Colombo: Discovering the Beautiful Homestay Mahasen by Foozoo

Sometimes we sit on one of the wooden benches on the terrace to sip a coffee while the string lights are on and paint a magical vibe. And Shadow comes searching for leftovers of our dinner. The pastel pinks and blues and yellows of the terrace wall. The pop-up pinks of new-born flowers. The humming sound of music played downstairs. We are on the terrace of our cute little BnB in Colombo.

Colombo isn’t exactly our home. But for the last two or three years, it’s been the ‘home’ we live. And exploring our home is something we are fond of doing when we aren’t headed to others parts of the island. We’ve stayed in a number of hostels in Colombo but not BnBs (Drift BnB comes a little closer although it’s more like a hostel). If you’ve been closely following our journeys for the last few months, we’ve tend to move on to guesthouses, BnBs (including Airbnbs), cottages and eco lodges over hotels and hostels. Here’s the thing. We’ve become ardent fans of the hospitality and homely feeling of small guesthouses. So here we are at Mahasen by Foozoo. It probably is the cutest BnB in the capital. (Also read: Travel tips and places to see in Colombo)

We’ve the penthouse to us. It sits on the topmost floor. The shower is glass-walled, half-tinted, and if you are a little taller, you are here to see a beautiful picture of the city lights while you shower. Next to our bed is a cute bench-like seating area made in wood, and decorated with soft cushions. They’ve paid great attention to detail.

Dinesh makes us a cup of tea. Two, to be exact. In mornings, the guests gather to the dining hall for Sri Lankan breakfast. We had Kiribath (milk rice) with lunu miris the first day. It’s a full breakfast here. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” says Dinesh, to a guest, with a chuckle. Second day, we had Sri Lankan pancakes. It’s rolled-up pancakes with a filling of scraped coconut coated with sugar syrup and mixed with some spices.

Sugar, here, is a cute cat. A lazy one. He’s probably the laziest we’ve seen our lives. He sleeps the entire day. Midnight Wonky stands up to its name. A tiny black cat who skews when he walks. He is where the food is. He snarled at Nathan, his camera, jumped onto his lap, scratched his pants because food matters. Not humans. Gummy is the third cat. The last one. He sticks to you like good old gum. He’s clingy, fluffy and a cute ball of fur. Shadow is the doggo who climbs up stairs just to eat leftover chicken bones. These are the real bosses of Foozoo. These lovely little creatures are one of the many reasons we fell in love with this BnB with a homely vibe.

The walls are painted in beautiful hues, not just your boring white. Everywhere you go, there’s a houseplant or handwritten quotes on bedroom mirrors and walls. The red Anthuriums, the pink orchids and walls decorated with plants we cannot name, they all create a tropical vibe. Foozoo is not just your average homestay. The beautiful house is filled with a positive vibe. It’s a small social hub with quirky decor and plenty of open spaces to mingle with others.

We loved our two days at Mahasen by Foozoo, lazing around in our room watching endless episodes of Chicago P.D. (ugh, that’s what Nathan watches) and The Middle (you gotta see this show kids) while we served ourselves a few cups of tea and coffee. And this gorgeous Bed and Breakfast has to be our new favourite place in Colombo.

Practical Information

Mahasen by Foozoo is on Mahasen Road (now you know where the name comes from) in Colombo 05. It’s the perfect location. A quiet residential lane. Walk up the road to the main road and walk five minutes to your right, you’d come across a plethora of cafes, shops, restaurants including our favourite Giovanni’s for Pizza! Try Lunu Ambula for lunch if you are around! They’ve got good rice and curry.

The guesthouse has 7 rooms. It’s 3 guys who run this cute BnB. And our favourite thing is, they are all against any sort of discrimination. Everyone’s welcome here. It’s both LGBT and pet friendly. They also do tours and cooking classes. If you are interested, just connect with them on Instagram or on Facebook.

If you are looking for a gorgeous place to stay a few nights while you explore Colombo or for a staycation, or even if you are on a business trip (we met an Indian businessman here, too) we cannot recommend you a better place in Colombo. And the best thing is, it doesn’t break the bank. Check their latest rates and book here on Booking.com!

We would like to thank Mahasen by Foozoo for organizing our stay with them, but as always opinions are honest and entirely our own.