The Island Story

25/05/2024

Imagine a place you can go where you can breathe easy & feel free from your worries & help someone struggling in silence just like you feel better too!

Travel to transform your life & that of our super-mom hosts & rebuild rural -schools too this summer through our weekly - the supermom retreats, desgined especially for all single super-moms & their kids. We will be having age specific retreats so your kids get to meet other's their age and you get to bond with those with kids your ages and share your daily wins and lows and learning from each other and creating a support group that will help you through your journey of motherhood that may seem lonely at times.

Our retreats include journelling, beach-cleans, bon-fires and story-time by bon-fires to peer-to-peer learning, self - confidence and awarness games for mom's & kids to interactive cooking classes at a super-mom hosts home to so much more.

This offer is extended until 30th August 2024.

DM for more details & bookings ✨

24/05/2024

We hear you & would like to celebrate you every month with a retreat just for all you super-moms, instead of just on Mother's day✨

We also know how lonely your days may seem, so come find or with your sisterhood of travelling moms down-south and have a Happy Mother's day every day with us this summer,on a our first ever retreat for single-moms and kids (ages 5-10 years ) hosted by our very own single-moms of one bright eyed boy wonder and her fellow super-mom friend's of the area.

Just 27,500 LKR per room per night on Full Board Basis this weekend for four moms and kids ages 5 - 10 years. We will have other retreats for other age groups too. This month we will be travelling from Colombo to Payagala, a quiet sleepy beach town in Kalutara District down-south (approx. 2 hours away from Colombo). Escape to cconnect, rebuild and transform your life and that of another super-mother, like you.

This offer is valid toll the 30th of August 2024.

DM or whatsapp for bookings on (+94)705131144.

01/05/2024

Hello May & Hello to - the super-mom, that are online & in-person cooking classes that employ and empower marginalized mother's and single mother's from low-income in Colombo. The income they make through this culinary experience will help them to keep their kids in school and their bills paid too.✨

You get to enjoy learning to cook healthy Sri Lankan meals suitable for everyone, including vegans and vegetarians. You will be met by your local super-mom host, at your Hotel and taking you to the fresh food market in the morning in Pettah to learn about the vegetables we are going to cook for lunch and the lifestyle's of those who sell them.

Food has the power to connect people & heal. We Sri Lankans love our food & sharing our diverse and delicious cuisine with others. If you do happen to visit a local home, they are not going to let you leave without alot of food. However bright their smiles maybe, many women here on the island suffer in silence and have many insecurities due to the lack of opportunities, judgement and constant harassments and social-pressures.

This experience will take you to the home of a local disadvantaged super-mom here on the island and have selected some of our best super-mom chefs to teach you how to make a Sri Lankan feast in your home-kitchen, trying to make a living and sharing their cultures with what they love doing on a daily-basis. You will get to visit a local market and paddy-field to see how the rice you are about to have is harvested and then cook a simple yet delicious traditional lunch with your super-mom chef host of the day.

We do not allow pictures of our mother's faces to be taken to protect their privacy and for their safety.DM or WhatsApp is to book your first class, priced at 25USD per person for foreign passport holders & 2500LKR per person for local residents

24/04/2024

When life get's overwhelming & you get tired, take a break to a place you've never been and just breath✨

Never give-up on yourself even if you feel a little lost and behind everyone else. Anixety is a silent killer and this life you have been blessed with is far too precious to just let go of. Here's a little reminder from us to keep going and know that God loves you know matter what and that you are only seconds away from your universe moment, so hold on tight and never let go of that dream you once had and the joy you got from dreaming it.

DM us for a little escape away from the crowds, not too faraway from a secret beach, at an affordable luxury stay that gives back to the local community in everyway.

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23/04/2024

Fresh but not always healthy.

Our tropical island paradise is home to a variety of fruits and vegetables and fish. Those who have been in these trades have been in them for generations. Here are a few beautiful captures by some island lovers both passing by and currently residing here.

When travelling with us you not only get to visit these markets as apart of your culinary experience but get to discover the untold stories of those who work there. Many have dubious lives and tales they rather not tell and many skeltons in their closets. Some who enjoy their work and do so with a smile have realized to be grateful for the every blessing and are content with the life they have. Other's may grumble and speak only about their misfortunes and also be involved in things they should not be involved with.

