House of Waine

House of Waine is an eleven-room boutique hotel on 2.5 acres in Karen, a residential suburb south of central Nairobi. The property opened in 2004 after a two-year conversion of a 1970s family residence. The family remains on site. Ten standard rooms and one suite occupy the main building; a separate cottage holds two bedrooms. Each room carries an individual theme reflected in fabrics, art, and furnishings. Manyatta features a portrait of a Maasai warrior by Phillipa Marrion. Safari references explorers; Ziwa renders turquoise in layers; Tembo adopts elephant-hide textures. Victoria includes a working fireplace and a claw-foot bath. The Malaika suite spans two lounge areas, a dressing room, and a marble bathroom with a spherical tub and a balcony overlooking the pool.

All rooms include air conditioning, direct-dial telephones, flat-screen televisions, laptop safes, mini bars, hair dryers, and separate baths and showers. Fresh flowers and biscuits arrive daily. The poolside cottage sleeps three across a double and a single bedroom, both en suite, with an open-plan lounge, dining room, full kitchen, fireplace, and private garden. A heated outdoor pool anchors the grounds. The dining room serves breakfast on a terrace with views of birdlife. Lunch and three-course dinners are available by reservation. A conference room seats twenty with air conditioning, an LCD projector, and a private adjoining terrace. The Giraffe Centre, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and Karen Blixen Museum lie within five kilometres. Secure parking is on site.