11 Best Hotels in Kenya

Known for its beachfront location in Shela, lovely accommodations, and superb food, there's an atmosphere of total laid-back charm at Peponi. Anything goes here, but don't be fooled, the hotel is impeccably run by the matriarch Carol Korschen whose family opened the property in 1967. You'll sleep in a sea-facing room with polished honey-color mud floors, whitewashed ceilings with beams of old black wood, a massive four-poster bed, and kelim rugs. On your sea-facing veranda, get comfortable on lie-out chairs and watch the boats bobbing out to sea. The food is legendary, and the restaurant is one of the most popular in Lamu—try the giant prawns in butter sauce or a traditional Swahili-style meal around a big brass platter on the floor.

This quality five-star resort is the perfect place for a honeymoon or some après-safari pampering. Service is excellent, with welcome little touches, such as a cocktail brought to your room before dinner and a bottle of cold water placed next to your bed at night. Stylish suites, with Indonesian teak furniture, flat-screen TVs, large bathrooms, and private patios, are lined along a breezy coral-colored central walkway. Superb five-course dinners are served in the restaurant overlooking the pool and beach. The buffets, with all conceivable seafood delicacy on display, are outstanding, and on Fridays there are gala dinners around the pool with live music. The reception areas are a bit impersonal, reminding you that the hotel is part of a chain, but the service and attention to detail is equal to that of a smaller boutique hotel.

Although the Fairmont's camp area has manicured lawns and flowers, it is surrounded on three sides by the croc- and hippo-filled Mara River, so you are always close to the wildlife. Within each spacious tent, the bedspread of the four-poster mosquito-netted beds are made of the iconic red cloth used for Maasai warrior robes, while brightly colored handwoven rugs, comfortable chairs, and big windows ensure aprés-safari comfort. The main lodge is themed old-style safari with deep padded-leather-and-fabric armchairs, beaded lamps, an open fireplace, and an inviting wood-panel bar. Keep family and friends informed of your big-game adventures with Internet access in the library, or write in your journal on the spacious outside deck that leads to a pool, complete with bar and private massage tents. Forgo one morning game drive in favor of a hot-air-balloon safari over the Mara plains followed by a bush Champagne breakfast—you'll thank us—or stroll in the footprints of the hippo-trodden path, escorted by a Maasai warrior (four people minimum).

This budget option on the banks of the Talek River overlooks the plains and its location on the northeastern boundary of the reserve gives it easy access to all the game areas. You'll stay in a safari tent or stone-and-thatch chalet, both furnished in African ethnic themes, but you should try for a tent with a river view; be sure to have taken your malaria prevention tablets. Both tents and chalets are en-suite and have small verandas or balconies. There are two bars, an indoor and outdoor eating area, and a tree-house coffee deck where you can watch the passing animal show. Don't expect the ultimate in luxury, but you'll get good value for your money and also get to meet lots of international visitors. If you want more luxury and exclusivity, go for one of the Ngaboli tents, where you'll sleep in a four-poster bed and have lots more room. Activities are extra: night safaris, bush walks, Champagne breakfasts, and bush dinners range in price from US$45 to US$60.

Situated on a rocky outcrop in the Il Ngwesi Group Ranch, a community conservation and livestock region north of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, this intimate lodge prides itself on its successful efforts to integrate community development and sustainable environmental management. The comfortably furnished open-walled bandas with open-air showers are made of local materials and built on a slope—their fronts rest on wooden stilts—thus giving uninterrupted views of the surrounding wilderness. Make sure you take the opportunity to sit out at the main lodge and watch the waterhole below or cool off in the horizon pool, which gently flows down into the bush below; water is gravity-piped from a nearby natural spring. You'll see plenty of game including lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, the elusive wild dog, and large herds of elephants and buffalo, plus the plains game. The local Maasai community helped build and continues to run the camp through a communal group, and you can learn about hunting, gathering honey, animal trapping with indigenous poisons, or fashioning beadwork. You won't want to miss the dancing of the warriors and maidens—it's the genuine article. Il Ngwesi Camp is a shining example of how a safari lodge can reduce poverty and strengthen partnerships between the tourist trade and local communities.

