Tatler offer their 101 Best Hotels 2010 addition, with Java Moon at Bolgoda Lake, Sri Lanka making the cut. "A little fruit with maximum flavour. Romantic, heavenly, it's one of Sri Lanka's secret shining stars. There are only two rooms, so nab both - the bigger one has an infinity pool inset into the verandah and overlooks the lake." Ampersand Travel is recommended as the expert to take you to there. Tatler - January 2010
From its main office in London, Ampersand Travel designs bespoke tours, combining off-the-beaten-path activities with luxury experiences and accommodations. They’re especially good on India’s south. Departures - October 2008
The dashing James Grace-Jayasundera is the advisor of choice for discerning travellers keen to explore the Indian subcontinent. Born to diplomatic parents in Sri Lanka, he grew up Rome, rubbing shoulders with the great and the good. Annual family pilgrimages to India and Sri Lanka gave him an insight into the needs of high end traveller, and running a safari camp in Namibia taught him how to manage a hotel. Since founding Ampersand Travel in 2003, his little black book has expanded to include Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives, and his client list has grown to boast big shots around the world. Wallpaper* - October 2007
"My whole ethos is that luxury travel is about having experiences," says James Jayasundera, founder of Ampersand Travel in London…. "Travelling by train for short distances has always been a good way for foreigners to engage locals," he says. "Now there are a lot of small hotels run by absolutely fascinating people where guests mingle, sometimes eat together. These are also the best places for meeting upwardly mobile Indians who are starting to travel around India instead of going to Switzerland." Time Magazine - September 2007
Clemmie Hambro writes: “Don’t even think of being a clever clogs and booking a trip to India on the internet: it’s always best to use a travel specialist. Travel specialists of note are Ampersand Travel” Vanity Fair - April 2007
“James Jayasundera of Ampersand Travel predicts that “rural tourism will be the next huge thing, especially where there is some kind of local character, such as handicrafts, heritage weaving or pottery. Villages within travelling distance of the bigger tourist destinations – Agra, Delhi, Rajasthan – in particular.” British Airways High Life - April 2007
Hannah Roberts writes about Privacy at Sanctuary Bay arranged by Ampersand Travel “the whitewashed, thatched one-bedroom suite and the traditional wooden bungalow are fully staffed, leaving you with nothing more to do than sit on the verandah overlooking Lake Vembanad and remind yourself how total tranquillity feels” Harper’s Bazaar - March 2007
James Jayasundera, who operates the London based Ampersand Travel, likes “to believe that luxury is in the experience” rather than in how much one spends on a holiday or the thread count of one’s sheet. Luxury travel means minimising stress and discomfort while maximising enjoyment and the use if one’s time and resources. Luxury travellers value their time, money and opportunities, spending freely whichever one is in greatest abundance to them. LuxuryCulture.com - December 2006
Joanna Weinberg who travelled with Ampersand Travel waxes lyrical on Rawla Narlai, a ’small, beautifully restored hunting lodge, sitting exactly halfway along the road between Jodhpur and Udaipur, full of country simplicity …pretty gardens… and breathtaking scenery.” Tatler - November 2006
Smooth Operators: the neatest tailor-made specialists "A lifelong passion for travel in the best possible style is how Sri Lankan James Grace-Jayasundera conveys the idea behind Ampersand - set up by this former banker in 2003 and making use of his myriad contacts in Sri Lanka and India. Since then, demand for his custom-designed trips to the subcontinent has boomed." Ultratravel - Daily Telegraph - April 2006
World’s Top Ten Super-Agents: Sophy Roberts writes: the travel experts who can give their customers access to the most exclusive accommodation and events "James Grace-Jayasundera knows Sri Lanka's swankiest private villa and hotel owners by name. He will also say things straight - which hotels are on their way up and which hotels are going down, which is essential in a region where consistency can be problematic." Financial Times - November 2005
“Local knowledge is key. If you want a shindig in Sri Lanka, turn to James Jayasundera, who runs Ampersand Travel. Through his intricate family connections, he is able to lay on anything from private houses for 200 guests to a welcome of 140 elephants. ‘If you know who to call, having a party abroad does not have to be a giant hurdle,’ says Jayasundera.” The Financial Times’ How to Spend It - November 2004
“A number of stunning boutique hotels have opened in Sri Lanka, in its jungle interior and on its butter-gold beaches. Most are run by locals with foreign partners who have fallen in love with Sri Lanka and can’t leave,’ says James Jayasundera of Ampersand Travel, which specialises in luxury bespoke tours of the island.” Condé Nast Traveller - May 2004