Here is my story about a luxury hotel,the Nairobi skyline and an intro into a gastronomic trip at the heart of East Africa’s fast rising corporate hub.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi Upperhill is a quintessential example of what class, ambience and luxury in tourism and travel should be about .Starting from its well-appointed exterior, an  Afro-contemporary interior, world class service and state of the art facilities to an exclusive gastronomic trip. The traditional African tastes mashed up with a continental and/or oriental treats is one thing to look forward to .The culinary journey at this luxury hotel is another story by itself.[bctt tweet=”Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi Upperhill is a quintessential example of what class, ambience and luxury in tourism and travel should be about” username=”@bonitaonsafari”]

Radisson Blu Hotel in UpperHill.

African art inspired interior.

More African inspired interior decor.

Nice mix of traditional African art and a modern design.

You’ll need to keep it here to read about my dining experience in part two of my staycation at Radisson Blu.

A sneak peek of the food situation…

Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi Upper Hill,just as its name suggests is located in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area.The location is considered to be one of Nairobi’s corporate business hub hence an ideal place for business travelers who want to get away but don’t have the luxury of time.  Upper Hill is only four kilometers from the CBD and is conveniently situated close to all the necessary amenities like Wilson airport ,twenty minutes or so from the JKIA (on a good traffic day via Eastern Bypass), less than another twenty minutes to Nairobi National Park,Nairobi Hospital,Giraffe Center,Ngong Hills and many other places  a visitor would like to tour.

Staycation in the heart of the city?… dunno but lets see!

A staycation at this 271 roomed luxury hotel in Nairobi was met with a lot of excitement and curiosity. I wondered how it felt like to sleep a stone throw away from home and still feel like I was on vacation…in the city! It took time to wrap the idea around my head. I felt cornered, I always run away from the city whenever I need to recharge.

Checking in:

There was a thorough security check that had everyone step out of their cars for inspection, then a gentle slope led to the entrance  where warm reception was awaiting .[bctt tweet=”The check-in was easy, simple,intelligent and discreet. Clearly they did not need a second chance to give me a good first impression.” username=”@bonitaonsafari”]

Reception area.

More shine,reflections and sparkles.

Automated glass doors, polished marble tiles,high roofs, patterned fluorescent and incandescent lights and fluffy hallway carpets made up for most of the space. I am still impressed by the pleasant concierge and staff who you’d think ran a quick bio check to give me a personalized experience that fit my then newly acquired ‘expensive taste’  :-). During the check-in process a tall, cold glass  of freshly squeezed tropical goodness was awaiting to quench my late afternoon thirst.[bctt tweet=”Automated glass doors, polished marble tiles,high roofs, patterned fluorescent and incandescent lights and fluffy hallway carpets made up for most of the space.” username=”@bonitaonsafari”]

Welcome drink.

My Room

The view from the lift as if ascended to the eighth floor spelled out fineness, attention to detail,state of the art architecture, and the best of African art. Access to all floors apart from the ground floor is strictly restricted to hotel residents.

Bird’s eye view from the 8th floor.

Corridors of luxury.

 A thick deep red hallway carpet led me to my corner room.

Road to my room 😉

The room was everything I have seen in magazines and more. My jaw almost dropped from what I saw and was about to experience for the rest of the weekend. There I was thinking the chilled welcome glass was all was there to give a warm welcome but I was wrong! A personalized handwritten letter from the GM, a jar of freshly made fruit punch and French macaroon got me feeling all special and ready to dive into the weekend!

It doesn’t get better than this! The handwritten letter made feel so good!

That room was what I would like to describe as business/leisure kinda thing… It was sound proof, lots of fresh air supply and had an effective heating and  A/C system.I couldn’t get enough of the exclusive interior design, haute couture furniture and fixtures,roof to floor windows that were immaculately covered with blackout drapes and a one-sided dark grey textured wall that seamlessly wound up the rooms mix and match neutral colour scheme. This a different kind of nice.

See the textured wall?

Other rooms had totally different designs like the one below that had a tub at the main room.

How do you like this?

If internet speed is anything to go by, then I can confidently say Radisson’s internet speed is one of the fastest I have experienced during my stay at different hotels. There is also cutting edge hospitality tech like their One Touch mobile app that provides 24/7 access to a wide variety of hotel and other available services. Small wins in any hotel stay for me lies in thoughtful small details like a personalized welcome note displayed on the flat screen TV.

This is where the cheques are signed.

One Touch service.

You want to feel special, visit this hotel.

Rest of the room had an inbuilt cabinet that had a minibar and drawers with coffee making appliances neatly arranged at the top. I liked the detailed touches and microscopic attention to aesthetics.

The top of the inbuilt cabinet, with a full assembly of coffee making accessories.

Next to the cabinet was a  spacious inbuilt mirrored wardrobe that had neatly hang bathrobes,branded slippers, hangers,iron board, iron box , hair dryer, a laundry basket and a digital safe.

Wide angle view of the room.

The bathroom

I must have spent more time in the bathroom either soaking my fatigue away, checking out my zoomed face using the zoom in mirror or just taking nice photos will probably never make it to the internet ;-). The lavish bathroom was made up of marble  tops and floors, had a vanity sink,an expansive counter on which a variety of prestige bath accessories including bath salts were neatly displayed and sets of fluffy fresh smelling high quality towels perfectly folded on a rack above the tub. The zooming mirror was a favorite.Next to the tub was a  louvered window that overlooked the main room. A separate bathroom had a rainfall shower head and a detachable desirable water pressure shower.

Inviting…yes?

His and Hers.

Bath with a view.

If this bathroom doesn’t rejuvenate you…then worry not because Revitalize Spa has your back.

Spa Treatment

I can’t emphasize enough why everyone should try reflexology or body massage by Revitalize Spa. A thirty minute session is all one needs to reset your system.The sweet feathery ,repetitive,gentle massages right after a five minute bubbling foot soak in a dimly lit spa makes for a perfect chance of relaxation with calm music playing in the wireless headphones. [bctt tweet=”The experience practically teleports you to South East Asia and back. I felt like I was walking on air immediately after.” username=”@bonitaonsafari”]

Where magic happens.

Reflexology side.

The a million dollar leg treatment 🙂

Moments after my session.Didn’t know how to carry on with life.

Apart from the spa there is a gym with a separate aerobics and weights section,a Nairobi skyscraper skyline facing swimming pool; laundry services and a concierge and staff that apart from being walking hospitality dictionaries,are very helpful and professional.

Breakfast in bed

At Radisson Blu Hotel,there is 24-hour room service.

Sunday morning was a breakfast in bed kind of morning. That was the life. The booking of the breakfast in bed option was as easy as either making a direct request via the hotel phone, filling a  menu sheet that is always placed on  top of the bed,then hanging it outside the door before 2:00 am of the next day or using the One Touch app. In the request you specify the time you’d like the breakfast served and just like that, the request is as good as delivered![bctt tweet=” The most intriguing bit is the fact that the process is super effective,the breakfast is tasty and comfort and space is guaranteed.” username=”@bonitaonsafari”]

Breakfast in bed.

Check out my next blog post for an interesting encounter of my farm to fork dining experience,zip-lining at Ngong Hills and much more!

Here is a toast to more fine things in life!

Sharing is caring…Please pin the photo below on Pinterest.

[/et_pb_text]
[/et_pb_column]
[/et_pb_row]
[/et_pb_section]