What happened to my friend and I while staying in the Olde Empire was something which I never wish to think about or happen again. We arrived late in Kandy and this was the place recommended to us by a friend, a male friend I should add. We were shown to our room, which I immeditely asked to be changed. The next room we got was no better. The guidebooks said the rooms were a little dingy - that doesn't come close. I'm exactly fussy when it comes to accommodation, I can budget with the best of them! And sure this place has charm but maybe visit it as an attraction rather than some place to rest your head for the night, you'll see for yourself when you see the filth of the bare mattress (that's right, no sheets provided - I asked for a sheet but the one I got I wouldn't give to a dog) and the walls and the little messages written onto the walls above the doors saying 'this room has fleas', and the state of the shared bathroom, I mean I could go on, in fact I could write a book about my experience there. But my issue wasn't even with cleanliness. Far from. This is no place for solo female travellers or even a small group of females. The occupancy is almost entirely male sri lankan with few or no other females staying. Now I know why. I can honestly say I've never felt so unsafe and threatened in all my life. Stupidly we stayed there 3 nights, with each night it got worse, the intimidation and harrassment. The 3rd night took the biscuit. The males waiting outside our room for us looking in through the cracked door and whispering various nastiness to use was enough to destroy our entire Sri Lanka experience. Worse happened but this isn't the place to say. We left at the crack of dawn and walked and walked until we were far from sight.

I've been in Sri Lanka for 4 months now, staying in various hotels and guesthouses along the room. I've never posted comments on this before but so bad was the expereince I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Every other place we've stayed has been a dream. It's such a beautiful country and so worth the visit, it's just a shame how the majority of the male population see white women. If you're young and on your own or in 2's or 3's please take extra care and try and stay in places run by a couple or by places, where the manager's and owners are one in the same and are live in or by places managed by women. Unfortunately, this isn't an exaggerated story. Take care females, especially backpackers!

The review above says it all about the Olde Empire - I would just like to add that should you be in Kandy for the first day of the Perahera (Elephant Festival) then the procession passes right underneath the balcony at the Olde Empire.
When I was staying there was a great mix of tourists and Sri Lankans and so I learnt a lot more than I expected - make sure you spend some time in the planters chairs at the end of the balcony and soak up some of that colonial splendour!

To rate the Olde Empire on a regular scale is hard. It's undeniable charm comes from its age (149 years, according to the staff, but not all that time as a hotel), its truly excellent location and the graceful decrepitude of hallways and staircases. If you crave modern luxuries, by all means stay at the Queen's Hotel instead (it's situated next to the Olde Empire). If, on the other hand, you value nice evenings on the verandah, with colonial-style furniture, overlooking the park, the lake and the temples, hearing the incessant drumming of the guardians of Buddha's Sacred Tooth, watching wild monkeys scurry around on the roofs, smelling the incense that is burned to keep mosquitos away, then going to bed under an old mosquito net, this is the place for you. It is also rather inexpensive, even if you take their best room. Of those rooms there are two: they are fairly spacious, and while there isn't much in the way of windows, they have a large door opening to the verandah, making it almost an extension of the room. These rooms have their own, incongruously modern bathroom (toilet and shower, cold water only). I would assume that the simpler rooms are less inviting, but the shared toilets upstairs are tidy and proper (the one for the restaurant's guests, downstairs, is very shabby).

The climate of Kandy is pleasantly cool, so the absence of air conditioning won't bother you much. There is also no TV (but you'd be stupid to go all the way to Kandy to watch the telly), no phone (there's a button to press for room service, though) and no fridge/minibar. There is a rustic desk and other furniture, pretty nice actually, and a ceiling fan. The rooms are clean, but you might encounter cockroaches (we saw only one in four days). The beds were not made daily, and the waste basket was not emptied, but it would certainly have been done if we had asked the staff to take care of it.

Breakfast is excellent (try the curries and string hoppers) and is served in the tidy upstairs dining room. The downstairs restaurant is very popular among locals and tourists alike, but makes a rather sloppy impression. The hotel staff is friendly, helpful and flexible, and will help you get a good deal when you want to hire a car with driver.

Strangely enough, the entrance is closed with a large iron grate at night, but a staff member sleeps inside and opens up for you when needed. From the point of fire hazard, the Olde Empire is thus a disaster waiting to happen - an old wooden building with blocked exit, what if the night clerk can't unlock the grate in a panic situation?

In conclusion, I would recommend the Olde Empire to anyone who wants local colour and a taste of faded colonial glory. You will definitely leave with the impression that you have indeed been to an exotic place that doesn't even try to imitate modern Western hotels. And if you can't live without the luxury of hot water, it is possible to pop over to the Queen's Hotel and make use of their swimming pool and showers for a small fee.