holidays Archives - GlenMyu Estate Luxury Bed and Breakfast

Holidays in Sri Lanka in 2024

Holiday, Life in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, Things to do on holiday in Sri Lanka, Travel / By Mikeez

Holidays and Public Holidays in Sri Lanka during 2024.

Holidays and public holidays in Sri Lanka in 2024.

There are lots of long weekends in Sri Lanka in 2024 and the tourist sites will be busy.

Most Sri Lankans work on Saturdays, but you will see from the calendar below that there are several holidays on a Saturday. This will mean that tourists will be competing with local Sri Lankans for hotels, restaurants and sightseeing on a lot more weekends this year.

So, we would recommend that you book early.

Here is a list of Public and National Holidays in Sri Lanka during 2024 so you can plan your holiday.

Public Holidays in Sri Lanka - What is a Full Moon Poya Day?

A Poya Day is a civil and bank holiday.

The full moon day is normally considered as the Poya day in every month.

Poya is the name given to the Lunar monthly Buddhist holiday of Uposatha in Sri Lanka.

Usopatha is a Buddhist Day of observance.

The Buddha taught that the Uposatha day is for “cleansing of the defiled mind”.

On each Poya day, both lay and ordained members of the sangha (community) intensify their practice, deepen their knowledge and express communal commitment through acts of lay-monastic reciprocity.

It is a day for practicing the Budda’s teachings and meditation.

Lay followers make a conscious effort to keep the Five Precepts or traditionally Eight Precepts.

For further information regarding the Precepts https://thebuddhistcentre.com/buddhism has some further reading.

Public Holidays in Sri Lanka - The Poya Days in 2024

Date

Day

Holiday

15th January

Monday

Tamil Thai Pongal

25th January

Thursday

Durutha Full Moon Poya Day

4th February

Sunday

National Day

24th February

Saturday

Navam Full Moon Poya Day

24th March

Sunday

Madin Full Moon Poya Day

29th March

Friday

Good Friday

10th April

Wednesday

Id Ul-Fitr

12th April

Friday

Day prior to Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day

13th April

Saturday

Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day

23rd April

Tuesday

Bak Full Moon Poya Day

1st May

Wednesday

May Day

23rd May

Thursday

Vesak Full Moon Poya Day

24th May

Friday

Day following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day

17th June

Monday

Poson Full Moon Poya Day

20th July

Saturday

Esala Full Moon Poya Day

19th August

Monday

Nikini Full Moon Poya Day

17th September

Tuesday

Binari Full Moon Poya Day

31st October

Thursday

Vap Full Moon Poya Day

15th November

Friday

III Full Moon Poya Day

14th December

Saturday

Undavap Full Moon Poya Day

25th December

Wednesday

Christmas Day

Please note that these date were researched and found at a Sri Lankan Government website providing dates for public holidays.

Public Holidays in Sri Lanka - What does it mean for me as a tourist to Sri Lanka?

Some of the Five Precepts have a noticeable effect on Poya Days for visitors.

Meat, Fowl and Fish products are not available to buy.

Alcohol is not available in most places.

All the Wine Stores and Supermarket alcohol sales are closed. Most bars and restaurants also are not allowed to sell alcohol on the day.

Buddhist Temples will be busy

A special Buddhist program is conducted by temples on Poya Days and is called Sil (sometimes spelt Sill).

Typically it starts early in the morning around 6 a.m. and comprises of sermons, discussion, blessings and meditation. It can last for 12 hours and the attendees are normally provided with food and drinks during the day.

If you do decide to visit a temple either during a Poya Day or outside the holidays please remember to dress and act appropriately.

What should I wear?

Trousers/pants/skirts or any other dress long enough to cover the knee.
A shirt/t-shirt/blouse or any other dress should cover the shoulders.
No hats and head cover.
No shoes/sandals or slippers.

When taking pictures.

It’s really important also not to take photos with your back to the Buddhist Statue.

Please do not touch, sit near or climb on a Buddhist Statue.

Please also get permission to take photos and never take pictures during worship.

Whatever you plan to do on your holiday in Sri Lanka we hope that you enjoy your time on this Paradise Island.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate to explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country and see sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

Holidays in Sri Lanka in 2024 Read More »

Best Holiday Destinations for 2023

Holiday, Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

Where are the Best Holiday Destinations for 2023?

According to Audley Travel, Sri Lanka is one of the best holiday destinations for 2023.

No 5 on their list, Sri Lanka and headed “Relaxation, jungles, safaris and beaches.

Find out more about what they say for their 21 day tour at Highlights of Sri Lanka.

What do we, at GlenMyu Estate, think?

A Stay in the Sri Lankan Hill Country

GlenMyu Estate is located on the Beragala – Koslanda Road in the Sri Lankan Hill Country.

We are a more peaceful alternative to the busy tourist town on Ella and we are within reach of many of the main sights of interest in the area.

3 Kingsize Double Bedrooms with Spectacular Views
2 Spacious Lounges with views over the hills below the house
A Natural Spring-Fed Infinity Swimming Pool
5 Acres of land to explore
Delicious bespoke meals freshly prepared by the host
A selection of places to dine
A place to relax and be closer to nature

Places to visit whilst at GlenMyu Estate

Diyaluma Waterfall and Upper Diyaluma Pools

Horton Plains National Park – Mini Worlds End, Worlds End and Bakers Falls

Adisham Bungalow

Lipton Seat

Dambetenna Tea Factory

Bambarakanda Waterfall

Thangamale Bird Sanctuary

Ella Town

9 Arch Bridge

Little Adams Peak

Ravanna Waterfall

There is so much to see and experience

Audley Travels Highlight Tour is for 21 days which includes a stay in the Maldives.

