Rooms

The giraffe named Arlene was born in June 1994 but sadly passed away due to natural causes in early April 2012. She was petite in size but that did not deter her from sharing her affection with visitors. Arlene was named after Arlene Burzinski who was head of the British Airways Conservation projects which provide the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW) with a tremendous amount of support. Although Burzinski has left British Airways, she continues to be on the board of directors at AFEW. Arlene’s room is approximately 28 square-metres in size and is located on the upper floor of the Garden Manor. Its quirky-shaped bathroom with bathtub, shower and vintage toilet, along with its cosy feel, make it a favourite of the Giraffe Manor staff. The room has a king-sized four poster bed so is ideal for couples. It overlooks the courtyard between the main manor house and the Garden Manor with views beyond to the sanctuary forest. The giraffes do not have access to Arlene but the room offers wonderful views of the giraffes when they come to the manor for breakfast in the morning.

Salma-the-giraffe was born here at Giraffe Manor in November 2011. She is Betty’s daughter and although she is friendly, she is also a bit shy and we attribute this to the fact that she was attacked by a lion that had wandered away from Nairobi National Park when she was only a year old. Salma still bears the scars of this attack and is one tough lady who has also survived the unfortunate loss of two calves, both of whom died shortly after they were born. Salma’s room is amongst the newest rooms at the manor having been recently built and added to the Garden Manor section of the property in April 2017. It is located on the top floor of the Garden Manor and enjoys south-facing views over the lunch courtyard and sanctuary forest beyond. The room is 35 square-metres and can be either a double or a twin. It also has a sofa which converts to a bed that is suitable for a child if needed. The en-suite facilities consist of a bathtub, shower and single sink. Salma has a private balcony with chairs and table from where guests can enjoy wonderful views of the giraffes approaching the manor in the early morning. Although the giraffes do not have access to Salma’s room, it is a quiet room offering privacy and understated comfort to guests who need to catch up on some rest after a long flight or busy safari. It is worth noting that the stairway up to Salma’s room is a little bit steep and thus not ideal for guests with mobility issues.

Edd-the-giraffe, son to Jock and Lynn, was born here at Giraffe Manor in July 2011 and is now the dominant male and father to all the young calves presently roaming the sanctuary grounds. He enjoys being fed from Jock’s room more than anywhere else and is a gentle giant who will happily welcome a hug in exchange for a few pellets. He is easily recognisable as the largest giraffe here and by the way his offspring hurry out of the way in deference to him when he arrives on scene. Edd’s room is amongst the newest rooms at the manor having been recently built and added to the Garden Manor section of the property in April 2017. It is a ground-floor room of 39 square-metres with striking stained-glass windows above an enormous super-king-sized bed. There is also a sofa in the room which can pull out into a bed for a child if needed. The en-suite facilities consist of a corner bathtub, a large double shower and twin sinks. Although the giraffes do not have access to Edd’s room, guests can enjoy the room’s outdoor veranda area furnished with its own private bar.

In 1911, Denys Finch Hatton travelled to British East Africa with money left to him by his deceased uncle. He bought some land on the western side of the Rift Valley near to what is now Eldoret. He met Karen Blixen at the Muthaiga Club in 1918 and when Karen got divorced in 1925, Denys moved into her house where he lived until a few weeks before his final flight in May 1931 when he crashed his beloved Gypsy Moth in Tsavo National Park. As per Finch Hatton’s wishes, Blixen buried him in the Ngong Hills. The room named after him is on the ground floor of the Garden Manor from where you’ll often see the legs of our spotted residents when you open the curtains in the early morning as they come looking for treats from the rooms above and the adjoining dining room. This ground-floor room of 74 square-metres has a king-sized bed and two single beds in a loft area which is accessed by a small spiral staircase. There is also a small day bed which can accommodate a third child if needed. The en-suite facilities have a uniquely large double-headed shower, twin sinks and a bathtub. There is a fireplace which keeps the space wonderfully warm on the chillier Nairobi nights and a small seating area.

Jock-the-giraffe was named after Jock Leslie-Melville; he lived to be 22 years-old, 19 feet tall and was responsible for fathering over twenty calves, most of which have now been successfully released into Kenya’s national parks. He sadly passed away in July 2009. This lovely south-facing room is still frequented by giraffes looking for treats in the early morning hours. There are pellets in the room from which the giraffes can be fed from the window just like the Leslie-Melvilles once did with the very first giraffes they raised at the manor. From Jock’s room you can also see the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW) Giraffe Centre and headquarters, which was founded by Jock when he bought the manor in the 1970s.

Jock’s room is approximately 28 square-metres in size and can accommodate either a couple or two singles (double or a twin). It has a fireplace and both a bathtub and shower in the en-suite facilities as well as twin sinks.

