Paradise Found - Ebb & Flow Jungalows

Have you ever really fantasied about going on a surf trip?

Of course you have. Did it go a little something like this? Wake up - surf incredible waves – breakie – surf incredible waves – lunch – quick nap – surf incredible waves – dinner – sundowner incredible waves – beer etc. Repeat. Well why not throw in things like snake charmers, elephants, leopards, tea plantations and tastings, tuk tuks and a whole lot of relaxing. You still with me? Yes I thought so.

Do you think such a paradise is a myth? It's not. I have found it. I admit, not everyone's idea of paradise is the same. If you don't like waking up in cozy comfort, being mere paces from some of the best surf on the island and having dinner cooked to order every night, then please stop reading now.

So where is this place? Answer: Sri Lanka, and more specificity THE place to stay: Ebb & Flow Jungalows. Custom designed from the ground up, these 'Jungalows', each housing 4-6 people, are in the most idealistic location. Walk out the front door, across the road and boom, there you are, six different options for waves right in front of you. It really doesn't get much better than that.

Owners, hosts and much more, Garrath & Verity have built their version of paradise into one that you can experience too. We had the chance to to have a chat with them and ask some questions about their dream paradise and how they want to share it with you.

SB: Hey Garrath, thanks for sparing the time for us, how are the waves out there?

Garrath: Hey James, no problems. I have actually just got back from a trip to Indo and I have not checked the waves yet today but they should be good.

SB: So how did you come up with the idea for Ebb & Flow?

Garrath: Well it was a combination of different things, first of all we where working really hard in Dubai, I was a tennis coach and, as much as I like a good game of tennis, it was not really doing it for me any more. I had fallen in love with surfing a few years before and thought there must be a way to make surfing more part of my life. I kind of feel like once you start surfing everything else becomes less important, which surprised me at the time. We always loved Sri Lanka, really fancied a new challenge and wanted to be able to share our dream with everyone else. That's when we had the idea for Ebb & Flow.

SB: So where were you guys born, where did you grow up?

Garrath: I am from Port Elizabeth in South Africa which I am sure you know is not that far from J Bay and Verity is from Christchurch in New Zealand.

SB: How long did it take you guys to set up Ebb & Flow, was it difficult?

Garrath: Wow, so from the beginning, making the decision, quitting my job, moving out here, finding the spot and getting the planning permission all passed I guess about 18 months. We had lots of different permissions to get because of the location we wanted to build on. We are right next to the beach, so there were coastal and environmental permissions to get, it took more time because of that. Once we had the go ahead, it took about 6 and a half months in construction before the Junglows where finished. We were very lucky and found an amazing contractor to do the work especially as things don't move that fast out here. (laughs)

SB: What time of year is best to book up with you guys?

Garrath: Well the temperature is pretty consistent all year round (28ish degrees, that's air and water!) but we get a lot bigger swell on the non peak season (May-August). Peak season is actually December which is when the waves are at their smallest. So the best 2 months to come I would say would be November and April, that way you get the best conditions, less people around, more consistent swell.

SB: Tell us about the surf? Do you get a chance to surf with guests at all?

Garrath: Yes, I love it. Obviously I want to go where the best waves are too, so if the guests have an okay level of surfing then that's the best thing for all of us. We are in a village called Midigama, and right in front of the villas there is what I like to think as the best wave on the Island, Rams. It's a perfect right hander and is really good up until about 5ft. You can go left and right from the Jungalows and within a 3 min walk you have 6 different options for waves all for varying levels of surfer which is pretty radical, come on over. (laughs)

SB: I am booking up as soon as I hang up Garrath! Where is the nearest airport and how far away is it?

Garrath: No problems, as I said, come on over. The nearest airport is Colombo which is on the west coast and it's about 140 kms away. Before they put the new highway in it used to take 5-6 hours to get to us, but now we can do door to door airport runs in about 2 hours which is cool. We can also organise that for our guests if they want.

SB: Wow, sounds like you guys really do have everything covered. Do you have a lot of return guests?

Garrath: Well, we have been open for just over a year now and have had people come back three times already. We don't do any big advertising campaigns and just rely a bit on social media and mostly on the best sort of advertising – word of mouth. Verity is so good at being on-line and gets back to everyone quickly with honest answers to questions which is really important too.

SB: What is included when you stay at the Jungalows?

Garrath: Well we have quite a simple but guest centric model, we really wanted to leave as much time for surfing as possible. We have a chef on-site who will cook your breakfast and then have a chat about what sort of thing you want to eat for the day, get the cash and will then tootle off to the market and buy all the fresh ingredients. The Jungalows themselves are finished to a high standard, they each have two bedrooms, both with en-suite - and the bedrooms have a swimming pool right outside the door. An open air dining room and chill out area upstairs, they both have lawns, some really cool private al fresco bathrooms (one with a bath and one with a double rain shower), and a board rack. Bedrooms get cleaned and everything gets taken care of, basically you don't need to worry about anything. We are really flexible too and we want you to feel like it your home. Its really a laid back luxury space to enjoy time with mates or family - an alternative to a “hotel room”

SB: What else is there to do besides the surf?

Garrath: There are loads of cultural things to do. You can go to tea estates and have tastings, (like wine tasting but with tea), there is a turtle sanctuary you can visit, an elephant sanctuary. You can do some amazing hikes up to ancient monuments. My personal favorite is the local snake doctor, he is the guy to visit if you get bitten, he will suck the poison out for you but he has loads of different snakes and he does the whole tourist thing with them, puts on a show. Its pretty amazing. The best thing about Sri Lanka though is just the everyday life stuff, its just so different to the western culture that you will see different cool things wherever you go. If you are less keen on the cultural stuff you can mix in some trips to some awesome beach bars - Verity actually does this thing called a “Tuktuk Tipple Tour” its basically an excuse for her drink cocktails and show guests her favorite places!

SB: Do you follow the WSL at all? If so who is going to win this year?

Garrath: I do follow it fervently and I want Kelly to win for the next 10 years (laughs). Kelly for me is just still on that next level. When he is on, he is on. We could talk about this for hours though.

SB: What was your first surfboard?

Garrath: Yes I can remember it very clearly. I had moved to Taiwan and I lived by the beach and saw people surfing. I bought this yellow 7'4 mini-mal with stripes down the side. The first time I took it out I did not know that I had to put wax on it (laughs) and kept slipping off.

SB: Can you remember the first time you caught a wave?

Garrath: After I bought the board and put wax on it, I was addicted and surfed every day until I caught my first green wave. I was so mesmerized at the feeling and the motion that I surfed right onto the rocks. (laughs)

SB: Thanks a lot for your time guys, hope you get some good waves.

At the time of the interview, Verity and Garrath were just gearing up for the building of phase two of their project that sounds amazing. They have bought a new piece of land that is going to house another stunning idea. A bit back from the sea and more with the emphasis on wellness and yoga, it really is going to be something special so keep an eye out for that on their website.

It seems clear to me that if you want to surf and relax in a paradisical setting with no worries then look no further, these guys want your stay with them to be the best it can be and that really shows in what they have done. Looks like I better book some flights to Sri Lanka.