Staying At The Retreat at Giraffe Manor - nairobi, kenya
The Retreat at Giraffe Manor was built in 2021 and shares the same beautiful property as the famous Giraffe Manor. Although they are adjacent to one another, they are treated as entirely separate entities. Guests staying at the manor can use the retreat pool, spa, and other amenities, but those with a booking at the retreat cannot access the manor. The Giraffe Center is also located on the same large property, and guests staying at both the manor and the retreat have complimentary access to the center (alongside the general public). The giraffes are welcome to free roam the entire property, but they don’t frequent The Retreat as much since no one is feeding them at this location.
Since this is a relatively new property, I had a difficult time finding reviews. We took a chance on booking a room here and ended up being very pleased with our experience. If you are considering adding this to your time in Nairobi, I hope you find this blog helpful.
The Retreat at Giraffe Manor has four day rooms that can be utilized before or after your stay at Giraffe Manor or booked as its own independent stay. Priority is given to guests staying at Giraffe Manor, but bookings open up to the public four weeks in before arrival if there is still availability. These rooms cannot be booked for overnight stays – check-in begins as early as 10am and check-out can be as late as 10pm. It’s perfect for anyone with a late flight looking to kill time in a comfortable and relaxing space.
We had spent the previous night at Giraffe Manor, which has a strict checkout time of 10am. The staff carried our bags over at 10am sharp. It was a very seamless transition, and we were immediately given a tour of the beautiful facility upon our arrival. There was a stunning pool, massage rooms with an array of services, a gym, a café, and plenty of areas to sit and enjoy the space.
We stayed in the “Waridi” room, which was absolutely beautiful. They had outfitted it with everything we could possibly need – slippers, sleeping masks, toiletries for showering, champagne, snacks, etc. The property’s tranquil and cozy environment makes an ideal place to relax before such a long journey.
Although guests staying at the Retreat do not have access to the Giraffe Manor’s grounds, it still had the same fun giraffe themes. From our balcony we could see the public feeding the giraffes in the distance at the Giraffe Center, as well as the 5pm feeding at the manor house. At one point, a giraffe even came up to the pool because it was curious about someone who was swimming. We knew going into the experience that we wouldn’t be able to feed the giraffes again, but the ambiance was still fun, unique, and very peaceful.
We also utilized the free access to the Giraffe Center during our time at the Retreat. An employee walked us over to the facility and found a guide to give us an informational tour. The Giraffe Center was very busy since it’s a popular attraction for local schools as well as tourists, but our guide made sure to get us front and center with the giraffes and took plenty of photos for us.
The staff at the Retreat were all exceptionally friendly. We enjoyed our time speaking with the property manager, and they were happy to accommodate anything we requested. We enjoyed our day so much we wished we could have stayed longer!
One thing that surprised us was how reasonable the food prices were. We opted for the all-inclusive package, but if we were to visit again, we would choose the a la carte option instead. The food was 10/10! They used all fresh ingredients and even have a garden to grow some of their own produce. It was the perfect food to eat before a long flight. The tropical smoothie was one of my favorites!
I initially thought the cost for a day room at the Retreat couldn’t possibly be justified, but after a wonderfully relaxing and comfortable day filled with delicious food and fantastic hospitality, I can’t recommend this experience enough!