We had to return to Saudi Arabia for additional work. However, at this time, people were barred from flying directly from UAE to Saudi, so we had to do a 14 day quarantine. Most people were going to Bahrain as it was a shorter route. However, we decided to try somewhere a little different - if we are going to be stuck in a hotel for 14 days, why not try to make the most of it?? Maldives was on the table.... but work probably would not go for that! However, it was suggested Sri Lanka was open and after looking, the hotels were actually cheaper though the flights were a bit more - it would even out and we would be happy. Initially, it was supposed to be 4 of us, but then the client asked us to hold, so 2 of us went instead because we had another project and one could not get a SL visa. (My other teammate never received the Bahrain visa anyway).
We were hoping to explore a little of Sri Lanka, however, they also had very tight restrictions. Basically, you had to spend 14 days in a Tier 1 hotel. These are hotels
approved by the government for tourists. You could move between hotels as long as you had a certified driver. So, we decided to try a couple of different places. First stop: Heritance Hotel Negombo. We flew from Dubai to Oman and on to Sri Lanka.
Our experience at Hertiance Negombo was fantastic, from beginning to end. They helped us with our visa, answered my many questions, and had the shuttle at the airport right on time. It was a minibus and our driver had full gear with plastic sheeting separating him from the passenger portion of the van. Getting thru customs at the airport was also super easy. And I exchanged some money (turns out, not nearly enough!). When we first arrived, they had us wait in the lobby to fill out paper work and then we each got our PCR test. Until the results came back we were confined to our rooms. Fortunately, it was a nice room with a balcony and great view of the ocean (and an awesome afternoon thunderstorm). I ordered a light lunch and mostly did some work and got some rest. The next morning, I ordered breakfast, but we did not get our
results until about 5pm. Then we were ready for happy hour! So, we walked and planned to eat outside but it started to rain so we moved to a table on the terrace which was covered.
I have to say the food I got at this hotel was all so delicious. There were a couple, mainly lunch sandwiches that were ok but not memorable, but the dinners were just absolutely perfect.
Other than that, with the restrictions in place, there was not a whole lot to do. Fortunately, I loved the pool, so we were out there everyday as were all of the other 11 hotel guests who we came to recognize. There was also a decent gym, but I spent my mornings going up and down stairs to get in shape for my next adventure. We were allowed to go to the beach with the security guard. I enjoyed the daily thunderstorms. Sunset from the upper lounge was amazing. But there were no approved tourist places nearby, so we stayed here the whole time. Definitely could have been much worse and definitely better than staring at four walls at a standard hotel in Bahrain.
was a very weird feeling though, seeing so few people for this large and very nice hotel. The empty dining rooms and sunset lounge. The empty beach chairs. The closed pool bar. The staff seemingly waiting around to anticipate your every need because they are bored. Just a new world right now, but it was definitely a memorable experience.
