As you choose the cost of your accommodation depending on what standard of hotel you would like and its location, the cost will vary. When I first spoke to them I gave them an idea of what was acceptable to me. I could have gone for 5 star hotels but these tend to be the big chains like Hilton, you know exactly what you are going to get anywhere in the world and the restaurant will most probably not offer local cuisine. I wanted small hotels that have good bathrooms , possibly a pool and were quirky or boutique. I gave them a budget. For each town they sent me a few options , I then looked each hotel up individually on trip advisor and made my decisions and sent it back, for them to do the bookings. Most hotels provide free food and accommodation for the drivers, that is not your problem. You can book hotels yourself, but my personal view is if they make a few quid out of handling my booking , so be it. If anything goes wrong , not my fault. The driver also asked what we thought of each hotel so they knew whether to recommend it to guests again as they want you to have a good trip and leave good feedback. Friends went just before us and chose slightly cheaper accommodation but still had great time, if you want to save money avoid the jewelry places , that's where we spent most money.

I would agree that Kandy is the best base. I would make sure you visit the tea country, in particular Ella,which is very special. From Kandy you can do many trips, even up north, depending on your time - make sure you use Rainbow Tours as they are so professional yet warm and helpful. Galle is good, I have been a couple of times and the fort is very special and the beaches up and down are beautiful, but Kandy and the tea plantations feels like the heart of Sri Lanka and shouldn't be missed. We saw a 1 day cricket international England v Sri Lanka at Kandy and that was a wonderful experience as well.

I can't remember the exact amount but $35 seems right, just be wary of scammers - that charge a lot more - I nearly got caught the last time I went to Sri Lanka as they look legit, yet they act as middle men and charge an exorbitant fee.

I would book your hotels from the uk as hotels often get booked up and you will have to take a chance and may not get what you want. If you know where you are staying in advance you can plan your trip around this.

If you search on trip advisor website and search rainbow tours this will take you to their website. You will probably deal with Peter who is very helpful and always quick to reply to your questions. Regards scott

We are Kandy based in the central hills - you need a local operator. Rainbow Tours

It was pretty hot when I was there, in April....I think now it'd be even hotter and possibly monsoon-like rains. Google "Sri Lanka July weather" and the SElective Asia website has some good info

We have availability on June 23rd for a full day tour in and around Kandy - please check our Kandy Day Tours menu on our website and advise us what you'd like to do - then we can give you a quote. Thanks! Wasantha