The Aberdare Country Club

Yesterday (6th of September 2025) we went to the hotel we had booked with a while ago, and they didn't honor our reservation and tried to charge us almost double the price. It was truly disgusting to see how they tried to take advantage of us, and truly stupid to see how, even though they had rooms available, they refused to honor a previous reservation, which made them lose over $1,000. Truly unprofessional, unpleasant, and not recommended. I hope this kind of behavior will cost them in the future.

Aberdare Country Club is a couple of hours drive from Nairobi on a fairly good road The views are stunning. Mount Kenya is often visible. There is a game sanctuary at the Club where you walk amongst zebra and giraffe. It is a long walk to get there but there is the possibility of being driven. Kshs 800 entry fee for citizens and residents. Probably more for foreigners Lunch is provided before guests are transported to The Ark lodge. Lunch is excellent, lots of choice. A young man, Kelly, at the reception desk where you check in to go to the Ark was so helpful. He escorted us to the sanctuary and was extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife

The grounds of the hotel are spacious and the service staff are friendly and welcoming. The food was good and rooms we used were comfortable and warm. However, the upholstery of the seats in our son’s room was old, dirty, and stained. The blinds also kept coming out of the rails in all our rooms. The spa experience also came short and was not relaxing at all. It’s a three star for me mainly because even though we had booked and paid early, the staff kept “forgetting”our booking. We kept calling and finally were told they are short of rooms and we would have to be transferred in the middle of our vacation to their other hotel, The Ark. We were quite disappointed but since we had paid and it was too late to look for an alternative, we went along with it. The staff kept insisting that The Ark was an upgrade but it turned out to be not. The rooms are very tiny with no space to move around, place your suitcase or even wardrobes to hang clothes. Worse still, we felt discriminated against in our own country because our family was placed at the basement rooms (C series) where there was no view while all the foreign (white) guests were given rooms at the A and B levels. We didn’t see any other family at the C level. The hotel should be able to treat all it’s customers equally and for heaven’s sake, if you don’t have rooms you don’t take my money. Let me know and on time so can I look for my own preferred alternative!

Ann at reception is the most disgusting person I have ever come across. You speak to her and she looks with disgust in a different direction, she does treat you like a human being. She should not be at reception and to be honest should not be working in the hospitality sector at all. Also - Ants all over the room as in the photos attached.

The first impression of Aberdare Country Club was the grounds are absolutely gorgeous! The second impression was the reception staff were not very friendly or welcoming. This wasn't a one off because when I went back to as for a hair dryer they seemed irritated. The room was dated and there was mold in one of the cupboards but the Main Building was very nice. The wait staff in the restaurant were wonderful though and the food was very good! Just 3 stars because of not feeling very welcome.

A beautiful old colonial home which has been turned into a resort. The main original building and the cottages are lovely & have the potential to be something special. However, the furnishings and furniture are rather grubby and in need of replacement and cleaning. The drapes and net curtains in our cottage were dirty, coming off the track & the chair coverings were grubby. The food is buffet which was fair. Be aware the cottages are set on a hill and there are many steps. The nature walk was gentle & very interesting. You do get close to the animals. Francis was informative and very knowledgeable. He was a delight to spend a couple of hours with and very easy to chat to. The grounds are very beautiful and well cared for. The views are lovely. There are noisey peacocks so be prepared, but there are also dainty bush bucks which graze around the cottages. You can have the fire lit in your room to keep warm.