An engaging and breathtaking holiday in Greece takes many forms. And an underwater adventure is one of them. The Greek seas hide some of the most gorgeous spots for scuba diving and snorkelling. With over 230 inhabited islands, vast coastline, and stunning beaches, every slip into the water gives you an opportunity to enjoy a huge variety of wrecks, caverns, ...
From December to March this traditional summer getaway turns into a ski destination offering 18 ski centres and 190 km of runs for all abilities. Though these are located in quaint, traditional villages, the après ski scene is vibrant with a nightlife that is surprisingly busy. GREVENA – Double ski experience Grevena has two ski resorts, Vassilitsa, located 42 km ...
Poetry is everywhere. It’s in the air we breathe, it’s in the rustling of the trees, it’s in streets of a city, and it’s in every corner of the universe; every place known and unknown to man. We are all poets. Some of us may not be through words, but through our actions and thoughts. So here are 50 ...
“Barf” bags ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 270 Sunday 30 August 2015. Greetings to readers around the world to this week’s glimpse of life in Sri Lanka, including a look at a curious collectable. Motor show There was a four-day motor show held in Colombo last week. I went there with web wizard, Andrew, out of curiosity and was delighted to ...
ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 200. Sunday 23 February 2014. Greetings to readers as we countdown to the end of the discount period for purchasing my Bradt Guide to Sri Lanka. Another Arrack A beautiful pink hued glass bottle was given to me for my birthday containing what I’m happy to describe as an arrack of distinction. To my astonishment, ...
Farewell ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 293 TROPICAL TOPICS, Sunday 14 February, 2016. Welcome lovers and others to this St Valentine’s Day edition of my newsletter, which is also the last one. Dish of the Week Beef in Sri Lanka has the unfortunate reputation of being tough and lacking flavour. It isn’t: it’s the lack of traditional knowledge of young chefs ...
Welcome to the website where you can find out all you want to know (and a lot you probably don’t want to know) about Royston Ellis, author, travel writer and erstwhile beat poet.In September 2016, Royston Ellis was appointed for three years as Editor of DESTINATION MALDIVES, the magazine published annually by Feel Investments for the Maldives Marketing & ...
Farewell ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 293 TROPICAL TOPICS, Sunday 14 February, 2016. Welcome lovers and others to this St Valentine’s Day edition of my newsletter, which is also the last one. Dish of the Week Beef in Sri Lanka has the unfortunate reputation of being tough and lacking flavour. It isn’t: it’s the lack of traditional knowledge of young chefs (and ...
On a platter ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 290 TROPICAL TOPICS, Sunday 24 January 2016. Here’s this week’s report on fun in the sun in Sri Lanka. Fishing Season This is the season for net fishing in the Indian Ocean opposite where I live on the west coast. The process is the same as it has been for centuries. Fishermen row two ...
Ceylonology ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 289 Tropical Topics, Sunday 17 January 2016. Greetings to readers throughout the world to more news of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon. Breadfruit One of my fond memories of Dominica, my home from 1966 to 1979, is eating breadfruit roasted whole over a log fire on the bank of the Layou River. We tore the ...
Walking Tree House ROYSTON REPORTS Number 288 Tropical Topics, Sunday 10 January 2016. Welcome to readers from around the world to the latest edition of my weekly report on topics tropical. Quick? This packet intrigued me when I spotted it on the shelves of my local supermarket hunting ground: “Quick Dosai Mix.” Dosai (or thosai) is a type of pancake ...
Fruity ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 287 Tropical Topics, Sunday 3 January 2016. Welcome to this, the first newsletter of the New Year. If you’ve made any New Year Resolutions, good luck in keeping them! Market Driven When the colonial agency house, Darley, Butler & Co opened the Colombo Spinning and Weaving Mills in Wellawatte, a suburb of Colombo by the sea, ...
Christmas Cheers ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 286 Tropical Topics, Sunday 20 December 2015. Season’s Greetings to readers around the world to this last newsletter for 2015, with timely news of how to buy my books on line. Christmas Cheers How better to celebrate sunny (or chilly) mornings this Festive Season than with a jolly juice at breakfast: a Bloody Mary or ...
A prince’s bed. ROYSTON REPORTS Number 285 Tropical Topics, Sunday 13 December 2015. Welcome to this week’s newsletter with more tropical travels. Traditions Ever one for keeping up with tradition, I was delighted to see this notice outside the bar of the Strand Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar (think: Rangoon, Burma), saying that smoking is traditional (not banned!) in the bar. ...
Breakfast foam ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 284 Tropical Topics, Sunday 6 December 2015. Welcome to this week’s newsletter notes on the Maldives, as well as Sri Lanka. Pool party I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of yet another swimming pool at the Calamander Unawatuna Beach Resort last week. This is the newest addition to what is now ...
ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 283 Sunday 29 November 2015. Greetings to readers around the world to this week’s quirky newsletter. Plumpkin We first noticed the tiny plant sending out shoots behind the outside shower about two weeks ago. Kumara suggested it might be a cucumber since I have freshly prepared cucumber juice every morning and he reckoned seeds could have fallen ...
First Flush ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 282 Tropical Topics, Sunday 22 November 2015. Greetings. Here’s a mixed bag of items to intrigue you this newsletter. Veranda gossip We’ve had a lot of rain in Sri Lanka lately so instead of sitting in the garden for sun-downers we retreat to the cottage’s broad veranda, or Verandah as it seems more appropriately spelt. ...
Bondage ROYSTON REPORTS, Number 281 Tropical Topics, Sunday 15 November 2015. Welcome to this week’s topics ranging from SPECTRE to toothpaste and 20 facts. On Bondage The new British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, His Excellency James Dauris and Mrs Helen Dauris made a great impression on hundreds of guests by hosting in wonderful style a launch party for the ...
Old Money ROYSTON REPORTS Number 280 Tropical Topics, Sunday 8 November 2015. Greetings to readers around the world from my beach view cottage in glorious Sri Lanka. Souperstitious Ever on the search for new Sri Lankan products to try, I have found another one from Ma’s Tropical Food Processing (http://www.mas.kitchen). This is sold under the brand name of Happy Home. ...
Big in New Orleans ROYSTON REPORTS, NUMBER 279 Sunday 1 November 2015. Greetings from Sri Lanka as the countdown to the Holiday Season begins. Tree for Me? Roystonea regia For me to see, as I walked to my bedroom at Calamansi Cove Hotel, a tree apparently named after me – Roystonea Regia - made me wonder why the hotel had ...
