Giraffe Manor

Lynn’s room is named after a giraffe who was, for many years, the guardian of our herd of Rothschild’s giraffes. Born in 1996, she was blessed with five calves whilst here at the sanctuary. We loved her kind, solid and reliable nature. Lynn-the-giraffe, who sadly died in 2015, was named after Lynn Sherr, an award-winning news correspondent for the ABC news programme 20/20. An avid admirer of giraffes, she has often stayed at the Manor. Sherr’s book, ’Tall Blondes’, illustrates her love and knowledge of the animals and, in our view, is the definitive work on giraffe.

The room of the same name is located on the ground floor of the main manor and, though one finds it hard to imagine now, it was once the original manor house kitchen. The space was cleverly converted into a beautiful 47 square-metre room in 2019 with a decadent en-suite bathroom including bathtub, shower and twin sinks. The bed can convert between a double or two singles and the room can be accessed via the old service staircase or from the ground level for guests who may have mobility issues. There is a small veranda with access to a larger, covered outdoor seating area where guests can enjoy feeding the giraffes who amble past.

• Located in the Main Manor
• Footprint of 47m²
• King-size bed or twin beds (not possible to add an extra bed)
• Private walk-out terrace with seating area and access to feeding giraffes
• En-suite bathroom with shower and bath
• Free Wi-Fi
• Coffee/Tea machine
• Hair dryer
• In-room safe
• Mosquito net
• Handmade Kenyan toiletries
• Dressing gowns.

Betty-the-giraffe was born in 2000 and came to Giraffe Manor, in 2002. She is one of the smallest and prettiest giraffes here but she is also the shyest. Betty is named after Betty Leslie-Melville, otherwise known as “The Giraffe Lady”. Betty Leslie-Melville and her husband Jock purchased the manor in the 1970s and she always said that the purchase of the stately home in a leafy suburb of Nairobi changed her life. The same week that the couple moved in to the manor, they learned about the plight of the Rothschild Giraffe and decided to do whatever they could to conserve them. Today, the breeding & conservation program that continues on the grounds of the manor remains Betty’s legacy.

In the room named after Betty, you will find Betty’s portrait hanging on the wall. It is a lovely, 32 square-metre south-facing room in the original manor house which was built in 1932. It has a king-size bed, fireplace and adjoining balcony from which the giraffes can be fed. The en-suite bathroom remains to this day in its original, quirky Art Deco style. We have opted not to modernize it as we prefer to embrace the period feel and protect the heritage of the building since so few tributes to Kenya’s past architecture remain.  This room cannot be made into a twin and is therefore ideal for couples.

• Located in the Main Manor
• Footprint of 24 m²
• King-size bed (possible to add a baby cot)
• Access to feed giraffes from front window and balcony
• Original art deco bathroom with bathtub and shower
• In-room fireplace
• Balcony
• Free Wi-Fi
• Coffee/Tea machine
• Hair dryer
• In-room safe
• Mosquito nets
• Handmade Kenyan toiletries
• Dressing gowns.

The Manor features three standard rooms namely the Lynn, Marlon and Daisy rooms. Each room features a luxury, double four poster bed, en-suite bathroom, antique furnishings and striking decor. Each room also features a hairdryer, torch, sewing and nail kit and wireless internet.

Standard rooms feature:

• En-suite bathrooms
• Hairdryers
• Torches
• Wireless internet
• Sewing and nail kits

Karen Blixen came to Kenya from Denmark to marry her friend, Baron Bror von Blixen Fincke, and start a dairy farm. However, when she arrived in the country she found, much to her surprise, that the Baron had invested in coffee instead. Whilst her attempts at growing coffee heartbreakingly failed, her courage, incredible fortitude and kindness to her Kikuyu workers who toiled so hard alongside her, earned her enormous respect from the local people. As the area in which she once lived became more developed, the district of Karen was named after her.

The Danish government gave Blixen’s house to the Kenyan government as an independence gift in 1964. In 1985 when her autobiography ‘Out of Africa’ became an Academy Award-winning Hollywood film, the house was turned into a museum.  The 113 square-metre Karen Blixen room at Giraffe Manor is located on the top floor of the main manor house. Its spacious balcony enjoys lovely south-facing views and provides guests with the opportunity to feed the giraffes in the early morning hours. This two-bedroomed suite – the largest of all the rooms at the manor – was rebuilt and moved to its new location in 2019.

