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.
- Here are their auctions. The auctions in Asia are super deals.
- Here are their auctions in North America for those who prefer to stay on this continent.
- And here are the auctions ending soon which are probably the best to check out right now – to get an idea of just how good a deal you’re likely to get.
Seriously, these deals about to end are insane
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!
My favorite item up for auction is the two nights at the Four Seasons in Morocco.
My family is from Sri Lanka, so I’d love to stay there while visiting!
I would stay at the Maya because I love the feel of intimate accomodations. Having so few people at the resort would be such a treat!
The 4 Nights At Aqua Blu Hotel On Lambi Beach In Kos, Greece looks great too!
This hotel looks great, nice to stay somewhere other than the large chain hotels!
The item I’d like most for Luxury Travel Diary is the 4 nights in a Pool Villa at the 5* Milaidhoo Island Maldives, and I think it’s obvious why…
I’d like to put these 5 nights to use because I have a lot of AA and AS miles burning a hole in my pocket and would love to fly Etihad there or fly Cathay Pacific again to get there.
I would like to surprise my wife with a trip to Sri Lanka in celebration of our 12,5yr wedding anniversary. So a stay at the Maya would be lovely, especially as it seems to be a great romantic place!
Fantastic! I would love to win 7 Suite Nights In The Heart Of Sri Lanka, Amanwella. I have been travelling full time for 3 years now and Sri Lanka has become my surrogate home base. I know the place extremely well, I love the food, the people, the beaches, the culture, the language. And i like the country for it’s cricket. I am a big fan and have become actively involved in a bunch of local cricket academies to foster kids to play for the national team. Unfortunately my budgets don’t allow to stay in such beautiful resorts so this would truly be a bonus. And thanks for highlighting Luxury Travel Diary Auctions through your post. I already subscribe but didn’t realise there were auctions on the site.
I would choose to stay at the Maya to experience the serenity and hospitality that is spoken so highly of in the reviews.
A stay at the Maya would be amazingly amazing plus it’ll give me a reason to buy a repositioning ticket to CMB for those oh-so-good premium-class fares back…
My favorite item at Luxury Travel Diary is: 7 Nights In A Luxury Travelopo Villa In Mallorca! Great place to have a family break!
My favorite item up for bid is the 4 nights for 6 people in Koh Samui Thailand. I would love to be able to go to and spend a relaxing 4 nights with my wife and 2 of our closest married friends. It would be especially fun to take them because 3 of the 4 people have only traveled to Europe before and it would be an amazing experience to share
3 nights in Greece would be a great thing to bid for.
The four nights for 6 in Thailand sounds like the ticket to a great time. Nothing better than that. Trying to plan a trip to Thailand for the family in the near future. Might want to retire there.
My favorite auction is the Nights At The Riad Palais Amani In Fez, Morocco.
My favorite auction item would be the 2 Nights At Divani Apollon Palace, Athens, Greece. Traveling to Athens, soon, so timing would be great.
three nights in greece so i can take my wife on a much needed and deserved late honeymood.
thanks!
Also, I’d choose to stay at Maya because I am from India and CMB is just a short couple hours hop away 🙂
A stay at the Maya would be amazingly amazing plus it’ll give me a reason to buy a repositioning ticket to CMB for those oh-so-good premium-class fares back…A stay at the Maya would be amazingly amazing plus it’ll give me a reason to buy a repositioning ticket to CMB .
I would love to stay at the Maya because I have never been to that part of the world and would love to investigate! Thank you
Peter
The Maya looks amazing. My only experience in Sri Lanka was the Priority Pass lounge in Colombo, but it had Sri Lanka food for the buffet and it was great and made me wish we had more time to explore. A relaxing place like the Maya would be perfect for the babymoon my wife and I are hoping to have to plan soon.
2 nights at the 5* Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is my fav
I would choose to stay at Maya because if Gary Leff says it is the best, then it is the best! Plus, Sri Lanka has been on my list to visit for years and this would force me to finally find the time to plan a trip.
I’m fascinated by Sri Lanka too, which is why I would stay at Maya.
Have been having Sri Lanka on my mind since we visited Thailand earlier this year. Would love to go back there and have an chance to stay in a suite at this MAYA Property!!
Love the idea of another country!
Never been to Sri Lanka but I have heard it’s a must visit place especially for people who love sea food and beaches… Would love to visit it very soon…. The Maya resort is just excellent for perfect Sri Lankan vacation.
3 nights in Greece is excelent, never been there and would like to visit
Tried to go to Sri Lanka once, but ended up in Goa, India instead. The family still wants to go to Sri Lanka, so I figured I’d give it a try. Let’s hope for an airfare deal to go with it!
Never been in Sri Lanka and would love to visit considering all good reviews it has.
I like the sounds of 5 Nights For Up To 5 At Villa Koru, Koh Samui, Thailand.
I’m interested in 2 NIGHTS AT THE 5 STAR HOTEL DUPOND-SMITH, PARIS
3 Nights At Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge In Belize, Central America looks great to me!
I’d go to Maya for the food and the cooking classes
4 Nights In A Pool Villa At The 5* Milaidhoo Island Maldives
Currently Maldives is one of my top destination I would love to visit. This is my favorite auction item at this time.
Fav auction now is the pool villa in Maldives. Curious to see how high that one goes..
4 Nights In A Pool Villa At The 5* Milaidhoo Island Maldives sounds nice to me!
MAYA sounds terrific. A great vacation. Crossing my fingers…
The Maya seems like a unique place to stay. Secluded and offers privacy. 15 minutes away from the beach.
Would appreciate the maya package as opening a michelin-starred restaurant in Sri Lanka has always been a dream
Oooh! Yes
I’d love to go to Maya for relaxation and the cooking classes! Sampling local cuisine is the best way to enjoy a new culture.
My favorite item up for auction is 4 nights in a Pool Villa at the Milaidhoo Island Maldives.
Id choose the Maya hotel because I love Sri Lanka the first time!
I think that 3 Nights in a Luxury Villa with Private Pool in Java, Indonesia, currently up for auction, sounds awfully nice.
My favorite item for auction is the villa in Thailand! Always wanted to go there.
I’d choose to stay at Maya because the personal touch that a small property can provide makes a huge difference.
I would love to stay at Maya; never been to Sri Lanka, looks like a great getaway.
Honestly how could one not want to stay in this hotel after looking at some of these pictures. I could really use a getaway with a massage too.