Travel: Explore Beautiful Kenya

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Travel: James Drew offers a tantalizing glimpse of a holiday made of dreams – explore beautiful Kenya.

Often regarded to be the ultimate safari destination, Kenya undoubtedly incorporates some of the continent’s most rewarding and exciting national parks and wildlife reserves. Best- known is the incomparable Masai Mara, whose undulating green grasslands support staggering concentrations of lion, cheetah, spotted hyena and other predators. Over August to October, the Mara also hosts the world’s greatest wildlife spectacle, when hundreds of thousands of manically baaing dust-kicking wildebeest stream across the Mara River from neighbouring Tanzania.

The country is bisected by a dramatic stretch of the Rift Valley floor which is studded with gem-like lakes. There is Lake Nakuru, shores grazed by prehistoric-looking rhinos; Lake Bogoria, its shallows tinged pink by more than a million or more flamingos; and lovely Lake Naivasha, fringed by reedbeds that are alive with birds and hippos. The climate of Kenya varies by location, from mostly cool every day, to always warm/hot. The climate along the coast is tropical. This means rainfall and temperatures are higher throughout the year. At the coastal cities, Mombasa, Lamu and Malindi, the air changes from cool to hot, almost every day.

Today, Kenya is renowned for its cuisine – Githeri is a common lunchtime dish in many households while Ugali with vegetables, sour milk (Mursik), meat, fish or any other stew is generally eaten by much of the population for lunch or supper. Regional variations and dishes also exist. In western Kenya, among the Luo, fish is a common dish; among the Kalenjin who dominate much of the Rift Valley Region, Mursik sour milk is a popular drink. And, as far as leisure is concerned, you cannot do much better than a trip to Nairobi, the country’s largest (and capital) city and, in Nairobi, the Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi Upper Hill, is the first Radisson Blu to open in Kenya.

First class in any language, and high on design and style, the Radisson Blu Hotel is conveniently located in the centre of Upper Hill, the central business and financial district within the commercial centre of East Africa. The hotel is less than 20km from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in East and Central Africa. The Nairobi National Park is about an equal distance away and also close to the Wilson Airport where guests can take a short plane ride to the Maasai Mara, where an amazing safari experience awaits.

The Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi, Kenya, offers 271 spacious designer guest rooms and suites with a choice of three distinct fashion inspired styles. Guests can enjoy the unique, colour-splashed, edgy and modern ‘Urban’ room style or upgrade to a Business Class room with a choice of two additional unique room styles: ‘Naturally Cool’ and ‘NY Mansion’. Guests in a Business Class room or Suite enjoy upgraded amenities and services including access to the hospitality lounge with complimentary breakfast and evening cocktails.

The hotel offers four distinct food and drink outlets. Enjoy local and international food and flavours in Larder, the all-day dining restaurant. The Chop House, a speciality restaurant exuding elegance and charm, features dry aged steaks and an assortment of fresh seafood. Guests looking for more casual dining and lunching options can go to Al Fresco, the pool bar and grill. For guests wanting to relax, impress or have a casual meeting, the lobby bar and cigar lounge, The Humidor Lounge, offers just that. The hotel offers one of the best and largest meeting facilities in Kenya. 14 meeting rooms and boardrooms, including a 590m2 ballroom all boast natural daylight and the latest technical equipment.