A three star on Milimani Road in Upper Hill, built around a pool, a garden and a restaurant and aimed at the conference crowd rather than the sightseer. It suits anyone who wants the ridge and a car. It does not suit anyone who wants the centre at the door.
01What it is
Kivi Milimani Hotel lists the basics a three star in this quarter is expected to list: air conditioning, a balcony, a safe, a TV and a telephone in the room, free wifi through the building, a restaurant, bars, a garden and a swimming pool, with car parking and laundry service on site. The list is fuller than some at this level and thinner than others: there is nothing here about a gym, a business centre, airport transfers, a shuttle or any accessible room, so if one of those decides your trip, ask before you commit.
What that adds up to is a hotel for the person in Nairobi for a meeting on the ridge, not for the person in Nairobi to walk the centre. The pool, the garden, the restaurant and the parking all work in favour of a stay that begins and ends in Upper Hill, and the listing itself tells you what kind of place this is: new concrete on a ridge, built for the car and the conference room. Safe and dull after dark, with hotel bars and a ride anywhere else. Kivi Milimani Hotel suits the conference delegate, the driver and the guest who wants quiet and a pool. It does not suit anyone who wants the streets, the markets or the evening of the Central Business District on foot from the door.
02The supplier's photographs
0313 facilities the supplier lists
Facilities are the supplier's list, not a check made on the ground.
04Standing in Upper Hill and Community
Upper Hill and Community sits on the western ridge, 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. The street feel is new concrete on a ridge, built for the car and the conference room. The quarter lies 1.9 km from Kenyatta Avenue at Moi Avenue, which is 24 minutes on foot in a direct line.
It is best for meetings, a quiet night close in, and a fast run to the airport. After dark it is safe and dull: hotel bars, and a ride anywhere else. That suits people here to work and people who want their evening contained. It does not suit anyone expecting street life outside the door. The streets are built for the car and the conference room, so plan to move by vehicle once the working day ends.
Read the whole of Upper Hill and Community05Booking it
Book Kivi Milimani Hotel if the ridge and the pool are the point of your stay rather than an afterthought. 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 exactly is Kivi Milimani Hotel?+
It is on Milimani Road off Ralph Bunche Road, in Upper Hill and Community, on the ridge above the centre. The address is 2 km from Kenyatta Avenue at Moi Avenue, which is 25 minutes on foot in a direct line, and 0.92 km from the centre of Upper Hill and Community.
What does Kivi Milimani Hotel actually have on site?+
Air conditioning, a balcony, a safe, a TV and a telephone in the room, free wifi, a restaurant and bars, a garden, a swimming pool, car parking and laundry service. That is the whole of the listed facilities. There is nothing listed for a gym, a business centre or transfers, so ask if you need one.
Can you stay here without a car?+
You can, but you are on a ridge built for the car, and getting into the centre or anywhere after dark means a ride rather than a walk. The hotel lists car parking, which tells you what most guests arrive in. If you want the Central Business District on foot from the door, stay in the centre instead.
What does the guest score of 3.8 out of 5 mean?+
It is the average from 479 reviews, which is a middling score for a three star: solid enough, not remarkable. Read it as a place that does what it says without delighting everyone. If you need the pool, the garden and the parking, that score should not put you off.
