Returning to the Methodist Guest House in October (for my 4th or 5th stay) was like going back to meet old friends. From the warm welcome at the check in to the friendliness of the restaurant staff we knew we would have a comfortable and relaxed stay.
Along with 5 colleagues we were using the MGH as our base for a working tour of the Nairobi area. The rooms (while not Holiday Inn standard) are great value - and the Bed, Breakfast and Evening Meal option meant we were assured of plenty of good food at the start and finish of each day. The buffet style meals offered a good selection of food. Breakfast is much the same every day but the evening meal is varied. We had one vegetarian in our party and there were always god options for a non meat eater.
The rooms were cleaned daily and new towels provided. As we spent the second half of our 10-day trip visit rural areas it was particuarly nice to return home for a hot shower - and there was always copious amounts of piping hot water at all times of the day.
In order to keep our friends at home updated via our daily blog we made use of the wireless internet facility. Speeds are not bad but the coverage is not extensive and you sometimes have to search around for a decent 'hot spot'. I brought a 10 hour pass which lasted for virutally the whole week.
The swimming pool was a real bonus and we enjoyed relaxing by it when time permitted.
Siutated out of town the hotel is in a fairly quiet location (apart from barking dogs!). The downside to this is that without transport you are a distance away from any shopping areas.
The hotel would be a good base for anyone visiting the area - but it is especially suitable for church groups such as ours. I very much look forward to returning again and can heartily recommend the MGH as a good value place to stay.

We stayed here while visiting Nairobi a few days before going on a safari. It seemed to be a reasonable cost and a good alternative to the pricey hotels the safari companies recommended. It has everything you need- clean rooms, hot showers, access to breakfast and other food, internet. Most of all, it is safe. It is protected 24/7 by guards and a fence. That is very important in Nairobi.

It is simple, however, so if you are expecting luxury this is not the place for you. It is also a fun place to meet other travelers. There is afternoon tea set up each day and that was a good time to chat with other guests; most were foreigners visiting Nairobi. I'd recommend the Guesthouse.

The MGH is average. It is large and as a result quite impersonal I found. The rooms are fine, basic, but have everything you need, bed, lamp, mossie net. My mossie net was in a poor state but I always take gaffer tape so was able to plug the holes. Plenty of hot water in a compact ensuite - all fine. It's quite noisy, standard concrete construction so noise travels and with big gropus it can be a bit noisy but I did get a good nights sleep there for the first time in a week.
Food - I didn't try the dining room but the a la carte restaurant, I think it's called 'The Orchard'. I was a little disappointed, limited menu and average food but it was okay.
I found the service at reception very slow, but this seems to be common in Kenya. Also we booked their taxi for 6 a.m. and it was late, we had to remind them at 6.15, but we had allowed lots of time to get to the airport so no drama.
I think you can do better for the money - but I'm not going to give my recommendations for the better places here as they are always full - hence my visit here.

I stayed at the MGH for a month whilst looking for cheaper long term accommodation - I thought it was expensive, especially as I later moved into a furnished studio apartment that cost per week what the MGH charged for a couple of nights. The food in the dining room was also disgusting - I can't understand the good food comments in the other reviews - other guests I met there agreed and we soon took to eating out rather than in the dining room.

There are only 2 places to eat - the old-fashioned dining room with a buffet breakfast (included), lunch and dinner (extra), or a small snack cafe that closes at 6pm, near the swimming pool. However, there is a chinese restaurant 10 mins walk away. The breakfast was the SAME every single day, and I thought the food was either too cold (when it should have been warm) or overcooked and tasteless. The chef was hopeless and couldn't even make decent scrambled eggs.

You don't need to be religious to stay there, although it helps! There are regular tour groups from the US who are very loud in their religious discussions (and sometimes a bit overbearing), and meeting rooms that host seminars and conferences. I met another single traveller and we made friends, but generally I found the other guests wrapped up in their own crusades and not very approachable. There is a 'business centre' where you can check your emails (for a cost), but I didn't visit it. You can rent (again for a small non-refundable cost) a security deposit box in reception and leave your valuables there, which I would recommend. The reception staff will help you get a cab etc. MCG is more of a hostel than hotel - the corridors are not carpeted and very noisy with people coming and going all the time. There isn't a lift so you have to heave your luggage up and down flights of stairs, altho a porter will help if you ask (tip him 50 shillings). If you have mobility problems ask for a room on the ground floor.

The rooms are very clean (indeed I had to ask the cleaner to stop using the Dettol as the disinfectant smell was overbearing) with twin beds, lamps, an easy chair, lots of cupboard space, a built-in dressing table, small but serviceable ensuite with shower, basin and WC. A laundry service is offered, but staying long term I found this too expensive so washed my own clothes in the shower and basin and hung them over the shower rail to dry. You can borrow an iron (you guessed it, for a small payment) but there isn't an ironing board so I used a towel spread on the bed. A guest laundry would be much appreciated. 2 towels are provided and if you want them replaced you leave them on the floor. I needed more towels as I went swimming, and had a hard time convincing the cleaner to give me more! In the end I snuck some from a clean pile waiting in the corridor.

For me the best thing about MGH is the swimming pool - 25 metres (and a kiddy pool) and kept very clean. it is free for residents, and only about 150 shillings for visitors. The water was also very cold! It's extremely popular in summer on the weekends, especially lunchtime onwards, so the rooms looking onto the pool are thus very noisy. There is a balcony at the end of each corridor, with comfortable chairs, with great views across the pool and Kileleshwa. There is a small cafe at the pool which provides salad, chips, sausages etc at reasonably prices, and a lawn area with trees. There is also a beauty salon and hairdressers, but I didn't check these out.

I found it quite lonely staying there - there isn't a guest lounge or library, so nothing to do in the evenings. The rooms have a small, old TV - but Kenyan TV is pretty ordinary and not worth the bother, especially as a lot of it is in Kiswahili. No DVDs or satellite TV available. For a short term stay, you probably wouldn't miss these things so much.

For a couple of days I was very ill (and so was another guest - for different reasons). I told the staff but no-one came to check if I needed a doctor or assistance, so I thought that was a bit bad. Can't really support the glowing staff references provided in other reviews.

Overall, one of the better organised places to stay.