Sri Lanka’s Cantaloupe Hotels Launch Big Blue Experience

By Lauren Jade Hill

Two stylish boutique hotels on Sri Lanka’s coast, Cantaloupe Aqua and Cantaloupe Levels, have announced the launch of their exclusive Big Blue experience, which gives guests insight into the extraordinary marine life and gastronomy Sri Lanka takes such pride in. Located on the shores of the island’s southern coast, these hotels provide the ideal setting for discovering the marine life of the Indian Ocean, along with the local cuisine that showcases the produce of this region.

Each of these boutique hotels lies just outside the historic city of Galle; while Cantaloupe Aqua overlooks the sandy shores of Talpe, Cantaloupe Levels faces Galle Bay from Rumassala, affording guests here views of the Unesco-listed site, Galle Fort. The vast expanse of ocean stretching all the way from Sri Lanka’s shores to Antarctica is then home to a great diversity of marine life and a wealth of marine mammals such as dolphins, sperm whales and pilot whales, with a pod of 200 blue whales that breeds just six miles from Sri Lanka’s southern coast. Owing to the island’s geographical location, this is also the ideal breeding ground for turtles.

Guests at Cantaloupe Aqua and Cantaloupe Levels now have the opportunity to encounter this marine life on expert-led trips, from visiting Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery, which is dedicated to the conservation of five species of sea turtles, to setting out on whale watching excursions. Then there’s the culinary side to the hotels’ Big Blue experience; Sri Lanka is celebrated in particular for its flavorful cuisine, which in this region brings together locally grown spices and fresh produce with the coast’s bountiful seafood. The dining element of the Big Blue experience takes a look at these local ingredients and traditional Sri Lankan cooking techniques to give guests a greater understanding of the country’s gastronomic identity and culinary roots.

At Cantaloupe Aqua the Big Blue experience starts at $907 for a three-night stay, while at Cantaloupe Levels the Big Blue package begins at $1,138. The package is available from October 1^st to December 23^rd, 2017.