点评:We travelled around Sri Lanka for four weeks with our three children, with Saneera as our driver and guide. But honestly, calling him just our driver and guide doesn’t quite cover it. Saneera played a huge part in making this our dream holiday and truly the trip of a lifetime.
From the very first moment, he welcomed us with a big smile. Every day he asked how we were doing and he always showed genuine interest in our children. He was incredibly patient with them, joked around with them and listened carefully to their sometimes very limited English, always trying his best to understand what they wanted to tell him. As parents, that meant a lot to us.
One of the things we appreciated most about Saneera was that he knew exactly when to be there and when to give us space. During our drives, he gave us plenty of time to simply look around and enjoy the country. He never imposed himself on us and completely understood that this was, first and foremost, our family holiday. When it felt natural, he joined in, laughed with us and became part of the experience. But he also gave us the space to experience special moments just as a family of five.
That balance was perfect.
At the same time, he showed us so much of Sri Lanka. He told us about the country, its culture, traditions and people, and even taught us some Sinhalese words. Along the way, he would spontaneously stop somewhere to buy a local snack or something delicious for us and himself to try. He also knew all kinds of beautiful places to stop that we would probably never have discovered on our own.
Before our trip, Saneera created a wonderful four-week itinerary for us, including all kinds of possible activities and excursions. To be honest, we arrived in Sri Lanka fairly unprepared, but thanks to his knowledge and experience, that was never a problem. The itinerary was perfect, but never felt fixed. If something didn’t suit us, the weather changed or another plan worked better, we simply adjusted it.
Even before we arrived, communication with Saneera was excellent. He responded quickly to our questions, helped us with hotel advice and gave us information about travelling in Sri Lanka. We had booked a few hotels ourselves that turned out to be in inconvenient locations. Saneera warned us well in advance, so we still had plenty of time to change them. On the other hand, we also deliberately chose some very remote hotels because we really wanted to stay there. He happily drove us there without ever making it feel like a problem.
Nothing ever seemed too much trouble.
What you notice very quickly is how much Saneera loves his country. He doesn’t just want to drive you from one tourist attraction to another. He genuinely wants you to experience how beautiful, warm and special Sri Lanka is.
And he succeeded.
After four weeks, we completely fell in love with Sri Lanka and honestly, we would go back tomorrow if we could.
We experienced this holiday as a family of five, but with Saneera as a friend alongside us. By the end of the four weeks, saying goodbye really felt like saying goodbye to someone who had become part of our journey and our memories.
We completely understand why Saneera was ranked among the top 10% of guides last year. But as far as we are concerned, he doesn’t belong in the top 10%.
For us, he is number one.
Saneera, thank you so much for everything. For your patience, your humour, your stories, all the delicious things you made us try along the way, the beautiful places you showed us and, most of all, for the way you cared about our family and our children.
You helped make Sri Lanka the trip of a lifetime for us. ❤️
If you are looking for a driver and guide for your trip through Sri Lanka, we cannot recommend Saneera highly enough.
翻译:我们带着三个孩子在斯里兰卡游玩了四周,Saneera担任我们的司机兼导游。不过说实话,仅仅称他为司机兼导游其实并不够准确。正是Saneera的悉心付出,才让这次旅行成为了我们梦寐以求的假期, truly是一次终生难忘的旅程。
从一开始,他就面带笑容热情地迎接我们。每天他都会询问我们的近况,对孩子们也总是表现出真挚的关心。他对孩子们极其耐心。他和他们开玩笑,认真倾听他们有时极为有限的英语表达,总是竭尽全力去理解他们想对自己说的话。作为父母,这对我们来说意义重大。
我们最欣赏Saneera的一点就是,他很清楚什么时候该出现在我们身边,什么时候该给我们留出空间。在驾车旅途中,他给了我们充足的时间来欣赏周围的风景、享受这片土地。他从不会强行介入我们的生活,也完全明白这次旅行对我们而言才是最重要的。我们的家庭假期。当气氛变得自然起来后,他也加入了我们,和我们一起欢笑,成为了这段经历的一部分。但同时,他也给我们留出空间,让我们五口之家能够独自享受那些特别的时刻。
这种平衡恰到好处。
与此同时,他带我们领略了斯里兰卡的方方面面。他向我们介绍了这个国家、它的文化、传统和人民,甚至还教我们一些僧伽罗语词汇。一路上……他常常会自然而然地在某个地方停下来,为我们和他自己买些当地的小吃或美味佳肴来品尝。他还知道许多风景优美的地方,这些地方我们自己很可能永远也发现不了。
在我们出发前,Saneera为我们精心制定了为期四周的行程计划,涵盖了各种可能的活动与游览项目。说实话,我们去斯里兰卡时准备得并不充分,但多亏了他的学识与经验,这完全不成问题。整个行程安排得恰到好处,却又不会显得刻板死板。如果有什么地方不合我们的心意,或者天气有变、有别的计划更为合适,我们随时可以进行调整。
甚至在我们抵达之前,与Saneera的沟通就十分顺畅。他迅速回复我们的疑问,为我们提供酒店推荐,还介绍了在斯里兰卡旅行的相关信息。我们自己也预订了几家酒店,但后来发现它们的位置不太便利。Saneera提前就给我们提醒过了。所以我们还有大把时间来更换它们。另一方面,我们也有意选择了一些非常偏远的酒店,因为我们真的想住在那里。他开心地开车送我们过去,丝毫没有让这显得是个麻烦事。
无论什么事在他看来都算不上麻烦。
很快你就会注意到,萨尼拉多么热爱自己的祖国。他并不只是想把游客从一个景点载到另一个景点而已。他是真心希望你能体会到斯里兰卡有多么美丽、温馨且特别。他成功了。
四周过后,我们彻底爱上了斯里兰卡。说实话,如果可以的话,我们明天就想再回去。
我们一家五口度过了这个假期,而萨尼拉则像朋友一样陪伴在我们身边。四周结束时,告别她真的就像是在向那个已然成为我们旅途与回忆一部分的人道别。
我们完全理解为何萨尼拉去年能跻身前10%的优秀导游之列。但就我们而言……他虽然排不进前10%,但对我们来说,他绝对是第一。
Saneera,非常感谢你所做的一切。感谢你的耐心、幽默感,还有那些动听的故事;感谢你带我们品尝了那么多美味佳肴,带我们参观了那么多美丽的地方。最重要的是,感谢你对我们全家和孩子们的悉心照顾。
正因为有你,斯里兰卡之旅才成为了我们一生难忘的体验。❤️
如果你正在为斯里兰卡之旅寻找一位司机兼导游,我们真心极力推荐Saneera。