Travel day. We got up at 0-dark-30 to take a car to airport at 0530. Kuala Lumpur International Airport (1 & 2) is approximately 40 minutes from the resort. Although our driver was late, we still made it there with time to spare.
Anyone who has been to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) knows it's 2 separate airports, KLIA1 and KLIA2. Both airports have shopping malls. I don't mean that little area of stores that some airports have before you get to the gates. I mean a full fledged mall with shops and restaurants on different floors, that happens to connected to an airport. If you have never been there, your first time may be a little disorienting/intimidating. But it is surprisingly easy to navigate. We found the check-in counter no time. Immigration and security were quick. We did a quick detour through Air Asia Red Premium lounge before going to the gate. Shortly we were off to Sri Lanka.
The time difference between California and Sri Lanka is 12 and half hours. We arrived in Sri Lanka without issue. The wait in immigration wasn't bad. kumi went before me in line. When the immigration agent asked her the ever popular "Purpose of visit" I guess she explained our itinerary in excruciating detail. Because when he got to me he literally said "I don't have to ask you any questions because she gave me more than enough information on what you're doing." A short time later, we got our bags, met our driver, and off we were to Avani Bentota.
It's about a 2 hour drive to the resort. It is scenic in some places. No traffic to really speak of. When we arrived at the resort, I must admit the entrance is not as impressive as others I have been to. But that became moot when I saw how nice the resort is. 2 restaurants, 2 bars, 2 pools (3 if you count the kiddie pool) and it's on the beach.
We loved our room. Why it's not call a suite, I don't know. 83 square meters (893 square feet) and a very nice terrace. (It's bigger than my first 1 bedroom apartment.) A huge walk-in closet and bathroom with separate shower and tub combine to make us very happy with this "room."
We arrived early enough to get lunch. We ate at Chatters bar which is next to our room. Initially I thought this might be a drawback, but so far it's good. We don't hear much noise from the bar and we can walk a few feet from our terrace if we want a drink or something. (I am still evaluating the drink menu. I will give a report later.)
After lunch we walked around the resort a bit. Found out where a few things are. We found the spa. Scheduled a few appointments. We also found an on-site boutique. We did the touristy thing and bought stuff.
The store owner was really nice. We hadn't switched our currency yet, so we were going to come back later to buy the stuff. He told us to go ahead and take it and pay later.
After shopping, we did a little more unpacking and crashed a bit. Later, kumi went to a foot massage she had scheduled. After which we went to dinner to Frangipani, one of the resort restaurants. We really liked this place. We were the only ones there. Which really surprised us because it's a really nice restaurant and prices are good.
Anyway, after dinner we went back to our room. The long day of travel plus the 2 hour time change (Malaysia to Sri Lanka) caught up to us. We crashed.
Anyone who has been to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) knows it's 2 separate airports, KLIA1 and KLIA2. Both airports have shopping malls. I don't mean that little area of stores that some airports have before you get to the gates. I mean a full fledged mall with shops and restaurants on different floors, that happens to connected to an airport. If you have never been there, your first time may be a little disorienting/intimidating. But it is surprisingly easy to navigate. We found the check-in counter no time. Immigration and security were quick. We did a quick detour through Air Asia Red Premium lounge before going to the gate. Shortly we were off to Sri Lanka.
The time difference between California and Sri Lanka is 12 and half hours. We arrived in Sri Lanka without issue. The wait in immigration wasn't bad. kumi went before me in line. When the immigration agent asked her the ever popular "Purpose of visit" I guess she explained our itinerary in excruciating detail. Because when he got to me he literally said "I don't have to ask you any questions because she gave me more than enough information on what you're doing." A short time later, we got our bags, met our driver, and off we were to Avani Bentota.
It's about a 2 hour drive to the resort. It is scenic in some places. No traffic to really speak of. When we arrived at the resort, I must admit the entrance is not as impressive as others I have been to. But that became moot when I saw how nice the resort is. 2 restaurants, 2 bars, 2 pools (3 if you count the kiddie pool) and it's on the beach.
We loved our room. Why it's not call a suite, I don't know. 83 square meters (893 square feet) and a very nice terrace. (It's bigger than my first 1 bedroom apartment.) A huge walk-in closet and bathroom with separate shower and tub combine to make us very happy with this "room."
We arrived early enough to get lunch. We ate at Chatters bar which is next to our room. Initially I thought this might be a drawback, but so far it's good. We don't hear much noise from the bar and we can walk a few feet from our terrace if we want a drink or something. (I am still evaluating the drink menu. I will give a report later.)
After lunch we walked around the resort a bit. Found out where a few things are. We found the spa. Scheduled a few appointments. We also found an on-site boutique. We did the touristy thing and bought stuff.
The store owner was really nice. We hadn't switched our currency yet, so we were going to come back later to buy the stuff. He told us to go ahead and take it and pay later.
After shopping, we did a little more unpacking and crashed a bit. Later, kumi went to a foot massage she had scheduled. After which we went to dinner to Frangipani, one of the resort restaurants. We really liked this place. We were the only ones there. Which really surprised us because it's a really nice restaurant and prices are good.
Anyway, after dinner we went back to our room. The long day of travel plus the 2 hour time change (Malaysia to Sri Lanka) caught up to us. We crashed.
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