‘Hemingways Nairobi – overlooking the Green Hills of Africa’.  A scene depicted in one of Hemingway’s novels is where the property draws its’ inspiration from. The colonial style estate is somewhat of a rewind back into history. The feel and grandeur of the property takes you back to Africa in the early 1900’s during Hemingways time.

The drive to the leafy suburb of Karen is approximately 40 minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Nairobi‘s main airport). In peak hour traffic the trip to Hemingways Nairobi (click here) can take up to an hour and a half.

Check’n In

As we pulled up to the portico entrance and slowly drove down the tree lined cabro paved driveway, I was quite shocked with the sheer size of the ground. Built in 2013, Hemingways Nairobi has eloquently transcended the plantation-style estate to that of the Colonial era.

The lobby entrance makes quite the statement with its’ beautiful double staircase, high ceilings and daily fresh flowers. – To the side of this and not to be outdone, the room beams with rows of white columns, antique leather lounges, flirtatious wicker ceiling fans & and incredibly vivid paintings/photography that all lead out to the pristinely manicured gardens and pool that are enclosed by minty green and white painted buildings.

As the the friendly staff were waiting for our arrival our check in was over within moments and we were promptly swept away to our suite with our butler. The whole complex was completely tranquil and quite peaceful.

The Room

On our way down to our room, we were told by our butler that every suite was named after an influential person. Whether it be local leaders, Hollywood stars, explorers, safaris, or writers.

We stayed in the 5^th complex (out of 6) and our suite was named after Winston Churchill. Our room overlooked the Ngong Hills and sweeping valley from the 2^nd floor.

The suite was rather large. It had all the bells and whistles that you would never think to have in a colonial style room. A tv that popped out of an old-fashioned style dress trunk with one hit of a button, was quite the novelty!

The attention to the period detail with all the furnishings and the trinkets in the room was actually quite remarkable. Tripod style floor lamps, chest of cabinets with mini bar enclosed, the historical pictures and information on Winston Churchill all contributed to the sentiment of yesteryear. To say I had a bit of #homeinspo would be an understatement!

Our marble bathroom was very open, with his and her basins (on either end of the bathroom), stand alone bathtub, large marble shower & walk in robe.

Food & Beverage

We had both breakfast and dinner at Hemingways. The morning buffet was decent, however quite limiting for myself with all of my dietary requirements. For dinner, again it was quite limited for me so on the second night we opted to dine out at Tallisman

If we were to dine for dinner again at Hemingways, we would most certainly try the steaks that are cooked in a Josper Oven. This is what they are renowned for.  Coming straight from Johannesburg, we had devoured quite a bit of steak in the nights previously so we opted for something a little bit different!

Note: Talismans was voted one of Kenya’s best restaurants and is 100% organic and plastic free. The good thing is it’s only 10 minutes away from Heminways and is extremely easy to get to with the private car that the hotel offers its’ guests.

Pool & Gym

There was a pool, gym, sauna, steam room and spa at Hemingways, We were still catching up on much needed sleep, so we opted not to explore the spa.

Pros:

• 24 hour butler service who are extremely helpful
• Great décor and finishes
• Peaceful

Cons:

• Food wise – limited options for dietary requirements

Overall:

Hemingways Nairobi is a delightful little spot for a stopover for those that are wanting to truly relax before heading off on a safari adventure.

If you liked this review you can check out more reviews of my Kenyan Adventure (here).

Kx

Disclaimer: My stay at Hemingways Nairobi was provided complementary in exchange for a review on the Krumbled website. All experiences/ thoughts are my own.

Have you stayed at Hemingways before? or thinking about it? Let me know in a comment below 🙂