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

  1. Since I’ve never been south of Florida and Texas, I would bid on the 3 Nights At A Luxury Resort & Spa In Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

  3. My favorite auction going on right now is for the 5 night stay at VILLA KORU, KOH SAMUI, THAILAND, a perfect destination after a stop in Bangkok for a few days.

  4. koh Sami from the auction all day long……they don’t call it the land of smiles for no reason.

  5. The Island Nation of Sri Lanka would be a great place to visit and staying at Maya to experience the luxury is what doctor prescribed to get away from it all 😉

  7. My choice would be the two nights at the Paresa Resort in Phuket, Thailand. I was in Phuket when I was 5, and would love to go back!

  8. The glamping in AT CWM TAWEL IN LLYNFI VALLEY, SOUTH WALES looks like so much fun!!!

  9. Sri Lanka sounds like an amazing adventure, and Maya looks positively magical.

  10. I don’t typically enter these giveaways, but I have a fantastic Emirates F reservation to Colombo, so this would be fantastic

  11. The “Fascinating 2 Day Mekong Delta Tour For 2 In Vietnam” sounds like my cup of tea. Ha Long Bay is where it’s at!

  12. That’s weird – the fine print on one of the auctions said travel had to be booked by June 30, 2016, but the auction doesn’t even end until mid-July. Am I missing something or are they confused?

  13. Gary’s recommendations are gold. Definitely want to try Maya. The combination of service and location look like the ideal getaway.

  14. Favorite item up for auction would have to be the “7 Nights For 8 At Dreamcatcher Luxury 4-Bed Chapel, Cornwall”

  15. I would love the Maya because I’m a huge proponent of off the beaten tourist path travel. Why wouldn’t I want to go to Sri Lanka? Also, doesn’t hurt that I’ve written papers on the country back in grade school and high school.

  17. I’d love to stay at the MAYA because it’s so far, and so different from our country and culture. I love exploring new places!

  18. I’d be hugely interested in the 2 nights at Kaya Mawa on Lake Malawi, Malawi. Africa remains unexplored in all my personal travels so far and I would love to resolve that!

  19. 4 nights in a Pool Villa at the 5* Milaidhoo Island Maldives sounds amazing–definitely my favorite auction!

  21. As a fan of South Asia in general, Sri Lanka has been on my bucket list. I know my wife would love this property!

  23. @Gary, great to see Sri Lanka get some press on travel blogs. I grew up on the southern coast (Unawatuna) and can tell you that it’s very different (in a good way) compared to Colombo. My wife and I are heading there in couple of weeks for a 3.5 week vacation. If you ever want to explore Sri Lanka, drop me a note and I’m happy to provide some recommendations.

  26. I’d stay at Maya for the relaxation, and because recommendations on this blog tend to be great.

  31. never been to sri lanka before, it would be a great opportunity to explore this country

  32. I would use this trip as a means to go visit the site where the film “The bridge on the river kwai” was filmed.

  37. My favorite item up for auction is the 5 nights for up to 5 at Villa Koru, Koh Samui, Thailand

  39. I would choose to stay at Maya because of the ability to get out of Colombo and explore Sri Lanka while doing so using a luxurious, intimate and relaxing hotel as a base!

  40. 5 Nights For Up To 5 At Villa Koru, Koh Samui, Thailand is my fav at the moment. Love spending time on Koh Samui

  42. I would bid on the 3 nights in Koh Samui…nothing like delicious food in beautiful surroundings…

  43. I’ve been to Sri Lanka twice for work and loved it. The people are nice, it’s clean and probably has the tastiest coconut water I’ve ever had. So, definitely I’ll choose the Maya in Sri Lanka.

  44. Definitely could use the 4 nights in the Maldives!
    4 NIGHTS IN A POOL VILLA AT THE 5* MILAIDHOO ISLAND MALDIVES

  45. I would love to stay at Maya because it looks like paradise and comes with such a good recommendation; all about that word of mouth.

  46. I’m sticking stateside for now, so I’d maybe go for the insurance for a year just in case I do some unexpected traveling.

  50. I would love to stay at the Maya as its something unique and different from what I have done in the past.

Comments are closed.