Christmas at Jetwing Lake, Dambulla, Sri Lanka


We were amazed by the ancient architecture of Buddha temples and rock paintings at Dambulla.
One needs a great deal of energy to climb up and down the 100+ steps to the temple to be captured by the intricate Buddha statues and cave paintings.

            





We stayed at the Jetwing Lake, Dambulla, an interesting hotel focused on environmental sustainability, reducing wastage, recycling, using solar energy and reducing the use of plastic in their supplies.

The Chef immediately responded to my son's needs but did not have the ingredients readily available, although they were informed of his arrival one month in advance.

Once I provided a packet of eggless noodles, eggless pasta/spaghetti brought from home, they were able to add vegetables and sauces and prepare my son's meals with care.

My son was able to enjoy a specially prepared menu for Christmas, however the Head Chef lacked attention, creativity and coordination within the kitchen staff.

To our surprise the Chef brought a slice of cake from the kitchen for his dessert, stating it was safe for my son to eat....one sniff and my son knew something smelt strange....thank god he had the intelligence to say...."mum this is peanut butter on top of the cake!"

We were absolutely outraged...miscommunication...a busy Christmas kitchen...disaster about to strike and spoil our entire evening, which happened to be our 20th wedding anniversary! The pastry Chef brought my son an eggless chocolate cake for his dessert but was not told of his peanut allergy by the Head Chef. Immediately the food and beverage manager came to our table to apologise after we complained to several waiters.

The encounter would have been a serious downfall to our holiday if my son did not have the presence of mind to not touch the cake!! Santa soon came over and brought a smile to his face once again.



The next day we all enjoyed a cool dip in the hotel pool which stretched to eternity and then enjoyed an adventure Safari and spotted many elephants up close and a bit too personal at times!



Overall a very exciting trip to Dambulla, Sri Lanka....highly recommend a couple of days here to enjoy nature and ancient architecture and of course the Sri Lankan spicy curries which will tantalize your tastebuds.











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