About this hotel
General information
Hemingways Nairobi is an all-suite boutique hotel of 45 suites in Karen, a quiet, leafy suburb on Nairobi's south-western edge. Its wings wrap around manicured, palm-lined gardens, and the terraces look out to the Ngong Hills. The hotel is the flagship of the Hemingways Collection, with interiors that draw on Kenyan heritage, a bar of leather Chesterfields and marble floors, a library stocked with classics, African fiction and travel writing, and a boutique of Kenyan design, fashion and art.
Service is attentive and low-key: a butler is on hand around the clock, check-in and check-out take place in the suite, and the team will unpack and pack, press clothes and help plan time in the city and beyond. Meeting rooms and boardrooms hold up to 70 people. The hotel runs on solar power, waters its gardens with treated greywater and backs local programmes in education, nutrition and youth rugby.
Location
The hotel sits on the Mbagathi Ridge in Karen, between Nairobi National Park and the Ngong Hills, with the Giraffe Centre close by. Nairobi's international airport is about 30 km away and Wilson Airport, the hub for safari flights, about 15 km. Private transfers to and from both airports run in air-conditioned vehicles, and chauffeured cars are available for city outings and day trips.
Spa
The spa uses Terres d'Afrique products alongside locally sourced botanicals, with a menu of massages, facials, signature body rituals, hand and foot care and waxing in private treatment suites. The sauna and steam room are prepared for a time of the guest's choosing. Treatments are also open to non-residents.
Sports & leisure
The fitness centre has cardio machines, a Kinesis resistance system and free weights. Beyond the hotel, the team arranges:
- game drives in Nairobi National Park, minutes away — the world's only national park within a capital city, home to lions, black rhinos, giraffes and more than 400 bird species;
- visits to the Giraffe Centre, a conservation sanctuary for Rothschild's giraffes, where they are fed by hand from a raised platform;
- rounds at Karen Country Club, with preferential rates for hotel guests;
- a Swahili cooking class and shopping among Karen's artisan workshops and craft shops.
Restaurants & bars
The hotel has several venues, plus weekly themed nights and a Sunday brunch with live jazz.
- Brasserie — a light-filled room facing the Ngong Hills for breakfast, lunch and dinner: steaks from the Josper oven, house-made pasta and seafood;
- Hemingways Bar — classic cocktails built on local botanicals, fine whiskies and wines, small plates and a terrace looking out to the hills;
- Terrace — a traditional English afternoon tea every day, with a prosecco option;
- The Wine Cellar — a glass-walled cellar for private dinners of up to eight, with tasting menus and Old and New World wines;
- Le Petit Chef — a dinner show in which 3D projections on the table accompany each course.
Swimming
A heated 15-metre outdoor pool lies in the gardens among palms, suited both to laps and to an unhurried late-afternoon swim.
Pets
Pets are not accepted.
Rooms
All 45 rooms are spacious, light-filled suites of 80 to 240 m², each with a terrace facing the gardens or the Ngong Hills. Deluxe Suites take the ground floor of each wing, while Executive Suites sit on the upper floor beneath high vaulted ceilings.
Every suite has air conditioning and a ceiling fan, a seating area, a desk, a safe, satellite TV, a coffee machine and kettle, a minibar, Wi-Fi and a marble bathroom with a bathtub, separate shower and walk-in wardrobe, bathrobes and slippers, with a butler available around the clock.
Deluxe Suite
A ground-floor suite with a king-size bed or, on request, twin beds, a seating area and a private terrace onto the gardens. The marble bathroom has a walk-in wardrobe, double vanity, deep bathtub and separate shower.
Executive Double Suite
An upper-floor suite under a vaulted ceiling, with a king-size bed, a separate seating area and a private terrace over the gardens. The marble bathroom has a walk-in wardrobe, double vanity, bathtub and separate shower.
Executive Twin Suite
The same upper-floor, vaulted-ceiling layout with two twin beds, a generous seating area and a private terrace over the gardens. The marble bathroom has a walk-in wardrobe, double vanity, bathtub and separate shower.
Signature Suite
A one-bedroom suite with a separate living room, a dining area and a fully equipped kitchen with butler access, plus a private terrace facing the hills. The bedroom has a king-size bed and a marble bathroom with a walk-in wardrobe, freestanding bathtub and shower.
Grand Suite
The largest suite, with a living room, study, dining area and private kitchen with butler access, and a king-size bedroom with walk-in wardrobe, bathtub, shower and a private terrace towards the Ngong Hills. The living and dining rooms open onto a broad terrace shared with the neighbouring suite.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.