Originally Posted by Roger
We were there last week (gold) and were upgraded to a junior suite. Very pleasant indeed, on the 16th floor (hotel has 17 floors).
Welcome gift was a bowl of fresh fruit and ... not a bottle, not a knicknack, but a (pre-cooked) Christmas pudding accompanied by a spoon!
The lounge was closed, so we used the Resident's Lounge on the first floor (US: second floor) with complimentary drinks.
We were at the Nairobi Hilton last week as well! Our experience differed - no Christmas pudding, and the executive lounge was open with Gordon staffing it. We left our two nights at the Nairobi Hilton to the end of our safari stay. Effectively it was 3 nights, as we flew out on the 11:20pm BA flight. We were given the Lamu (Presidential) Suite - very nice, and lots of fun to see several FT names in the guest book.
There is one restaurant - casual, but good. At night, they offer an Italian menu in addition to an eclectic menu offered all day.
I wanted to shop at Zanzibar Curio, a half block away - and the staff was insistent that it was too dangerous to walk there. Instead, we discovered the two shops at one end of the Hilton arcade - unbelievably cheap, compared to any roadside or hotel gift shops. For example, leather animal bookmarks that sold for $3 in roadside stands were $.20.
We had a quote from a safari company for an all day tour of Nairobi - $150 for car and driver, not including admissions. Gordon brought up Agripa, a 20 year old who can be found outside with the taxi drivers. We worked out an all day trip with him, for which he charged us the rough equivalent of $50. I knew where I wanted to go, and he and his brother drove us to each place with excellent commentary. Be sure to visit the Kenya Museum with Joy Adamson's pictures of tribal people - fantastic. In one day, we saw:
- Railway Museum
- Kenya National Museum
- Karen Blixen House
- Giraffe Center
- Lunch at Carnivore
- Bomas of Kenya - dance program, then tour of 11 tribal village replicas
Admissions will cost you as much as you pay the driver - and it is worth it. It was a terrific day.