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Traveller reviews

Travel reviews by oldsoulchild from UK

Review Distribution

Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Terrible

Total number of trips

1

Countries visited

1

Lodges stayed in

1

Excursions taken

0

august 2016

Kenya between 12 Aug 2016 and 15 Aug 2016

Trip rating: Good
"overall I think its worth visiting the manor as its still an unforgettable experience.

the staff are exceptional and obviously the giraffes are the stars, where else can you get so up close and personal enough for kisses!"

Arranged By Richard Trillo


Giraffe Manor

Giraffe Manor

"not the highlight id expected"

3 nights Arrived 12 Aug 2016
"i had looked forward to going to Giraffe Manor for a long time. I am definitely a budget traveller and the manor is way over my usual budget. its actually cost me 7 weeks wages to go there. certainly not a drop in the ocean for me. I was disappointed by a couple of things.

on arrival I was taken into the house and told that I wasn't going to be shown around as its early and the place is untidy. i was never shown around in the time I was there, it really didn't look untidy to me but as I was taken up to my room I noticed something on the stairs carpet, possibly a dead moth, whatever it was, it was still there when I left 3 days later.

I hadn't sleep well on my first night as i was cold, i mentioned it to another couple staying there and they said they had a hot water bottle in their bed, i got mine on the 2nd night but it wasn't very hot and made no difference. I also returned to find stains in my bathroom sink, presumably cleaning liquid that had been poured in and then not cleaned. the shower doors are absolutely filthy, water runs off a clean shower door, these haven't been cleaned in some time.

on the last morning I had to pay for a taxi to take me where I was going as apparently there weren't any cars available! as I left I saw a driver hanging around. he may have been about to go out but I had been sitting for well over an hour waiting for a phone call to make arrangements for me. when I got into my taxi he informed me he had also been booked to take me to my evening hotel. It seems the manor were not providing any transport for me on my last day. as I was about to leave Kenya I didn't have much money left and hadn't budgeted for 3 taxi fares.

Also before I left I was sitting with another guest who was leaving to go to the airport. she was offered a packed lunch to take with her, I wasn't leaving the manor for a flight. I was going to be volunteering at the local dogs home for the day and although the other guest was offered a packed lunch in front of me, I wasn't offered the same courtesy.

The food was lovely, I had mentioned a vegan diet when I booked back in November. while I'm not a strict vegan I don't eat dairy, I had been told almond milk was available. I never got any. I shared dairy milk with other guests. when I asked for dairy free yogurt I was told they didn't have it. Out of the 3 days I was there I was given strawberries in a vinegary sauce twice!

On my last night the staff went around the dinner table asking people how they wanted their steak cooked. I'm not sure how much notice was taken as a steak was put in front of me, I passed it to the lady next to me, and another steak was promptly put in front of me again. I also seemed to miss the afternoon tea without leaving the building. a plate was wafted under my nose one day and quickly whisked away as soon as id taken one crisp never to return!

For the amount of money it costs to stay there I would expect a change of sheets every day, they weren't changed at all in the 3 days. I also went from having two towels to one! I knew I'd forget to ask for another so I was unable to have a shower before dinner and again at breakfast

I also don't like name dropping, I'm really not impressed by it and the fact that both Madonna and president Obama have been refused by the manor means nothing to me. I don't care which superstar has been there or not been there.

I had booked a room with the balcony and soon realised I had to be down on my knees to feed giraffes through the gap at the bottom of the railing as they couldn't reach.

While I think the manor is beautiful and feeding the giraffes through the window during breakfast is quite something, I really don't think its worth the money it costs and sadly it wasn't the highlight I was hoping for.

It has to be said that the staff were great, polite, funny and helpful. I love that they remember and use your name, (I wasn't looking forward to being called madam for the duration.

on a more positive note, feeding the giraffe at breakfast was great. also sitting in front of the fire with a drink and chatting with new friends was lovely. just as lovely to sit outside and feed the giraffes before dinner but it was a tad cold for me and I didn't have warm clothes with me.
having a car and driver to take me from craft shop to bead shop and anywhere in between was helpful too.
Richard Trillo [Ed: of Expert Arica] is a superstar, incredibly helpful with all matters Kenya and I never felt any question was too stupid.

having said all of the above I did enjoy my time at the manor and its been a great experience."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good

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