Name: The Swan Place
Address: Ngong Rd, Nairobi, Nairobi, Nairobi, not available, Kenya
Rating: 8

24-hour reception

Smoking areas

Ticket assistance

Outdoor furniture

No elevators

General

Accessibility features

Wheelchair Accessible

Wheelchair access to restaurant

Accessibility

Laundry

Dry-cleaning

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Breakfast

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Airport transportation - pickup

Transfer

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Free parking

Parking

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Extra decontamination measures

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the apartament hotel

Wilson Airport

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

The Swan Place

Under new management, I gave Ndemi a try and was delighted to find a quiet natural refuge attracting a small, creative community of local and international visitors. A perfect introduction to Nairobi.

Hard to imagine that you are in the midst of a busy metropolis, with it being so peaceful and relaxing. Friendly, attentive staff and a special big thank you to Tina for looking after us. Rooms spacious, clean and bed was supportive and comfortable.

What a clean and pleasant place so clean and the staff are so friendly could not do any more but to help u the grounds are really nice u would not tell u are in the city the food is first class and fresh. Rooms cleaned daily and towels changed I would recommend this place to anyone and enjoy your stay here 

I was sad to leave Ndemi Place after a wonderful two week stay. 
Nairobi is a bustling city, with everything to offer, where everyone always seems to be on the go, and Ndemi offers the perfect retreat from the comings and goings of the day. The grounds are tranquil, the staff are incredibly accommodating and friendly, the rooms are comfortable, the neighborhood feels very safe, and the location is a short walking distance to many restaurants, shops, and transportation options. I would definitely stay here again.

We arrived in the afternoon which was the perfect time for a tea in the beautiful garden. This place is literally an oasis - with old trees, plants everywhere and spacious lawn. We learned it was the pre-independence residence of a Scandinavian ambassador. The guesthouse really breathes the 'old Nairobi in the new Nairobi' as Bernard the super friendly manager coins it. If you are looking for the perfect modern, newly built hotel, then this place is not for you. But we will surely come back - also because the guesthouse supports two less privileged schools in Eldoret.

Nairobi

child-bed

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limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

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panoramic-view

park-view

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not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

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pets-allowed

wi-fi

park access

Quiet garden, accommodating, friendly, social atmosphere

Peaceful haven in the midst of a busy city.

Fantastic 

The Perfect Home-Away-From-Home in an Amazing City

Old Nairobi in new Nairobi

For nature and tranquil lovers lookin for a quick getaway not so far from their house(literally) look no further.Quiet environment to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.Easy accessibility in and out by uber....the local The Hub is just a few minutes drive away.
Good food especially the chapatis but the staff is slow so dont come here if looking for service.

A weekend getaway for some peace and quiet!

I stayed at Ndemi Place for 17 days. Here is a breakdown of pros and cons:

Pros:

- Location is close to many shops and businesses.  You will be in the heart of the Nairobi and it's easy to get anywhere.

- The grounds and gardens are very well kept. As many reviewers have said, it truly is an oasis in the middle of the city.

- Friendly staff. With anything you ask, they are willing to take the time to chat with you.

- Takes credit card (a rare thing in this city)

Cons

- Besides my bed being made up every day and the trash bin emptied, I did not receive any further room cleaning. This would include wiping the sink and tub, cleaning the toilet, sweeping the floor, changing of any linens.  I had to ask for a new towel (after about a week of using it) and for toilet paper because I ran out and it was never replaced.  The white floor mats in my bathroom were never washed/replaced during my entire stay.

- The first three nights, I had little to no hot water from my shower because it was faulty and broken. (It would turn on for about a minute and then the power in the bathroom and hot water would cut out) Taking a cold shower in the dark is no fun. After asking twice to have someone look at it, it was finally repaired. But the water pressure and the heat were random at best afterward.  I began taking quick showers at random times (when electricity was not in high usage) in order to get a just-warm shower each day.

- The wifi is faulty and weak. A few times I would have to go to the front desk and ask them to reset their router. (Please get a new one!) Thankfully, because of my room location, I was close to the router, so when it was working, I had OK wifi but another co-worker who's room was much further away, did not receive any good wifi during her stay.

- My room was connected to the main house (where the reception and router is), my room also shared a wall with the kitchen. Every morning and evening I heard noise coming from either the reception area and/or kitchen.  My room constantly smelled of cooked food.

- My room faced north and east and was heavily shaded. It also had windows that were permanently open at all times and so often it was very cold and drafty. It held a very strong odor of mold and wetness that never went away. Thankfully the room contained two wool blankets but upon using both on the first few nights, it was removed by house keeping for some unknown reason. I had to ask back for an additional blanket since the evenings/days are quite cold at this time of year.

- One evening there was a large and loud party that kept making noise well past 11pm. While I understand that The Ndemi Place is also a conference/event space, I would remind the hotel that there are still guests staying on the premises and find late night noises disturbing/distracting.

- About a week into my stay, I received an email from Ndemi Place asking for me to review my stay. The alarming part of the email was that bcc was not used and now I have the personal email addresses of about 200 other guests. (While they have mine as well!) I would remind management that this is a violation of privacy laws and to please utilize mailing lists and/or the ability to opt out of them as a guest.

- While the breakfasts were fresh and tasty, they were random on selection and amount/quality seemed dependent on the amount of guests staying at the hotel. If more guests, there were more options of food selection. But at times, it was only myself, and so I only received a few items. I would have preferred more consistent options at all times.

- The hotel had it's own generator, that I imagine, would kick on at times when there was high power usage. (This usually happened every morning) During my first week stay, the generator had issues and would stop working...thus no electricity.  I learned quickly to never take a shower in the morning! One day I had run into the hotel owner, Tabitha, and she seemed surprised that the power was out which I didn't understand since it was her establishment and she didn't seem to know what was happening. Thankfully after that encounter, the generator was fixed and I didn't experience any other electricity issues during the second half of my stay.

Suggestions to management

- While the grounds and gardens are quite nice, please pay more attention to the details inside the rooms: Sweep the floors, dust the furniture a bit, shake out the curtains every once and a while to remove large mosquitos/bugs. Ensure that housekeeping is doing their job!

- Purchase a new router for better wifi

- Utilize standard email practices (please use bcc)

- If only one guest is staying at the hotel, why don't you just ask when/what that guest would like for breakfast? That way no one is left guessing, I don't have to hunt anyone down in the morning, and you can cook was is requested (and not waste any other food or bring me something that I probably won't eat.)

- Be less reactive to guest issues and more proactive

Conclusion

Because of my long stay at Ndemi and the opportunities to stay at other similar b&b with similar rooms that offer breakfast in the surrounding Nairobi area, I feel that this hotel could put in a bit more effort for the price. I find that a comfortable stay and consistency in service is not too much to ask for as a guest. And while the staff were all polite and friendly, I don't think it made up for cold showers/nights in a dirty/damp room with faulty electricity and wifi.

The Swan Place

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