Mt Kenya Leisure Lodge, Naro Moru, Kenya

Location:

This fairly new hotel, built in 2008, is located at the foothills of Mount Kenya on a well manicured property. Specifically, this hotel is located 215 km from Nairobi, at Naro Moru, approximately nine kilometres off the Nairobi-Nanyuki main road and 5km from the Mount Kenya park entrance. The property is a great base for exploring Mount Kenya and the surrounding area. From the hotel grounds you can even get a nice views of Mount Kenya.

Room Comfort:

We stayed in a standard room inside a small building which consisted of 3 floors and included one of their restaurants and a common area. The room was small but comfortable. The bathroom was also very small but sufficient. The water in the shower took some time to heat up since, interestingly enough, the water heater was located inside the shower head, heating the water as it ran through it. The longer the water ran through it, the warmer it got. The decor and rooms were simple, colourful and basic, but nice enough to make our stay comfortable. Our room didn't have a TV, but there was a large-screen television set in the common area. During our stay the common area was occupied by a large group of people, so the staff offered to bring a TV into our room which we declined, but thought it was very kind of them. The area can get chilly at night, so in order to make us feel warm and comfortable they put hot water packs under our bed sheets while we were at the restaurant having dinner. They also provided several blankets so that the cooler mountain air wouldn't be a factor while we slept.

The variety of rooms range from standard rooms to larger superior rooms with fireplaces. Camping on-site is also an option at this lodge.

Cleanliness:

The hotel and lodge grounds were clean and well maintained. The staff was dressed in clean professional uniforms.

Service:

The service at this lodge was outstanding. Initially we weren't planning on staying at this lodge, but because we had an issue with our original lodge, Mount Rock Lodge, and decided to check-out early from there, we had the opportunity to stay here. In fact, when the manager of the Mount Kenya Leisure Lodge learned of the details of our experience, he personally picked us up from Mountain Rock Lodge and drove us to the Leisure Lodge, a 30-minute drive away.  The hotel staff was very welcoming and went above and beyond to ensure we were having a nice stay. During our stay, all of the staff knew us by name which is a very rare occurrence at hotels this size.

The lodge is new and parts of it were still under construction, but the staff ensured that we were not affected by the construction and were comfortable during your stay. The lodge has a business center, badminton courts, table tennis and two restaurants. There are beautiful gardens on-site and there is also a short nature walk to the nearby river. The staff is professional and friendly. Hot towels and welcome drinks were provided on arrival.

Food:

The hotel staff came to our room to take our order for dinner and breakfast to ensure they had sufficient time to prepare it and so that it would be ready at the time we desired. Although the food was a little heavy on the salt, we were truly satisfied with the meals as the food was good. The portions were large and prepared by a local cook, and finally felt like we were eating traditional African meals. The chef also came out to greet us after each meal to ensure we were happy. On our final morning at the hotel, we had requested breakfast 30-minutes earlier than their allotted time, as we had to get an early start to our day, and they were able to accommodate our request. It turned out that breakfast was served at a more relaxed pace than we anticipated, so we did end up leaving a little bit later anyway. Drinks were also very reasonably priced here as a can of local beer was only 140 Kenyan Shillings, the lowest amount charged by any hotel or lodge in Kenya during our visit.

Overall Value:

Overall, we enjoyed our stay here as the staff was very welcoming, professional and friendly. This is a lodge where they care about their reputation and want to ensure their guests leave satisfied and happy. As mentioned, the only negative thing we can say is that the room we had was fairly small. Nevertheless, we would highly recommend this lodge to anyone visiting the Mount Kenya region. It's a better option than the others lodges in this area. It was a pleasure to be a guest here.

Other Notes:

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Our Rating: 4/5   Year Reviewed: 2009

For the best possible price, please visit Expedia.ca. You can also visit the hotel's website at: mtkenyaleisurelodge.com

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