Travel reviews by oldsoulchild from UK
Review Distribution
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
"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!"
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
"not the highlight id expected"
3 nights
Arrived
12 Aug 2016
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Feedback response
Giraffe Manor has responded to this traveller and are pleased she enjoyed her time, and grateful for her positive comments. However, they are sorry that the manor appeared to be less tidy than should have been the case. And they offer their sincere apologies for their serious failure to provide the level of food service this guest was expecting and had every right to expect. The manor fully accepts that they did not provide the fully vegan diet she had requested and which they had confirmed would be readily available, as is normally the case. At Expert Africa, we expect very high standards for our travellers at Giraffe Manor. Offering non-dairy milk and steak to a vegan demonstrate an erosion of those standards which we believe they will address urgently. Although it is little comfort to this traveller in retrospect, this dietary issue is a reminder of how important it is to tell the lodge immediately if something is not right with your booking or the service you are receiving.
The manor went on to explain that it isn't usual to do a full tour of the house as rooms are generally occupied. They would however have been delighted to show her around further but the manager was not aware that she was expecting a further tour.
Giraffe Manor accept the hot water bottle was taken to her room too early and apologise for that failing, and for the fact that they forgot to take one to her room at all on her first night. We think this is also a reminder of how chilly the highlands of Kenya can be in the cooler July-August period and how important it it is to have some warm layers when visiting Kenya.
The manor claims that their bathrooms are always cleaned thoroughly, but mineral splash stains on the shower door in the Daisy room have built up and the door does need replacing. This will happen during the manor’s next round of closed-season maintenance.
They explain that some of the rooms have a balcony, but it is not possible to feed the giraffes while standing on the balcony. At Expert Africa, we accept we may not have appreciated the limitations of this aspect, and have corrected the impression given in our report on the manor.
Giraffe Manor has explained that on this traveller’s last day, she requested to spend a few hours at the manor beyond the strict 10am checkout time. The arrival of new guests means that staying after 10am is not usually possible and that vehicles are not then available to departing guests, who do have to make their own arrangements. The manor sincerely apologises that they did not clearly communicate this key issue to this guest on her last morning, and by the time she was ready to leave no vehicle was available. Vehicles are on standby for guests during their stay, between the 11am checkin and the 10am checkout, but unfortunately they are not available outside those times. As a free courtesy, this guest was expected for lunch on the day she checked out, but the staff were not aware that she would have liked a packed lunch instead, and are very sorry that she felt she was not offered something that should have been available.
Giraffe Manor emphasised that they are trying to operate sustainably through everything they do and their policy is to provide fresh linen for every new arrival, and then change a guest’s sheets and towels every three days to reduce laundry. Fresh towels can however always be requested.
The manor went on to explain that it isn't usual to do a full tour of the house as rooms are generally occupied. They would however have been delighted to show her around further but the manager was not aware that she was expecting a further tour.
Giraffe Manor accept the hot water bottle was taken to her room too early and apologise for that failing, and for the fact that they forgot to take one to her room at all on her first night. We think this is also a reminder of how chilly the highlands of Kenya can be in the cooler July-August period and how important it it is to have some warm layers when visiting Kenya.
The manor claims that their bathrooms are always cleaned thoroughly, but mineral splash stains on the shower door in the Daisy room have built up and the door does need replacing. This will happen during the manor’s next round of closed-season maintenance.
They explain that some of the rooms have a balcony, but it is not possible to feed the giraffes while standing on the balcony. At Expert Africa, we accept we may not have appreciated the limitations of this aspect, and have corrected the impression given in our report on the manor.
Giraffe Manor has explained that on this traveller’s last day, she requested to spend a few hours at the manor beyond the strict 10am checkout time. The arrival of new guests means that staying after 10am is not usually possible and that vehicles are not then available to departing guests, who do have to make their own arrangements. The manor sincerely apologises that they did not clearly communicate this key issue to this guest on her last morning, and by the time she was ready to leave no vehicle was available. Vehicles are on standby for guests during their stay, between the 11am checkin and the 10am checkout, but unfortunately they are not available outside those times. As a free courtesy, this guest was expected for lunch on the day she checked out, but the staff were not aware that she would have liked a packed lunch instead, and are very sorry that she felt she was not offered something that should have been available.
Giraffe Manor emphasised that they are trying to operate sustainably through everything they do and their policy is to provide fresh linen for every new arrival, and then change a guest’s sheets and towels every three days to reduce laundry. Fresh towels can however always be requested.
East Africa Manager
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."