Reviews of Macushla House
(87%) From 38 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Macushla House review
Lovely relaxing place to come back to after a weeks safari.
Read more about the whole tripMacushla House review
After a weeks working in Nairobi, it was extremely nice to come to a small but very comfortably and peaceful guesthouse, where one could just switch off from the hetic pace of Nairobi.
My only criticism, which is very small, is it would have been nice to have had a slightly larger bottle of water in the room.
Very comfortable
I stayed at Macushla House for a couple of days at the end of my trip as I wanted to see more of Nairobi before flying home. My room (No 5), although a little dark as the windows were either high up and shaded by garden plants and trees, was otherwise large, clean and very comfortable. A few more coat-hangers would have been useful; there were only 2 available.
The public rooms, terrace, gardens and pool at Macushla are lovely especially if the local troop of Black-Faced Vervet Monkeys are passing through the area. I was very well looked after by the staff. There weren't really any activities as such offered by Macushla House; it is a small, comfortable, quirkily-decorated boutique hotel in the quiet area of Karen which is close to many tourist attractions such as DSWT, Karen Blixen Museum, etc
I had a vehicle and driver from Southern Cross on both days (Edward asked me to say Hello to Richard !) to take me to the various places I wanted to see in Nairobi and this worked very well.
Part of the Family
We loved our stay here. From the minute we arrived we were welcomed as part of the family.
The rooms were amazing and so creatively decorated. Nothing was too much trouble and we loved the flexibility of meals served when you needed them. Stephen was wonderful and spent time chatting with us and sharing something of the Kenya culture.
Fabulous experience.
Macushla House review
Macushla House is in pretty grounds and is good for the Game Park, Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Sanctuary. It is a very long drive in heavy traffic if you want to explore the centre of Nairobi.
The staff we talked to had not even been to the Orphanage or giraffe sanctuary so they could not provide information for us of what to expect. (Please take a bottle of water when you go!) Neither could they discuss things to do and places to go in and around the area. This could be easily rectified by taking the staff to these places and providing more leaflets in the information stand.
We stayed in the cottage rooms. They were clean and nice - great for people travelling together or for a family. Could use a mosquito net over the bed and possibly a fan.
Restaurant food was nice and was cooked to order so took a while which left time for a nice drink at the bar.. Picnic lunch was very basic - could be a lot more interesting.
If you get a taxi from the hotel make sure you find out from the owner the usual rate before you book and make sure that rate is agreed with the taxi driver. Personally, we would rather have booked a vehicle for the day and had the freedom that would have allowed us. There was a wedding shoot around the pool so we did not use it.
Great Service
Macushla House was a nice place to relax and enjoy a couple of nights out of the tent. It was in a secluded part of Nairobi in an area called Karen. We felt safe and relaxed at the house. It was a bit of a drive from the airport which was a bit treacherous and dirty to get to but upon arrival we were happy to be there.
There were a few other guests at the house while we were there, not a very social, exciting atmosphere but it was a beautiful place to enjoy our time. The room was very dark and old. It was spacious and comfortable but seemed dated and different. The bathroom shower was pretty strange. It was just a shower head that drained directly into the floor. No tub, curtain or separate area. My husband had a lizard in his shower and i had a caterpillar on my toothbrush one morning. It wasn't a big deal, but I didn't really agree with the open window, no screen in the bathroom. I don't like to be naked with the creatures at the same time!
The pool was beautiful and we loved all the fun decorations around the house. My husband and I enjoyed dinner both nights and drinks by the fire as we played chess. Wi-fi is included in the main areas but there really isn't much to do here otherwise. We adored our server, Stephen! He did a fantastic job and really made us feel at home.
Comfortable and friendly stay
Gave us just what we wanted for a two night stay and well situated for giraffe sanctuary, elephant orphanage and Karen Blixen House- highly recommended.
Read more about the whole tripLovey hideaway in Karen, close to attractions
Due to our late departure from the UK, we arrived in the early hours of the morning, after a 45 minute drive from the airport. The owner and two other members of staff were waiting for us to offer us a warm welcome and show us to our room. The room was very clean and spacious, as was the bathroom. The beds were extremely comfortable and the shower functioned adequately. Bottled water was provided in the room.
In the morning, tea was brought to our room and then a good cooked breakfast was served to order in the lovely dining room, where free wifi was available. We learned that we were the only guests there and it really felt as if we were special guests in a family home. The very personal service continued, even when other guests arrived later that day. For dinner, we ordered a simple meal of spaghetti and tomato sauce which was plentiful and served with the same good service.
We did not have chance to use the pool, but we had a quick look at the well kept gardens which we would have enjoyed relaxing in if we had had the time.
We were very close to the Giraffe centre and the location was ideal for all the places we wanted to visit. We felt very safe as there were security gates at the entrance. We had passed many large, impersonal hotels on the way from the airport, so we were glad to be staying at a place with so much character.
Every member of staff treated us with great courtesy at all times. It was an excellent start to our holiday.
We left at 7.30am and it took us about an hour to get to Wilson airport, but it was a particularly busy time of day.
Peaceful retreat in Nairobi
After a delay at immigration we finally arrived at Macushla just before midnight. We were greeted by welcoming smiles and an offer for the chef to make us some food. We declined this and retired to the very comfortable bed. Our room offered all we needed (including a hairdryer) though the bathroom could do with a little updating. When we mentioned the next day that we had found the room rather hot as we had not acclimatised a fan was quickly provided which made our second night more comfortable.
The staff, especially Peter, were very friendly and helpful and owner Caroline made a point of introducing herself to guests. When she discovered we were cat lovers she also invited us to help with feeding time for some of her six feline friends. Her dog was also about.
We spent a day at Macushla just relaxing in the garden by the pool and watching the antics of the resident vervet monkeys and then enjoyed a delicious and very good value dinner.
Whilst Macushla is further from the airport than some hotels the major part of the transfer time was taken up with getting out of the car park at the airport. It is obviously not practicable if you just need somewhere for a few hours before flights but if you have most of a day or can even stay two nights we think it is excellent. Karen is one of the nicer areas of Nairobi and the surroundings of Macushla are very quiet and peaceful. Our transfers with Southern Cross all went smoothly and the drivers were friendly and polite. We particularly appreciated our driver staying with us at Wilson airport until he was sure were going to get the right flight as the Coastal paperwork was unclear to us. We were flying into Tanzania and the point of immigration had been changed.
Whilst we just relaxed the Giraffe centre or Karen Blixen’s house were within walking or short trip away.
Nice little spot to relax!
Very nice, small guest house. Grounds are lovely.
Too cold to swim, but the pool area was very relaxing. Enjoyed a few monkeys outside the room–nice warm up for safari.
Located close to several great places to visit like Ocean Sole and David Sheldricks.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
