Transit in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Colombo is quite a distance from the airport, and the closest town to the airport is actually Negombo. If you're arriving at the Colombo airport late at night and only need a transit hotel, it's best to search for accommodations in Negombo instead.

After landing late in the evening, we opted to head straight to our hotel, Hive 68 - Hotel and Resorts (Negombo).

As we drove through the town, we passed by numerous small hotels and Catholic churches, as Negombo is known as the Catholic town of Sri Lanka. Although not initially on our itinerary, we considered stopping by the churches the following morning.

We noticed that the town seemed eerily quiet and we can't help but feel anxious... And there it was our first setback - the hotel we booked was closed!

The hotel looked dimly lit from a distance, but we only realised it was closed when we got closer. There was no indication of its closure on our booking, so we were at a loss. We tried calling the hotel's phone, but no one answered. Luckily, our driver had Wi-Fi in the car and was able to help us find another hotel before we resorted to booking online.

We lucked out and found ourselves at Hotel J Negombo! The staff greeted us warmly and even offered a discount to match the online price we found on Agoda. It was such a relief to have a comfortable place to stay for the night.

In anticipation of our big day ahead, we spent the night at Hotel J Negombo and woke up early for our hike to Sigiriya Rock. We fueled up with a delicious Sri Lankan breakfast of pancakes and treacle, Sri Lanka's beloved natural sweetener.

Before hitting the road, our driver Jack needed to get fuel, which proved to be a bit of a challenge. He was only able to get a limited amount due to local restrictions before we arrived, and had to make a stop to meet with his "contact" for a faster option at a higher price.

We ended up waiting for about two hours, but we didn't mind the delay as we were prepared for any unforeseen setbacks. Besides, who doesn't like two-hour naps?!

After finally getting our hands on gasoline, we continued our travel.
We were passing by the outskirts of town where the queue for gas seemed endless.

We took a break from our itinerary and stopped for lunch before continuing on with our day. Along the way, we stumbled upon a buffet restaurant that served both local and western cuisine. After satisfying our hunger, we made our way to the Dambulla area.

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<sub>A Filipino expat currently living and working as a corporate warrior in Singapore, aiming to share experiences with the people who have the same interests. I’m globetrotting my way through the world, one country at a time, with my reluctant but incredibly loving and supportive hubby by my side, and while keeping sustainability in mind.

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