Perched high on a hill deep inside the Mara Triangle part of the reserve, attractive domed huts echo the style and shape of the traditional Maasai manyattas. Each hut has rooms that echo the ethnic theme of the exteriors with soft, honey-color furnishings and a personal balcony that overlooks the plains and the distant Oloololo Escarpment—the views are spectacular. Though it's highly unlikely, if you do get tired of gazing out at the endless rolling grasslands where the migration takes place each year, then keep watch at the busy waterhole below the restaurant for a continuous wildlife show. Activities include ballooning (expensive but the trip of a lifetime), guided walks, bush barbecues, and game drives. After bouncing around in an open-sided game vehicle, it's great to enjoy a relaxing massage at the Maisha Spa. The Maasai dancing is also spectacular.

This expansive 120-acre farm is set in the foothills of Mt Kenya; pad out of your four-poster bed to your cottage's wooden veranda to take in the beauty of the ever-green Lolldaigas. There are five cottages, and the decor in the Party House (the main living area) is bohemian maximalism; an Indian throw pillow here and an Afghani ceramic bowl there, it's all inspired by the up to 100 countries owner Elizabeth Loker and her late husband Clinton Lucy had traveled to. Opened in 2012, the couple built the property from scratch---including bringing in water and electricity---and have since transformed the once arid land into a thriving farm. As it's an owner-run camp, should you so wish, Elizabeth will gladly join you at meal time and regale you with lively tales from her adventures. Whether you're a seasoned rider or a beginner, get paired with a suitable horse from the stables and gallop through the property. Only a half-hour drive from the bustling Nanyuki town, you can explore the restaurants there, or venture a little farther to Ngare Ndare forest to walk the 40-m (131-foot) high canopy and swim under its waterfalls.

Right at the southern end of Diani Beach Road, you'll find the access point to the only resort in Kenya that stands alone on an island—Chale lies 600 m (1,979 feet) off the mainland and is reached by boat at high tide, and quite delightfully by tractor at low tide. The island is only 1.2 km (.75 miles) long and 800 meters (½ mile) wide, making it a complete private retreat covered in beautiful coastal forest and surrounded by white sandy beaches and mangroves. Most accommodations are in thatched bandas and cottages that are well spaced out in the trees but the two standout (and more expensive) rooms are the Overwater Suite (on stilts in the sea) and the Suite on the Rocks (on a promontory on a tip of the island). There's plenty to keep you occupied, including three swimming pools and activities like kayaking, diving, and snorkeling, and kids will love trips on glass-bottom boats and adventures to look for monkeys.

This gorgeous resort at Shanzu Beach, about 30 km (19 miles) north of Mombasa, was built to resemble a 13th-century Arab town. A visit here will transport you to another time and place with its courtyards brimming with fountains, narrow twisty lanes, and hand-carved balconies. Spacious rooms have an old Swahili ambience with hand-carved wooden furniture and hand-woven rugs. Set in lush tropical gardens next to an improbably blue sea, it's ideal to enjoy a full-on beach holiday. Food is excellent with lots of fresh fish, seafood, and vegetables flown in daily. There's plenty to do here, including day excursions to Shimba Hills National Reserve, the Arabuko Sokoke forest, the Kipepeo Butterfly Project, or the haunted ruins of the ancient town of Gedi. There are all manner of water activities available, too, but a trip in a glass-bottomed boat to the nearby coral reef is a must.

This sleek and urban business hotel sits in the new wing of one of Nairobi's leading malls, The Village Market in the suburb of Gigiri, where you can find clothing and jewelry stores, two food courts, a bowling alley, art gallery, wine, cheese and chocolate shops, trampoline park, and more. Plus, there are always fun activities such as salsa dance mixers that you can participate in. Trademark's two dining outlets, Harvest and Hero, offer excellent cuisine; the former has a live kitchen where you can watch the chefs plating your steaks and seafood, while the latter has incredible sushi. Unlike a lot of other lodgings in the country, rates are standard for both residents and non-residents. It's sister property, The Tribe Hotel, sits on the opposite end of the same mall and shares the Kaya Spa; guests have access to facilities in both hotels.