Who we are

Sri Lanka In Style is a travel company based in Sri Lanka.

We offer individual tailor-made holidays, journeys and experiences in Sri Lanka for travellers who wish to connect with Sri Lanka in interesting ways and for those who value service and genuine Sri Lankan hospitality.

 

Our Story

Sri Lanka In Style was born in 2004 as a loose association for small luxury hotels, villas and service operators in Sri Lanka. Its aim was to provide a central platform from which we could all share resources, information and ideas, and market ourselves together as luxury travel specialists. In 2005 we set up a travel arm to handle incoming travellers to Sri Lanka. Today Sri Lanka In Style is firmly established as one of the leading travel companies in Sri Lanka. We are the local partner for some of the worlds top travel specialists and private travel designers. We are also proud to be the exclusive Virtuoso On-Site for Sri Lanka.

Our Philosophy

The company’s philosophy revolves around the concept of “traveling in style” which for us primarily means helping our clients connect with Sri Lanka in interesting and insightful ways. Style shouldn’t be confused with luxury although they often go hand in hand. Sometimes we consider a grounding, earthy experience such as camping or staying in a mud hut as ‘in style’ because it helps you connect with what is “different”, “real” and “true” about Sri Lanka. Our goal is that you return from your joruney feeling rested, relaxed and pampered if that is what you seek, but also fulfilled and stimulated, with stories to tell friends and family of the wonderful things that you have seen, the people you’ve met along the way, and the experiences that you’ve had in Sri Lanka.

Consulting in Your Own Language

Sri Lanka In Style has specialist consultants for Australia and New Zealand, France, UK, Germany, Spain and Latin America, North America and a consultant dedicated exclusively to expats based in South Asia, South East Asia and the Middle East. Your enquiry will be attended to (in your local language) by one of our specialists.

Meet us at Travel Shows Around the World

Sri Lanka In Style participates in a few, carefully selected, travel shows where we meet and mingle with likeminded individuals and companies. Meeting the ’gurus’ of travel is always inspiring, and it allows us to better understand and anticipate our guests needs and desires.

We are the proud Virtuoso On-Site for Sri Lanka
Virtuoso is a network of the world’s finest travel agencies with knowledgeable advisors who draw upon first-hand experience to craft the perfect vacation for you. The Virtuoso Travel Mart is held every year in the USA in August.
http://www.virtuoso.com/

We are also a proud member of PURE Life Experiences.
Operating strictly on a by invitation only basis, PURE Life Experiences is the world’s leading networking platform and market place for the Experiential and Transformational Travel economy. PURE Life Experiences takes place every November in Morrocco.
http://www.purelifeexperiences.com/

If you are attending these shows and would like to schedule an appointment with us please contact Irstel Jansen on irstel@srilankainstyle.com.

The team

We are a small team of people with a passion for travel. We love lounging around in our office in Colombo (with a steaming cup of pure Ceylon tea) and bouncing ideas off each other. Sri Lanka is so beautiful it blows people away - we don’t take credit for the natural beauty of the country and the genuine hospitality of its people.

We try to help you connect with everything we love about the country….

Miguel Cunat – Managing DirectorA team of 16 is headed by founder and managing director Miguel Cunat. Miguel grew up crisscrossing the globe between Spain and Australia and he has lived in London, Bangkok and Singapore. In Sri Lanka most of his adventures have been walking, or on the back of a motorbike or a mountain bike. Miguel has lived with his family in Sri Lanka since 2003, is a founding partner and has been managing Sri Lanka In Style since its inception in 2005. As tourism in Sri Lanka develops he is passionate about preserving the islands environment and culture.

Chandana – Reservations ManagerChandana is a whizz with figures, numbers and rates. His background is in finance and he is soon to become a chartered accountant. He enjoys the travel industry because of the opportunity to meet different people, fulfill their requirements and to travel widely. His favourite part of the island is his native town of Galle. Chandana is a proud father of a baby daughter and enjoys drinking cinnamon tea in the office.

Camilla – Strategic Partnerships and AffiliationsCamilla has worked in the travel industry for over thirteen years. She began her career handling French nationals. She loves the fact that her position allows her to meet new people everyday and as a result she has made great friends around the world. She has a strong family background in travel and her father worked at the prestigious Mount Lavinia hotel for over 25 years. Now as well as juggling two energetic children, Camilla specialises in sales and the American market. Camilla’s favourite experience in Sri Lanka is taking the train through the lush tea plantations and admiring the stunning waterfalls.

Ruvinda Bernard – Client ServicingRuvinda is well known in the office for being full of energy and good humour. He is an adventurer at heart: his favourite way to travel is by motorbike; his favourite way to sleep is in a tent and his favourite areas include Kandy and the Galle coast. He comes to work in a black helmet looking like a ninja but soon settles down to help organise arrivals, drivers, guides and fine tune trips to make them experiences of a lifetime.

Udaya – Consulting for Independent TravellersAs Head of Sales Udaya is known in the company for his energy and innovatism, as well as his drumming skills. Previously working in banking, he relishes the move to the world of travel, enjoying the sense of freedom and the opportunity to connect, experience and absorb the differences of cultures, people and even nature. His favourite area of Sri Lanka is the southern coast.

Irstel – Head of Marketing Dutch born Irstel has been travelling since she was six months old and her thirst for travel has never ended. Her journeys around the globe have taken her to countries such as Iran, Pakistan, India, Turkey, Nepal and her search for unusual places led her to discover Sri Lanka. Her renowned eye for beauty and attention to detail reminds us every day that the pursuit of beauty is as important as the pursuit of excellence.

