"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.&quo...
"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric." Bertrand Russell ***I am now living a hectic life down under***
Member since:24.09.2005
Reviews:50
Members who trust:57
I stayed here for two nights in April 2005, while on a stop-over to visit some friends. As a member of the Holiday Inn club, I have been completely sucked in by points collecting, and always stay in a HI if there's one in town. So I feel I know the chain pretty well, and I also know how much they can vary in standard, not just between countries, but even within towns.
The Nairobi Holiday Inn was very different to most. It was converted from an old colonial hotel called the Mayfair Court, and has retained much of that old time character. It is a large hotel, with about 170 rooms, but there is a very personal atmosphere, and the staff are exceptional. Even though I was only there for a short stay, I was greeted by name every time I went to the reception, and even the gardeners and security guards never failed to say jambo in passing.
The hotel rambles around two large swimming pools, and pretty gardens, which makes you forget you are anywhere near a city. My room was right at the very end of the building, in an older, unrenovated section of the hotel. I don't know if this was because I was on my own, or because I just opted for a standard room, but those nearer to the reception seemed a bit swankier. My room was quite old fashioned and a little musty, but adequate, with wooden floors, twin beds, TV with M-Net and ceiling fan. The bathroom was a reasonable size, with bath and shower, and tea, coffee and bottled water were complementary.
One of the pools was right outside with a waiter stationed by to bring you anything you require. The open-air Oasis restaurant is on the side of the other pool, and is very reasonably priced. I ate lunch here (around £3 for a club sandwich, chips, salad and drink), and the wonderful buffet breakfast is also served here, with fruits, cereals, pastries, and hot English. Dinner is also very well-priced for this standard of hotel. There is also a Spur restaurant in the lobby, which is identical to those in South Africa, but much cheaper.
The general facilities are very good. There is a business centre, hair salon, a few boutiques, very overpriced souvenir shop, fitness centre, lounge with a selection of newspapers (you also get a complimentary one in the morning), and safety deposit boxes. Guests are officially invited to cocktail parties or musical events by the pool in the evening.
The hotel is in Parklands, a well-heeled and safe area of Nairobi, and is well situated for travelling into the city centre or the other suburbs. Even though I found Nairobi to be much friendlier and safer than I would have been lead to believe by travel books, there is a great need for security, and the Holiday Inn always has a guard in the car park, by the entrances, and patrolling the corridors at night.
I booked the HI shuttle service (£10) to meet me in arrivals at the airport and this was very satisfactory. It may seem expensive for Kenya, but after sitting for over a hour in the huge traffic jams, I'm very glad I hadn't used a public bus. The only problem I had during my whole stay was that my return shuttle failed to show at 6am, due to a booking mess up at reception, but the doorman valiantly jogged me to a taxi who got me to the airport just in time. At the end of the day I can't really complain, as I had such a pleasant stay. What made this hotel special, was the friendly, hard workng attitude of its staff, and next time I'm in Nairobi, I'll definitely return.
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Advantages: getting around is easy with help of matatus and theres lots to shop for Disadvantages: fear of crime and not alot of nightlife compared to the united kingdom
rockstar5690 15.02.2007 ·
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