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Helga's Folly

Art Deco hotel with 4 restaurants and 24-hour front desk

Photo gallery for Helga's Folly

Interior detail
Interior
Breakfast meal
Room
Dining

Reviews

6.4 out of 10

Popular amenities

  • Bar
  • Pool
  • Breakfast available
  • Air conditioning
  • Room service
  • Laundry

Explore the area

Map
70,Rajapihilla Mawatha, Kandy
  • Kandy Lake
    ‪5 min walk‬
  • Temple of the Tooth
    ‪15 min walk‬
  • Royal Palace of Kandy
    ‪18 min walk‬

Rooms & beds

Spaces

Balcony
Number of living rooms
Garden

View all photos for Deluxe Double Room, 1 King Bed, Balcony, Mountain View

Room

Deluxe Double Room, 1 King Bed, Balcony, Mountain View

  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Superior Double Room, 1 King Bed, Balcony, Mountain View

Room

Superior Double Room, 1 King Bed, Balcony, Mountain View

  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

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About the area

Kandy

Kandy is home to Helga's Folly. Dhamma Kuta Vipassana Meditation Centre and Kadugannawa Tea Factory & Sales Center are worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those looking for area attractions can visit New Ranweli Spice Garden and Royal Botanical Garden. Looking to enjoy an event or a game while in town? See what's happening at Asgiriya Stadium or Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

What's nearby

  • Kandy Lake - 5 min walk - 0.5 km
  • Udawatta Kele Sanctuary - 10 min walk - 0.9 km
  • Temple of the Tooth - 15 min walk - 1.3 km
  • Royal Palace of Kandy - 18 min walk - 1.6 km
  • National Hospital Kandy - 4 min drive - 2.9 km

Getting around

  • Kandy Railway Station - 14 min drive
  • Colombo (CMB-Bandaranaike Intl.) - 171 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Hideout Lounge - ‬13 min walk
  • ‪The Empire Café - ‬6 min drive
  • ‪Soul Food - ‬6 min drive
  • ‪Burger King - ‬6 min drive
  • ‪Senani Restaurant - ‬4 min drive

About this property

Helga's Folly

Art Deco hotel with 4 restaurants and 24-hour front desk
This hotel features 4 restaurants, an outdoor pool and a bar/lounge. Free WiFi in public areas and free self parking are also provided. Additionally, concierge services, dry cleaning and laundry facilities are on-site.
Helga's Folly offers 15 accommodations with complimentary bottles of water and free toiletries. Rooms open to balconies. This Kandy hotel provides complimentary wireless Internet access. Bathrooms include baths or showers. Cots/infant beds (complimentary) are also available. Housekeeping is provided on a daily basis.
Recreational amenities at the hotel include an outdoor pool.

Languages

English

Amenities

Pool
Parking included
Free WiFi
Restaurant
Air conditioning
Breakfast available

House Rules

Check in after 2 PM
Minimum age to rent: 15
Check out before 11 AM
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Pets

No pets allowed, no service animals permitted

Important information

Optional extras

  • Fee for continental breakfast: from approximately USD 12 per person

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards

We should mention

No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property

Frequently asked questions

Does Helga's Folly have a pool?

Yes, this property has an outdoor pool.

Is Helga's Folly pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking at Helga's Folly?

Self-parking is free at this property.

What time is check-in at Helga's Folly?

Check-in start time: 2 PM; check-in end time: 8 PM.

What time is check-out at Helga's Folly?

Checkout is at 11 AM.

Does Helga's Folly provide a shuttle to the airport?

Yes, there's an airport shuttle.

Where is Helga's Folly located?

Situated in Kandy, this hotel is within 1 mile (2 km) of Kandy Lake, Lakeside Adventist Hospital and Malwathu Maha Viharaya. Kandy Viewpoint and Kandyan Art Association & Cultural Centre are also within 1 mile (2 km).

Helga's Folly Reviews

Reviews

6.4
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 5 out of 19 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 5 out of 19 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 19 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 4 out of 19 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 4 out of 19 reviews

5.2/10

Cleanliness

7.8/10

Staff & service

5.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Sam

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Helga’s Folly is a revelry

Helga’s Folly is a dreamscape, unlike any other place I’ve been. Our stay here was one of the highlights of our trip to Sri Lanka. In addition to the incredible artwork and decorations that fill the mansion, the service is wonderful, Madame Helga is a graceful hostess, and the food is delicious. This is a hotel for artists, dreamers, novel readers, and monkey lovers. However, if your top priority is having all the comforts and luxuries of a modern upscale hotel, you should look elsewhere.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

Alexandre

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Piscine

La piscine n’était pas propre.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

2/10 Terrible

Girleen, Portland, OR

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
I wanted to love this place, but dirty sheets, dirt in the shower and cockroaches scuttling around ruined it for me. Not to mention atrocious conditions for my driver to stay in (3 to a room cots, exposed bathroom). Not cool. I get the whole “eccentric artist hotel” thing. I expected it to be a little tatty, but dirty? No thank you. This place needs the lights turned up and a massive scrubbing. Madame needs to quit coasting on her aristocratic family and connections and be a gracious hostess worthy of paying guests. Her manager turned up his nose at my complaints basically saying he doesn’t care about bad reviews and gave me a paltry 10% off my dinner. Not enough. Well here you go. Reader, you’ve been warned.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018

