Galle to play for: Beaches, beauty and the best bananas on a tour of sleepy Sri Lanka

Probably the first thing that strikes you is the sheer richness of the vegetation. In rural areas, it is thrillingly green. There is hardly a bare patch of ground as fruit and flowers of every description, from mangoes to orchids, pineapples to tea roses, papayas to camellias, burst out of the rich soil.

British Airways has resumed flights to Sri Lanka after fifteen years, which is a golden opportunity to discover one of the most beautiful islands in the world, a lush landscape topped by densely wooded mountains and ringed by white sandy beaches.

 

 

Honeymooners loll in hammocks, scented by hibiscus or sip cocktails in the purpling twilight.
It is a magical spot.
Compared with some other tropical paradises, Sri Lanka is such a big island that, in a short stay, you are only going to scratch the surface.
The capital, Colombo, is a vibrant modern city of two million people. We pound the streets, soak up the atmosphere and pig out at the Ministry of Crab, a hip new seafood restaurant co-owned by two Sri Lankan Test cricketers.
But the mountainous interior is the real glory of Sri Lanka.
The ancient city of Kandy, fabled for its tea plantations, is exquisite, like something in a fairy tale, one minute wreathed in mist, the next lit by bright sun. The city centre hums with life as women in brightly coloured saris converge on the market place. Tuk-tuks career through the narrow streets. Donkeys and bullocks pull carts laden with fruit and vegetables.
The suburbs, in contrast, exude the grace of a bygone age, when women in white dresses strolled in the botanical gardens or took tea on the lawn. Our hotel, Mahawelli Reach, overlooks a muddy river which glides off without a murmur into the dark foliage. White birds swoop through the trees. There is a smell of turmeric from the kitchen, promising a slap-up curry lunch beside the pool.