Circus school, Asian Street food and luxurious outdoor facilities make for a fun packed family holiday at this resort in Sri Lanka!
We recently stayed at Shangri-La Hamabantota Resort and Spa in Ambalantota, a family friendly resort that is 4 hours away from Colombo airport.
The resort itself is stunning, spacious with an indoor/outdoor feel that overlooks the southern coast of Sri Lanka and is surrounded by a field of green (formally a coconut plantation) and a world of nature and wildlife.
Our room was a one bed Premier Ocean Suite, awash with a mixture of antique and modern furniture, which we felt didn’t gel as well as it could.
The resort’s outdoor facilities included a number of areas that provided awesome views across the ocean, three pools – one specifically for adults only, a splash park and 23ft high trapeze for all acrobat wanabees.
The kids club runs daily from 9am-7pm and offered activities including Mocktail making classes, aqua gym and circus school. The pools also have fun activities for kids such as water slides, a floating zorb and a splash park for hours of fun.
Other family activities included tours outside of the resort. We tried out a River boat safari along the Walawe river, where we saw a variety of birds, a crocodile and the mouth of the river where it meets the Indian Ocean.
We also visited the Elephant Transit home in Udawlawe to get up close to elephants, peacocks and monkeys in their natural habitat.
Bikes are also available to rent from the hotel but be sure to confirm where you allowed to ride as we were given a number of mixed messages in terms of routes and timings.
The resort has a number of dining venues including an Asian restaurant called Sera, which served the most delicious food from grilled fish to Thai curries and our favourite – Malaysian noodles with tofu.
Bojunhala restaurant was where we had most of our meals and children had their own buffet and dining area with colouring activities which kept them entertained
The resort also boasts Chi Spa, where we were offered an Ayurvedic massage.
Located near the beach is the Artisan Village that hosts the work of local artists, which guests can purchase.
To book a room at Shangri-La Hamabantota Resort and Spa in Ambalantota visit http://www.shangri-la.com/hambantota/shangrila/
NOTE: This holiday was paid for by our writer, however Shangri La offered the river boat tour, two dinner meals, one spa treatment and airport transfers complimentary.
Join our WhatsApp group and receive curated news and offers in your WhatsApp Feed