DM or e-mail or WhatsApp us for a slow -paced immersive culinary experience or small group journey or family tour that will take yoi through the unapologetically authentic unseens of our beautiful island girl, once named Ceylon now called Sri Lanka.

22/04/2024

Our island girl is back to being No.1 destination to travel to for solo-women travellers but we recommend you to travel in solo-women groups as however safe they say she is, it isn't so unless you are travelling with a reputed, known travel company amd guide.

DM us for a safe girls group journey where you not only get to find your soul sisters while travelling as a sisterhood throughout our magical island paradise. Along the way you will get to meet wonderful everyday unseen heroes and super-mom's across the island and feel better knowing that your journey helps them and ther children live happier lives too.

22/04/2024

More & more travellers are choosing ethical & immersive destinations.

DM, whatsapp or email for an ethical and slow-paced holiday that will enable you to immerse yourself in everyday local life and also give back to these everyday invisible heroes who are the heart & soul of our beautiful island girl.

19/04/2024

Wishing you all a peaceful & Happy Sinhala & Tamil New year from our family to yours. Yes our new year table included toys and we didn't do all the traditions at the said time but for the gram and school.

We chose to stay home & away from the seasonal local crowds but will be taking a little break before the summer season for two days but will respond to your emails & messages next week! ✨

07/04/2024

Endless sunsets here in paradise are waiting for you.

DM us for a therapeutic holiday to one of the most sort after destinations in the world, that we are proud to call home.

06/04/2024

Everyday Sri Lanka, in slow-motion ✨

Get intouch with us via Whatsapp or a DM or Email at [email protected] to start planning an unforgettable,meaningful and truly transformational journey to Sri Lanka.

28/03/2024

Book your family holiday this Easter, Avurudu ( Sinhala & Tamil New Year) or Ramadan at our Island Stay in Kalutara for just 5000LKR per person.

DM or whatsapp us for more info or bookings.

26/03/2024

' Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all and it is always good to go somewhere you have never been every month. '

It has been almost five years since the Easter Sunday bomb attacks and three years since lockdown Sri Lanka. It has also been five years since we launched and we are happy to bring all you residents local stays for your soul that goes back towards nuturing deserving little one's at the primary school we work with in Diyalagoda, Kalutara District.

Resident stays has been how we and are partner properties survived through the toughest times and even though things are picking-up, we will be continuing our special offers and residential retreats throughout the year.

Get intouch with us via Whatsapp or a DM or Email at [email protected] to start planning an unforgettable,meaningful and truly transformational journey to Sri Lanka.

18/03/2024

Train journeys are a great cost -effective and eco-friendlier way to travel around our beautiful island.

Two years ago we took many train journeys and continue to on those routes we would normally do by road. One of our favourite things is not just the scenery but the food vendors and snacks to the people you meet along the way or observe while traveling.

Get intouch with us via Whatsapp or a DM or Email at [email protected] to start planning an unforgettable,meaningful and truly transformational journey to Sri Lanka.

16/03/2024

Throwback to a day discovering the secrets of Kandy with us during them covid days.

We love curating journeys for families and specialize in age-wise activities and are so grateful for the McKenzie's who stayed at the lovely during covid days as it was a level one hotel. We arranged their travel arrangements and are so happy to see these memories from their trip. Do check out what they had to say about their trip on our google review page : https://g.co/kgs/hRDWNpe. We are so glad the cooking classes in particular can be done without the 03 metre distance rule but are so very grateful for the ability to still operate even during those trying times.

Our family bookings go towards our rural school meal & development programme at selected government primary schools that the children of our mom-hosts go to and towards a safe house for boys & their mother's or guardians who have been victim to abuse. We hope to help them heal and one day achieve their dreams.

DM us for a family getaway or holiday in Sri Lanka, and be sure to have a magical time like the lovely Mckenzie family did, only without masks! ✨

13/03/2024

An year ago we found a secret beach only 2 hours from Colombo, just after Kalutara down a road called ocean road, in a village named far away but not so far, and feels like home to all those who choose to roam a stray far away from the toxic broken world of today.

We know a super-mom or two nearby who cook delicious Sri Lankan and whose brother's or son's go out to fish everyday. We arrange some great fishing & cooking expeditions here in this quiet little village, very nearby to those of you who are staying at , , .kalutara or .

