Giraffe Manor
Nairobi, Kenya
The 1930s manor where the giraffes join you for breakfast.
There's exactly one reason Giraffe Manor is one of the most photographed hotels on the planet, and it's every bit as magical as the pictures suggest. The resident herd of Rothschild's giraffes, an endangered subspecies the estate helps protect, wanders up from the neighbouring sanctuary each morning and evening and angles its heads through the manor's windows in search of treats.
Beyond the giraffes, the manor itself is a lovely 1930s stone house, all fireplaces, chintz and colonial-era charm, with just twelve rooms. It books out a year ahead, and the wait is worth it.
The Verdict
A one-trick hotel, maybe, but what a trick. Pair it with a proper safari, treat it as a two-night bookend to a Kenyan trip, and get ready for the most charming breakfast of your life.
A giraffe's improbably long, dark tongue reaching in through the dining-room window to take a pellet from your palm, its eyelashes almost comically enormous.
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