Daisy – Product ManagerDaisy, originally from Devon in England, has had the travel bug from a young age, when she traveled around the world with her parents: to Switzerland, the Mediterranean, Malaysia, Japan, the Caribbean and the US but it wasn’t until a trekking trip in the Himalayas when she climbed to Kachenjunga base camp, that she discovered her passion for Asia. Since then she has travelled widely in India and has written three travel guides to Sri Lanka, where she now has great friends, second families, and feels at home. Her knowledge of the island allows her to create interesting experiences and itineraries as product manager.

Emma – EditorSri Lanka was Emma’s last destination on a round-the-world trip and after eight years, it’s become her final port of call. Over the years, she’s written many articles on Sri Lanka and covered much of the country in the process. Whether its canoeing down the Kalu Ganga river, camping in Yala National Park or floating in a hot air balloon high in the sky above Galle,Emma’s been there, done that and written it up. She loves to entice people to experience Sri Lanka’s diversity, its scenery and of course, its amazing cuisine. As editor for Sri Lanka In Style, Emma writes up the new member hotels and villas.

SLIS in Australia

Maria – Travel Consultant (Australia)

It is no wonder that Maria has the travel bug. Maria was born in England and spent her childhood in Indonesia with her Scottish father who was born in India, and English mother who was brought up in the West Indies and Africa.

Sri Lanka became Maria’s adopted home when she first came there as a volunteer 26 years ago, working in an orphanage situated in a quiet rural village in the southern part of the island. As an adult she has lived, studied and travelled widely in Bali, Sulawesi, Java, Yemen, England, New Zealand, and Australia. She returned to Sri Lanka many times as a student and backpacker, as a fiancee exploring less-travelled roads to Sri Lanka’s remotest areas with her future husband; and more recently as a mother of four spending the last six years living in Colombo and rediscovering with her family many of Sri Lanka’s amazing secrets during the school holidays.

Maria is passionate about sharing this experience and the huge diversity Sri Lanka has to offer including the laid back attitude of its people. A swami in Kataragama once told Maria she would live in 11 different countries. Having just moved to Perth from Sri Lanka she is well on the way to doing just that!

SLIS in Spain

Rafa – Travel Consultant (Spain)

Rafa has always had an adventurous spirit – from a young age he used to spend most of his weekends travelling around Spain and Europe, with nothing but his judo suit and backpack, attending competitions and later becoming a coach. This awakened in him a curiosity to discover new places, cultures and ways of life. An important judo tournament brought him to Asia for the first time, and it was then he realised that this was a continent he was fascinated by. It didn’t stop here – he then proceeded to seek out beautiful, hidden spots in Thailand, Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar and Malaysia, to name a few.

He was working in Bangkok writing travel articles for a newspaper based in his hometown of Granada when he met Miguel who inspired him to visit Sri Lanka. From the first day of being on the island, Rafa was “captivated” and realised there was so much to explore. His favourite area is the south, around Galle and Tangalle, and he is never happier than when enjoying dinner at the Sun House or Kahanda Kanda. He also loves taking walks through valleys, past waterfalls and lakes in the Hill Country which he considers to be “one of the most beautiful landscapes in Asia”.

Helena – Travel Consultant (Spain)

After working in the production department of various publishers in Spain and France, when she received Sri Lanka In Style’s offer to move to Colombo and start a new life, she didn’t think about it and decided to begin a new career as a travel consultant, designing and producing trips. Little by little she designs the best itineraries for each type of traveller, and she is getting to now the best and most curious places to visit in each region of this beautiful country.

Each day she falls in love with Sri Lanka and learns different things about it: an island full of adventures, culture, nature… three things that she really loves. Her favorite city is Kandy, for its authentic and traditional nature, and it people; her favorite beach, Mirissa, and her best experiencer: climbing Adam’s Peak, practicing yoga watching the sunset and camping in any of the country’s national parks. In this moment she works from Colombo creating the best itineraries and making the travelers feel like at home.

SLIS in France

Ashleigh – Travel Consultant (France)

Ashleigh started a love affair with Sri Lanka in the early 90s when she introduced the first credit card terminals to the Sri Lankan banks.  Australian born and growing up in Hong Kong, Asia has always felt most like home. After living and working out of Hong Kong, Singapore and London finally Ashleigh got to live in Sri Lanka managing the beautiful Kandy House luxury boutique hotel in Kandy and working with their wonderful team as well as having her third child there. Since then she has also managed the very remote Malikha Lodge at the foot of the Himalaya mountains in Norther Kachin State, Myanmar which is another story! Married to a Frenchman with 3 daughters, recently her path has led to living in Lyon, France. From there Ashleigh is delighted to promote Sri Lanka in Style’s services as our France representative, sharing her love of all things Sri Lankan and her indepth knowledge of traveling sur mesure in this still well kept secret of an island. For Ashleigh Sri Lanka offers the ideal destination with something to satisfy every traveler – wildlife  with the greatest concentrations of leopard and elephant in the world, whalewatching and birdwatching, gorgeous beaches, ancient civilisations with UNESCO World Heritage Sites, great golf, everchanging scenery and good weather, uniquely hospitable people,  an amazing mixture of cultures and religions, tea plantations, local festivals, fabulous food… If you are passing through Lyon join her for rice and curry or give Ashleigh a call/email to discuss your holiday plans!

SLIS in Germany

Gudrun – Travel Consultant (Germany)

Although new to the travel business, Gudrun has a breadth of knowledge about Sri Lanka, consolidated over fourteen years of living on the island. Previously, she worked as a Manager for a textile company, taking her holidays to explore. She is particularly fascinated by the diversity of nature and landscapes, the different cultures, and the calm, kind people that make Sri Lanka what it is. Her favourite way to spend a holiday is to drive up to the Victoria Golf Course, one of the best in Asia, and stay in the grounds. It is the scenery that she loves here – the Knuckles Mountains and the hills covered in forest and coconut trees.