Partner Reviews

I just had an agent complete a Kenya trip with her extended family and thought some of her info might be helpful to those that would like to know. They did Nairobi, Mara and Laikipia:

Get a cup of coffee or glass of wine... if you are interested :)

Thank you all for the arrangements.  We loved every day, all of the accommodations , our safari guides and the butlers!

I still very much like House of Waine.  Rooms are spacious, service is lovely, rates reasonable.  I would happily stay there again.   I did take some time to visit Hemmingways, which I liked much better than my first visit a few years ago.  It is definitely the right place for many clients who want only the best.  The rooms spacious and bathrooms huge.  I won't shy away from it in the future for clients.

Out last night at Hemmingways Eden Residence was great.  Having the main house all to ourselves was quite a treat.  The downstairs living room and very spacious outdoor terrace are beautiful.  The restaurant and bar were lively with locals enjoying holiday lunches.  I would book this again for the right clients , especially families.  The master bedroom is very spacious , the twin bedroom is quite small, the 3rd bedroom is fine.  The place is a little quirky vs Hemmingways, which is more standard hotel, in every way, but nice.

For us, coming out of the bush and having one last butler at Eden was a treat.  Turns out he seems to be related to the wedding couple we met in Laikipia.  A small world with those Maasai and Samburu.  Our butler at Mara Expedition was working at Mara Plains camp when I stayed there a few years ago.

Mara Expedition is a great camp and certain a good value.  I did visit Mara Plains and Mara Toto, which I loved.  I would choose that over Mara Plains for a deluxe client.  Prices and inclusions are the same.  Even though Mara Plains built a wine room connected to the main tent , Mara Toto offers all the same excellent wines and top shelf liquors.  Just not as showy about it.

Game viewing good, we didn't see leopard, but saw everything else.  Many babies.

Loved flying private on Scenic Air.  Though neither pilot chatted too much about the scenery below us, they did mention a few landmarks.  Their music play list for the headphones was beautiful for both flights.  The 10 pax plane is really lovely.  Leather seats.  Bag of chips and glass bottle of water provided for both flights.  Pilots graciously handed our uneaten chips bags to children waiting at the air strip ( they know!)

Landing only a 15 min drive from Ol Lentile is a treat.  This place is magical.  Certainly not for the handicapped!  The altitude walking up and down the stairs was difficult for my family (I live at high altitude, so that was ok for me) and the uneven stairs can be a bit challenging.  I visited all of the villas and they are all lovely.  I did love Acacia the best, where we stayed.  These were the first villas built and were used to meet with the locals in early days.  The ceilings are done with rope and from the inside they are beautiful.  I also loved the decor in Bocia, the 3 bedroom.

Everything was excellent and the exposure to the Maasai and Samburu cultures is the highlight, though I will say, the elephant viewing is very good and more intimate than our Mara experience.  And who doesn't love a terrace full of hyrax!

We went to a farm one morning, and bought a goat.  Hilarious.  Gifted it to the bride and groom at the wedding we attended that afternoon.  What a great cultural day.   On another day, we went to visit a group gathering of Samburu women, learning to empower themselves.  Again, another wonderful experience.  We learned to play the local version of mankala and our butler played many games with us.  We got to know Felix , our butler, very well, as he not only helped us in camp, he also came with us every time we left the camps for anything: drives, bush breakfast, sundowners, cultural visits.  We loved him so much that we decided to gift him a cow.  He really is the main breadwinner of his extended family and it seemed like this might be helpful.  

Reteti was a nice visit en route to Nairobi.  Similar to Sheldrick.  These two rescue centers are now working together. Reteti takes the northern part of the country and Sheldrick the southern part.

Our departure VIP services from NBO were excellent.  As well, our transfer driver to Eden on Dec 24 and again on Dec 25 for the afternoon excursion ( Karen Blixen House , visit to Hemmingways), Carnivore and to the airport) was quite professional.  

I hope this helps a bit.   I loved pairing Mara with Ol Lentile.  And more importantly, so did my family.  They loved it, everything exceeded my brother's expectations!