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Hotel of the week: The Norfolk Hotel, Nairobi
First opened in 1904 the Norfolk quickly became the place to stay for visitors to East Africa
The Norfolk is Nairobi's most venerable hotel, says Frank Partridge in the Independent. It was opened in 1904, when the city was little more than a railway station; and over the years, "everybody who was anybody" stayed here on their East African expeditions.
The "distinctive half-timbered Edwardian exterior" and the "lush gardens of the central courtyard" survive, but the interiors were redone last year, after the Fairmont group bought the hotel.
A "soothing New England aesthetic" now prevails in the deluxe rooms and suites, with mattresses on the king-size beds "so deep you almost have to climb into them".
Double rooms start at £172 per night. Contact: 00 254 20 221 6940; www.fairmont.com. ·
