This was our first experience with a tented camp so I had great trepidations about staying in a tent when I much prefer a 4-star hotel!! But we had just landed in Kenya, we were starving and tired and had just driven through Nairobi rush hour in our tour van...so we would've been happy with anything.
It was dark when we arrived and our tour driver took a turn off the main road onto a bumpy unpaved street. We approached a large metal door and it opened onto the grounds. All the lodges have security at the gates and are promptly closed after the guests drive through. Take that as a positive or negative....
The "camp" is actually a large converted colonial era home that serves as the kitchen, dining room, staff quarters and gift shop. The property is owned by a British person but is completely run by a staff of Kenyans.
Tents: they are smallish and close together but spotless. I was quite surprised. The bathroom is ensuite and each unit has a hot water maker inside the shower so we never ran out. Toilet was clean and paper provided. You should bring your own soap, shampoo, and conditioner. They had hand soap but nothing in the showers. Also recommend anti bacterial wipes just to have on hand. We had a double bed and a single in our tent. There was adequate space but it is a bit dark so make sure to have your own flashlights. The tents are spread out on the grounds of the estate. There are also some pop up tents and people who'd pitched their own accommodations.
We arrived after 7pm so the dinner buffet had ended. We ordered a la carte sandwiches. Not particularly good or filling but we were hungry. The soup was incredible though. It was a pumpkin soup and i am not a big soup person but it sounded interesting so i got some. We had seven in our group. Some ordered hamburgers which some on bread for rolls and also French fries.
There is a really decent gift shop and the prices are very reasonable. They sold things that we didn't find readily in the curio shops along the road. I was hesitant to load up since it was our first place but after seeing other shops, I would highly recommend buying from them.
The staff is small and overworked so my biggest recommendation is having small denomination bills on hand. They did not have readily available change.
There is a basket for donating clothes and whatever items you'd like to shed. We found that clothes, pencils, sweets, meds, etc are welcome anywhere.
Breakfast: the basic breakfast is very basic with toast tea or coffee and a choice of a Spanish omelette or eggs. Everything such as bottled water, bacon, or sides were add-ons. Overall, it was a decent breakfast but not a large amount.
For a unique experience, this was better than a large hotel in Nairobi. Our guides told us the hotels there tend to be loud with nearby nightclubs, etc. At any rate, we did hear a great deal in the tent but it was a novel experience.
Staff was very responsive although understaffed and worked long hours. Recommend this property as a good intro or ending to your trip.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC