Kenya

Giraffe Manor in Kenya: Where Guests Live Among World's Tallest Creatures (with video)

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Video

Giraffe Manor in Nairobi Kenya

For those seeking a truly exotic, once-in-a-lifetime Out of Africa-type experience, Giraffe Manor may be just the place. Here, guests enjoy the unique chance to interact with its resident herd of Rothschild Giraffe, a rare breed which is among the world's tallest creatures. Guests have the unparalleled experience of the giraffes, with the animals vying for guests' attention at the breakfast table, the front door and even at the bedroom window. Giraffe Manor is located in 12 acres of private land only 20 kilometers from Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. It is set within 140 acres of indigenous forest.

Guests interact with the giraffes throughout the day. Breakfast is served in the sun room, with its enormous windows flung open to welcome the giraffe that come and join you. Dinner is a cosy affair as the drawing room fire is lit and guests and managers gather for evening drinks. You can either chose to have a candlelit hosted meal in the dramatic wood paneled dining room or at your own table under the stars surrounded by the glow created by lanterns and candles on the terrace.

Gallery: Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya

Tags: Africa, awards-main, giraffe, Giraffe Manor, giraffe+manor+in+kenya, giraffemanorinkenya, giraffes, Kenya, luxist-awards, luxury travel, Nairobi, Rothschild Giraffe, Rothschild Giraffes, safari, video, www.luxist.com/2011/03/09/giraffe-manor-in

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The Ten Best Family Vacation Destinations Around the World

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Children

Four Seasons Hualalai on the Big Island's Kona Coast.

Luxist readers have selected their favorite luxury vacation spots for families around the world. From Scotland, France, New Zealand, and South Africa to Hawaii, Colorado and the Galápagos Islands, these destinations offer wonderful programs tailored specifically for children, in addition to luxurious accommodations and other incredible amenities.

The top ten vacation destinations for families, according to our readers, include:

Abercrombie & Kent's River Barge Cruise Through the Burgundian Countryside (France)
Abercrombie & Kent offers many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for family vacations, but one of the most special trips has got to be its river barge cruise through the Burgundian countryside. A chartered seven day cruise aboard La Belle Epoque, A&K's 126-foot-long, 16.5 feet wide barge, is a luxurious and relaxing way to travel and taste award-winning Burgandy wines.

The barge, which is equipped with six cabins, all outside facing and each equipped with en-suite bathrooms. There's one deluxe double cabin; one deluxe twin/double; two twin/double cabins and two cabins each with twin beds. There's also a small swimming pool, a sauna and several sun decks. Bicycles are also available for anyone in the family wanting to cycle in the towns the barge visits. A gourmet chef is on board to prepare all of the meals, which are included in the cost of the excursion.

Tags: Abercrombie Kent, awards-main, Beaver Creek, best family vacation, Burgandy, Cruise, Ebony Lodge, family vacations, galapagos, GalapagosIslands, gleneagles, Gleneagles Hotel, Grand Wailea, Hawaii, Kenya, kona village, Kona Village Resort, Lindblad Expeditions, luxist-awards, Maui, National Geographic, New Zealand, Sabi Sand Reserve, Singita Game Reserve, south africa, treetops, Treetops Lodge, TreetopsLodge, Vail

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East African Safari with Abercrombie & Kent

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The African bush is full of beauty and danger---best to leave excursion planning to an experienced professional. There are none better than Abercrombie & Kent, a luxury travel company that's been at it for half a century, now nominated for a Luxist Award in the Best Adventure Getaway category.

Established in 1962 by a British family living in East Africa, Abercrombie & Kent offers an unparalleled safari in Kenya and Tanzania. The two-week East Africa in Style itinerary starts with a flight to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and socioeconomic hub of East Africa. After two nights there, you'll fly to Lake Manyara, where towering trees loom in front of a 2,000-foot escarpment. For the next two days, you'll see wildlife including monitor lizards, vervet monkeys, African spoonbills and pelicans.

Gallery: East African Safari with Abercrombie & Kent

Your next stop will be the Ngorongoro crater, a caldera nearly half a mile deep, formed from the core of a collapsed volcano; its prairie boast lions, elephants, hyenas and gazelles. Continue on to the Samburu and Masai Mara game reserves, where you'll meet with members of nomadic tribes and learn about their cattle-herding lifestyle. On your last day, you'll stop at the Kent family home for a final lunch before heading back to Nairobi. All the while, you'll be waited on by a personal tent butler; groups are limited to 12 people in total.

Abercrombie & Kent's East Africa in Style getaway is a spectacular opportunity, but these memories won't come cheaply. The cost, based on double occupancy, starts at $16,000 per person plus airfare. Once there, the experience is priceless.

Vote for the Adventure Getaway that you think is the best of breed. The winner will be announced on September 1st.

Tags: abercrombie and kent, AbercrombieAndKent, awards-main, best safari, East Africa, Kenya, Luxist-awards, safari, Tanzania, tanzanian-safari

Luxury Safari Lodge Opening In Kenya

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Safari Collection of lodges and camps has announced that its latest property will be open for guests as of August 1. Solio Lodge is located on the Solio Game Reserve between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Mountains in Kenya. The new property has been built by Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley, the owners and operators of the three Tamimi properties, Giraffe Manor, Sasaab and Sala's Camp. Solio Lodge has just six rooms. The design incorporates both modern and traditional elements with both thatch roofs and plate glass windows. Each room has a large sitting area with an open fire. The Solio Reserve is the most successful private rhinoceros breeding reserve in all of Kenya, and home to over 74 Black Rhinos and 155 White Rhinos. Other wildlife and birdlife are also in residence and the Solio Lodge offers horseback riding, trout fishing, and helicopter flights. Rates start at $570 per person, per night.

Tags: african safari, african travel, kenya, safari, solio game reserve

The Classicist: The Mystery of Out of Africa Author Karen Blixen's Hermès Luggage

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, The Classicist

Hermès has uncovered a couple of remarkable pieces of bespoke luggage in its archives, made for famed Danish Out of Africa author Karen Blixen, aka Isak Dineson, in the 1930s. The Art Deco tobacco-colored crocodile skin cases, one ordered in 1930 and the other in 1935, contain every conceivable article an aristocratic author could need on an arduous journey to Africa. The famed Parisian luxury goods house notes that the more complex of the two took its craftsmen 368 hours to make; both feature fine inlays and engraving, with most pieces adorned with a baroness' crown and the author's DBF monogram for Dineson Blixen-Finecke, a combination of her maiden and married names (her full title was Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke).

The cases feature myriad compartments and leather boxes for spirits, smoking accessories, writing instruments, notepaper, perfume bottles, cosmetics, playing cards, jewelry, small tools, sewing items, brushes and more, with some items finished in sterling silver and tortoiseshell. However, Hermès notes the the items appear to be unused and probably never made it to Kenya, where Blixen established a coffee plantation at the foot of the N'gong Hills; and therein lies something of a mystery. Noting that by December of 1930, when the first case was ordered, Blixen was somewhat down on her luck and preparing to leave Africa, Hermès thinks it unlikely she ordered it for herself and the archives are unclear. Could it perhaps have been intended as a gift from her lover, dashing big game hunter and pilot Denys Finch Hatton?

Gallery: Karen Blixen's Crocodile Hermes Suitcases

Tags: Africa, Art Deco, author, bespoke, crocodile, Denmark, Hermes, Isak Dineson, Karen Blixen, Kenya, luggage, luxury goods, Out of Africa, Paris, suitcase, travel, vintage luggage

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Extraordinary Journeys Offers Luxury African Safaris

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

If it doesn't involve J. Peterman or a Hemingway novel, "safari" is probably not a word you're all that interested in hearing about. Mother-daughter team – and pilots – Marcia and Elizabeth Gordon of Extraordinary Journeys would like to have a few words with you before you banish that term for good. Working in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, Extraordinary Journeys doesn't sell you a trip, it plans a safari specifically for you.

They have organized more than 300 African excursions for weddings, honeymoons, getaways and just-becauses, and like the proverbial snowflakes none of them have been the same. Because the excursions aren't fixed, the Gordons can combine camps, lodges, villas, private planes, 4x4s, tribal visits, elephants, horses and specific game sightseeing tours in any way you wish. They even arrange personal shoppers when you're navigating the wilds of Cape Town, you know, so you won't get stuck in line at the register behind all those penguins – they take forever at checkout...

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Tags: africa, african safari, african travel, botswana, extraordinary journeys, kenya, namibia, safari

Best Luxury Family Winter Vacation Spots

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice nominees for the Best Luxury Family Winter Vacation include a luxurious family safari in Kenya where you'll see the wilds up close. The second nominee is a family trip to the Rockies in Colorado where just about every winter sport can be enjoyed. The third nominee is a paradise for families located in a picture-perfect stretch of beach on the Big Island's Kona Coast. The fourth nominee offers a once-in-a-lifetime educational cruise to the Galápagos Islands. The final nominee is nestled in a rugged 2,500 acres of native forest on the edge of the Mamaku Plateau in New Zealand; it boasts a game reserve, seven trout streams, four lakes and more than 70 kilometers of hiking trails.

Abercrombie & Kent Family Safari in Kenya, Africa
For families with a thirst for adventure, a safari trip to Africa may be the ideal cure to the winter blues. Leave the planning to Abercrombie & Kent, a luxury travel company that's been at it for half a century, now nominated for a Readers' Choice Award in the Best Luxury Family Winter Vacation category.

Founded in 1962 by a British family living in East Africa, Abercrombie & Kent offers an unparalleled family safari in Kenya. The 11-day itinerary starts with a flight to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and cultural, economic and political hub of East Africa. Once there, you'll start your journey with a visit to Daphne Sheldrick's Baby Elephant Orphanage, where keepers sometimes sleep with lonely animals at night. Proceed to the Giraffe Center, where you'll feed long-necked beauties from the palm of your hand.

Next, you'll head out into the wilds with a drive to the Sweetwaters Reserve, one of the best places to spot a rare chimpanzee or black rhino. Then delve deep into bush country with a trip to the Samburu game reserve, rife with buffalo, lion, leopard among others; meet with members of the nomadic Samburu tribe and track game, catch butterflies, or even ride a camel.

The next day, you'll spend the first of three days on the Masai Mara Game reserve, sleeping in tents near the Talek River and witnessing the vast expanse of the African savannah. Travel to a nearby village to learn about tribal culture and discover the proper way to throw a spear or light a fire with sticks. For amateur aviators, consider the optional hot air balloon safari before heading home.

Vote now for what you believe is the best international ski destination. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on February 1st.

Tags: abercrombie and kent, AbercrombieAndKent, awards-main, beaver creek, BeaverCreek, four seasons, FourSeasons, galapagos, GalapagosIslands, hawaii, hualalai, kenya, Lindblad, Lindblad Expeditions, LindbladExpeditions, luxist-awards, NationalGeographic, new zealand, NewZealand, safari, Treetops Lodge, TreetopsLodge, vail, winter-travel-awards, winter-travel-main

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An Italian Billionaire's Kenyan Retreat

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

For the most part Kenya isn't seen as the spot for a luxurious seaside retreat but billionaire Flavio Briatore might be changing all that. Briatore and his wife were recently in Malindi, Kenya and Briatore owns a resort in the area, Lion in the Sun. The resort was once Briatore's private retreat but it is now a hotel that includes the ThalaSpa Henri Chenot which offers spa treatments and a biolight diet for those looking to drop a few pounds. Rates start around 300 euros a night.

Briatore has been going to Malindi for years and is bullish on the future of the area as a playground for the world's elite. Briatore has a lot invested in the area and seems to also take an interest in the local citizenry. He has donated food and other items to the poor in the area (a NY Times story from 2008 had Briatore strolling down the beach handing out money). He believes that the area is now safe and that is most important for his luxury-loving guests. Certainly the pictures of Briatore and his pregnant wife Elisabetta Gregoraci enjoying a warm weather winter holiday won't be bad for business.

Tags: flavio briatore, FlavioBriatore, kenya, malindi

Travelers' Philanthropy, Charity of the Day

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity of the Day

Visiting a foreign country, especially one in the third world, often prompts one's philanthropic desires to give back to the places they explore. It's hard to distinguish which causes are worthy of your funds and which giving opportunities truly use your funds for the project intended. Travelers' Philanthropy takes the guess work out of global giving by connecting travelers or simply interested donors to causes that positively impact local communities. Currently this organization is involved with causes in Costa Rica, South America and Africa encouraging travelers to combine their love of the global community with their ability to fund important programs and initiatives. Check out the gallery below for current opportunities and the people they impact.

Gallery: Opportunities through Travelers' Philanthropy

Mara Cheetah Conservation Project in Kenya

Infierno Community Fund, supported by Rainforest Expeditions in Peru

NatureKids, supported by Nature Air in Costa Rica

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Tags: charity, costa rica, CostaRica, dominican republic, DominicanRepublic, giving, global giving, GlobalGiving, kenya, peru, philanthropy, tanzania, travelers philanthropy, TravelersPhilanthropy

Take The Kids On Safari

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

You could take your children to Disneyworld but if you are looking for something a bit more unusual, the Heritage hotels are making it easier to take your children on safari in Africa. They have created new family tents at the Mara Intrepids camp in Kenya's famous Maasai Mara game reserve. The new tents let an entire family stay in one tent and have two separate sleeping areas with ensuite facilities and a lounge with three verandas. The camp also offers two programs aimed at younger travelers. The Adventurers Club program is for kids aged four to 12 and includes nature walks, butterfly catching, craftwork and Maasai skills teaching such as spear throwing and fire building. The Young Rangers program is for teens and includes astronomy lessons, survival lessons and camel rides. Now all you have to do is convince the kids that a vacation with no television and text messaging can be fun.

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Tags: africa, heritage hotels, HeritageHotels, kenya, safari, travel, vacation

Kenya

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