Giraffe Manor — Hotel in Nairobi

We were here sadly only for 1 day and 1 night via our safari with Abercrombie & Kent.

ATMOSPHERE: After the grand wooden gates, we got our first glimpse of wildlife. Warthogs and Rothschild giraffes adorn the front of the manor and have free roam of the property. The charming open-air stone manor is 2 stories with just 10 beautiful rooms split between 2 separate buildings, some with fire places, some with decks, and all named after giraffes on the property rather than numbers.

The grounds are rustic and shady with an intimate courtyard where lunch is served. There's also a small hut-like massage room, greenhouse, and gift shop in the back.

CHECK IN: We filled out a short form on iPads and were on our way. It's so distracting with the giraffes near the manor that you want to start taking pics immediately!

ROOM: We were in the Daisy room, which boasts a balcony with sitting area and where you can feed the giraffes from the room (other rooms utilize the open windows.) The canopy bed is huge - 2 queens put together with mosquito nets. There is no TV which was great, and no a/c. There was only one power outlet along with a power strip which gave 3 more outlets. Bring your plug adapters!

BATHROOM: The spacious area boasts a large shower with low water pressure, dual basins and toilet. All the usual amenities are there except for a hair dryer. They offer a bottle of water for drinking and your brushing teeth even though the tap water is filtered, just in case.

WIFI: Free.

F&B: There is no traditional restaurant. Lunch was served in the courtyard. We had cold asparagus soup to start with, then a radish & fennel salad, the entree was braised short ribs with rice, and for dessert a rhubarb & ginger "soup" which tasted like mild sour cream and sprinkled with cinnamon. Everything was good.

For dinner we opted to eat separately from the rest of the guests staying there. They set up our candlelit table in a gorgeous dining room in one of the manors. We started off with a mozzarella cheese, prosciutto and peas app, then tender steak medallions with spinach for dinner and for dessert tiny apple pies which were a bit hard but tasted good.

ACTIVITIES: We partook in the free nature hike. It's an easy 20 minute walk through some trees & shrubbery near the hotel. We had a guide who pointed out several trees & plants along with their uses. No appointment necessary, just contact the hotel staff.

GIFTS: There is a gift shop on the hotel grounds that sell pricey tshirts, jewelry, etc. We found another nice gift shop just a short walk to the giraffe center. They sold more things at way cheaper prices.

SERVICE: Lynette greeted us and got us checked in. Safari was our server and room service man. Everyone was so friendly and professional, and they all help each other out. Very top notch service!

CHECK OUT: No process at all as the rooms were inclusive of our safari package. We had a very warm farewell from 3 staff members.

OVERALL: Gorgeous grounds, excellent service, delicious food and the giraffe experience...

To say this place is pretty good would be a huge understatement!

From our arrival straight from the airport to when we left the following afternoon everything was excellent.

We got the early bird package as we came straight from the airport and arrived as the other guests were checking out. Our room wasn't ready but we just sent straight through for breakfast whilst the manager told us about the manor, and the rules of engagement for the giraffes. Just as we were ordering breakfast the first giraffe turned up which distracted proceedings but in a good way! After we had had a few minutes of feeding we turned to our own food whilst one of the staff kept the giraffe entertained. First was fresh fruit and pastries followed by a cooked breakfast. The scrambled eggs were well cooked and the bacon was nice and crispy.

After breakfast and some more giraffe feeding we headed up to our room for a shower and a bit of a rest. We were in Betty's room which has a great four poster and a balcony to watch the giraffes from. By this time they were over at the centre which you could see a few hundred metres away.

We sat outside on one of the sofas and had a couple of soft drinks before lunch was served. By now a few more guests had arrived and we ate out on the terrace. We had a nice pea and mint soup (although it was purposely served cold and I think it would have been better hot) which came with a nice parmesan tuile). Main was some nicely cooked fish with rice.

In the afternoon we went over to the giraffe centre which was interesting enough, but there's probably no real need to go if you're staying at the manor.

Pre-dinner drinks started on the front terrace with some of the other guests, lots of people had already been on safari so it was good to hear about the experiences we were about to have. Everyone was nice and friendly and the staff kept the drinks flowing. Once the giraffe centre was closed to the public some of the giraffes wandered over and the staff were quick to fetch some food so we could feed them.

Dinner was served in the dining room where everyone sat round one big table, conversation and wine flowed and the food was pretty good too. Main course was red wine poached fillet of beef which was very tender.

At breakfast the next morning there were lots of giraffes around and we were taking shifts to feed them and keep them busy whilst the others ate their own breakfast. At one point there were probably 4 giraffes at the windows of the breakfast room, great fun.

The staff were excellent the whole time, offering to take photos etc as well as doing the usual food and drink service.

Wifi was a bit patchy, but worked ok in the lounge, not that fast, but this is Kenya.

It now holds our record for most expensive hotel ever stayed in, but I would...

My wife and I just stayed at Giraffe Manor for one night following our Sasaab safari experience with The Safari Collection. The pictures just do not do it justice - this place is truly one of a kind. ||We were picked up by our driver David from Wilson Airport and it took about 30 min to arrive at Giraffe Manor. We were greeted by Gideon the manager who welcomed us warmly and quickly checked us in. ||We stayed in the Betty Room which we think is easily the best room in the Historic Manor. This room has a balcony with direct access to the Giraffes for morning feeds. The room itself was spacious enough and decorated to a high standard. It also has a fireplace which can be lit upon request for a nice cosy feeling in the room. ||We sat down for lunch almost immediately after check in and had a delicious first meal. This would become a theme as all the food served was very good. After lunch there was a bit of down time before high tea which led to the first giraffe meeting.||Our first experience feeding the giraffes did not quite go as we had hoped unfortunately. Beforehand, we asked the staff about how the feeding would work, and we assured there would be fair chance to interact with the giraffes with groups taking the interactions in turn. Our experience was then soured by a large group of extremely rude Chinese guests who were staying at the Garden Manor, and who (unsurprisingly) did not follow any sort of order in the process. The staff at the Manor seemed very reluctant to intervene which turned the experience very chaotic for everyone else. Given the high price we paid to have this experience it was very disappointing that others were allowed to interrupt our time and barge into everyone else photos. ||After the chaotic experience at high tea we then decided to have dinner in our room to enjoy more of the Manor, which was very relaxing. The staff set up the fireplace and the meal we were served was delicious. Our waitress Faith was excellent and attentive. ||At 5am it was time to wake up to the giraffes coming for their morning feed. The experience of feeding the giraffes from the balcony was so unique and amazing. We then had breakfast in the downstairs eating area and had another fantastic experience as the giraffes popped their heads through the windows and fed.||Check out is 10am so after breakfast we packed up and said our goodbyes. What an amazing experience, just a shame it had to be dampened by an...