After being on safari for four days, eating remarkably well and seeing such animals as cheetahs, lions, baboons, elephants, giraffes, zebras, rhinoceroses, monkeys, birds, African buffalo and other animals, I had one night left to spend in Kenya; so I chose to stay at the Hilton Nairobi hotel property to wind down and relax before my flights back to the United States via Amsterdam.
Location and Arrival
The Hilton Nairobi is located in the central business district of the bustling city; but the hotel property is under tight security — including concrete barriers surrounding the property; and scanners at the front entrance of the hotel similar to those found at airports located.
Once past the scanners and security, I entered the spacious lobby.
Off to the right of the lobby is the grand staircase…
…and underneath the grand staircase is a shop used as a travel agency.
The Suite
I was upgraded to a suite at no extra cost, which was a very nice surprise.
When I arrived at my room — excuse me, suite — I opened the door at the entrance to the hallway inside, of which I present three views.
There was one flat-screen television which swiveled between the living area and the bedroom of the suite.
I did not use the mini-bar underneath the television in the living area of the suite.
The hallway is on the right, with a view of the living area from the bedroom area.
On the left is the view of the living area from the bedroom; while on the right is the hallway with the entrance to the guest bathroom on the right.
On the left is the desk in the living area with assorted cookies, coffee and tea; and on the right are a bouquet of red roses with two complimentary bottles of water on a nightstand next to the bed in the bedroom area.
A wicker basket was stuffed with assorted teas and coffee — along with sweeteners and other items.
Along with the coffee and tea were assorted cookies wrapped in cellophane which awaited my arrival on a tray.
The coffee table was in the living area in the suite.
Also awaiting my arrival on the coffee table in the suite was a plate of fruit — including two apples, a banana and a tamarillo, which is also known as a tree tomato.
There was plenty of space to store luggage and other belongings; and two robes were available in the closet off of the hallway.
The bed was comfortable. I slept well in it.
Two Bathrooms
On the left is the bathtub and shower area of the master bathroom — the entrance of which is located in the bedroom area of the suite — while on the right is the toilet area.
The master bathroom was stocked with assorted amenities — including soap, shampoo, conditioner, a deluxe shower cap, body wash with microbeads, a shoe mitt, and a deluxe loofah.
This is how the bathroom amenities were originally arranged.
There were two large folded towels on a shelf in the shower area of the bathroom.
On the left is the toilet area of the guest bathroom; while on the right is the sink and vanity with the bathtub and shower in the background.
Swimming Pool Area
The heated outdoor swimming pool is part of the spa and health club of the hotel property. I did not visit the spa and health club itself; nor did I visit the fitness center.
Tables and chairs of the dining area is located at poolside.
A fully-stocked bar under a canopy is located near the swimming pool.
After I took a photograph of the swimming pool itself, I was approached by a security guard who asked if I was a guest at the hotel. I thought that was a little strange, as the swimming pool is not located on the ground floor of the hotel property; so someone would have to successfully bypass the strict security to get to the swimming pool. He turned out to be nice; and we had a chat about security itself, as the hotel has had its fair share of security scares in the past.
Views From the Suite
As Hilton Nairobi is one of the taller buildings in the city, the suite offered some great views.
There were views of parts of the city overall.
This scene is late afternoon in Nairobi.
This view of Kimathi Street on the left is towards the northwest.
This view is facing north-northwest from the hotel.
This is another view of City-Hall Way facing southwest from the hotel suite.
This view is facing south-southwest of the Hilton Nairobi.
The Kenyatta International Conference Centre — located on the right side of the photograph — is the fourth tallest building in Nairobi.
The building in the foreground is Kencom House.
One view of the sunset…
…and another view of the sunset a few minutes later.
…and yet another view of the sunset a few minutes later.
Nairobi at night.
Shortly after I awoke the next morning, I looked out one of the windows of the suite.
The sun rises over Nairobi in the morning.
Kimathi Street is darkened by the shadows of the buildings because of the rising sun.
The blue building in the center of the photograph in the background is the I&M Bank Tower, which is the seventh tallest building in Nairobi.
Just off to the left of the center of the photograph in the background are the Teleposta Towers — one of which is the third tallest building in Nairobi.
Executive Lounge
The entrance to the executive lounge is indicated by the glass French doors on the right of the photograph.
Upon walking in, the food is located to the right.
To the left was the area in which to relax — complete with a television.
Much of the time of which I was in the executive lounge, I was the only person in it; and because of that, I received personalized attention from whomever was the attendant for the executive lounge at the time — but only when I wanted or requested it.
During the day, there is a limited assortment of food available on which to snack as well as cold drinks — but there were plenty of them.
I am not sure as to what was on the left — nor did I ever definitively know what the bacon was wrapping in the center — but the spring rolls on the right were delicious.
You can create your own bruschetta on the right; or simply select from three different cheeses on the left.
Desserts included a chocolate brownie and a custard with sprigs of fresh mint.
My plate has a sampling of some of the food items available in the evening — and I especially liked the Coca-Cola made with real sugar in glass bottles.
This is view of one half of the overall food area of the executive lounge during breakfast the next morning.
This view of the other half of the food area of the executive lounge includes a refrigerator — found in the lower right side of the photograph — in which assorted cold drinks were stored.
Baked beans and hard boiled eggs are some of the offerings for breakfast — although I was uncertain as to what the soupy white stuff was on the right.
You can choose from bacon, two kinds of sausages and sautéed mushrooms.
Assorted breads and spreads — including Nutella — were to the right of the hot buffet.
Cheeses and crackers are in the plate on the left of the selection of apple, pineapple, mango and fresh orange juices.
The dairy section included whole milk and low fat milk — as well as assorted flavors of yogurt.
Fresh fruit — which included pineapple, bananas and apples, amongst other fruits — were offered.
This station offered assorted breads, pastries, processed meats, smoked salmon and various garnishes.
Chocolate muffins, marble cake and doughnuts were part of the overall food selection for breakfast.
The orange juice did taste like it was freshly squeezed — meaning that I could not stop at just one glass.
Summary
For the total room rate of $162.08 — including all taxes and fees — for the night, the stay was easily worth every penny. The staff was very friendly and helpful; the location was convenient; and I obviously had no concern about safety and security.
One of the few disadvantages of staying at this hotel property is that many sites on the Internet were either difficult to access or not accessible at all.
Although the hotel is located slightly greater than ten miles from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, keep in mind that the streets of Nairobi can be paralyzed with traffic sometimes and choked with traffic at other times; so leave yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. You will most likely need a minimum of one hour; but ask someone behind the front desk for more accurate information pertaining to when you should leave.
I shared a taxi cab with two other people to the airport; so I cannot comment about parking a car at the hotel. If you are the sole fare in the taxi cab, expect to pay approximately $25.00 — including gratuity — one way to or from the airport.
Overall, I highly recommend this hotel property — even without the upgrade.
Hilton Nairobi
Mama Ngina Street
Nairobi, 00100
Telephone +254-20-2288000
Fax +254-20-2226477
All photographs ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
