HELGASFOLLY Anti Hotel Residence

The staff were FANTASTIC. 10/10. Having a pot of tea in the lounge was delightful. The doodling on huge art books was super enjoyable. The history of the house and the artwork was interesting. The pool was usable AND the 15 or so monkeys we saw in the trees by the pool added to our Sri Lanka experience. I tore my trousers in Kandy and the went out and got needle and thread for me to repair. They carried my friend’s bag and staff were always available to help.

It was dilapidated and too big to manage so not as clean as we would have liked. Hard to find and remote location to access central Kandy. Dinner (food/beverages) were very expensive but it was freshly cooked to order.

Helga’s is so unique, so special, so “sui generis”, it cannot be rated on the same scale as an ordinary hotel. Every square inch of floor, wall, and ceiling space tells a story— brilliant for being mostly inscrutable. It itself is a work of art. Yes, one could go there for drinks and tour it like a quirky museum, but that misses a core experience. One must stay at least a night to fully absorb it.

The rooms (esp. the bathrooms) are short on creature comforts, and a bit dusty, though the basics (A/C, wifi) are there.

Helga’s Folly is the reason we came to Kandy. And what am experience it was. Yes it’s a bit dusty (but not as dirty as some claim). Yes, there are bats flying in the corridors (how good is that). And yes, monkeys bounce on the tin roof early in the morning. But what a place to stay. You won’t stay anywhere like this anywhere in the world. Every surface of every room is adorned with some type of art, artwork, or ornament. Make sure you have dinner and breakfast there, sitting at the table with skeletons (not real ones) next to you. The food is totally OK. Don’t stay here if you want luxury. Stay here if you want an unforgettable experience in Sri Lanka.

We loved it.

Yes Helgas folly is a unique experience, but it is just that an experience.

Well It’s not clean, but I suppose they’d put that down to the character of the building. Not a great fan of bats flying down the corridor either