The Kingsbury

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect when we arrived in Sri Lanka.  The airport was very nice and modern, cleaner and nicer than Dulles or Dubai.   When I stepped outside the first thing I noticed was the humidity, seriously humid and hot at 2AM!  A driver from our hotel was waiting for us and we took the freeway to our hotel.  It was an uneventful ride and almost no other traffic on road, which I have since learned is most definitely not the norm!

Our hotel is very nice. The room is not too large but has a king and twin bed and a bathroom with a  rainfall shower that I love; it is very clean and modern.  It has a view of the Indian Ocean.  This the view from the room.

The lobby is beautiful and had two of the largest centerpieces I have seen in my life, hundreds of large, red roses. They are stunning.   There are many beautiful chandeliers. Those of you who know me know I love sparkly so I have to throw in one photo of a chandelier!

 There are a number of restaurants in the hotel, all with gorgeous views of the water.  The breakfast buffet far surpasses any I have ever been to before.   The food is delicious and the variety is incredible.  There are numerous chefs manning stations to prepare food like crepes, omelets, meats, curries and other foods.   There are literally hundreds of choices from fresh mango, orange or watermelon juice to salads, meats, pastries, cereals,  and all sorts of foods I have not eaten before.  It has been so fun to go to breakfast each morning to try something new.   These photos show just a portion of what is available!

 

I found it hilarious the first afternoon while we sat in an open lobby restaurant area after ordering a bottle of water when an employee noticed me looking through my purse, which was propped on the chair next to me, he immediately brought me something to put my purse on.  I called it my "purse couch!"   How cute is this!

There is a swimming pool with lounge chairs, table seating and a small bar and deli.

I have not yet had much time to spend at the pool as we've been really busy but I did sit here at night with my iPad to write my post about the flight and it was beautiful.  All of the fountains surrounding the pool are lit with blue lighting.  I have seen a wide range of clothing here, from tiny bikinis to a woman swimming in a burka style suit which showed only her face.  Rest assured, however, I will be wearing neither a bikini nor a burka when I spend a day here.

One thing I have seen often in this hotel is weddings!   There are many well dressed wedding guests beginning early in the morning throughout the day coming through the lobby.   Most are Sri Lankan and the women are wearing beautiful sarees and the men dressed very formally in suits and ties.  The hotel is a fun place to people watch.  

There are a couple of bars we have visited at in our hotel, one is an open air bar on the rooftop.   You hear and see the ocean all around.   The bartender was trying to impress my daughter with his bar juggling skills. He was good!    The other bar is near the lobby and had an impressive lounge singer.  Her was very stereotypical to what I imagine a lounge singer...older man, balding, shirt open, vest, gold chains, shaking his hips and his tambourine ....he did have a fabulous voice and the two young men playing the music were great!   We stayed quite a while to listen to him.

My son, Justin,  his wife to be, Harshana, and their friend and bridesmaid, Peace,  came to the hotel to see us the first day.   That, of course, was the highlight of my first day!