Thanks everyone! X

In SL we self planned and researched and booked most things, but used a local travel company called Red Dot Travel to do some bits for us - ie booked train tickets and a driver for a week. They were efficient and charged very little for it.

We travelled with a 10 year old and we all loved it. Yala National Park safari was probably the highlight (saw four leopards! - Definitely worth booking a decent guide/driver and not just booking the standard with a big group through the hotel. We used Sugathe tours) Ella and the tea country was also amazing.

And book somewhere with a pool if you want beach time - the beaches are very beautiful and enjoyable, but there are very strong rips and it can make it tricky to swim.

The trains are great too - don't miss but book first class whereever possible

Before we went to SL we would go to Barbados every Christmas. Barbados is lovely, very easy to get around yourself. We always stay self catering rather than in one of the resorts as that’s our preference. For me our Barbados trips are an exotic ‘fly and flop’ - we mainly swim, eat, sleep and do the odd day trip. The food is very familiar, and there are lots of tourists. Whereas SL was a much more adventurous trip, packed with experiences (in the first week as we travelled around, the second week was more chilled out).
This year we are going back to Barbados as we feel we just want to get some winter sun for a week, but we will go back to SL in a few years to explore a different area of it

What do you think about traveling to Barbados? I think it will be more interesting there.

We went to SL this Xmas and had the most amazing holiday. Kids are 8 and 6. We booked flights independently and I had made some (refundable) booking.com reservations. But I was struggling to find somewhere for the last week. Anyway, long story short : contact Emma Summers at https://www.tribefamilyadventures.co.uk/ who was brilliant. She listened (over email, it really is that simple) to what I wanted to do and found brilliant accommodation for the family that blew my ones of the water. She also found us a fab driver (who the kids adored and took all the stress away from me) for the first week. We then stayed at a place for the last week (so didn’t need a driver - we just took tuk-Tuks) on the coast which was usually only rented out as a whole villa (and Emma persuaded them to rent it by the room so we could stay!!). You should also join the ‘My Tribe Travels: Adventurous Travels with Kids’ Facebook group as it has load and loads of post s and helpful tips on SL with kids

We went with 3 children a few years ago. The youngest was two. It was one of the best holidays we ever had. We stopped at about 4 /5 destinations over 15 days but could have easily done more. We did it entirely independently and just hired a driver for the entire trip which we used as and when. We just picked off the destinations from a guide book. We did all the travelling in the evening so the children could sleep in the car if they wanted to. The roads were all in decent condition and the journeys weren't usually more than 3 hrs. It was super easy and the children absolutley loved it. If you feel confident enough, I wouldn't bother with a travel company. I'd just choose where you want to go and plan you're own trip and hire a good driver . Enjoy!!!

Have a look at stubborn mule travel. I haven’t used them but exciting travel with children seems to be their niche!

hi, please give me a call or email at Travel Designers.  nick@traveldesigners.co.uk or 020 7720 8484, would be more than happy to assist with some independent advice. I have been lucky enough to visit Sri Lanka, we can offer a wide range of accommodation, tours and transfers, ranging from off the beaten track small locally owned properties to in-depth tours run by local people ! 

Hope we can help and look forward to hearing from you 

Best wishes 

Nick 

 

Although Sri Lanka is not a large island, the state of the roads and the heavy traffic means that day-trips to tourist attractions can be lengthy and tiring. Most travellers tend to hire driver-guides for multi-stop tour who will accompany you for the whole trip. There is lots of information available about protocols on tipping,  driver accommodation etc. We organised a bespoke tour through Trailfinders which was absolutely fine. The guides are state-registered, speak English and have to have a reasonable amount of knowledge about the history, culture, flora and fauna. We still keep in touch with our guide (one year on) and exchange photos and family news. December is a good time.  I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Best of luck.

Thank you Annabel!
 

Have you looked at Kalakunda House?

[url]https://kalukandahouse.com/[/url]

It's a gorgeous villa run by a local London family.

We spent two weeks there last summer and adored it.

Even if the house isn't right for your itinerary I'm sure Dee would be super useful in terms of recommendations. I'll email her and let her know you're after recommendations...

Hi, Can anyone provide recommendations for travel in December to Sri Lanka? The kids will be 11 and 9 by the time we go, and we tend to enjoy getting off the beaten track... if you've been in the past and been impressed by a travel company you've used, I'd love to hear your recommendations!

Thank you x