Nairobi, Kenya

Giraffe Manor

An iconic boutique hotel next to Nairobi's Giraffe Centre

Breakfast with giraffes in Kenya's capital

Originally built in the 1930s, Giraffe Manor is ideally located in south west Nairobi, just 20 minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Situated in one of Nairobi’s most beautiful suburbs, this beautiful Manor House is located on 140 acres of pristine sanctuary land. Perfect for a quick stopover in the capital city, with an extra quirkiness to add to the convenience. What’s more, each guest’s stay directly benefits projects in some of the city’s poorest areas.

This lovely Manor is home to endangered Rothschild giraffes that make daily visits to the house and politely ask guests for snacks. This up-close experience is remarkably enchanting and a great way to begin or finish your safari in Kenya. The opportunity to visit a handful of local attractions such as the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Karen Blixen museum (among others) are also available and a great way to explore Nairobi in more detail.

The style of this boutique hotel is modelled on a Scottish lodge with a contemporary feel to it’s decor.  The main manor house has just six en-suite luxury bedrooms, each with its own character and tastefully decorated. Four additional luxury bedrooms are situated within the garden manor, surrounded by the manicured gardens.

Each room is comfortable, with subtle warm colours that give a homely feel. Grand, four-poster beds and large windows give an airy quality that allows you to simply relax and enjoy your time in Nairobi without the hustle and bustle of city life.

Giraffe Manor is well known for the excellent cuisine offered, with meals taken in the wood panelled dining room overlooking the gardens. Breakfast is the most important part of your experience here, as this is when the Giraffe are their most inquisitive.

Highlights

10 Luxury Manor Bedrooms

Library

Breakfast with giraffes

Exucrsions to markets and museums

City tours

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Places to combine with the Giraffe Manor

Laikipia Plateau

Segera
Styled in a very natural way, Segera is an unusual and elegant safari retreat founded by philanthropist Jochen Zeitz as part of the Zeitz Foundation to support creative and innovative sustainable projects and solutions that balance conservation, community development, culture, and commerce. Surrounded by lovely sculpted gardens complete with expansive lawns, the property is set in a 50,000 acre ranch right in the heart of Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau, with stunning views of Mount Kenya. Segera offers six spacious timber thatched villas. There is one large Segera villa that has a bedroom, terrace, day bed with its own pool, and both an indoor and outdoor lounge, and Segera House with two bedrooms, central lounge, roof terraces and its own private pool area, a good option for families. A new addition and one of the most unique rooms in Africa, spend a night in the NAY PALAD Bird Nest. Built and designed from raw materials, including actual tree branches which have been woven into a nest by local community members, the interior suite features a fully-equipped bathroom with running solar heated water and a literal 360 degree bird’s eye views over the river and plains below from the top deck. There is also a spa, gym, art gallery and a simply wonderful old Wine Tower which you can dine in. This is also a first class area for viewing game; while on your daily drives it is common to see elephants, lions, leopards, hippos, buffalo, antelopes, gazelles, along with the very rare Grevy’s zebras and Patas monkeys. Another star attraction is Gipsy Moth biplane that starred in Out of Africa from which you can enjoy an unforgettable aerial safari.

Borana Conservancy

Arijiju
Arijiju is, simply put, one of the most beautiful houses in Africa. An incredible piece of modern architecture, the private-use retreat sits in the rolling Kenyan hills of the Borana Conservancy as if it’s always been there, borrowing elements from Swahili and Ethiopian vernaculars. Arijiju works very closely with other nearby properties and communities to protect the wildlife and migration corridors. Besides those efforts, the lodge itself is also constructed of local materials and makes use of solar power. Vast wooden doors lead down cloisters and through sun-trapping garden courtyards to a waterhole-overlooking infinity pool and the main house with its expansive living space with a library (which can also function as an office), kitchen, games room and cinema, as well as the grand double-height lounge and dining. Gourmet meals are health focussed, farm to fork affairs enjoyed here, on a sunny terrace, by the pool or perhaps on a rustic picnic or decadent safari dinner. There’s also a charming spa, hammam steam room, gym, yoga studio and hot tub. Arijiju can sleep up to 10 people in its five beautiful suites. Three are located in the main house while two others are in more private buildings a short walk away. Each is unique but all are bathed in light through vast archways of glass, with grand furniture, fireplaces, copper roll-top baths and outdoor showers. There is no schedule for guests at Arijiju and there are a plethora of adventures on offer. From private game drives and walking safaris in the game-rich Borana Conservancy. You can also mountain bike or go trail running accompanied by a support vehicle, ride horses, take quad bikes out to fly camp for the night, explore verdant Ngare Ndare Forest, or take a helicopter flight to see the summits of Mount Kenya. Behind the scenes, 14 staff keep everything running smoothly, the team including butlers, talented chefs, private game rangers, grounds and housekeepers, security and your manageress host Karina along with her two dogs, Lula and Digby.