DM us for a day in this village or even for a fun beach days, bon-fires, picnics and a wholesome escape not so far away from Colombo. ✨

05/03/2024

family friendly holidays, in farm stays such are a few of our favourite things to curate for you.

DM, whatsapp or email us for a journey of untold stories & meaninful experiences that transform lives.

29/02/2024

29.02.2024. Leap year's don't come often. Make this one count rather than let it flutterby, like these butterflies, with a transformational trip to Sri Lanka or a walking tour or cooking class in Kandy, Kalutara or Colombo's unseen's with us .

This beautiful picture was taken by one of our lovely guest's during a Kandy city tour in 2021.

DM, whatsapp or email us for a journey of untold stories & meaningful experiences, designed to transform lives.

27/02/2024

Discover Colombo's unseen scenes by booking one of our Colombo city tours led by invisible everyday heroes who are provided an opportunity to connect with you, share their stories, listen to yours and heal through this carefully curated journey which can be customized to your interests and duration.

Here are some of the pictures from our first cooking class client from the Steffan Lose guide book, we are so happy to have received. Thank you again for the feature Stefan Loose Welt-Entdecker!

01-02 pax cooking class plus tuk-tuk tour is 45 USD per person
03 - 10 pax cooking class plus tuk-tuk tour is 25 USD per person

01-02 pax walking & tuk-tuk tour of Colombo is 45 USD per person
03 - 10 pax walking & tuk-tuk tour of Colombo is 25 USD per person

DM, whatsapp or email us for a journey of untold stories & meaningful experiences, designed to transform lives.

23/02/2024

Giving can only make one richer.

Poya day post & thoughts on Buddhist way of life. The Sri Lanka Navam Perahera which takes place in Colombo, Sri Lanka is an annual pageant that takes place for 2 nights in February/March usually on Navam Full Moon Poya in the vicinity of the Gangaramaya Temple and the non-traditional Temple, The Seema Malaka poised on the Beira Lake in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This yes Poya is today on the 23rd of February 2024 and the first day of the Perehara. Tomorrow is the last day. Majority in the island are Sinhalese Buddhist. While many in Colombo are becoming less kind and not living the way the Buddha taught them, there are also a handful of very kind and giving people and today we like to celebrate one such Ayurvedic lady Doctor and clinic, hardly known to many and truly an island secret.

What we love about our little island is her kind hearted yet unassuming people. This box can be found in a small ayurvedic medicine centre treating patients of all kinds for free. The message says that they can donate whatever they like here for the treatment received. It also says to put any feedback or suggestions in here too.

DM, whatsapp or email us for a journey of untold stories & meaninful experiences that transform lives.

22/02/2024

Throwback Thursday feature done by the lovely Sustaying, promoting travel that matters. Thank you so much for this wonderful write-up, that means more than you know us.

Here is our favourite paragraph today, do click the link below to read the whole article ; 'The Island Story launched in 2019 and since then they have been doing bespoke private tours. Their journeys are responsible and they work with ethical small privately owned properties. They hope that their journeys encourage less judgment and more support and love toward each other. '

DM, Whatsapp us or email us for a healing slow-paced journey to Sri Lanka or more info about our experiences & retreats. ✨

Looking for a responsible tour operator for your next holiday? Why not choose one of these 5 locally-owned, sustainable travel companies!

13/02/2024

One of the best ways to travel with kids across Sri Lanka is by train. We love taking the train almost everywhere, it's fast, relatively cleaner and more cost effective than buses & very scenic. Most importantly you get to skip having to buy meds and bags for car sickness.

Sri Lanka Railway department started it's services in 1864 & now operates approximately 396 trains across the island. The inter-city trains are the fastes passenger trains that don't stop at many destinations but have to be pre-booked ahead of time.

The most scenic train journey is ofcourse the tea country one from Kandy to Ella, on the Badulla line. Our retreats and journeys all include train journey's and we find even the one's on the coast line and to the North really very interesting & the most fun and ethical way to travel across the island.

DM, Whatsapp us or email us for bookings or more info ✨

12/02/2024

Thank you dear Martin Petrich for this wonderful feature.

