I stayed here several years ago and enjoyed returning to this place. Karen is a better option than the city centre and this is a sweet choice near Karen Blixen's museum, the giraffe centre, Kazuri beads and not too far from a good shopping centre (Junction) with great shops and restaurants. Why stay in dirty, crowded Nairobi when you can stay in these lovely gardens? It's also a reasonable drive to Wilson airport to hit the safari circuit. The rooms are spacious, beds comfortable there is both a bath and a shower with nice amenities, fluffy towels and a hair dryer. We were upgraded to adjoining rooms with a shared sitting area. There's ample parking if you drive yourself and the staff is very accommodating. We found the restaurant to be excellent but did not use the pool or spa. I would definitely stay here again.

We only wanted to stay here mainly because of the connection with Karen Blixen's farm and its history, and its location, but do feel (as I've already noted in other reviews of Kenyan places) it was overpriced. i.e. compare this with what you can get in the rest of the world for the same money and there's often a glaring difference in quality. We had no significant complaints, loved the atmospheric old farm manager's house (reception / bar / shop) as it is very much original. Our cottage was fine, large and spacious. But it was right by the road and verrrry noisy. Big trucks roaring by non-stop - brrrrrmmmmmm!!! So ask for a room away from the road. Gardens certainly are all green and lush.

When we were shown our room, they had clearly not cleaned the coffee table which was full of breakfast crumbs (yes crumbs, and no, not dropping from a creature in the ceiling). When I asked for it to be cleaned, the guy just wiped the crumbs off the table with his hand. Viola! Clean! NOT! He left his greasy mit marks so I asked if it could be cleaned properly. No problem, he obliged. Again, little things like this irk me when you are paying $$$! The cleaner had obviously just not even looked there. Additionally, we had holes in our bedsheets and the towel I used on the first evening was so threadbare, that it tore when I was drying myself! (See photo). This is NOT the standard one would expect when paying $$$ (oh, I forgot, we were in Kenya ...).

I would add that the reception staff in particular, was so helpful. Anything I asked and it was followed thru with a smile. We walked up to Karen Blixen's house/museum from here and it is close to many other attractions.

We enjoyed our food in the restaurant - no real complaints - except they put coriander in everything - yech! And there was an annoying child who obviously belonged to the lodge who was running around and around the tables inside and out, both evenings we had dinner there, continually screaming and being a pest, almost colliding with staff carrying trays of drinks or meals. She needed to be pulled into line, it was really inappropriate.

My husband also was reading in bed the one night, I was in the little sitting room on my laptop, when he let out a blood-curdling scream. I jumped to attention - he felt something warm in the bed! Oh, it was the hot-water bottle I had put in earlier .... hee hee hee.

I spent the last year traveling around Africa, and had some reservations about staying in Nairobi. But this hotel, which sits in Karen, a quiet suburb of Nairobi, is truly wonderful. It's maybe not the place to go for a true Kenyan cultural adventure, but otherwise, it's relaxing, beautiful, and peaceful. We came to Kenya for my birthday in August, and I loved the serene environment and our comfortable lodgings (we stayed in the Kifaru cottage). There are two little dogs that keep you company there, which I loved, and everyone who worked there went out of their way to be friendly and hospitable. We usually prefer to eat at local restaurants, but ending up eat dinner at the hotel every night (I was obsessed!). It was totally convienent for local sights, like the safari in the national park, the Giraffe Center, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Center, and Carnivore resteraunt (and they will hook you up with taxis), not to mention the convienence of some local malls and grocery stores, without the hassle of the infamous Nairobi traffic. My husband and I want to come back to Nairobi just to stay here again!! My husband and I live in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi was such a refreshing change- so much friendlier!

Stayed here for three nights and it was a very peaceful location. The outstanding thing for me was the service with every greeting or request met with a warm Kenyan smile. No request was too much trouble. I really enjoyed the food in the restaurant which was excellent, including a very nice Sunday curry buffet. The room itself was a good size. If you are a light sleeper, the curtains are somewhat thin and let in a lot of light. A colleague of mine was also a little disturbed by the sound of fruit regularly dropping on his roof. The bed was very comfortable and was surrounded by a mosquito net and I was not bitten once. All transfers were on time and the drivers very courteous. The free wi-fi connection was also excellent.