Picolo recommends · Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya
Hemingways Nairobi
A white house with deep verandas on the edge of Nairobi, looking across a garden and pool towards the Ngong Hills.
Sit out on the veranda in the late afternoon and the Ngong Hills fill the horizon, the garden runs down to the pool, and the city feels far behind you. It is easy to forget you are in a capital of several million people.
Karen is the leafy suburb on Nairobi's south-western side, named after Karen Blixen, the Danish author of Out of Africa. Every room here is a suite, and both the Karen Blixen Museum and the Giraffe Centre are within easy driving distance.
Picolo’s verdict
Why we chose Hemingways Nairobi
This is our Nairobi choice, above all for the nights either side of a safari. After a long flight or days in the bush, a suite, a quiet garden and a calm pool are what you want.
The centre of Nairobi is a long way off, and traffic can make the trip slow. If your stay is about business or the city itself, Westlands or The Norfolk will serve you better.
What you get
- Suites only
- Pool in the garden
- Garden with views to the Ngong Hills
- Verandas for a sundowner
- Short drive to the Giraffe Centre
A day at Hemingways Nairobi
- Morning
- Feeding the Rothschild giraffes at the Giraffe Centre.
- Midday
- A visit to the Karen Blixen Museum in her former farmhouse.
- Afternoon
- A swim and a slow hour in the garden.
- Evening
- A drink on the veranda as the Ngong Hills darken.
Location
Karen, Nairobi, Kenya
Open in MapsQuestions about Hemingways Nairobi
Is Hemingways Nairobi a good stop before a safari?
Yes. It is the hotel we suggest at the start and end of a Kenyan safari, with quiet suites and a garden setting that helps you recover from long journeys.
What is there to do near Hemingways Nairobi?
Karen has the Giraffe Centre, where you can feed giraffes up close, and the Karen Blixen Museum in the author's old farmhouse. Both make an easy half day.
Does Hemingways Nairobi have standard rooms?
No. All accommodation at Hemingways Nairobi is in suites, which gives you more space than a typical city hotel room.
Other hotels nearby
Updated 6 Nov 2026All articles
How Picolo chooses
Our editors pick every hotel themselves, and most of them we have stayed at. No hotel can pay to be included or ranked higher. When you book through our links, Hotels.com pays Picolo a small commission. It never changes the price you pay, and it never decides what we write.
