After visiting the Masai Mara village, it was another 6hr drive back to Nairobi. I booked a one night stay at Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel. It is a 5 star luxury hotel. I was told former President Obama, and the Pope have stayed here. A lot of business people stay here as well because of the location. It is located near a lot of businesses.
I booked the balcony deluxe room for $335. Whew! To be honest, I dont think it was worth that much. My bed looked funny, and my pillows were flat lol. Check in was smooth. Room was clean and bright. I loved the fruit bowl and bathroom accessories. After settling, I booked a massage, a deep tissue massage. It was needed, and the masseuse GinGin was great. No complaints whatsoever.
There is two restaurants, Lucca (Italian) and Tambourin (Lebanese/Indian). Reservations must be booked for both restaurants, but I didn’t make any reservations. I wanted to go to Lucca, but somehow I ended up at Tambourin, rooftop restaurant. Well glad I made that little mistake. I was the only one there, service was nice and personal. I ordered soup for appetizer, grilled shrimp with fries as an entree, and a bottle of wine.
One thing I do like about Kempinski is the check out time. Checkout is at 12am!!! Can you believe that? I was shocked. Next morning I ordered room service. I was impressed when breakfast came rolling in the room on a cart. Fancy. Breakfast consisted of fruits, hot chocolate, glass of wine, orange juice, eggs, bacon, sausage, toast/pastries, cheese, smoked salmon, and a parfait. So yummy and stuffed.
Let’s talk a little about Giraffe Manor. It is very hard to get a booking! You have to book MONTHS in advance. I wanted to go for my actual birthday which was Dec. 2nd, and the only availability they had was Dec. 15th. So I took it and built the rest of my trip accordingly (I booked Giraffe Manor in August). Rooms are NOT cheap as well. Each room has a different price. The room I had the pleasure of staying at was called Daisy. The rooms are named after the giraffes. Daisy room is $1375/night. It is cost effective to go with a friend, but I’m solo obviously. I had the pleasure of being paired with Peter. He has been there for 6years. He is very careful and attentive, and I like that. Oh, and he knows how to take pics!
Giraffe Manor came and picked me up at 1130am. They usually pick up their customers in the afternoon from the airport because that’s usually the first stop once in Kenya: Giraffe Manor. I’m glad I was already in Kenya. I feel like I would be rushing, and God forbid your flight was delayed. Of course depending on traffic the ride can be a smooth 40mins or a rough hr and half. I checked in a little after 1pm. Once you arrive, you get a tour of the facility. There is a swimming pool, gym, and a spa. The giraffe center is walking distance from the manor. If you want to go and get more time with the giraffes, someone can accompany and walk you over.
Fun facts:
- The giraffes were trained to come to the manor at 630am and 5pm.
- They are also the same giraffes at giraffe center.
- They do not like to be petted. Only a few are huggable, and sometimes they don’t want to be hugged.
- There is only one male giraffe and his name is Eddy.
- Feed the giraffes one pellet of food at a time, and don’t take too long as well. They love to eat and if you are slow they start huffing and puffing.
- Please be very careful with the giraffes. They head butt you and it hurts. Daisy head butt me so bad I wanted to slap her lol. Salma is also a head butter.
- Some of the giraffes do not like children.
Side bar: I don’t know who actually uses those services when you are crunched for time (if you’re only there for one night). Why am I saying this? After you get the tour of the facility, sign some documents, listen to the rules, already 1/2-40mins have passed. Then it’s time for lunch, and one thing about me I don’t want to rush my food. I started lunch by 2pm. I took a nap (maybe you can use the gym or spa) before tea time which starts at 5pm. This is the first time you meet the giraffes. I was on a high. This is the most exciting experience ever.
For lunch on my arrival I had beetroot chutney, baked camembert, and seeded bread stick for starters, then a salad with miso dressing, for entree lightly curried fish with vegetable rice with Kenyan rice crisp, and lastly for dessert it was a fresh fruit plate. So yummy! I had seconds. The portion is way to small for my greedy butt. Oh let me not forget the drink: unlimited glass of rose.
The giraffes stay a little over an hour and head back to their home. After tea time, you get to do as you please before dinner. Dinner starts by 730pm.
For dinner the menu is:
- Gnocchi with butternut and carrot puree
- Roasted sweet potato
- White chocolate gateaux with dark chocolate ice cream and fudge crumble
- I can not remember my main entree because they made a fish option that was not on the menu.
The next morning it’s time to meet the giraffes again. They come to the manor at 630am on the DOT. I had a nice red dressing robe and was told I wasn’t allowed to wear it due to their dressing policy, so I had to settle for my Versace robe. One thing a lot of content creators don’t post is behind the scenes (if you want to see what goes on behind the scene of this photoshoot check it out on my IG page @mz_ifee). The morning time is hectic. Guest trying to eat their breakfast, kids playing, guest waiting in line to take their photos with the giraffes, pellet food all over the floor, staff trying to take your photos and attend to the other guest, and lastly waiting for the giraffes to cooperate. Whew, what a morning. After you settle down, breakfast is served.
Breakfast menu:
- Eggs fried or scrambled
- Sourdough ciabatta
- 3 egg omelette with some choices
- avocado on toast
- French brioche toast with mango
After breakfast, it’s time to get ready to get ready for check out, and let’s just say Giraffe Manor does not play about check out time. Checkout is at 10am, and at 955am the staff was knocking on my door asking to help with my bags.
My overall opinion on Giraffe Manor: AMAZING!!!!!! I had a wonderful time, the staff treated me like royalty, it was worth every penny I spent. Everyone should experience this!
Hey girl this trip looked amazing.
Thank you so much!!