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OVERVIEW:
Karen Gables is privately owned and run. It’s a Cape Dutch-style building, with rounded gables and white-washed walls. The accommodation is booked on a B&B basis, including parking and Wi-Fi. Exclusive bookings are available, and children of all ages are welcome here. Kids aged 2–12 years incur 50 percent of the adult rate, while youngsters aged under 2 years stay for free!
ACCESS & LOCATION:
The property is accessed via 40 minutes’ road transfer from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. It’s situated in Karen, a peaceful suburb of Nairobi, within just over half a hectare of gorgeous grounds.
ACCOMMODATION & FACILITIES AT KAREN GABLES:
Guest accommodation consists of just seven rooms and suites. There are four categories – superior room (2), deluxe double room (3), deluxe twin room (1), and main suite (1). All are beautifully styled, with four-poster double beds, bedside tables and lighting, a writing desk and chair, and ample storage furniture. Persian rugs adorn the floor, and the main suite boasts a separate seating area with cozy fireplace. En-suite washing facilities generally comprise flush toilet, twin washbasins, and shower, bathtub, or both. Some rooms have a hot tub, and most offer views over the gardens and down to the river that runs past the property. And every room has free Wi-Fi!
Karen Gables’ communal lounge and dining areas occupy the house’s ground floor, first floor, and parts of the garden. On the ground floor, there’s a large indoor lounge, which is known as the drawing-room. It features plush sofas and winged armchairs around a big old explorer’s chest put to use as a coffee table. An immense cabinet to one side of the room contains a good selection of reading material, and an elegant chandelier dangles from the ceiling between exposed beams. This space flows through into the main dining room, which has brocade chairs surrounding a table laden with elegant cutlery and a couple of candelabras. Upstairs, there’s a less formal lounge, with a television and a few DVDs. The outdoor seating areas have a more laidback vibe too, but they still have a touch of grandeur. They include Karen Gables’ bar, which is adjacent to the inviting heated swimming pool! And the guesthouse also has over half a hectare of lovely gardens, perfect for a relaxing stroll.
ACTIVITIES AT KAREN GABLES:
Most of our clients staying at Karen Gables will be at the property for just a night, either before or after a safari in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve or other wildlife-rich regions. However, if you are going to visit for a little longer, the property offers a superb base from which to explore many of Nairobi’s main attractions.
- Just a short distance away, there are the Karen Blixen Museum and the serene Oloolua Nature Trail. A little farther out are a couple of shopping centers, a Maasai market, and a few eateries and bars.
- Other activities you could consider include vehicle safari in Nairobi National Park, a trip to the city’s Giraffe Centre, and a visit to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, where you can watch orphaned elephants being fed by their kind keepers.
- The elephants like to play together too, often kicking a football about! For more information about Nairobi, and to discuss visiting Karen Gables, please contact a member of the YZ team.
