sandwiched between these serene, romantic hotels, plus the activities each place boasts (kayaking at sunrise, swimming with whale sharks, paddle-board yoga in the sea) made for a multi-destination trip that was in equal parts bonding and soul-soothing, with a little exhilaration thrown in.
Sri Lanka means “resplendent isle”, and I couldn’t think of a better adjective for the island. It’s like someone turned up the saturation in the dense green jungle or by the sparkling turquoise ocean. Everything appears in HD here, from the rich orange colour of the curry you’re nailing at 9am (in a big egg hopper, a must-try delicacy), to the birds that swoop across the windscreen on safari drives, or the verdant hills and rice paddies you drive past on your way to each new place.
And this psychedelic-like colour intensity doesn't go anywhere when you look out the window during the short flight from Colombo to Malé, the densely-populated capital of the Maldives. But nothing can quite prepare you still for the view from the sea plane to your hotel’s private island – this sounds super boujee, but almost every hotel rents its own island on a long-term lease from local people here.
The oval-window-framed view of little floating huts in the sea is every bit as jaw-to-the-floor vibrant and beautiful as you’ve seen on social media, and then some. Saturation still firmly cranked up.
These two locations are close enough by that it’s easy to organise a trip here without needing a travel agent, but with sea planes and whale shark swimming thrown in, you feel like you’re embarking on a real adventure, too.
But first, back to the beginning of our honeymoon road test…
Kayaam House
What are the rooms like? And the rest of the hotel?
With only nine rooms in total, even when the hotel is full it feels fairly private and spacious. We stayed in the “Ocean View Suite”, which meant waking up each morning to the bright blue tranquillity of the T-shaped infinity pool in the foreground, fringed with frangipani flowers and luxurious loungers. The azure hues of the ocean teased its cooling touch in the background, but it was too dicey and rough to dip at the time of year we visited.
The sea from certain angles looks as if it’s crashing against the infinity pool, with the unspoilt beach hidden just through a clearing of tropical trees. It's a perfect napping spot for local dogs, who soak up the sun curled like furry pretzels on the sand. They're totally unbothered by the movements of the tide and passers-by.
With free-flowing Ceylon arrack cocktails (made from local coconut trees) delivered to the private sun loungers on our front porch, the rooms, or the beach, an afternoon lounging here is time well spent.
And isn’t it known for its Ayurvedic wellness offering?
Yes! This is the ideal place to drape yourself at the start of your trip – if you’re anything like me and often take a few days to switch off from your default million-miles-an-hour daily schedule, this is your place. I can only imagine this is even more necessary after the whirlwind of planning, executing, and enjoying the whole wedding thing.
When it came to the full Ayurverdic retreat Kayaam House offers, we stuck to an (out of this world) à la carte menu, as we wanted to sample as many of the organic, locally-sourced ingredients as possible, without feeling restricted in any way.
If you do want to spend your time here leaning fully into the repose of spa treatments and pared-back diets (perhaps wise after draining your social battery over a wedding weekend) the chef will work with you to curate a menu according to the teachings of Ayurverdic medicine, that also aligns with what you want to get out of your stay.
If a few days of slipping in and out of sleep on the sun beds is enough downtime for you, however, there are local activities aplenty. Our sunrise kayak through the lagoon off nearby Rekawa Beach, surrounded by lush mangroves, is one of the memories that sparkles brightest when we look back at this trip.
Our guide taught us about the Komodo dragon cousin – the water monitor lizard – who looks remarkably like a crocodile to the untrained eye, and feels almost as big as one when it rears its head up next to the kayak.
He taught us about snakebirds that look like their namesake as they slither out of the water, about murmurations and bird formations, but mainly he reminded us of the value of living in the moment, for today. Every single morning before the sun soaks the earth with her life-giving warmth, he's out on the water to watch the show.
We didn’t have time to try everything, but we had a few snooze-inducing massages and stretchy yoga sessions while we were here. If you opt for a slightly longer stay, there's whale watching, surfing lessons, cookery classes, turtle safaris and visits to beautiful buddhist architectural sites all on offer locally, so you'll be plenty occupied should you get itchy feet.
Wild Coast Tented Lodge
What are the rooms like? And the rest of the hotel?
The lodges are in individual, intelligently designed tented cocoons that, in my boyfriend’s words, ‘make you feel like an intrepid French monarch in the world-is-flat era.’ Niche, but I see what he means. The pods are designed to resemble the boulders dotted along the shoreline of the Indian Ocean in rocky outcrops, and they’re unlike anything I’ve ever stayed in before.
Inside, you’re transported to a time of expeditions and wide-eyed adventure. Each item and corner of the cabin is meticulously thought-out to allow for a relaxed yet luxurious stay, that’s effortlessly in keeping with the jungle surroundings.
You feel like a right explorer – nature identification manuals, magnifying glasses and binoculars litter leather-topped desks. Circular port-hole windows frame the swaying forest canopy each room is shaded by, with free-standing copper bathtubs, air con and a huge cloud-like bed adding a little luxe comfort to an already special space.
