character, complexion, difference, discreteness, distinctiveness, eccentricity, idiosyncrasy, individualism, originality, uniqueness, and STYLE.
Welcomed with chilled ginger beer by staff dressed in tomato red to match the building. While being led through the cavern of rooms to our bedroom our eyes were captivated by colour and our ears by the strains of Marlene Dietrich. To stay here is to enveloped in the history of the house and its owner; you are not in a hotel you are in a home and some home. Baroque candles cascading with wax, gold trimmed glasses and a constant trip for the eyes. impeccable discreet service and an utter moveable feast. Thank you Helga we loved staying with you and meeting you.

Mind boggling...every room is individual overflowing with creativity, paintings, music, family history, antiques etc.

Madame Helga - charming and very hospitable.

Superb location - high up on the hill with great views of Kandy...

Staff are excellent and very welcoming.....

One critic..cooking could be better....

Had a tip from a friend to go here and very glad that i did. Only went for drinks and dinner, but it was the highlight of Kandy for my friend and I. If you are the type of person who likes clean cut 5 star boring places don't go here, but if you want an amazing experience that is strange, quirky, fun and adventurous get here.

It is a little expensive for Sri Lanka but i would pay it all again just to see the walls and decoration. You won't see anything like this for a very long time trust me.

Helga popped over said hello and was fun and interesting, as were the other guests. Food was good, but it was more the ambiance of the room and decorations that made it a night to remember. For anyone coming through kandy this is a must stop no questions asked.

Might want to book transport on the way back though as none of the tuk tuks would take us back for some reason, and it is about a 20 minute walk back to the main road.

A friend and I had been recommended this place, we were told it was weird, eccentric, dark but artistic - it was certainly all those things and more! We arrived and were lead into a large living type room that had been decorated in such a way it just gave the place an amazing feel, hard to describe but we were both overwhelmed.... in a pleasant way. It was dark so the waiter lit a number of candelabras and sat us down.

We ordered our drinks (they aren't cheap but about the same as most western bars) and sat down to enjoy them and soak up the ambience. Initially we were the only ones there, we invited our driver to join us for some drinks so he did. Throughout the course of the evening we encountered some extremely interesting characters including Helga herself, she seemed to float into the room and greeted us all very politely then went on to see other guests.

The food was great, small servings but a 3 course set menu and great value considering the surroundings. Helga is no ordinary woman, nor were any of the other people we met that night, it may not be to everyone's liking but for us it struck a chord and I strongly recommend people to go and make up their own mind.

For me it was a place I will always remember, and for all the right reasons, fascinating surroundings and interesting people. I didn't check to see if there was dust on the picture frames, i personally don't care, for a drink, a meal and a memorable night this place is hard to beat.

If you want a squeaky clean, boring environment or are troubled by things that are slightly out of your comfort zone don't bother going to Helga's, if you are adventurous and open minded you will love the place.

I didn't stay here because we had already booked in Kandy, but the other guests said the rooms were great and if I went back to Kandy this would be where I would be staying.