Don’t get it twisted; I love candle lit dinners just as much as the next girl. But, truth be told, I need a little more than a dinner for me to say it was a “perfect date”.

So you can imagine my excitement when he told me, “Hey, you! Lets go on an adventure!”

I could barely sleep the night before (I kept waking up to check if it was morning yet…). 100 million hours later, Sunday arrived and I couldn’t wait to see what he had planned for me. For whatever reason, he refused to tell me where we were going, so all I could do was imagine the kind of adventure we were about to embark on.

We got into the car and started our journey….
In no time, we were at the Nairobi National Park Gate at Langata, this confused me because as far as I knew, Westlands to Langata is not an adventure (looool).
We paid for; entry for 2 people {Kenyan Citizens} + the car {5 seater} into Nairobi National Park which cost us approximately KES 1,350/=
Let me start by warning you that the lodge is not an easy place to find… We got lost so many times, that by the time we reached the destination, it felt like we had driven to Naivasha and back (so it was kind of…sort of… a road trip). Looking back, I think we may have had an easier time finding the place if we had used the map from get go (I blame the driver  though cough cough* ).
Lucky for us, the lady in charge of the place was literally a dial a way and she was more than happy to help us find our way.

After getting lost over and over again, and going over enough bumps and into enough portholes, (I suggest you use a high car if you plan on going to Ololo) we were finally there.

A smiling guy met us at the parking, and asked us to follow him. He led us unto this long bridge (it was definitely more stable than the one at Masai Lodge) and up some stairs…

Finally, right there in front of me, was OLOLO SAFARI LODGE.

As soon as I saw the place, my jaw dropped open. Little did I know, that hidden behind all the dry shrubs and trees was a small little paradise. It was green and lush, the air was fresh, and the view was to die for. I could hear, the wind racing in between the trees and the birds singing their happy Sunday tunes – it was perfect.

The lodge is set on twenty acres of beautifully established old gardens on the southern edge of Nairobi National Park, home to much of Kenya’s abundant wildlife…. (can you tell I got that from their website?). This place is the perfect getaway (if you don’t want to leave the city… that is).

As soon as we arrived, I shamelessly threw myself on these one of these chairs to relax a little as I took it all in. I absolutely loved the decor. It was unique (see how they use mwikos {excuse my shady-ness} or if you prefer wooden cooking spoons to add character to the wall in the lounge).

Their lounge is connected to a little restaurant area….

and behind the little restaurant area, is a bar….

They also have a small patio with a restaurant area on the other side (in another building)…

Quick question, am I the only person out there that judges a place by their bathrooms? hahahaha.

The Ambiance 

The place is super airy and full of so much beauty. The modern safari feel adds to it’s character. They have a way of making something so simple look so amazing.

The Food

Let me start by saying, I CANNOT stand those places where the food is brought and 80% of the plate is decoration then 20% is the actual food #SMH. I was (low key) hoping that I would not have to buy a burger on the way home. The good news is, the food was veeeery filling. It was a hearty meal that tasted so good. What I loved was the fact that the food was not your usual hotel food. It was fresh, and almost made you feel like you were right at home. A big plus is the fact that they get their produce from their very own garden (so for those people who like to know where their food comes from… there you go).

They served us a really yummy vegetable soup (any vegetarians in the house?) with bread. It had literally all vegetables you could think of , plus white beans (I am convinced that their chef is a kikuyu hahaha). Regardless of everything the soup had, it was lovely and also filling.

Then came the main meal. They gave us a lovely garden salad, baked butternut, sweet-potatoes in a really nice sauce (I am not sure what sauce that was to be honest), and the yummiest glazed chicken. Let’s talk about that chicken though, it was nice and tender (not kienyeji), it was glazed so well and had a little sour cream and a tangerine at the top to give it a zesty flavour. It was YUMMY!

Finally, the desert. When I say that I had THE BEST chocolate fudge cake ever, believe me. It was chocolate-y (and not the heavy kind of chocolate-y where you can feel the diabetes creeping up on you… it was just right) with some nuts. It was so different, I have never had anything like that. Usually I am not into sweet things but that cake was perfection.

The soup, the main course, and the dessert was everything I needed that day (a girl was hungry). By the time I was done, I couldn’t help but rub my food baby.

What I loved most, is the fact that we did not wait for anything. As we finished one meal, they brought in the next course. In fact when we got to the place, they were ready to serve us. This was super important to me because we arrived famished.

But wait… there is more….

Accommodation

After lunch,  we convinced the guy in charge to show us their rooms and he was more than happy to. The rooms made me feel like I was in maasai mara. They have tented rooms, patio rooms, stable room and a honeymoon suite.

Photo Credits: Ololo Safari Lodge Website – www.olololodge.com

By this point, I was so in love with the place….  After our tour we decided to sit down and just enjoy a few more minutes.

“So we sat down in silence, no words at all… just breathing. We soaked in all the beauty and colours that we possibly could;  because we knew we were about to head back to the grey-ness of the city. It was a moment; our moment and we enjoyed it. Yet some how; even in our silence, I felt like we were having the best conversation of our lives.”

Even though I was craving a long road trip, I got something even better. I got, an amazing experience – a mini road trip, good food, lots of beauty, nature & animals, a lovely adventure … and most importantly, I got to enjoy a little romance in the heart of the city with my favourite person. 😉

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Conclusion

I loved this cosy little spot (let me just put it out there). It was the perfect spot for a quick getaway and to spend some alone time. The scenery/ambiance is to die for. Looking at the pictures, need I say more? The food was lovely and they were more than generous with the helpings. I loved the fact that I did not have to wait at all for the food. As soon as we called and said we were around the corner, it’s like they ensured everything was in order. We found someone waiting to receive us, and when we got to the main place, we found the lady running the place waiting for us (she is a super kind person by the way). The facilities are very lovely and clean. Like I said, I judge a place by it’s bathroom…
The only problem I had was location. It is a hard place to get to and there are not many signs (to direct you), however, the map does help and they do give you a number to call just incase you get lost. Also the road is terrible. I used a Toyota Auris to get there, even though it got there and back in one piece, it was not easy (my poor silver, yes my car is called silver). If you plan on going there, please use a high car.

I’ll look back on this and smile because it was LIFE and I decided to live it.

– By Unknown

Until next time…
Chao!

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*Click->  HERE  to go to Ololo Safari Lodge’s  Website to get more information.

For reservations, you can email, bookings@africanterritories.co.ke

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