Giveaway: 5 Nights in a Suite in Sri Lanka Plus Dinner and Massages

by Gary Leff

I love Sri Lanka. And since I’ve been to the Maldives each of the past 5 years, it’s been easy to visit, as the capital Colombo is less than 500 miles away. There is no such thing as bad Sri Lankan food and I even go out of my way to stop for Sri Lankan when flying out of New York JFK.

I was back in Colombo earlier this year, and I’d go back in a heartbeat but want to spend more time outside the capital than I have so far.

One of my readers will get the chance before I will because I’m giving away a stay at MAYA Sri Lanka.

In fact I’m giving away 5 nights in a suite at the property including:

  • Sri Lankan dinner for 2
  • Massages for 2
  • Cooking class for 2

The hotel is a 3 hour drive from Colombo, or a 35 minute air taxi from there. It’s a true boutique and exclusive property with just 5 suites. Here’s the Luxury Travel Diary review of the hotel.

The property seems to get perfect reviews and has received a ‘Certificate of Excellence’ from TripAdvisor.

Pro tip: MAYA Sri Lanka is a Mr. and Mrs. Smith boutique hotel and is just up the road from Amanwella. Lovers of luxury travel know what that means. Grab a taxi super cheap and spend an evening or two drinking cocktails around the pool at Amanwella.

This is a very special giveaway, thanks to my good friends at Luxury Travel Diary. Regular readers know them as a high-end travel blog with great reviews. They’re based in the UK and run travel auctions with real bargains.

As I’ve said before, folks who already know about these auctions don’t like this added attention, because there don’t seem to be enough bidders for many of their best offerings relative to the value available. Some of their items go way too cheap.

This prize is being given away by the hotel and Luxury Travel Diary, I’m just helping to highlight it and randomly select the winner.

To enter: leave a comment on this post with your favorite item up for auction at Luxury Travel Diary, or why you would choose to stay at Maya. You may enter two times if you wish and answer those two questions one time each in separate comments.

Contest deadline and drawing winner: Entries close Friday, June 24 at Noon eastern. I will draw winner with the assistance of random.org.

The fine print: Advance booking is required and it’s subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply. Winner will have one week to respond to email notifying of the prize, otherwise the prize will be forfeit and made available to another reader.

For avoidance of doubt, I have no affiliation with Luxury Travel Diary or Maya. I am not getting anything in exchange for running this giveaway other than an opportunity to share the place with readers.

The hotel is solely responsible for providing prize to winner. All decisions made in the course of running this giveaway are final and unappealable and your entry signifies your acceptance. The goal here is to make readers aware of a pretty cool auction opportunity, and to give away a stay. So please don’t make it hard on me for doing so!

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  2. The eco-yurt in Scotland sounds amazing, that’s where I would want to go! Or Sri Lanka of course.

  7. I would love to take my US wife to stay at Maya as she will find it really eye opening while I (as an Aussie) will find it both new and at the same time a bit familiar, given that this verdant area has some similarities to the NE of Australia, where I grew up. And we both do YOGA so a yoga retreat at Maya would be simply unbelievable – and a fantastic break from the hectic tech industry that we work in, here in the US. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this dream could come true for my lovely wife and I!

  11. I’ve never been to Sri Lanka and would love to visit as a jumping off point for a return trip to the Maldives. And I’ve heard the food is fantastic!

  14. I will love to go to Sri Lanka again and Maya will be just the place for us to enjoy, relax and fall in love with Sri Lanka again!

  17. Life has been hectic as we need to take care of two little kids. I love the tranquility of Maya and I would like to bring my wife to Sri Lanka as a big present for her efforts in taking care of the family. Let us immerse in this haven of beauty that Maya offers and I am looking forward for our second honeymoon.

  18. 5 nights for up to 5 at Villa Koru, Koh Samui, Thailand sounds as exotic as the Sri Lanka one.

  20. I have never been to Sri Lanka. I love traveling to new places. Winning a trip to the Maya would allow me to experience a new locale.

