{"id":12428,"date":"2023-12-03T12:11:05","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T12:11:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cooncampsprings.com\/?p=12428"},"modified":"2023-12-03T12:11:05","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T12:11:05","slug":"inside-the-perfect-hotel-for-exploring-the-city-you-must-visit-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cooncampsprings.com\/travel\/inside-the-perfect-hotel-for-exploring-the-city-you-must-visit-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the perfect hotel for exploring the city you MUST visit in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1> Nairobi was named the world&#8217;s best city to visit in 2024. The perfect base for exploring it? This boutique hotel, which drips with colonial elegance&#8230; and is just 20 minutes from the airport<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>MailOnline&#8217;s Fiona Hardcastle checks into the family-run House of Waine hotel<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The Nairobi hotel is &#8216;just the place for a spot of emergency R and R&#8217;<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: The world&#8217;s most expensive cities to live in have been revealed<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2018I don\u2019t want to go to a museum. I don\u2019t want to look at a market. I just want to lie down. I\u2019m shattered.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>It is a rare moment of surrender for Felix, 11.<\/p>\n<p>But then anyone who lands at Wilson Airport in Nairobi &#8211; named the best city to visit in 2024 by Lonely Planet &#8211; after a week-long safari will understand the deep exhaustion that comes from seven days of dawn starts, eight hours of bone-jangling daily game drives and the Have-I-Lost-My-Mind exhilaration that comes from staring leopards and lions in the eye as they devour their kills in front of you and living to tell the tale.<\/p>\n<p>The brain is overloaded. The heart is full. But boy, the body needs a rest. And ideally a dip in waters that are not teeming with hippos and crocodiles.<\/p>\n<p>As our jeep weaves through the morning chaos, streets alive with workers and hawkers, I begin to wonder if we will ever find an oasis of calm before we board our flight home the next morning.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/12\/78416501-12809369-MailOnline_s_Fiona_Hardcastle_checked_into_House_of_Waine_in_Nai-a-22_1701347228827.jpg\" height=\"455\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>MailOnline Travel&#8217;s Fiona Hardcastle checked into\u00a0House of Waine in\u00a0Nairobi, Kenya<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/12\/78416493-12809369-The_family_run_hotel_features_one_suite_Malaika_above_10_rooms_a-a-21_1701347220202.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The family-run hotel features one suite (Malaika above), 10 rooms and a self-contained cottage<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/12\/78416509-12809369-Large_wooden_doors_lead_into_the_lobby_of_the_boutique_property-a-20_1701347211259.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Large wooden doors lead into the lobby of the boutique property\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>READ MORE:\u00a0The best places to visit in 2024 named by Lonely Planet\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>A taxi careers towards us, the pink neon strip on its windscreen shouts: \u2018God is the answer!\u2019<\/p>\n<p>He may well be, but our needs are more urgent and centre around the essentials of peace, quiet and, preferably, a pool.<\/p>\n<p>House of Waine, a boutique hotel twenty minutes drive from the airport, turns out to be just the place for a spot of emergency R and R before boarding a flight back to England.<\/p>\n<p>Set in the leafy suburbs on Masai Lane, its sweeping entrance through a gated driveway gives a hint of what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n<p>Formal front gardens frame this gracious manor house and a colonial air hits you as soon as you\u2019re inside.<\/p>\n<p>A polished stone lobby gives way to gleaming teak floors, tasteful modern furniture and a choice selection of African art.<\/p>\n<p>Double doors lead out to a courtyard from which manicured gardens fan out on both sides. Palm trees shade the sun loungers that line the swimming pool while canopied tables and chairs are dotted across the lawn.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/12\/78416511-12809369-Fiona_s_son_Felix_was_particularly_impressed_with_the_outdoor_po-a-17_1701347172255.jpg\" height=\"426\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Fiona&#8217;s son Felix was particularly impressed with the outdoor pool, even though it is unheated<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/11\/78416497-12809369-image-a-7_1701344064478.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Above is the house of author Karen Blixen (now a museum), where she was inspired to write the novel Out of Africa in 1937<\/p>\n<p>Not even the famed Karen Blixen Museum or the David Sheldrike Wildlife Trust &#8211; both landmarks a stone\u2019s throw from the hotel &#8211; can lure us outside.<\/p>\n<p>Felix is begging to jump in the pool &#8211; his first of the week &#8211; but first we are shown to our rooms.<\/p>\n<p>Rose, 17, and Evie, 16, are led back to the main building and taken upstairs to \u2018Tembo\u2019- the Swahili for elephant &#8211; a spacious and bright double room looking down onto the gardens.<\/p>\n<p>To Felix\u2019s delight, the rest of us are led back to the pool and given the keys to a charming cottage tucked away behind a hedge.