4/10 Poor

Jo, UK

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Dirty throughout. Must have been amazing 25 years

The hotel has been sadly neglected and whilst it's quirky to look at ... it's very dirty and very disappointing.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2018

2/10 Terrible

O + J, Waldfeucht

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Fast wie eine veraltete Ruine

Es fing damit an, dass unser einheimischer Fahrer die Hotelzufahrt nicht gefunden hat, da wir uns nicht vorstellen konnten über Schutthaufen einen ramponierten Weg fahren zu können. Der Empfang des 2. Managers war zutiefst unfreundlich und der Zustand des Hauses unzumutbar. Wir sind auf die interessanten Fotos bei der Buchung reingefallen. Das Essen konnte nur im Eingangsbereich beim Manager bestellt werden. Da das Hühnchen undefinierbar geschmeckt hat, haben wir es dem Manager auch persönlich präsentiert. Wir sind nach einer Nacht abgereist und halten diese Erfahrung bestimmt in Erinnerung.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Yvonne, India

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Helga's wonderland

Helga"s Folly is more than simply an hotel where one goes for rest and refreshment. Being there is like entering a dream - on arrival your surroundings appear both vaguely familiar and disconcertingly strange. Our room for example, contained a regular double bed which on closer inspection was dressed with silk sheets and the softest, most generous pillows that we had encountered on our travels. Colour was everywhere. The windows leading the balcony were covered with gorgeous butterflies and the pink ceiling was embellished with a white magnolia tree. Every journey from our room to other parts of the premises was an encounter with something wonderful. Our corridor contained many images of Alice in wonderland which seemed most apt to us. Helga and her team have created an alternative world that we can marvel at, explore and enjoy. We found the food delicious and the staff, especially manager Singa helpful and friendly and all times.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2018

4/10 Poor

MR

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities

Living off past glories

A hotel that is living on its past glories - poor food, slow service, poor maintenance, needs updating. Many of Helga’s art and artworks are amazing but the hotel is doomed unless the many issues are sorted. Hopefully the new manager can turn things around.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018

8/10 Good

Laurie

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort

Magical

One of the coolest hotels I have ever stayed in
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Marius

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Magical artistic hide out

Helga‘s Folly is a magical place! Go see and experience this beautiful museum-ish diary of an flomboyant life.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

bohemian mess.. dirty, smelly, neglected and sad

We booked but upon arrival found that the hotel did not meet even basic levels of hygiene. I have travelled in Asia and China all of my life and the condition of this hotel startled me. Neglected and dirty - bathrooms not clean and the bed sheets stained. Honestly, I could not stay in this hotel and left immediately to look for a different hotel. I know the hotel is meant to be eccentric and bohemian and charming - but there is no charm in dirty rooms.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

4/10 Poor

Nadine

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
leider konnte uns dieses vom design her einzigartige häuschen nicht überzeugen. es hat seine beste zeit schon gehabt. was echt schade ist, da die leute sehr nett und hilfsbereit sind. es ist nur oberflächlich sauber, essen war leider echt nicht genießbar, pool konnte man nicht schwimmen (laut personal wäre es möglich, aber das wasser bewegte sich gar nicht und war schon sehr trüb...) man braucht immer ein tuk tuk um vom hügel in die city zukommen.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

8/10 Good

Dennis, UK

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort

Unique experience.

Unique experience. Staff friendly and welcoming.Food very good. Bats in sitting room, monkeys on roof and fireflies in garden. Unmissable.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

8/10 Good

Nehal Kishore, Mumbai

Liked: Staff & service

Art Lovers Rejoice

Helga's Folly is an art gallery, a museum, a boutique hotel all rolled in to one. Very colorful, full of curios, photographs, artefacts, etc. An amazing place. But needs some maintenance or maybe it is intended to give the old antiquated look.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

センスは嫌いじゃないけど残念すぎる

以前雑誌で見てずっと気になってました。 予想以上の奇抜なセンスにちょっと驚きましたが、これはこれでありだと思います。 ただ、まず部屋がかび臭い。バスルームには蟻の行列。バスタブが茶ばんでる。排水口にはゴキブリ。絶対お湯をはるなんてできない。 どんな安宿でもこんな汚いとこに泊まったことないです。 そこそこの金額払ってるのにこれはないと思います。 ただ、スタッフの方はフレンドリーな方が多かったです。
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
ガイドブックで面白そうなホテルだと思って予約しましたが、まるでサイケでカオスなホーンテッドマンションという雰囲気で面白いというよりちょっと怖かったです。 全体的にメンテナンス状態が悪く、ベッドも歪んでいたり、シャワーもほとんどお湯が出ないなど、全く高級ホテルとは思えませんでしたが、なかなか他では味わえない雰囲気でスタッフも親切だったので、こういうアートが好きな人は一度泊まってみてもよいかもしれません。
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

8/10 Good

Niklas, Märsta

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Bra hotell vid stranden

Ett bra hotell precis på stranden. Tidvattnet gör dock att stranden försvinner delar av dagen. Poolen är väldigt fin och passade oss perfekt. Hotellet ligger i en lugn del av Hikkaduwa och på en lugn del av stranden, vi reste med en tvååring så det passade oss perfekt.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Anne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

En anderledes hoteloplevelse, men et "must do"

Hotellet er indrettet utrolig charmerende og en lille smule uhyggeligt... Det er meget anderledes, men absolut et besøg værd.