Helga’s Folly is my now officially my favorite hotel ever. Every inch of this hulking building with seemingly endless halls is painted or covered with mosaics of fabulous creatures – apsaras, Alice in Wonderland, skeletons and animals. It’s a kaleidoscope of bright, whimsical, dark and moody.

Helga’s Folly in Kandy, Sri Lanka

When I first arrived, I got to choose between rooms 11 or 12. Room 12 was a little bigger, but was too darkly intense. I picked room 11, which has cheery chartreuse walls in the bedroom decorated with flying monkeys and apsaras, and a hot pink bathroom with a big black and white part snake part fish creature painted in the shower.

Apsara in room 11

Pink snake fish in room 11

Helga’s Folly: A Famous Hotel

Helga Blow, the hotel owner, is from a famous Sri Lankan family which has long been involved in the island’s history and politics. As I explored Kandy everybody seemed to have an opinion of my hotel. One of my tuk tuk drivers talked about what a great family they were and how much they meant to the city. Another one said the place gave him the creeps and he wouldn’t want to be alone there at night.

Staircase at Helga’s Folly

While I was staying there, I encountered two different groups of people who were visiting the hotel as an attraction, but staying elsewhere (The hotel charges three dollars to have a look around). I let them check out my room. Both groups found the property intriguing, but said they wouldn’t stay there themselves. One woman thought it would be eerie to awaken in the middle of the night there, and another called it rundown. I found myself offended on the hotel’s behalf. But then again, if they felt like that they obviously didn’t belong there. Although I will admit to finding the local monkeys creepy. They rampaged at night, a herd of them romping across the ceiling of my third-floor room and scratching at the sliding door.

Hotel entrance

Common Areas at Helga’s Folly

Many people say they don’t visit places intending to stay in a hotel room all day, so where they stay doesn’t matter. I’m the opposite. I like a little sightseeing and a lot of hotel. This is partly because I’m usually on some sort of combination holiday and writing retreat. For me, hotels are highlights of travel. And I relish good common areas.

Well, never have I seen so many fabulous common areas as at Helga’s Folly. There must be at least eight different rooms to choose from, all with couches, love seats, all types of chairs. Art and decor everywhere – paintings of cats, old photos, Christmas decorations, bright pillows.

 I found a favorite spot to share with Toby, the orange and white hotel cat. From downstairs comes a constant sound track of old music like Frank Sinatra, Julie London and the occasional Bing Crosby Christmas song in September.

My favorite writing spot at Helga’s Folly

If you ask for a cup of coffee, the server delivers it on a tray in a silver pot with matching creamer and sugar container, plus a plate of homemade ginger biscuits. Dinner gets a similarly fancy treatment. And, good news for me, Helga herself is vegetarian, so the staff is prepared to make veg folks something filling and delicious. When i stayed, I had pittu, a Sri Lankan dish of rice cooked in coconut milk and served with veg sides.

The hotel gave me the weirdest feeling, like it could absorb me, like I could happily merge into the décor and become a permanent part of it. I miss that hotel.