Pulling into Hemingways Nairobi feels like arriving home after a long trip – assuming your home is a 45-bedroom mansion surrounded by lush greenery and rolling hills. The elegant-but-comfy hotel is in the posh Nairobi suburb of Karen, which is a little sanctuary in the frenetic capital – yet only a short drive from the more energetic corners of the city. Hemingways is really a place to decompress – in the pool, the spa, or on the terrace with a G&T, admiring those Ngong Hills views.
Nesting arrangements
The décor in all 45 suites is English farmhouse meets old-school safari: travelling trunks, white mozzie nets draped around four-poster beds, earthy neutral shades and exposed wooden rafters – oh, and instantly calming views from your private terrace of the hotel’s gardens or the Ngong Hills.
Categories range from entry-level deluxe to the opulent Hemingways Suite, which has a separate dining and lounge room, a large terrace with verdant views, and a separate study to channel the hotel’s namesake’s creative talents (even if that’s only via a very brief Instagram caption).
Food philosophy
All meals are served in the Brasserie, with views of the Ngong Hills. Breakfast includes fresh pastries, fruit and cold meats, and hot breakfast options from a full fry-up to a stack of pancakes. The lunch/dinner menu features a range of cuisines – you might go for burgers, salads or pasta – comfort food that hits the spot. Or opt for dim sum, coconut fish curry, or deep-fried Lake Victoria tilapia, served whole with salsa, ugali (cornmeal porridge best eaten with your hands) and sautéed spinach.
Craving something sweet? Afternoon tea is served on the terrace between 3 pm and 5 pm. And for a pre-dinner drink, head to the Hemingways Bar with its luxurious Chesterfield couches for a whiskey sour or gin fizz. Or take your cocktail out onto the terrace to enjoy your booze with some views.
Secret sauce
Arriving in Nairobi after a long international flight, the bougie suburb of Karen is the perfect place to land. Quiet and calm – quite unlike the personality type now associated with the name – Karen is still close enough to the action of Nairobi’s buzzier neighbourhoods should you fancy experiencing the capital’s nightlife.
It’s also only a hop, skip and a short drive to Nairobi National Park, the Giraffe Centre where you can see Nubian (aka Rothschild’s) giraffes, and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which is unmissable for anyone with a soft spot for baby elephants (so…everyone?).
And if you’re wondering – the ‘burb is named after Karen Blixen, the Danish author of Out of Africa whose farm stood here in the early 20th century. That property is now the Karen Blixen Museum, right around the corner from Hemingways Nairobi, where you can learn about her life in colonial-era Kenya.
One more thing…
If you’re into your wine, check out Hemingways’ glass-walled cellar with its vintages from around the world, from South African chenins to Argentine malbecs. Private dinners for up to eight people can be organised here. A set menu will be whipped up for the occasion – think burrata with deconstructed watermelon gazpacho, lobster thermidor with cognac cream sauce, and chocolate and hazelnut praline with tree tomato sorbet.