  21. Never been to Sri Lanka and staying at the Maya would be over the top. I would live the massages.

  22. Sri Lanka is on my bucket list, i haven’t managed to get there yet! wouldn’t it be so fantastic! the food the smell, the tea. Forever greatfull for each and every travel experience and opportunity

  23. I would love to stay at Maya Boutique in Sri Lanka as I have never been to the country and the hotel looks amazing as a place to stay to visit the island!

  24. My favourite auction item has to be the 5 Nights at Villa Koru, Koh Samui, Thailand! This would be amazing! I love Thailand!

  25. I would love to be selected for the stay at Maya Sri Lanka because it looks like a really beautiful and relaxing property with lots of history and great beaches nearby to visit.

  26. One of the auctions I would love to win from Luxury Travel is at the Baron’s Cove Beach Resort in the Hamptons, NY. I have traveled a lot all over the world, but I have never been to the Hamptons!!

  29. The auction I would love to win is the 5 nights at Villa Koru, Koh Samui, Thailand. It looks beautiful.

  30. Current favorite! 2 Nights For 4 In A Suite At El Palauet Living Barcelona. I’ve always wanted to see Spain.

  31. I’d like to stay at Maya in order to get a mixture of Sri Lankan experience. The rest and relaxation and then afterward see other portions of the country.

  32. A yoga retreat in a beach destination would hit the spot. From the travel auctions – I love the idea of the Four Seasons in Marrakech, Morocco.

  33. I have always wanted to visit Sri Lanka…elephants, beaches, leopards, string hoppers…. other than that the villa in Koh Samui auction sounds right up my alley.

  34. MAYA – ‘the personification of the idea that the material world is illusory’. This definition is SO not the case with this amazing holiday opportunity of a lifetime!
    My husband and I would roll over like and puppies if we were to win this. Sri Lanka ticks so many boxes! To experience the food, massages, beaches, the warm and friendly smiles of this pearl drop island would be a dream come true.
    If I could come back being able to cook Sri Lankan food this would also achieve one of my bucket list dreams! Fingers and toes crossed!

    Fave auction from the fab Luxury Travel Auction would be:
    2 NIGHTS AT THE 5* GRAND HYATT RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL as we have never been to South America!

  35. I would love to win this holiday competition to Sri Lanka. The Maya looks like it is in a fabulous location, a great hideaway but close enough for exploring the rest of this exotic island.

  36. In all honesty, I can only dream that one day in my life I could experience a stay in a water villa in Milaidhoo in the Maldives. Not only would it put a smile on my face, but it would enable me to do the same for someone else.

  37. My favourite auction item is : 7 nights in a luxury Travelopo Villa in Mallorca.

  38. 7 SUITE NIGHTS IN THE HEART OF SRI LANKA, CLOSE TO AMAN RESORTS AMANWELLA looks fabulous

  42. I would love to stay at the Maya as I just recently graduated and can’t afford to do something like that if I have to pay

  43. the Four Seasons in Marrakesh is my favorite auction item. I went to Marrakesh once while in school overseas in Cadiz and it was beautiful. I of course did not stay at the Four Seasons.

  44. The MAYA in Sri Lanka looks amazing. I have never been to Sri Lanka, and to stay in the Maya would be fabulous! Pure luxury.

    Sounds an odd thing to auction for, but in the winter, my friend suffers from S.A.D. There is a SAD Therapy Light in the auction, and I would definitely bid for that, as it is her birthday in September.

    In the meantime, I think I’ll visit Sri Lanka, and get some REAL sunshine! 🙂

  45. Out of the current auctions, I think the 2 Nights For 4 In A Suite At El Palauet Living Barcelona is brilliant. Barcelona is such a wonderful city and I grab at any chance to go there!

  46. A stay at MAYA Sri Lanka would be fabulous for many reasons, but an important one to me is its setting. An avid birdwatcher, this would be the most amazing place to relax and see all sorts of beautiful and awe inspiring birds.

  47. I love the look of the auction for 2 NIGHTS AT THE PARESA RESORT IN PHUKET, THAILAND

  49. I would propose to my girlfriend on the spot if I won this to make it the honeymoon!

  50. The five nights for up to five people at Villa Koru in Thailand looks like quite the getaway.

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