Sri Lanka invites many with its rich nature and a lot of them stay. That is the case of Helga Blow, who gives the eastern country this unusual place called Helga’s Folly. Everything started when she used to paint on the walls as a way to escape the bad divorce she was going trough.

She inherited the place in 1994 and since she has painted on the surfaces. Every room is different and entering the hotel is like entering a strange world. It’s not easy to reach as it’s in Kandy, a mountain area in Sri Lanka. The best way is to hire their unusual Srilankan taxis called tuk-tuk.

Just from the reception, the guests are surprised from the interior. The lights are dull the floor is black and many strange creatures are watching from the walls; definitely not the common atmosphere of a welcoming hotel. Some are the paintings on the walls, others are pictures. There is a painting on the roof of every space in the hotel. The number of rooms is 40 and each is unique.

One has painting all over the walls and even the door has different colors and colorful drapes on them, the bed is like strange cocoons full of veils and panes but the last is needed as the tropical character of the country which makes hard to sleep well with all the insects flying around.

The dining areas are something no one can see in other restaurant. The dull colors are in charge. Many different lamps both on the roof or night lamps are all over the places. The metal goblets are everywhere; the chairs are as if taken from a gothic castle. Nothing awakens the appetite only the imagination.

The hotel has many famous guests through the years; it’s really an oasis for creative souls.