Call Us Today! 0094 (0) 3122 41510|info@firedragonhideawaynegombo.com

Fire Dragon Hideaway

About Fire Dragon Hideaway

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Fire Dragon Hideaway has created 26 entries.

Wherefore art thou rain?

Arid times in Sri Lanka this year.  We’re experiencing the worst drought for about 40 years and we’re doing a little rain dance, every day.

In Negombo, on the western coast of Sri Lanka the rainy season seemed to pass us by.  Usually, we experience heavy monsoon rains from October through to December, breathing life back into the soil, the plants and bringing a sense of renewal.

What actually happened was 1 night of very heavy rain in November and about 4 days of light drizzle – and nothing since.

What’s more, the scorching temperatures are causing havoc with our swimming pools, wells and plant life.  On the hottest day we can literally see a half inch of water evaporate from the swimming pool in front of our eyes.  It’s requires creativity to manage!

Scientists are saying that we’re unlikely to see proper rain until June or July 2017 and in general we can expect temperatures in the area to soar over the coming few years.  This really is climate change ‘in your face’ and it brings to life the absolute requirement for improved management of plastics and other waste.

How will drought affect our guests and other travellers? 

There are two things that travellers may notice.

 Sri Lanka runs on Hydropower.  So, lack of water will create more country-wide power cuts (already seen in 2016).  If the property you’re staying in doesn’t have a back up generator then you might want to prepare for a few warm hours.
If you stay at properties which are slightly off the beaten track, they may not have access to a government water supply and might only have a well.  As a result, their gardens and plants may be suffering from the weather […]

By |January 31st, 2017|Blog|Comments Off on Wherefore art thou rain?|
Read More

What Does Colombo Airport Closures Mean For You?

Renovations at Colombo Airport start from 6th January and will last for approximately 3 months.  Please be aware, the closure may last longer than April 6th.

What does it mean for travellers?  Well, all flights arrive between 5.30pm and 8am so there are no daytime arrivals.  As a result, there are many more flights being squeezed into a short space of time so the airport terminal will be busy on arrival.  Please make arrangements to meet drivers at a specific point and ask to use someone’s phone if you can’t find your pick up.

Travellers are also being advised to arrive at the airport 5 hours prior to flight departure, rather than the usual 3 hours.  So, if you’re travelling with kids, get prepared with books and snacks and things to do during the wait.  Colombo is a small airport.  Check-in desks close 90 mins before departure so if you’re travelling to the airport around around 5-7pm be aware that the normal end of day traffic will be at least doubled with the airport congestion.

If you’re travelling from the South, please allow for traffic in Colombo and around the airport.

By |January 5th, 2017|Blog|Comments Off on What Does Colombo Airport Closures Mean For You?|
Read More

Destination Wedding: Photographer or no photographer?

The decision to hire, or not to hire, a professional wedding photographer can be a tricky call for a destination wedding.  If you’re having a large affair then you may decide to splash out and take a professional with you.  (Photograph above by Huffaker Photography).  If you do, there’s plenty of places you can search for a good one.  Here is a good place to start.  If you do go down this route, you’ll get the best advice and some truly amazing shots.  Just keep in mind that you’ll pay fees for travel, accommodation, food and photography.

Another idea is to hunt down a photographer currently travelling in your destination wedding country and see if they’re willing to spend a day with you in exchange for a small sum, a night of accommodation and everything that comes with it.  You’d be surprised how easy this is to do if you get active on Twitter!

These days, if you gather a group of 15 or 20 of your friends and family together, at least one of them will have a pretty snazzy camera and actually be able to use it!  So, you could easily make the decision to ask friends and family to take as many good snaps on your special day as they can and upload them to digital storage.  You may even decide to scatter a few disposable cameras around the venue for people to capture a precious moment as it happens.   Just make sure that there’s someone sober at the end of the party to collect those pics!

The downside of taking the friends and family approach is that you may not get the dedicated hour of ‘bride and groom one-on-two time’ that you would […]

By |May 25th, 2015|Tropical Wedding Advice|Comments Off on Destination Wedding: Photographer or no photographer?|
Read More

Wedding Flowers in Sri Lanka

Wedding flowers are an integral part of your day and it’s important to know what you’re getting when you book a wedding package.  The ‘norm’ in Sri Lanka for the homecoming party, which is what you might call the wedding reception is lots of bold red colours.  Why?  Because it’s traditional for the bride to wear a red sari during this event.  What’s more, flowers in a Sri Lankan wedding tend to dominate the view.  Bold colours, and lots of them, all with their own personal wedding veils.  It can feel like a trip back to the 1980s so if you’re looking for something less ‘meringue’ and more simple it would be a good idea to give the venue firm direction or to arrange them yourself.

Weddings in Sri Lanka are a big affair.  Often with hundreds of guests, an array of bridesmaids, and the proceedings can last 2 or 3 days.  So, keep in mind your motives when you’re planning your wedding abroad.  Are you trying to save money, simplify, spend quality time with friends and family, have a perfect and unique day to remember or do you just like the idea of a Weddingmoon?  Whatever your reason, keep that in focus.  If your wedding liason in Sri Lanka is a native just remember that their concept of the perfect wedding is probably significantly different to yours, so you want to make your desires absolutely clear.

Keep in mind that a full set of artificial wedding flowers could cost up to 60,000 LKR (about £300), fresh flowers are more expensive.  This would probably include ceremony flowers, reception entrance flowers, table decorations, the reception sofa and table, bouquets and car flowers.  Since you’re probably staying in […]

By |May 21st, 2015|Tropical Wedding Advice|Comments Off on Wedding Flowers in Sri Lanka|
Read More

Rain on Your Wedding Day

If you’re getting married in the tropics, depending upon the time of year, there is a chance that it will rain.  For most brides this is considered a horror story!

If you’re getting married in Sri Lanka know that it’s thought to be very good luck to have rain on your wedding day in this part of the world.  Why? “Because a wet knot is harder to untie”. Nice!

By |May 13th, 2015|Tropical Wedding Advice|Comments Off on Rain on Your Wedding Day|
Read More

Tropical Wedding? Think about your wedding dress!

If you’re holding a destination wedding overseas there are several things to consider about your choice of wedding dress that you wouldn’t normally have to think about at home.

Now, if you’re heading to a 5* resort then you’ll have pretty much all the facilities as home and all you’ll want to think about is whether you’re having an indoor or an outdoor wedding.  If you’re looking to have a lower budget boutique-style wedding then there are a few more considerations.

Wedding Dress Design

If you’re getting married in the tropics it’s going to be hot and possibly very humid.  What’s more, the heaviest rain shower in the world can appear and disappear within a matter of 20 minutes. Consider the following things:

1)  What length of dress is most appropriate.  Are you getting married on a beach, grass, inside?  If it rains and you get splashed with dust it’s much easier to rinse of a bare leg than a white dress!  Will you change before the evening celebrations or will you want to dance in your dress?  Unless you’re getting married inside a train is not an ideal choice.  Tea length dresses, like the one shown at the top of this page by Matthew Christopher might be a good choice.

2)  Do you want sleeves or a covered top?  Whatever the style of your dress make sure you sunbathe with the exact same style of bikini before the day, otherwise you’re going to have to be clever with make up and tan lines.  It’s going to be hot and you will probably sweat (unless you’re in air-conditioning the entire time) so what will allow you to keep as cool as possible?

3)  What material is appropriate?  Well this is […]

By |May 1st, 2015|Tropical Wedding Advice|Comments Off on Tropical Wedding? Think about your wedding dress!|
Read More