Back in 1932 when the manor was first built as a private residence, the rooms were naturally created according to the original family’s needs and in keeping with the style of a traditional Scottish hunting lodge. Some rooms were large and stately, whilst others were more modest in size. Marlon’s room is a combination of what used to be two small children’s or nanny bedrooms. Once upon a time, these two rooms were known to our guests as Lynn and Marlon. However, in June of 2019 we removed the wall in order to create a delightfully spacious single room that is now the new and upgraded Marlon.

This 36 square-metre bedroom has twin beds that can be converted into a large double bed. There is also an adjoining sitting room with a sofa that can convert into a bed for a child. An east-facing balcony at the foot of the master bed offers guests the opportunity to feed our elegant, long-necked friends as they pass by. It’s the perfect giraffe friendly height! The spacious master bathroom has a shower and there is another compact shower and toilet at the opposite end of the room, ideal for an accompanying child. Guests who stay in Marlon enjoy the privilege of staying in the room named after one of the manor’s original giraffes. Her namesake was everyone’s favourite godfather, Marlon Brando, a friend of the previous Giraffe Manor owners.

Lynn’s room is named after a giraffe who was, for many years, the guardian of our herd of Rothschild’s giraffes. Born in 1996, she was blessed with five calves whilst here at the sanctuary. We loved her kind, solid and reliable nature. Lynn-the-giraffe, who sadly died in 2015, was named after Lynn Sherr, an award-winning news correspondent for the ABC news programme 20/20. An avid admirer of giraffes, she has often stayed at the Manor. Sherr’s book, ’Tall Blondes’, illustrates her love and knowledge of the animals and, in our view, is the definitive work on giraffe.

The room of the same name is located on the ground floor of the main manor and, though one finds it hard to imagine now, it was once the original manor house kitchen. The space was cleverly converted into a beautiful 47 square-metre room in 2019 with a decadent en-suite bathroom including bathtub, shower and twin sinks. The bed can convert between a double or two singles and the room can be accessed via the old service staircase or from the ground level for guests who may have mobility issues. There is a small veranda with access to a larger, covered outdoor seating area where guests can enjoy feeding the giraffes who amble past.

Karen Blixen came to Kenya from Denmark to marry her friend, Baron Bror von Blixen Fincke, and start a dairy farm. However, when she arrived in the country she found, much to her surprise, that the Baron had invested in coffee instead. Whilst her attempts at growing coffee heartbreakingly failed, her courage, incredible fortitude and kindness to her Kikuyu workers who toiled so hard alongside her, earned her enormous respect from the local people. As the area in which she once lived became more developed, the district of Karen was named after her. The Danish government gave Blixen’s house to the Kenyan government as an independence gift in 1964. In 1985 when her autobiography ‘Out of Africa’ became an Academy Award-winning Hollywood film, the house was turned into a museum.

The 113 square-metre Karen Blixen room at Giraffe Manor is located on the top floor of the main manor house. Its spacious balcony enjoys lovely south-facing views and provides guests with the opportunity to feed the giraffes in the early morning hours. This two-bedroomed suite – the largest of all the rooms at the manor – was rebuilt and moved to its new location in 2019. Each bedroom has its own en-suite facilities with bathtub, shower and twin sinks. The master bedroom has a king-sized four poster bed, whilst the second bedroom has two single four poster beds and a small daybed which can accommodate a young child. The room also has a spacious lounge with a fireplace and a writing desk. This delightful suite is adorned with a little piece of history; a dressing table and wardrobe that were both from Karen Blixen’s original guest bedroom. The mother of Jock Leslie-Melville (who bought the manor in the 1970s) was a friend of Karen’s and the furniture was given to her as a parting gift when Karen returned to Denmark in 1931.

Helen-the-giraffe was born in front of the manor on 1 August 2009 but she sadly passed away in May 2015. Helen was a natural leader but she was also extremely naughty! She was the daughter of Daisy II. Helen was named after a catholic sister who was a friend of Betty Leslie-Melville who bought the manor with her husband Jock in the 1970s and began the giraffe breeding programme. Sister Helen was based in Tanzania and was responsible for bringing Betty to Africa for the first time. At 43 square-metres, this large corner room in the Garden Manor is one of the most spacious and is often visited by hungry giraffes looking for treats in the morning. Guests who stay here are most welcome to feed them from Helen’s windows before breakfast. The room has two four poster beds which can be put together to make a large double bed or separated for two singles. The room is large enough to accommodate a baby cot if required upon request. The en-suite facilities consist of twin sinks, a bathtub and shower. Helen’s room has views towards the Ngong Hills to the west as well as southward views over the giraffe sanctuary and forest. On a very clear day, one can even see Mount Kilimanjaro’s snowy peak in the distance from this room.