Hotels provide travelers with shelter, food,and refreshing services. They are also equipped with recreational facilities and provide recreational activities. To identify and choose a hotel, one has to consider factors like its location, services, the type of room and other touristy activities to do near the hotel.
- Giraffe Manor – Kenya
It is a boutique hotel located in Langata, Nairobi. It was built-in 1932 by Jocks and Betty Leslie. It is a home to Rothschild giraffes, dik-dik, warthogs and different bird species.
The Giraffe manor is surrounded by beautiful rolling lawns and gardens. Its exterior and interior is beautiful and elegant. The facility has a sun room with large windows where the giraffes stick out their necks.
The house has 6 En suite rooms with a mix of both modern and antique furnishings. It also has luxury rooms with 4-poster large beds. The Garden Manor has 6 guest rooms with facilities like WiFi, toiletries, a hairdryer among others. The original Manor House has 6 rooms: Betty, Dais, Jock,Lynn,Marlon and The Karen Blixen Suite. The Garden Manor also has 6 rooms: Salma,Edd,Arlene, Helen,Kelly and Finch Hatton suite. It has a gym and spa for physical wellness and offers mouth watering food.
The guests can meet, feed and even adopt elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. They can also take walks in the forests.
- La Mamounia – Morocco
This is a five-star hotel in Marrakech, Morocco. Its name Mamunia means safe haven in Arabic language and it was opened in 1929. It is a luxurious palace with 136 rooms, 71 suites,and 3 riads with 3 bedrooms, terraces, swimming pool and salons.
La Mamounia has a garden full of roses, love trees, citrus trees and a vegetable garden. It has 3 restaurants which serve Moroccan, Asians and Italian cuisine. It also has 4 bars. The hotel has a tennis resort, spa, casino, events and business venues, spa and 10 wellness rooms and courtyard.
The hotel is also known to have a cellar that holds up to 3500 bottles of wine. It also has its own signature scent designed by Olivia Gialobetti.
- Gibb’s Farm – Tanzania
It is a hotel located near the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, in a 75 acres private piece of land. It is a lodge that was established in the 1920s with a coffee plantation.
The Gibb’s Farm has 20 beautiful cottages- 17 one bedroom ensuite cottages, 2 two bedroom ensuite cottages that are surrounded by beautiful gardens. These farm cottages can accommodate up to 50 guests. The rooms have facilities like WiFi, a gift shop, laundry and a yoga room. The rooms are also very spacious with special East African decorations.
Guests can go for walks to the farm, waterfalls, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater area. They are also encouraged to indulge in farm work like tending to the farm and milking cows. They can also go biking, game drives, guided walks, hiking and even spa treatment.
The meals here are prepared from organic vegetables and fruits straight from the hotel’s farm.
- Steigenberger AL DAU – Egypt
It is a luxurious 5 star hotel found in Hurghada- Red Sea, Egypt. The hotel has 372 hotel rooms and 16 suites with amenities like a mini bar, a balcony or terrace, air conditioning and WiFi.
It has 4 restaurants, 5 bars, a cafe, a snack bar and a shisha bar. The hotel also has a planet spa with a heated pool, hammam, sauna and wellness facilities. It also has 7 meeting rooms which can hold up to 1400 people in a day.
The hotel provides activities for the guests like water sports and many others. It has a water sports and diving center at the beach. It also has a kids club and a 9-hole golf course for the adults. Guests can also go for a fishing trip, canoeing, hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving or spend the day out in the sea enjoying the view of the Red Sea. They can also visit the Red Sea Aquarium Museum and the Giftun Islands.
- Delaire Graff Estate – South Africa
It is an estate on a vineyard slope of Botmakskop, Stellenbosch. The estate was bought by Mr Graff in 2009. It is known as the ‘Jewel of Cape Wineland’ and it is also a world class destination for wine and cuisine.
The hotel has 2 restaurants: the Delaire Graff Restaurant and the Indochine Restaurant. The Delaire restaurant is more popular due to its spectacular mountain views of the Banhoek Valley and is also known for its bistro and chic dishes. The Indochine Restaurant, on the other hand, is where breakfast is served, with a range of curries, soups and salads. It provides the guest with afro-asian menus. The food served in the Delaire comes from fresh farm produce taken from the farm all depending on the season of the year.
Rooms at the Delaire Graff are known as ‘lodges’. There are different lodges in the Delaire- superior lodges, luxury lodges, deluxe lodges, presidential lodge 1 and presidential lodge 2. The lodges are surrounded by a serene environment of estate gardens. The gardens have flowers and about 350 indigenous plants. A spa with an infinity pool and jacuzzi provides the guests with therapy combining both skin care and mind wellness. The spa has a view of the vineyard which gives a breathtaking and calm feeling.
The estate also produces its own wine- The Laurence Graff Reserve 2017, from the grapes planted in the estate. The Estate winemaker Morné Vrey looks over 20 hectares of Bordeaux and Chardonnay vines, harvesting the grapes by hand to produce fresh and crisp wine.
Graff stores are open for hand crafted accessories, clothings and homeware. The estate is also covered and decorated with Laurence Graff’s collection of art pieces and sculptures making it such a sight to see.
- Royal Livingstone – Zambia
The Royal Livingstone by Antara is a five-star luxury hotel located near the Victoria Falls at the Zambezi River in Zambia. It was opened in 2001 and was formerly known as the Sun international hotel. It is built in the colonial style with artifacts, paintings and drawings.
The hotel has 173 rooms with ensuite bathrooms and a private veranda. It also has a bar, lounge areas and a restaurant facing the river giving it a magical view. The lounge area has a swimming pool, rolling lawn and decks. The water spray is visible from these decks.
Guests can treat themselves in the spa or gazebos and traveler’s bar as they sip high tea. Those who love adventure can go for a game drive at the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, bungee jumping, white river rafting or choose to have a traditional outdoor African Boma.
- La Maison Arabe – Morocco
It is a luxurious road hotel in Marrakech, Morocco. It reflects the city’s heritage, history and culture. It was built in 1946 and was the first hotel in Morocco to host foreigners.
It encompasses 7 riads, 37 luxurious rooms and suites. The rooms are built in a mixture of historical and foreign styles with private terraces, other lounges and fireplaces. It has a heated pool, spa, 5 massage rooms and 2 traditional hammams. The Les Trois Saveurs restaurant offers French, Moroccan and Asian cuisine.
Guests can join cookery workshops or visit the Jemaa el-Fnaa for souvenirs.