Fairmont The Norfolk
A heated pool inside a 19th-century colonial garden
About this hotel
Fairmont The Norfolk wraps its heated outdoor pool in tropical gardens inside an early 19th-century colonial building, giving it a genuinely historic character among Nairobi's mostly modern hotel pools. Elegantly decorated rooms carry flat-screen TVs, marble bathrooms and garden views, with more spacious suites adding a separate seating area and, in some cases, a large furnished terrace. Six restaurants cover the dining side, including a modern American steakhouse, a classically furnished wine bar serving hors d'oeuvres, a poolside restaurant, and the historical Lord Delamere Terrace with an international à la carte menu. The gym adds personal trainers, daily classes, a steam room and massage facilities, and a complimentary business shuttle with WiFi on board serves guests heading to nearby offices.
- Heated outdoor pool
- Tropical gardens
- Six on-site restaurants
- Historic colonial building
Our take
This is one of Nairobi's most distinctive stays thanks to the heated pool set inside genuinely historic gardens, backed by six restaurants that few properties on this list can match. It suits travellers who want history and dining variety as much as the pool itself, rather than a purely modern business-hotel experience.
- ✓Book the poolside restaurant for at least one meal, it's a rare direct pairing of dining and the heated pool itself.
- ✓Reserve at the steakhouse or wine bar ahead of time, both draw diners well beyond hotel guests.
- ✓Walk to the National Museums of Kenya in the morning, it's just fifteen minutes on foot from the hotel.
Why we love it
- Heated pool inside genuinely historic tropical gardens
- Six restaurants including a steakhouse and wine bar
- Fifteen-minute walk to the National Museums of Kenya
- Gym with personal trainers and daily classes
Why guests love itA guest exploring central Nairobi on foot uses the hotel as a genuine base, a fifteen-minute walk to the National Museums of Kenya in the morning and back at the heated pool by early afternoon regardless of the day's weather. Dinner at the steakhouse that evening, followed by a nightcap at the wine bar, makes the historic setting feel earned rather than just decorative.