Sri Lanka was never really on my travel bucket list but I really like to visit as many places as possible on one trip, which is exactly why we decided to look for cool places to visit near to the Maldives. Our trip to the Maldives seems like forever ago now, even though it was only last month. It seems that Sri Lanka is the closest, good place to visit near to the Maldives. It took a few hours and then we were suddenly away from Maldivian paradise. Most people apparently go to Sri Lanka first for an action packed few days and then head to the Maldives to relax. We did it the other way around, relaxation in the Maldives and then onto Sri Lanka for some excitement. Join me in Sri Lanka!
We knew it would be a slight jump from paradise (once you've been to the Maldives, nothing will compare) so headed straight to SmallLuxuryHotels to book our first Sri Lanka hotel. I talk about SLH all the time, they really are the best when it comes to finding beautiful, unique, boutique and luxurious hotels. We found Serene Pavilions and decided to stay there for our first stop after the Maldives.
Whilst our villa wasn't bright white, Instagrammable modern, it was beautiful in it's own, old style luxurious way, it reminded me of Fairmont hotels but much larger. As much as I love modern, I also like traditional and I loved staying somewhere so unique and beautiful. It really was a brilliant experience, we couldn't believe how spacious our gorgeous villa was. The four poster bed was incredible, and looked out onto the beautiful ocean. When we checked into our pavilion, we were greeted by our butler and some freshly squeezed papaya juices. From getting picked up from the airport (it's 2 hour transfer) the service really was exceptional. Rather than a hotel, I'd say this is more of a gorgeous villa, with chefs, butlers and a pool if you fancy a dip. If you're looking for things to do, I'd highly recommend booking on excursions, this is really easy to do too if you're wanting to be adventurous. We chose to do excursions at our second hotel (more on that soon), as it was further down the coast. 
The beach, unfortunately was extremely dirty but this must just be debris from the sea. We were pretty disappointed as I'd read that this was the most beautiful beach in Sri Lanka. We did venture out (that will come on part 2) and really found the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka so all was not lost.
It was pretty cool seeing cows on the beach though, that's for sure!
We ate in the gorgeous restaurant within the hotel. Our butler served us dinner and the chef was seriously exceptional. I'd read that a lot of locals eat here for a treat. To me, the food wasn't expensive but in Sri Lanka prices, it was expensive. We were really tired so just decided to book into the restaurant for dinner. I had the most incredible Sri Lankan curry, it took up pretty much the whole table. 
The hotel is set back away from the hustle and bustle so on an evening, there wasn't really much to do. Our gorgeous room was the perfect relaxing hideaway so instead, we caught some much needed sleep.
Waking up to breakfast on our terrace, looking out to the ocean was seriously perfect. Our butler would bring us the most amazing food, as much as we liked, all to our villa. This would be honeymoon paradise. If you've read my blog post about why breakfast is so important you'll know that it's my favourite meal of the day and everyone in my life knows that I absolutely love sitting down to a big breakfast to keep me full right throughout the day. The breakfast at Serene is probably one of the best I've had. 
I don't ever really relax, so having three days here, solely to relax was perfect. I read some favourite magazines (I haven't sat and enjoyed a magazine for what seems like ears!) and even picked up some books. If you've read any of my blog posts about the importance of taking time for yourself, you'll know that I'm really trying to factor in more time for me, and I felt really relaxed after this. 
We sat and enjoyed delicious food as we watched the sunset.
This gorgeous playsuit became my throw on of choice on lazy days over my swimsuits.
The more time I spent relaxing, the more I realised, I could get used to this. This is easily the calmest, most tranquil place I've stayed. We almost felt like we owned the place because we didn't see anyone.
It's so easy to be healthy in Sri Lanka, I sipped on my King coconut water every day.Dress - online here
Jumpsuit, online here.
We had a really lovely three days of relaxation at Serene Pavilions, the perfect way to ease into the hustle and bustle of Sri Lanka after an amazing time in the Maldives. This hotel is great if you're looking for a beautiful, relaxing base but I would recommend venturing out or you may get a little bored! We missed exploring and I desperately wanted to get into the ocean, unfortunately it was too rough in this area of Sri Lanka in October but the pool was still beautiful! I'm really excited to get Sri Lanka part 2 live though, because we did some serious exploring and I of course dipped my toes into the Sri Lankan ocean. Coming soon!
Have you ever visited Sri Lanka? Would you like to? Have you ever used Small Luxury Hotels?
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You can watch my vlog below and see my Sri Lankan trip! It would mean the world to me if you could take a second to subscribe to me on YouTube here!
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