What we have experienced at GlenMyu Estate is that visitors don’t realise how much there is to see on this small island. 21 days may not be enough and we consider that Sri Lanka offers so much that you should visit the island again and again and again.

In order to get the full experience of Sri Lanka you should take your times travelling around the island and visit at different times of the year on each trip.

The island has two major monsoon seasons and therefore parts of the island are good to be seen at different times of the year.

What are the Monsoons and When Do they Occur?

The Monsoons

The monsoons are ….

The main South West (Yala) Monsoon brings rain to the West and South West coasts and the Hill Country from April or May to September.

It is the wettest during April through to June.

The less harsh North East (Maha) Monsoon affects the East Coast from November to March. It is is wettest from November to December.

And the Inter-Monsoon

There is also an Inter-Monsoonal period of unsettled weather preceding the Maha Monsoon in October and November .

During this time heavy rainfall and thunderstorms can occur across the island.

What about GlenMyu Estate?

Well, although we are in the Hill Country we are located outside the Central Hills and are at an elevation of around 1,000 metres.

We miss the brunt of the Yala and Maha Monsoons.

Travelling around the Island takes longer than you can imagine.

Although the size of the Island is similar to that of Eire it takes a lot longer to get from one place to the next due to the levels of traffic, lack of by-passes and the small windy roads.

There have been some highways developed over the last 10 years which can speed you from tourist site to tourist site.

However, they do not cover the whole island by travelling this wa means that you will miss some of the beautiful and scenic places that are off the main tracks.

Consider spending 3 days at each Hotel/Guest House/Homestay

We have found that most travellers do not realise how exhausting it can be travelling around Sri Lanka.

Most people book 1 or 2 nights at their lodgings and then speed on to the next place.

We feel that you don’t get value for money doing this as you can’t experience what your stay fully offers you. Also you don’t have time to rest in between sights.

Most visitors come from cooler climes and it is tiring travelling in the heat in conjunction with taking in the colours, smells and experiences you will find in Sri Lanka.

Lots of our guests go on hikes around the country and it can be physically tiring when most of your life at home is sitting at a desk (despite all your best efforts at the gym!).

Audley Travel’s itinerary includes stays of 2 or 3 days in one area which is good.

We have found that the guest that stay for 3 nights at GlenMyu Estate get the best value and experience out of their stay.

There are lots to see near every place that you stay

Sri Lanka packs a large punch for things to do on a small island.

Sri Lanka has

Temples

Safaris

Elephant Orphanges

Whale Watching

Turtle Sanctuaries

Surfing and snorkelling

Fishing

Sailing

Hiking

Historic buildings and architecture

Great railway journeys

A variety of wildlife

Different cuisines around the Island

Sri Lanka is a Paradise Island - Take your time.

Coming to Sri Lanka on holiday should be a change from what you experience at home. Holidays are also about having some rest and relaxation from your busy lives.

So, relax, kick back and take your time travelling around this paradise island and get a full experience of tropical life.

Best Holiday Destinations for 2023 Read More »

One of the best places to stay in Sri Lanka 2022

Accommodation, Holiday, Photography, Sri Lanka, Travel / By Mikeez

One of the best places to stay in Sri Lanka 2022 - well that’s just our opinion.

Why do we think we are one of the best places to stay in Sri Lanka in 2022.

Most visitors to Sri Lanka come enjoy the fantastic beaches that surround this beautiful paradise Island which lies off the southern tip of India.

Prior to moving to Sri Lanka in 2016 we visited the Island every year to visit my wife’s family we travelled around the Island and holidayed at some beaches.

I really enjoyed the stunning beach at Negombo when we stayed at Jetwing Beach Hotel in one of my early holidays to the Pearl of the Indian ocean. The beach is an idyllic sandy yellow with palm trees and small fishing boats resting before their next adventure in search of the bounty the ocean offers up.

The east coast has some of the most stunning beaches in the world and during our stay at Maalu Maalu in Pasikuda we walked barefoot on the pristine sand which leads to the inviting warm ocean which is comfortably shallow where you can walk out for quite some way before losing the sea floor.

There is so much to explore on this small island however the building of GlenMyu Estate took our focus from finding out what gems we are yet to discover on the island.

The pandemic has changed our thinking on what type of hotel we want to stay at when we travel around the Island and also when we next get the chance to see the rest of the world.

We now are more reluctant to stay in one of the larger hotels as we want space and some solitary time together. A smaller venue will be our preference in the future.

We have found that from the visitors to GlenMyu Estate so far in our first year that they have really enjoyed having the place to themselves and really submerged themselves in the tranquility of the nature that surrounds us. I can see our guests really switch off and relax.

There are several places of interest near to GlenMyu Estate which we expected our guests to carry out day trips to and return for a delicious meal in the dining room in the early evening.

However, we have found that although there are great intentions to explore the area, most people quickly change their outlook and just stay on the Estate.

The morning is spent listening to the birds starting their day and watching our ducks wander down to the streams and ponds to enjoy their early morning bath.

A wholesome breakfast is followed by a stroll around the pathways around the Estate taking pictures of those Instagram moments.

There are plenty of places to sit and take in the fresh air, the delightful scenery and listen to mother nature getting on with her work.

A refreshing swim in the natural sorting fed swimming pool is followed by drying off sitting on the stone seat looking onto the water.

If you are considering a place to stay in the Central Hills of Sri Lanka maybe Glenmyu Estate is for you.

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