To make the resort build more sustainable, designers used local materials to give back to surrounding communities, while utilising reclaimed teak shingles to tile the roof of the indoor pool, restaurant and bar. These will turn grey over time and weather into a similar colour to the surrounding rocks. The cocoons themselves are raised on stilts and designed so they can be disassembled and leave the landscape relatively untouched, when or if the time may come. Hopefully it doesn't.
And what about the safari experience?
Yala National Park, the area where you do your game drives, is known for its biodiversity and particularly its abundance of leopards. Nature photographers come from far and wide to camp out and capture these regal cats. With arguably the most iconic coat pattern in the history of the animal kingdom, these felines are – when found – well worth the search.
We visited during the Easter holidays (UK) and the week of Sinhalese and Tamil New year, which meant it was busier than ever in the park. There’s a big temple and religious city nearby, so it’s apparently the ideal place to travel for locals during this season. Being totally transparent, this slightly dampened the experience for us, as there were lots of safari vehicles surrounding the animals. Do your research to avoid this, and ask your guide to buy your park ticket in advance online (only they can do this, not you), so you can skip the queues to get in at first light.
Once you’re in the park, it’s unbelievably peaceful, with big expanses of lily pad-clad ponds and huge rocks reaching to the sky, adding welcome texture to the landscape. And that’s all before you start spotting the wildlife.
Leopards, elephants, mongoose, and warthog-like wild boar are wandering around this jungle they call their home. And if you’re into your tropical birds, you’ll be in your element. The air is pierced with a chorus of curious birdsong, and flashes of warm-climate colours swoop low all around.
As our guide showed off his encyclopaedic knowledge of our new bright-beaked pals, my boyfriend and I pointed at some we'd seen earlier, both trying to impress him with the natural bird-spotting talent that we both believed we were blessed with.
LUX* South Ari Atoll
Nothing says honeymoon like the Maldives. The archipelago has made a name for itself as a tropical paradise perfect for high-end beach dinners and two-person loveseat swings. Hmm.
Having said this, those cloying camera-curated moments – despite how it may seem from my Instagram feed – are not really my jam. I love a boutique hotel and am shamelessly guilty of building a holiday around ‘this teeny little shack that’s completely undiscovered where the food is cheap and unfathomably fresh’ moments – the ones that sound immediately wanky as soon as you start to tell anyone about them. So, I did fear that a big, multi-restaurant, 400-capacity hotel on its own island in the Maldives might not be for me.
But, after a week of smaller, boutique hotels, the variety and energy of the island delivered a welcome dose of diversity when deciding what to have for dinner. Plus, the tropical beachy vibe meant more cocktails and a resultingly seamless switch-up to tiny island life.
What were the rooms like?
There’s no way you won’t let out an audible gasp when walking into your hotel room here. The huts on stilts are just so charming, and we didn't get used to it for the whole time we were here. One side of ours was just entirely glass, and each time we stepped foot in the suite the sea-and-sky killer combo looked slightly different in some way – from candy floss to flaming orange and bright, blinding blue. Throughout the day mother nature offers new magic touches to the island, testing and challenging you – 'you think you can get bored of me?!'
The free-standing bath tub boasts a panoramic ocean vista for romantic soaks with both types of bubbles – the Prosecco upon arrival is a nice touch – and the glass sections of floor framing the ripples below make for an unforgettable (and often disconcerting) feature.
And as it’s a big hotel, is there a gym? And other fitness offerings?
If you’re someone who’s set on keeping up a semblance of their normal routine on holiday, you’ll feel more than comfortable here. There are gym classes, lots of cycling and walking the length of the island, and you can even try your hand at floating yoga on paddle boards. You’re far more sporty than me if you don’t fall off, but I must say watching your partner pelt into the water in pigeon's pose is great value entertainment.
The verdict – was this the multi-destination honeymoon you’d dreamed of?
And more. I’d go back to each of these hotels in a heartbeat. I’m desperate to explore more of Sri Lanka; it’s a spicy, stunningly gorgeous (resplendent, should I say) island with so much to offer, and the people we met had a smile for everyone.
If I did this route again, I’d check peak times for the safari experience and spend longer there so the schedule was less full-on – if you’re on your honeymoon, you’re going to want a little time to enjoy the room. Especially that copper bathtub.
All three destinations provided a degree of wide-armed hospitality worth mentioning in your postcards home, and every one offered something different. The common thread we could rely on in each place, though, was the sound of the waves of the Indian Ocean lapping rhythmically against the shore, the rocks, and even the foundations of our room. While we soothe ourselves to sleep with our looped Spotify soundscapes from now on, I hope they encourage dreams of this unforgettable, blissful adventure.
Kayaam House
Rates at Kayaam House start from £550 on a fully inclusive basis with wellness treatments.
Wild Coast Tented Lodge
Fully inclusive rates at Wild Coast Tented Lodge start from £856 per night including accommodation, all meals and drinks and a resort ranger guided game drive per night stay.
LUX* South Ari Atoll
Prices for a Beach Pavilion start from £200 per night based on two people sharing on a B&B basis.
Still keen to get closer to each other by travelling to far-flung places?
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