Helga's Folly

Helga's Folly is an Art Nouveau boutique hotel situated in Kandy, Sri Lanka owned by Helga de Silva Blow Perera,^[1] daughter of Fredrick de Silva. Gregory Peck, Peter Finch, William Holden,^[2] Mahatma Gandhi, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics are some of the notable guests who stayed at the hotel. Jones went on to write and record the song "Madame Helga" after his stay at the hotel. Helga's Folly has been described as "insane, kind of creepy, but awesome at the same time."^[3]

Helga's Folly
The green room of the hotel
Interactive map of Helga's Folly
Former names	Chalet Hotel
General information
Architectural style	Art Nouveau
Location	Kandy, Sri Lanka
Coordinates	7°17′5.18″N 80°38′43.43″E
Opened	1960s
Owner	Helga de Silva Blow Perera
Design and construction
Architect	Minnette de Silva
Other information
Number of rooms	16
Number of suites	1
Number of restaurants	1
Website
www.helgasfolly.com

History

The blue room

Originally it was the family home, designed by her mother, Esme de Silva in the 1930s.^[2][4] In mid 1990s, de Silva inherited the hotel from her parents^[5] and renamed the hotel to Helga's Folly.

Accommodations

The hotel consists of eight superior rooms, eight deluxe rooms, eight budget and one suite.^[1] The hotel self-designated as an 'anti-hotel'^[6] and decorated with antiques, objects of art, murals, and hundreds of family photographs.^[7]

See also

• List of hotels in Sri Lanka