“Ancient Egypt” is such an appropriate description for this intriguing location.
Oozing history from every pore, it is correct to say that most people who think of Egypt, think of antiquities, but Egypt has much more to offer.
Here’s a run down of why a bargain holiday to Egypt can encompass all aspects of a luxury foreign get away.
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Ever since I heard about Giraffe Manor (8 miles from Nairobi) I have wanted to visit. I am just waiting for my youngest child to be old enough to take malaria tablets!
I have been on safari before and it was then that giraffes became my favourite animal. I find them so photogenic and unlike any other animal on earth. I love the way they run with their necks stretching out, how they have to splay their legs to drink and even the way they fight (taking turns to ‘whack’ each other’s necks like an animal version of conkers!). On most African safaris any giraffe lover will be easily pleased. They are not one of the ‘big 5’ that people like to check off their must-see list but they are pretty common. I saw many giraffes but only glimpsed on cheetah and wasn’t lucky enough to see a single leopard.
On my safari I did manage to get a couple of beautiful photographs of giraffes but nothing that compares to the up close experience you can get at Giraffe Manor. It is a very small exclusive hotel set in 140 acres of forest. The building itself was commissioned by a British Lord in the 1930’s and modelled on a Scottish hunting lodge within sight of Mt Kilimanjaro. In 1974 Jock Leslie Melville and his American wife Betty bought the manor as their home when the Rothschild giraffe was facing extinction with much of its habitat disappearing. Two of the Rothschild giraffes were moved to the estate and Jock and Betty funded the African fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW). The giraffe’s at the manor have since bred and thrived
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Posted by Jill Bowen on Fri 27th April 2007 at 01:07 PM, Filed in Africa
The word Treetops to anyone fortunate enough preparing to visit Kenya will evoke magical pictures in the mind. It conjures up the image of a strange wooden structure, where, if you’re privileged, you will be woken up in the middle of the night to see animals at the water hole. But, however good your imagination, nothing can prepare you for the reality of the experience.
My stay at Treetops came after a two-day safari at Samburu and before a three-day stay in the Masai Mara.
The itinerary stipulated our main suitcases should be left at the Outspan Hotel, and a small rucksack for the stay at Treetops was the entire luggage allowed for the overnight visit.
The Outspan Hotel is worth mentioning; the word colonial comes to mind, beautifully manicured grounds reminiscent of garden in England. The buffet lunch provided by the hotel is English in the extreme, with bread and butter pudding, trifle and rice pudding on the menu. One reason for it’s colonial ambiance is that Baden Powell lived here for part of his life. There is even a small museum dedicated to the scouting movement which is worth a look.
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Are your children (or even you) a Star Wars enthusiast?
If so a visit to the small village of Matamata in Tunisia just might be the holiday for you! The hotel ‘Sidi Driss’ has been nicknamed the Star Wars hotel because George Lucas used it as a set for Lars homestead on the dessert planet of ‘Tatooine’ (in the original Star Wars movie when Luke Skywalker gazed at the two suns, and used again for the more recent ‘Attack of the Clones’). In fact Tataouine does exist – it’s a town a few miles south of the filming location.
The Sidi Driss hotel is a traditional Berber house, built centuries ago with interior underground courtyards, or pits. The hotel has 5 pits and the one used in the film now houses a small bar and rooms used for serving breakfast. The guest rooms are situated in caves off other pits. Being in caves means that the rooms have no windows, but the temperature stays comfortable night and day. The interiors are basic (matching the price), painted white and have electricity and toilets and showers are shared. If you prefer a little more luxury you could stay nearby and make a day-trip to the hotel (coaches do turn up regularly) but you won’t experience the same solitude and photo opportunities without other people in the middle of them!.
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