Bankhouse Retreat Karen is a three star hotel out in Greater Nairobi, built for people arriving by car and working in conference rooms. Free parking, a shuttle and a 24 hour desk make it workable for meetings in the centre. Without a vehicle, or if you want a walkable quarter, it is the wrong choice.
01What it is
Bankhouse Retreat Karen lists the things a conference or family stay needs. Free wifi, free car parking and a garage, a garden, terrace, picnic area and playground, a fitness center, a golf course, darts, a restaurant, banquet space, breakfast, lunch, room service, a lounge, family rooms, non smoking rooms, laundry, housekeeping, luggage storage, a safe, a 24 hour front desk, 24 hour security and a first aid kit. There is a kitchen, an iron and board, a smoking area, wheelchair access, a car rental service, a shuttle service and a business corner for copies. The list is thin on the texture of the place: no bar details, no pool, no spa beyond massage, and no views described.
What that adds up to is a hotel for someone whose day is already arranged elsewhere. Bankhouse Retreat Karen sits on a ridge in Greater Nairobi, new concrete built for the car and the conference room, so you park, work, eat, sleep and repeat. Families get the playground and family rooms; business travellers get the banquet and copy facilities. What you do not get is a location to wander. The address is 12.71 km from Kenyatta Avenue at Moi Avenue, which is 159 minutes on foot in a direct line, and the nearest quarter this site covers is Upper Hill and Community at 10.88 km. It suits drivers and delegates. It does not suit anyone without a car or anyone who wants the centre on foot.
02The supplier's photographs
0336 facilities the supplier lists
and 6 more on the supplier's own record. Facilities are the supplier's list, not a check made on the ground.
04Standing outside the ten quarters
These hotels are not in Upper Hill and Community, and they are not in any of the ten quarters of the centre this site covers. They sit a long way out, in the wider city, and Upper Hill and Community is only the nearest of the ten quarters to them, which is not the same as being in it. Treat the quarter as a reference point, not an address. Anything you want in the CBD means travelling in and out.
The quarter itself is the western ridge above the centre: new concrete on a ridge, built for the car and the conference room. It is not the CBD proper but the ridge immediately above it, and the place most of the CBD's office space has been moving to since the 2000s: the tallest towers in the country, the big hospitals, the aid agencies, and an expressway ramp to the airport. It is best for meetings, a quiet night close in, and a fast run to the airport, and after dark it is safe and dull: hotel bars, and a ride anywhere else. The quarter lies 1.9 km from Kenyatta Avenue at Moi Avenue, which is 24 minutes on foot in a direct line.
Read the nearest quarter, Upper Hill and Community05Booking it
Book Bankhouse Retreat Karen if you are coming with a car or a shuttle and your days are mapped out in advance. Most rooms here can be cancelled free, and you book them through app.impt.io. Every confirmed booking removes one tonne of CO2, at no extra cost to you. Five percent of what you pay comes back as IMPT credit, out of the hotel commission rather than added to your bill.
Facts on this page come from the booking supplier's record: star class, address, photographs and facility list. Guest scores come from verified stays. Nobody from this site has stayed here; the quarter copy around it is this site's own.
06Questions
Where is Bankhouse Retreat Karen?+
It is in Greater Nairobi, on a ridge, at 1812 Nairobi 00502. The site measures it at 10.88 km from Upper Hill and Community, which is the nearest of the ten quarters this site covers. The street feel is new concrete built for the car and the conference room.
What facilities does Bankhouse Retreat Karen list?+
Free wifi, free car parking, a garage, a restaurant, banquet space, breakfast and lunch, a fitness center, a golf course, a garden, terrace, picnic area, playground, family rooms, a 24 hour front desk and 24 hour security. There is also a shuttle service and car rental.
How do I get into the centre from Bankhouse Retreat Karen?+
It is 12.71 km from Kenyatta Avenue at Moi Avenue, which is 159 minutes on foot in a direct line. Driving or taking the shuttle is realistic. Walking is not. After dark the area is safe and dull: hotel bars, and a ride anywhere else.
How do I check availability for Bankhouse Retreat Karen?+
Availability and room types for Bankhouse Retreat Karen are shown through app.impt.io. Bookings there can usually be cancelled free of charge before arrival. There is no guest score on file for this property, so the site does not quote one.
