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Some questions about Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 1:43 pm
by pestets13
Hi everybody! I'm planning a kite vacation to Kalpitiya in August. The spot seems perfect with stable winds with both flat water lagoons and wave.

I'm a bit concerned by the accomodation options and prices - a very simple hut (without windows!) in a camp (Kite Kuda) costs not less 33 EUR per day per person, a more decent accomodation is like 60-70 EUR per day. Doesn't sound like asian prices...

If I just buy tickets to Colombo and travel to Kalpitiya on my own will I be able to find some nice (relatively cheap and clean) guesthouses in the town or nearby (like I always do in most asian countries) not too far from the kite spots? Can I rent a bike or a scooter in Kalpitiya? What kind of restaurants can I expect to find in the area?

Any other useful information on the spot will be highly appreciated!

Thanks!

Re: Some questions about Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 3:00 pm
by El Torito
If you are looking for style and comfort at reasonable rates....you wont find it there, sorry :) Accomodation is very basic, and E33 gets you a matress with a mosquito net. Food is ok if you are not to picky about what you eat.

You can find local people that will rent you a room in their house. Again nothing fancy, just a bed. You can rent bicycles in the area, and bike to the camps which will give you a lift to the kite spots. You can also arrange to sleep somewhere with a local and eat at the camps or with the family you are staying at.

It is backpack lifestyle down there, and prices are crazy, doesnt matter where you find a place to sleep.

Wind is on night and day and when I was there for a week, the wind never went under 20kn. So always windy in season. You wont miss a day! Take a 7m and 9m.

Lagoon where you will mostly kite has 2 areas. One section is choppy, and the other is flat water. Most advanced guys throw tricks in the flat area and the rest normally stays in the chop. But its open to kite anywhere and no one will ask you to leave an area. The lagoon does get gusty if the wind reaches close to 30kn.

Be careful in the water because there are spiny seashells, and the spines break off in your feet if you step on them. After a week I could hardly walk with all the spines in my feet. So take shoes or stay on your board.

The downwinder to the islands is an experience - to say the least. Expensive at 70 euro a trip, but a sight to be seen and butter flat water with +25kn winds.
Enjoy

Re: Some questions about Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 10:07 am
by kitesurfingcollectiv
El Torito wrote:If you are looking for style and comfort at reasonable rates....you wont find it there, sorry :) Accomodation is very basic, and E33 gets you a matress with a mosquito net. Food is ok if you are not to picky about what you eat.

Be careful in the water because there are spiny seashells, and the spines break off in your feet if you step on them. After a week I could hardly walk with all the spines in my feet. So take shoes or stay on your board.

I second these points.

The seafood is amazing (especially the prawns!) but be ready to eat nothing other than prawns and fish for the whole time you're there! I spend a month there and had a pain of a time trying to get my own transport. Ended up renting a beat up old scooter from a local for more money than it was worth. Don't expect it to be like other asian places you've visited. There really aren't any restaurants or shops or bars.. and the only other people you'll come across are the locals and a few bedraggled kitesurfers!

And those shells are KILLER! Especially because the water isn't that clean. Every cut or scratch and nick I got became pretty badly infected even though I washed them and used antiseptic.. I guess with no working sewerage systems in the villages what do you expect..

It is great fun there though! And if you do stay at Kitekuda, be sure to get the local boy who cooks to take you crab catching on the beach at night.

Jess
http://www.thekitesurfingcollective.com

Re: Some questions about Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 1:36 pm
by dandaka

Re: Some questions about Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 4:03 pm
by upulsurf

Re: Some questions about Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 5:59 am
by annatayawhite
as you say, basic but very expensive for basic and for the country.
:angryfire:

El Torito wrote:If you are looking for style and comfort at reasonable rates....you wont find it there, sorry :) Accomodation is very basic, and E33 gets you a matress with a mosquito net. Food is ok if you are not to picky about what you eat.



Lagoon where you will mostly kite has 2 areas. One section is choppy, and the other is flat water. Most advanced guys throw tricks in the flat area and the rest normally stays in the chop. But its open to kite anywhere and no one will ask you to leave an area. The lagoon does get gusty if the wind reaches close to 30kn.

Be careful in the water because there are spiny seashells, and the spines break off in your feet if you step on them. After a week I could hardly walk with all the spines in my feet. So take shoes or stay on your board.

