Babymoon in Sri Lanka...

So I used to save all of my travel posts for my pretty travel blog 'lianne lost in travel' where I shared my experience and advice on places I'd visited, but since having Ede, to put it bluntly, I just don't have time for two blogs so instead I thought I'd combine the two. Who doesn't love to travel and lust after beautiful destinations after all. So I'll now be sharing my tips and hidden gems for travelling here, with and without a baby in toe!

So my first travel post featured my beloved Sri Lanka. Hubby and I decided to visit Sri Lanka for our 'babymoon' (is this a new term?). I felt that I needed a rest before the craziness of having a baby begun - and boy was I right to do just that ;) My obstetrician was less than keen on me travelling to some far flung destination, miles away from hospitals and civilisation, so instead we agreed on Sri Lanka. We know it well as we took part in a tuk tuk race there many moons ago and we both fell in love with the place, the people, and the yummy food. So Sri Lanka it was.

Unusually for me I decided that I really did want to do nothing for a week, relax, read my hypno birthing book and think about nothing. Some friends recommended Unawatuna as the perfect place to do just that, and we found a beautiful boutique hotel called the Satin Doll. Both the hippy location and secluded 4 room hotel ticked the box perfectly. 

We arrived into Colombo airport and were immediately greeted with the beautiful heart warming smile I'd remembered. After clearing customs, getting our luggage and finally finding our taxi driver (which hubby had accidentally booked for a week later, but of course they accommodated us with no questions) we were on our way. Oh if you're looking for a reliable taxi company who can provide car seats then this company were great.

We took the new highway most of the way to Unawatuna, making the journey pleasant, calm, and having traveled sri lanka quite extensively, not at all as expected ;)

After a 3 hour drive we arrived at our hotel, the imposing wooden gates and high concrete wall gave no clue of the serenity that was hidden behind them. The laid back smiley security guy opened the gate and we wandered into paradise, exactly what I needed, after carrying my huge belly around all day.

The Satin Doll was just beautiful. An old house beautifully renovated in a contemporary but homely style. With only 4 rooms available, a private pool, an awesome in house chef, stunning secluded gardens and right on the beach,  it was heaven.

The first couple of days we did nothing but read, eat, sleep and relax but being a photographer and a bit of an explorer, the travel bug got the better of me and I thought it a good idea to walk into the main street of Unawatuna - As it turns out this was about a 4 mile walk - and as pretty and interesting as it was its probably not worth risking your life for, so id probably recommend a tuk tuk in future ;) 

Cute bars and yummy restaurants, as well as huge chilled out beaches made the main street of Unawatuna well worth a visit. Our fave was Mettha's Home Cooked Meals a tiny little restaurant set out a bit like a living room. They take one lot of sittings per night at 7pm I think and you get whatever has been cooked! For us this was 4 different curries and rice - it was AMAZING! Easily my best meal of the holiday, infact it was so good we went twice. To be fair all of the food we had in sri lanka was amazing, especially in our hotel, and being pregnant I had no trouble following the various rules set by the fun food police! 

We decided to get the train back to columbo rather than a cab, I love a train ride and being 6 months pregnant I thought it would be more comfortable. We booked first class tickets, which were a fraction of the price of a standard ticket in the UK, and collected them from Galle train station. The journey was so beautiful and the only way to see Sri Lanka (other than by TukTuk of course). The carriage was pretty much empty, air conditioned and comfortable (although not fancy by any means), and the villages that you pass through make the three hour journey just fly by. 

Back in Colombo for an evening, we explored, ate, chilled, ate, and then eventually got a tuk tuk to the airport that evening (which I wouldn't recommend by the way - its quite a trek on some busy roads and although I usually love a tuk tuk I think a cab on this occasion would have been better). 

So after 5 incredible days in Sri Lanka I am still completely in love with the place. Babymoon, honeymoon or just about any reason for a holiday, Sri Lanka would still be top of my list of destinations... Until next time sri lanka... :) xoxox

Raina & Vaughn...

The whimsical locations, freedom, wild and beautiful nature and truly wonderful light... this is why I love photo sessions in the UK!

I first met this family when I photographed them on holiday in Dubai, we hit it off straight away and when mum heard I was coming home to the UK the following summer she booked me for a family photo session at the grounds of Ham House, a beautiful national trust manor house in Richmond near where they lived at the time.

We took a stroll through the small winding roads down to the river Thames where we got a quaint little boat across the river to Ham House. The stunning old manor house sits in beautifully manicured grounds and as we weaved our way through the gardens we eventually came across a little cafe where we had some cake and coffee before checking out the vegetable garden. When we were finally worn out from our journey we headed back through the long grass, past the beautiful horses and crossed the river on the quaint little boat before heading home.

I absolutely love everything about this gallery and beautiful family and I hope you will too ♡♡♡