Nairobi Part 2

I'm staying in Nairobi at a place called the Safari Park Hotel and Casino on the north side of Nairobi on the road to Thika, originally famous for its flame trees and its pineapples. Now famous for its traffic, which even by Nairobi standards is ghastly. 


Normally I wouldn't contemplate staying at a place with a name like this. But as it's the only pukka hotel within easy reach of the university I'm working at, I agreed. I crossed that bridge last time I came here for this project. Now I'm back - I'm here to make up numbers


The hotel is an enigma. It has about 200 rooms in two storey lodges scattered around acres of parkland. There are five restaurants, a vast gym, and loads of other amenities (including the casino which I haven't bothered to locate). There's a cabaret every night in the open air nyama choma (barbecued meat) restaurant. But on the two occasions I've stayed here there are usually only about 20 other guests. There are probably about 30 staff to every guest.

Here for example is the delightful Japanese restaurant at peak lunchtime!


Leaving aside how they manage to carry on financially, the main reason for the lack of guests is this recurring theme of traffic. The hotel is a beached whale. It's about 10 miles from the centre of Nairobi. It takes an hour or two to get to the centre and at least two to get to either of Nairobi's airports, even by the Mathare valley road of horrors (see my first Nairobi post). 


When it was opened in the early 80's, you could get to central Nairobi in 20 minutes. I know - we lived in Nairobi then. So it was a place people stayed before or after their trips to the Masai Mara or flights to the coast. Now the only guests are a few bemused independent travellers - or people like me who have business in the northern suburbs. 


Then of course there are periodic conferences and other jamborees - and that's its lifeline. But it desperately needs reinventing. So if you fancy a challenge...

Here are two more pictures to tempt you. 














By the way if you're wondering what you get at the nyama choma restaurant, last night there was (vegetarians look away!) chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, goat, crocodile and camel. And they get upset if you don't try them all.