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My spouse and I have just utilized the Hilton Kenya Safari Package and in every way the reward exceeded our expectations. The booking of the package by Hilton Honors team was effortless, and the date changes, we requested were handled efficiently by an expert staff in Scotland.

Upon arrival a representative of the Nairobi Hilton was waiting at the Airport to take us to the hotel. We were whisked to the fifteenth floor executive check in and informed that the lounge was open from 9AM to 11PM and complimentary beverages including full bar service was available during those hours. We were also invited to play golf at the Nairobi Country Club, as the guest of Hilton for free. We were than assigned to a suite on the top floor of the hotel. The suite was a one bedroom, with a living - dining room combination and two full baths. Two bouquets of flowers were in the room, a letter greeting us from the manager, and a complementary fruit basket was also in supplied. Needless to say, our initial impression was one of surprise and delight.

Breakfast the following morning was provided in the main dining room, it was a buffet but you could order the eggs or whatever you wanted as you liked it. The food was quite good and both or us enjoyed the meal. We were than driven to the Salt Lick Safari Lodge in a new Land Rover; by a friendly driver, named Dennis who worked at the Hilton in Nairobi. Dennis was originally from the Taita Hills area, a member of the Taita tribe, and offered valuable insights about the area. The five-hour drive to Taita over some very bumpy roads, gave us time to appreciate the country but also to experience some of the poverty. The drive is long and rough, but Hiltons Land Rover was air-conditioned and very comfortable.

Along the way Dennis explained to us; we really did not have to spend two nights in the Salt Lick and two nights in the Taita Hills Lodge as the brochure proclaims. Our driver told us that if we wished to stay in one property or the other for the entire time, it was really our choice. Dennis explained that most of the clients on this Safari choose to spend the entire time at the Salt Lick property but the decision was up to us.

We were driven first to the Taita Hills Lodge where a very good lunch was prepared. The Taita Hills lodge has a nice swimming pool and impressive lobby. If you are going on a golf vacation however, you may be a bit disappointed. The Lodge does have a nine-hole course but it is in great disrepair. The greens are the worst I have ever seen and the fairways are mainly dirt and ant-hills. On the plus side playing 18 holes (nine holes twice) with club rental and caddy fees (a caddy is required) cost only about seven dollars.

After a quick tour of the Taita Hills property we were off to the Salt Lick Lodge (about five miles away). Taita Hills is actually outside the game park, but the Salt Lick Lodge is located in the center of the game reserve. The unique looking hotel is elevated about twenty feet above the ground and many animals surround the establishment. The rooms (we had one on the second floor) are extremely unique. The rooms are circular with a great twenty-five foot high, African thatched roof. They are a little on the small side (no suites here) and lacked most extra amenities. A fruit plate and a small bouquet of flowers were in the room.
What this hotel does have that distinguishes itself from most properties in Kenya is its unique architecture and location. There are no fences to keep out the animals out; they pass under and around the hotel. Last week (while we were there) most of the other water sources in the park had dried up, so the animals sought out water at the water holes around the hotel. At one time we counted over one hundred elephants outside our room. A family of Lions walked thru the property and cleared all the other animals out of the area. We saw Giraffes, Waterbuck, baboons, constantly during our stay and were awoken many times at night by the howls of different animals.

Every morning and evening we were taken for a game drive by our driver and Hilton even supplied a Park Ranger to ride with us. On the game drive even more animals were pointed out to us. It was great!!!!! We also went with our driver to his home area in the Taita Hills and met the people of the area. We spent all four nights at the Salt Lick Lodge and can not tell you about the rooms of the Taita Hills property, although we ate lunch there everyday and swam in the pool a couple of times.

The food was always good; drinks were not included in the package, but were still reasonably priced. A 500ml bottle of beer (the big one) cost about two dollars. The last night we spent there was my birthday and the hotel supplied a cake and bottle of wine at its expense after our dinner.

The final and biggest surprise came our last night in the Nairobi Hilton. After driving back to the hotel we were placed in the biggest suite either of us had ever seen. It was called the “Lamu Suite” a guest book in the room was signed by visiting dignitaries, including the Presidents and Vice Presidents of a few nations. This suite was at least 3000 square feet, again we could use the golf course and lounge. Bouquets of flowers that were bigger than my Grandmothers funeral flowers were positioned around the room. Of course there was a fruit basket.

We used some of our Latin Pass miles from the million mile bonus to get there on KLM in Business Class; it was a cheap and very enjoyable vacation. I can tell you that we really enjoyed our stay, and if you have the points, we would highly recommend it.