Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Kenya / Nairobi / Giraffe Manor
Giraffe Manor
Nairobi, Kenya · The Safari Collection · Grand Luxury
Rothschild's giraffes put their heads through the dining-room windows at breakfast at this 1932 Scottish hunting lodge in Nairobi's Karen suburb. Sir David Duncan of the Mackintosh confectionery family built it; conservationists Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville restored it in 1974 and brought the giraffes, whose numbers under Betty's African Fund for Endangered Wildlife grew from about 100 to more than 400. Twelve rooms, a hotel since 1983, owned by The Safari Collection since 2009.
- 12 rooms
- Opened 1983
About Giraffe Manor
- Built in 1932 by Sir David Duncan of the Mackintosh confectionery family, makers of Quality Street and Smarties, in Scottish hunting-lodge style.
- Conservationists Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville restored the derelict manor in 1974 and introduced endangered Rothschild's giraffes, whose population under Betty's foundation grew from about 100 to over 400.
- It opened as a hotel in 1983 under the founders' son Rick Anderson.
- Mikey and Tanya Carr-Hartley's The Safari Collection has owned it since March 2009.
- 26 km from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
History
Giraffe Manor was built in 1932 by Sir David Duncan of the Mackintosh confectionery family (makers of Quality Street, Smarties and KitKat), in the Scottish hunting-lodge style, in what is now Nairobi's leafy Karen suburb. It fell into disrepair in the 1960s before being bought and restored in 1974 by conservationists Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville, who introduced endangered Rothschild's giraffes and, through Betty's African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW), helped grow the population from around 100 to over 400.
The manor opened as a hotel in 1983 under their son Rick Anderson. Since March 2009 it has been owned by Mikey and Tanya Carr-Hartley's The Safari Collection. Set on 12 acres beside a 140-acre forest, its resident giraffes famously poke their heads through the windows at breakfast.
The setting
6 km from Karen Blixen Museum. 7 km from Bomas of Kenya.
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Three Keys (2026)
Open Giraffe Manor in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More hotels in Nairobi
- Fairmont The Norfolk — Fairmont · High Luxury
- Gem Forest Hotel Nairobi – MGallery Collection — MGallery · High Luxury
- Hemingways Nairobi — Hemingways · High Luxury
- Glee Nairobi — Independent · Core Luxury
- JW Marriott Hotel Nairobi — JW Marriott · Core Luxury
- Kwetu Nairobi, Curio Collection by Hilton — Curio Collection · Core Luxury