Shopping in Colombo

If you need to stock up on gifts before flying home, have your driver take you straight to the flagship of Paradise Road (213 Dharmapala Mawatha; www.paradiseroad.lk). Housed in a restored mansion, the store’s many rooms are a trove of homeware, local crafts, food and beauty products. Don't miss the fun market bags featuring the Singhalese alphabet, napkins printed with elephants and colorfully printed linen sarongs (for women and men).

Another good one-stop shop is Barefoot (704 Galle Rd.; www.barefootceylon.com), which also has a smaller outlet in Galle. The specialty here is Sri Lanka's Dumbura weaving (thick, colorful mats, table runners and wall hangings handmade on large looms), and the shop carries a huge variety of textiles, clothing, as well as sweet stuffed animals, fabric-covered notebooks and teas from The Withered Leaf.

After a shopping spree, have lunch at the chic Gallery Café (2 Alfred House Rd.), a restaurant housed in the former offices of architect Geoffrey Bawa (Sri Lanka's answer to Frank Lloyd Wright). Go for the baked crab and save room for dessert: the long list of cakes, pastries, pies and homemade ice creams is legendary here.