The downwinder to the islands is an experience - to say the least. Expensive at 70 euro a trip, but a sight to be seen and butter flat water with +25kn winds.
Enjoy

Re: Some questions about Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 8:49 am
by Jose B
Kalpitiya is also very nice place for kite surfing and visit. Bar Reef Resort is best to stay they can provide you hut hon the front of water.The city center is merely away and the airport can be reached within minutes. I ensure t will be pleasant stay for you.

Re: Some questions about Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 4:11 pm
by mondy
jose b
i don't want to sound too harsh, but have you ever been here??
what is your agenda ? there are 2 answers:
1- you either deliberately want to spread wrong information and i really can't understand why.
2- you are doing it out of total ignorance of the location, so, again, i really can't understand why.

Kalpitiya is also very nice place for kite surfing and visit. Bar Reef Resort is best to stay they can provide you hut hon the front of water.The city center is merely away and the airport can be reached within minutes. I ensure t will be pleasant stay for you.

- bar reef resort is NOT in Kalpitiya, it is merely on the Kalpitiya Peninsula, which is approx 60 km long. Bar Reef is in Alankuda, a village approx 25 km from Kalpitiya Town. i.e. a third of the way up the peninsula. The closest "town", if not village (maybe 800 people), is 5 km away and is called Norochcholai. Which is in turn therefore 20 km away from Kalpitiya town.
- bar reef provide huts on the OCEAN front in Alankuda, not Kalpitiya waters.
- the closest TOWN centre is Puttalam and it is at least 25 km away. 40.000 people live there. not a CITY in English language at any rate.
- the airport can be reached in 3 hours from bar reef resort approx.

As for the resort i don't make remarks.

Re: Some questions about Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 5:37 pm
by upulsurf
Ya wanna learn kitesurf? Yes but only with the BEST ;)

DE SILVA Windresort Kalpitiya is Sri Lanka´s largest Kite- & Windsurfschool! Come and ride, cause they are located at the spot directly!

In the resort we have nice accommodations: Surf Cabanas, Standard Rooms, Guesthouse, Hammock! New Aftersurf Chillout-Zone with view on the lagoon and new storage for kite and windsurf equipment!
Come and ride...
www.surfschool-srilanka.com
office@surfschool-srilanka.com

Re: Some questions about Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:46 pm
by The Ruuk
I am a local and here are my 2cts :-)

Surely but slowly Kalpitiya is becoming a popular place and there are loads of offers , starting from high end / expensive) up all the way to a reasonable / economical /budget price. Just check one of the online booking engines for prices and what they offer.

Its your choise to inform yourself of all pros and cons of each and every place before you book your holidays. Dont be lazy to book a place just by looking only at the pics. Ask yourself what you really expect. Since we are not school kids anymore, we all have different expectations, some wnat it crowded, some want it more quiet, some want more privacy some want more party...and the list goes on.
That way you know what Kalpitiya offers and what Kalpitiya does not offer.

If you are in search of a Kite holiday as you have had it in Egypt / Spain or anywhere else, then Sri Lanka is not the right place for you.

- Sri lanka has perfect wind conditions and some really good accomadations but the extras like cool bars where you can hang out with the rest of the kiters who are also in Kalpitiya are not there yet.
- Kalpitiya is devoloping, but its slow, and if you ask me, Kalpitiya will never be something like Dahab in Egypt or Tenriffa ( spain).
- Kalpitiya has its own flair and limitations.
=> I personally would like it to stay that way, so that Sri lanka does not become a "main stream" kite destination.
Sri Lanka should be uniqe and at the moment it is unique. But apart from "party all night" pocibility, kalpitiya has all types of accomadtation, if you can afford the luxury.

So choose wisely to meet your requirements, to avoid any disappointments.

And do keep in mind that Kalpitiya has not seen many tourists untill 2009/2010 ( when the war finished) and Kalpitiya has loads of traditions, so respect these traditions when you are not within the hotel/resort/camping area.
Example: Avoid whearing any bkinins for kitsurfing, try to be in shorts and a T-Shirt.

if you need more details do feel free to drop an email to contact@kalpitiya.info

And if you come to Sri Lanka dont forget to try "Coconut sambol with sri Lankan coconut Rotty" :-)
Here is a video, about the famous "coconut Sambol"
https://vimeo.com/89198944

hang loose