Canoeing at the Kalu Ganga river in Sri Lanka is the epitome of soul therapy
As I sit to write this post while listening to Oleta Adams’ powerful voice sing ‘Get Here‘, I try my best to stay focused on writing this post. That’s because seconds earlier – for no apparent reason – a hollow sadness overshadowed my soul and as always, I can’t point out the source of that negative emotion. I believe that this is a natural part of living alone as a single woman in a big city. It’s important to surround yourself with a solid, supportive social network and to keep moving towards your goals and dreams.
Staying at any Anantara resort feels like being transformed to another era, a magical place where everyone is happy and life is peaceful. It also feels like you’re the star of your own fairy tale and every moment is a perfectly scripted scene where everything effortlessly falls into place.
I decided to check out the newly opened Anantara Kalutara after failing to find available rooms at most Sri Lanka properties, as most were fully booked for the festive season. I’m so happy that I ended up staying there, because I loved the resort and my experience so much that I was in tears for hours while packing and after leaving!
I’ll explain why I chose to visit Sri Lanka for the holiday season in the next post. December is the best time to visit the beautiful tropical island because it’s sunny, dry and perfect for escaping the European or desert winter 🙂
Teary-eyed while packing my suitcase after a five-day stay at the new Anantara Kalutara Resort
Sri Lanka is a naturally scenic country with beautiful tropical weather, but what attracted me the most was the warmth and kindness of its people. I even found many close similarities between Arab and Sri Lankan culture! I’ll talk more about this in the next post.
A spacious Deluxe Ocean View Room with Sri Lankan traditional designs at Anantara Kalutara
The beachside Kalutara property opened on September 1, 2016. Kalutara is a charming historical village located on the island’s Southwest coast. What makes this resort unique is that it’s surrounded by the beach, the Deep Blue ‘Kalu Ganga’ river and is built within a tropical garden. To me, this was the perfect setting before my New Year’s Eve manifestation retreat. My stay at this magical resort resembled a mini retreat or healing journey. Everything from the welcome black river dance, to the kindness of the staff, to the surrounding nature and wildlife, to the protection bracelet and chant at the check-out time makes this the ideal soul-soothing and self-rejuvenating experience.
A surreal ocean view – ideal for meditating – from my Anantara Kalutara double room
The resort’s interiors are inspired by the vision of the late Geoffrey Bawa – Sri Lanka’s most renowned architect. There’s a beautifully designed library at the hotel which has books about the late Geoffrey Bawa – it’s worth checking out.
In addition to the authentic and homely vibes of the hotel’s interiors and the warmth of the staff and everyone in the tropical village, there’s a plethora of gym and water activities to keep you glued to the resort’s scenic grounds! I found it a lovely surprise as I was planning to be as sporty and active as I can during my stay. From early morning group beach jogs, to tailored personal training sessions, to canoeing and wind-surfing lessons, there’s definitely something for every fitness level and interest.
Being a water baby (Cancerian), I spent most of my time trying out new water sports such as canoeing and wind-surfing. I also went for boat rides along the black river. Canoeing in the midst of the mangroves was truly special and we spotted crocodiles, eagles, stunning kingfisher birds and other unique Sri Lankan wildlife species. The gym trainers were also very friendly and each one of them made sure that I got what I wanted out of the session (my main focus was abs).
Pure bliss while canoeing along Sri Lanka’s Kalu Ganga river
Wind-surfing for the first time at Anantara Kalutara’s Deep Blue river!
The water sports company which offers its services at the resort is working on adding more activities as the resort is still new. The instructor which I took the lessons with was a very warm and friendly young Sri Lankan man. He truly wanted me to learn how to wind-surf even though I kept falling off my board and didn’t have much balance throughout the lesson 🙂
Other water sports on offer include jet ski, banana boat rides, water skiing, snorkeling and scuba diving. The costs for the sessions were very reasonable too!
Kalutara’s beach and the warmth of its residents are destined to heal the most tired soul
We will explore more activities at warm and lovely Kalutara in the next post. I will also explain why this specific trip was a very emotional one. Staying at Anantara’s newly opened Kalutara resort was not only surreal and dreamy, it was the ideal therapeutic experience at the end of a not so great year on many levels.
Saudi Diva signing off XXX
A new year brings with it hope, new experiences and opportunities for change and growth
SAUDI DIVA 