Each bedroom has its own en-suite facilities with bathtub, shower and twin sinks. The master bedroom has a king-sized four poster bed, whilst the second bedroom has two single four poster beds and a small daybed which can accommodate a young child. The room also has a spacious lounge with a fireplace and a writing desk. This delightful suite is adorned with a little piece of history; a dressing table and wardrobe that were both from Karen Blixen’s original guest bedroom. The mother of Jock Leslie-Melville (who bought the manor in the 1970s) was a friend of Karen’s and the furniture was given to her as a parting gift when Karen returned to Denmark in 1931.

• Located in the Main Manor
• Footprint of 113m²
• Two separate en-suite bedrooms both with a bathtub and shower
• Shared living room area with a fire
• Master room has a king-size bed
• Twin room has twin beds (possible to convert into a double)
• Large balcony with access to feeding giraffes
• Free Wi-Fi
• Coffee/Tea machine
• Hair dryer
• In-room safe
• Mosquito net
• Handmade Kenyan toiletries
• Dressing gowns.

The superior rooms include the Jock, Betty, Karen Blixen, Kelly, Arlene, Helen and Finch Hatton Suites. The Karen Blixen and Finch Hatton suites are suitable for families. The Karen Blixen suite is suitable for wheelchair users. These two suites have direct access to the courtyard.

Superior rooms feature:

• En-suite bathrooms
• Hairdryers
• Torches
• Wireless internet
• Sewing and nail kits

The superior rooms include the Jock, Betty, Karen Blixen, Kelly, Arlene, Helen and Finch Hatton Suites. The Karen Blixen and Finch Hatton suites are suitable for families. The Karen Blixen suite is suitable for wheelchair users. These two suites have direct access to the courtyard.

Superior rooms feature:

• En-suite bathrooms
• Hairdryers
• Torches
• Wireless internet
• Sewing and nail kits

The superior rooms include the Jock, Betty, Karen Blixen, Kelly, Arlene, Helen and Finch Hatton Suites. The Karen Blixen and Finch Hatton suites are suitable for families. The Karen Blixen suite is suitable for wheelchair users. These two suites have direct access to the courtyard.

Superior rooms feature:

• En-suite bathrooms
• Hairdryers
• Torches
• Wireless internet
• Sewing and nail kits

The superior rooms include the Jock, Betty, Karen Blixen, Kelly, Arlene, Helen and Finch Hatton Suites. The Karen Blixen and Finch Hatton suites are suitable for families. The Karen Blixen suite is suitable for wheelchair users. These two suites have direct access to the courtyard.

Superior rooms feature:

• En-suite bathrooms
• Hairdryers
• Torches
• Wireless internet
• Sewing and nail kits

Kelly-the-giraffe was born in Nakuru National Park and was brought to the Giraffe Center in 2002. She is nicknamed Grace Kelly due to her aloof and graceful nature! She is easily recognizable due to her light coat and large ossicone on her forehead. She is often the first to arrive for treats and the last to leave and she has become infamous as the resident “head-butter” so one needs to be careful to always stay in front of her. Kelly was named after Kelly O’Connell, an avid US-based wildlife supporter and one of the directors of The African Fund Endangered Wildlife (AFEW).

Kelly’s room is located upstairs in the Giraffe Manor,, is approximately 45 square-metres in size and is beautifully appointed with traditional cane furnishings and a striking stained-glass wall in the bathroom. The room has three single beds, two of which can be put together to accommodate a couple if preferred. It also has a fireplace and views towards the south over the sanctuary forest. The en-suite facilities consist of a bathtub, shower and twin sinks.  Guests can feed giraffes from Kelly’s window as they often come to visit this room in the early morning hours before breakfast.

• Located in the Garden Manor
• Footprint of 33 m²
• King-size bed or twin beds and an extra twin bed
• Access to feeding giraffes through the window
• En-suite bathroom with twin sinks, bathtub and shower
• In-room fireplace
• Free Wi-Fi
• Coffee/Tea machine
• Hair dryer
• In-room safe
• Mosquito nets
• Handmade Kenyan toiletries
• Dressing gowns.

The superior rooms include the Jock, Betty, Karen Blixen, Kelly, Arlene, Helen and Finch Hatton Suites. The Karen Blixen and Finch Hatton suites are suitable for families. The Karen Blixen suite is suitable for wheelchair users. These two suites have direct access to the courtyard.

Superior rooms feature:

• En-suite bathrooms
• Hairdryers
• Torches
• Wireless internet
• Sewing and nail kits

The superior rooms include the Jock, Betty, Karen Blixen, Kelly, Arlene, Helen and Finch Hatton Suites. The Karen Blixen and Finch Hatton suites are suitable for families. The Karen Blixen suite is suitable for wheelchair users. These two suites have direct access to the courtyard.

Superior rooms feature:

• En-suite bathrooms
• Hairdryers
• Torches
• Wireless internet
• Sewing and nail kits