<\/p>\n<p>With its own veranda, stylishly furnished sitting room, dining area, fully equipped kitchen, and two bedrooms with sparklingly clean en suites, it could be a family home for a week. We have just one night so there\u2019s no time to lose.<\/p>\n<p>Eager for their own space at last , the girls announce they will do their own thing. Rose takes a book to the garden while Evie, reunited with WiFi, assumes prime position on the balcony at the front of the hotel.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/12\/78416495-12809369-The_Cottage_has_it_s_very_own_veranda_fully_equipped_kitchen_and-a-15_1701347144113.jpg\" height=\"457\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Fiona stayed in The Cottage (above), which has its very own veranda and fully equipped kitchen<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/12\/78416507-12809369-Fiona_stayed_in_the_Cottage_which_features_a_double_and_single_b-a-18_1701347183942.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>With a double room and one single, The Cottage provided the perfect space for Fiona&#8217;s family<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/12\/78416513-12809369-Communal_areas_are_decorated_in_neutral_tones_and_sumptuous_fabr-a-14_1701347130355.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Rooms at House of Waine start from around $420 (\u00a3330) a night at the time of writing. Above is one of the hotel&#8217;s communal areas\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t wait for a long hot bath and am soon pottering around in a fluffy white robe and slippers, flicking through the cottage\u2019s selection of illustrated hardbacks on African life.<\/p>\n<p>Felix tears to the pool, terrorising his father to join him in the bracingly cold water. Like a saint who must submit himself to ever colder temperatures, he does &#8211; on the agreement that within the hour we are all to meet at the shaded seating area for our first board game of the holiday &#8211; Ticket To Ride: The Heart of Africa, our latest fix of this insanely competitive series.<\/p>\n<p>As ever, an hour whizzes by in a heated bout of family rivalry and geographical domination.<\/p>\n<p>Relaxation soon gives way to recrimination as routes are foiled and victories dashed. Strangely, we feel ourselves again and are ready for dinner. Although we\u2019d better stop sniping before the starters arrive.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/12\/78416505-12809369-The_Tembo_elephant_in_Swahili_room_is_decked_out_in_tones_to_mim-a-16_1701347153381.jpg\" height=\"429\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Fiona&#8217;s daughters, Rose and Evie, stay in a &#8216;spacious and bright double room&#8217; (above) called &#8216;Tembo&#8217; (Swahili for elephant), which looks down onto the gardens\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/12\/78420919-12809369-image-a-44_1701348508071.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Fiona and her family spotted leopards, lions and hippos on their Kenyan adventure<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/01\/09\/78461533-12809369-image-a-1_1701422589421.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Baby elephants in the Nairobi National Park orphanage<\/p>\n<p>The dining room at the front of the hotel is a pleasingly formal affair, all hushed tones, starched white tablecloths and attentive waiters in smart waistcoats. The food, while nudging ever so slightly towards the old fashioned, is well presented and the portions are sizeable.<\/p>\n<p>Red snapper and steak Diane are hits with the meat eaters, while the vegetarians are content with their aubergine pasta and potato bake.<\/p>\n<p>A hearty bottle of South African Chardonnay prepares the ground for bed. The thoughtful addition of piping hot water bottles nestling under the covers on our return to our rooms only eases us closer to sleep.<\/p>\n<p>We awake refreshed and as ready as we\u2019ll ever be for a 4,000 mile flight.<\/p>\n<p>House of Waine has made us whole again. And renewed this Big Five with enough energy to face our journey home.<\/p>\n<h3>TRAVEL FACTS\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Fiona was hosted by House of Waine, where rooms start from around $420 (\u00a3330) a night at the time of writing. Visit\u00a0www.houseofwaine.com.<\/p>\n<p><span>PROS:<\/span> Colonial elegance. Calm service. Outdoor (although unheated) pool.<\/p>\n<p><span>CONS:<\/span> Slightly dated restaurant food.<\/p>\n<p><span>Rating out of 5:<\/span>\u00a04.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/travel\/article-12809369\/house-waine-nairobi-review.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nairobi was named the world&#8217;s best city to visit in 2024. The perfect base for exploring it? This boutique hotel, which drips with colonial elegance&#8230; and is just 20 minutes from the airport MailOnline&#8217;s Fiona Hardcastle checks into the family-run House of Waine hotel The Nairobi hotel is &#8216;just the place for a spot of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Inside the perfect hotel for exploring the city you MUST visit in 2024 - cooncampsprings.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cooncampsprings.com\/travel\/inside-the-perfect-hotel-for-exploring-the-city-you-must-visit-in-2024\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inside the perfect hotel for exploring the city you MUST visit in 2024 - cooncampsprings.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nairobi was named the world&#8217;s best city to visit in 2024. 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