Luxurious space on east coast
The calm blue sea offers a sleepy greeting as a few waves nonchalantly lap the shore. The sun is out, the palm trees sway in the background and a yacht sails its merry way before us. What may seem like a page out of the perfect tourist brochure is the beautiful bay of Passikudah.
Rested rooms
Famed for its unintimidating sea and line of luxury resorts, Passikudah is on track to becoming the most sought after destination on the East Coast. The latest addition to the bay is the Centara Passikudah Resort and Spa- offering opportunities to indulge, discover and relax in a sublime tropical setting. Set on the horizon of the Eastern Coast -35 km north of Batticaloa- getting to Passikudah would be a six hour journey by road, but a flight operated by Helitours from Ratmalana to the China Bay airport in Trincomalee gets you there in only 45 minutes. It takes an additional hour and a half to reach Centara from the airport though.
Centara Hotels and Resorts is Thailand’s leading operator of hotels, with 41 deluxe properties covering the major tourist destinations in Thailand, and 17 overseas resorts in the Maldives, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Mauritius and most recently Sri Lanka. “Centara is a brand that is well renowned for its complete range of services and responsible approach to tourism,” says Alexandre Glauser, Area General Manager, Sri Lanka, of Centara Hotels and Resorts, “We are currently the largest hotel on the entire East Coast, although with only 125 rooms. This is because we have given prominence to leaving a spacious feel to the property,” he adds.
Most of the 125 rooms overlook the beach, and are designed for couples and family alike, for all rooms offer the option of either a king-size bed or two double beds, while the suites are equipped with bunk beds in a separate children’s area. “It makes you feel the right kind of relaxed,” Mr. Glauser adds.
Manager Teddy Roland outlines their policy to integrate with the neighbourhood. “At Centara Passikudah, we have a policy of employing 40% of the cadre from the surrounding areas, thereby being socially responsible and boosting the livelihoods of the locals,” he says.
Relaxing on the beach is the prime leisure activity that goes hand in hand with the oversized swimming pool, but much more awaits. There are water sports aplenty- banana-boating, kayaking, windsurfing and jet-skiing. The water sports are done in collaboration with Lanka Sportreizen.
Grand views of pool, beach and ocean
Reef Café is the resort’s all day dining restaurant. The hotel also has the Aqua bar that serves drinks and light meals, and Elements the garden dining venue.
The beach apart, Passikudah lies within the reach of no less than six National Parks. Our safari was to the Maduru Oya National Park, famous for elephants, an hour and a half’s drive from the hotel courtesy River Rats Lanka, headed by the charismatic Riza.
On the way to the Park, we stop by a fishing village on the banks of the ‘NDK Wewa’. Around ten fishermen accompany us as we set off in boats towards the centre of the picturesque reservoir. Two elephants bathing in the reservoir are a remarkable sight up close.
Our catch for the day is cooked then and there at the lakeside wadiya. The ideology behind such excursions is to integrate the local community into the tourist itinerary, Riza explains that this is the new face of tourism, where tourists leave their air-conditioned coaches and mingle with the locals on a first hand basis to get the real feel of the country.
The Maduru Oya National Park designated under the Mahaweli project is home to over 150 elephants, toque monkeys, langur, sloth bears, a vast number of spotted deer and is even regarded as one of the few locations to spot the rare and intriguing slender loris. We seem to be the first group the park has seen for ages, apart from the Veddahs of adjoining Henanigala, and the Army special forces personnel who undergo training in the park.
Centara Passikudah hopes to feature the flight from Ratmalana, water sports and the visit to Maduru Oya in a tourist package, that will give tourists the ideal opportunity to relax and explore the beauty of the East. The rates for the hotel are from $200 upwards for bed and breakfast.
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