Today’s review by Amakove Wala
I’ve used Fair Acres road quite often when dropping the troop to one place or another but I’ve never seen the signage for this gem tucked away in an acre of property. My good friend, Rita, owns it and she’s been asking me to pop in and check it out but you know how we Kenyans have excuses.
So this week I finally reached out and we settled on today. I arrived smack on time but had to do some online transactions for the upcoming Africities-Africités event. It gave Rita time to come from her full time employment (she is a GM of one of the very big corporates in East Africa). I once attended a women’s conference where she spoke about her journey up the corporate ladder. Quite inspiring. I’ve also served on a private sector board with her and always admired her leadership skills.
But today, Rita was my hostess. She wore this hat gracefully. I watched as she went around her establishment checking to see if everything was in place. Some seat that need to be tucked in. A wall painting that hang off grid by 1cm…yeah. she admits she has OCD and she expects nothing but the best from her workers. She comes from a culture of kaizen so she told me. Once we settled for our chat, I discovered so many sides to her. As she juggled calls and our conversation, I couldn’t but help admire the woman who has made it I both entrepreneurship and employment. She says she is about to retire in a couple of years and just wants to retire to her countryside homes.
The story of Fair Acres is one that is of grit and love. Having bought the empty piece of land in early 2000, she had a vision of building her home. But her architect advised her that she could actually put up two houses if she had the discipline. She’s one for challenges and so she says she embarked on it. By the time she was done two years later, she had two houses which she couldn’t afford to live in based on the loans she was repaying. So she rented them out and was lucky to get expatriates who were able to fetch the properties some good rentals. When one of the expats finally relocated back to his home country, he offered her all his furniture in exchange for a small stipend. That is how she started the home-stay business that later on grew to a fully fledged hotel.
What I totally and absolutely love about the place are rhe plants. It is teeming with flowers, trees, manicured lawns. She has a love for plants and she got a good landscaper and a groundsman. The plants are everywhere and they all come well labeled with their scientific names. We sat in the garden where I could view the garden bar that is a bit hidden by the plants. Her decor she says was inspired by her need to make guests feel home away from home. It has knick knacks from her travels but there was a strong presence of wood and leather. The dining floor is made of various coloured tiles that she is proud of having bought them as throwaway from the companies. She got someone to recut and polish them and ended up saving 80% of her budget.
The rooms are spacious. Some are totally furnished with a kitchenette and lounge area for the guests who have to stay much longer and prefer doing their own cooking. My favourite of all rooms is The Cottage. A wooden one bedroom house that was imported from abroad by one of her restaurant managers. It has been expanded to add a separate ensure bedroom made of palette and it has its own private garden, external washrooms and even a treadmill. If I were to sleep at Fair Acres, thus would be my choice of room!
I didn’t manage to go to the rooftop that also has a lounge and great view of Karen. There was a group holding a conference there. Conference package comes at 3500 per person which is quite fair considering the amenities.
I asked for the chef’s specialty and was told to try the pork chops. They are priced at 1700sh which is moderate. I am sorry I did not take a photo of the pork chops because I delved right into them and forgot about you guys! Try them when you are there.
The only challenge I saw was parking. The driveway is quite narrow but they have leased some vacant plot outside and will soon open a second exit through the back road.
If you are one looking for a private quiet place for intimate gatherings or just want to come for some soul food and a breath of fresh air and green space, or a drink in the bar, this is it. She might even allow you to use her own garden to host that wedding or bridal shower for Small parties.
Amakove rating 8/10. I’ll be back with one of my board meetings here.
#wanderlustdiaries #enjoythejourney
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