A three star apartment and spa block on Kiambere Road, built into the new concrete ridge of Upper Hill. The pool, spa and fitness centre decide it: if you want those on site and a quiet ridge at night, this works. If you want to step out into street life, it does not.
01What it is
Serene Valley Apartments & Spa lists the full hotel kit: outdoor pool, kids pool, spa, steam room, fitness centre, restaurant, cafe, bars, lounge, terrace, garden and shops, plus concierge, bell boy, luggage storage, lifts, reception area and free wifi. Parking is free and the property is wheelchair accessible. The list is broad but thin on the working side of a stay: no meeting rooms, no business centre, no airport transfer, and nothing that says how the apartments themselves are laid out.
What that adds up to is a self-contained address in Upper Hill, the kind of place where the pool, the spa and the restaurant keep you on the property rather than sending you out. Serene Valley Apartments & Spa suits conference attendees, families who want the kids pool and the garden, and anyone with a car who would rather not deal with the centre at night. It does not suit a visitor who wants to walk out to bars and restaurants, because Upper Hill is a daytime quarter and the halls shut in the late afternoon. The street here is new concrete on a ridge, built for the car and the conference room. After dark it is safe and dull: hotel bars, and a ride anywhere else.
02The supplier's photographs
0328 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 Serene Valley Apartments & Spa if you want the spa and pool on the property and do not mind taking a car into the centre. 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 Serene Valley Apartments & Spa?+
On Kiambere Road in Upper Hill, in the part of the city the site calls Upper Hill and Community. It is 1.28 km from the centre of Upper Hill and Community and 2.41 km from Kenyatta Avenue at Moi Avenue, which is 31 minutes on foot in a direct line.
What does the property actually have on site?+
An outdoor pool, a kids pool, a spa and steam room, a fitness centre, a restaurant, a cafe, bars, a lounge, a terrace, a garden and shops, with concierge, bell boy, luggage storage, lifts, free wifi and free parking. The list stops short of meeting rooms, a business centre and airport transfers.
Can I walk into the centre from Upper Hill?+
You can, but the quarter works against it. Upper Hill is a daytime quarter and the halls shut in the late afternoon, so the streets empty early. The site's line on the area is safe and dull: hotel bars, and a ride anywhere else. Most people here keep a car or take a ride.
How do I check availability and hold a room?+
Go through app.impt.io, which is where Serene Valley Apartments & Spa is booked. Most rooms can be cancelled free there. Availability shifts with the conference calendar on the ridge, so check the dates you want before you build the rest of the trip around them.