We had the pleasure of hosting Martin last September on some of our super-mom led experiences around Colombo's unseen neighbourhoods. Do visit the link below to learn more about each tour.

DM, Whatsapp us or email us for bookings or more info ✨

https://www.stefan-loose.de/loose-travel-club/club/sri-lanka/colombo/aktivitaeten/the-island-story/?fbclid=IwAR1gfmS_-zz4TrS2p7qzEkdJGbt6GYvhl8e2RT5NfsbvFiMZS1-S1RnVSog

"The Island Story“ - Sri Lanka, Asien, --

12/02/2024

We are a team of two best friends, mom and son joined by 7 other super-mother's across the island and their kids who curate wholesome journeys for the curious, broken and tired. We also have all star super-girl interns joining our girl powered team every 6-12month. Our retreats and journeys aren't packed with activities but slow-paced, and include meaningful experiences led by unseen everyday heroes.

We don't work with big luxury resorts or hotels but a selected collection of locally owned ethical properties that are found off the beaten track & / or with a commitement to the local communities and envirionment. We work with making them more responsible in their operations and accessible too. The low-season is the one we recommend for those of you who prefer less crowds and expenses too.

January was all about school holidays for us. We took a much needed break, and checked-out some great family friendly escapes and are now ready to take you there & help you heal. Here are few of our memories that we can't wait to help you experience.

You can also feel even better and good on the inside by knowing that all our journeys give back towards a rural school & careleavers development programme.

DM, Whatsapp us or email us for bookings or more info ✨

30/12/2023

A very Merry Christmas & Happy New year everyone!

May 2024 be full of magical adventures, love, laughter and magical moments to last forever after ✨

Drop us line on e-mail or whatsapp for a wholesome private journey that will be designed to transform lives.

29/11/2023

Tea breaks are some of our favourite kind of breaks to take, on a busy week day.

Do you know that our tea-time walks around Colombo emplou unseens everyday heroes, who have mastered the art of living the simple life and being happy in the present moment.

Each walk is just 25USD per person & can be booked via our WhatsApp.

DM us for bookings ✨

27/11/2023

Forever Summer Days are here to stay, with the occassional thunder shower or two in parts of the island.

Her southern coast is calling but having said that her Eastern & North-West will be awefully quiet and calm too in the next 3-4 months.

If you suffer from social anxiety, and get particularly more overwhelmed & stressed out during this time of the year, book a small group solo travellers trip with us to the island.

Our journeys are crafted for you to help you disconnect & heal from the noise, and connect with the unseen, very real, quirky and very real bits of our girl Ceylon.We believe that getting lost is the only way to find your authentic-self.

All our journeys employ and empower our team of local super-mom experience hosts & storyteller's from disadvantaged communities and aim at eradicating child-exploitation and sound education in selected very needy yet deserving rural schools island-wide. You can visit the schools we work with and get involved in an out doors spoken English or arts, dance, music or drama workshop we organize aswell, if you like.

DM or whatsapp us for a be-spoke private journey, carefully designed to heal & transform lives ✨

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https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz38mpyoK9z/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

13/11/2023

Are you a traveller or a tourist? Come on a journey with us to experience real life here in Ceylon, now named Sri Lanka.

Picking-up plastic to be sold or upcycled from the beach,while helping to bring in the morning catch with local fishermen and then enjoying some freshly tapped local brew, and feeding pigs organic waste in your own backyard, to getting some fresh farm eggs for breakfast from a few pet hens,are some of the many experiences you will have when on a trip to our paradise island with us.

What's more is that all our experiences are led by single & marginalized local super-moms, who are continuously trained to become the best storytellers of their own stories, that are unreal at time yet oh so very inspiring.

As for your accomodation, we work with selected small & mediume locally owned ethical properties that share the same beliefs with us in supporting the local community & are members of .global ✨️

DM to be transformed & empower super-moms & educate children in the process.

01/03/2023

She is back making headlines with her warm and naturally beautiful ways & her wide selection of luxury stays. Here's Conde Nast Traveller's take on Ceylon's best that we can surely help you book and plan your journey, so as your entire holiday is hassle free and not spent mostly on the road.

From hideouts under jungle canopies to sprawling ultra-luxe spots, these are the prettiest places to call home for a short while.