Pelican House, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Laikipia
Comfortable thatched cottage, sleeping up to eight, overlooking the Pelican Dam in the heart of the Ol Pejeta conservancy.
Layout
It looks small from the outside, but appearances can be deceptive. The house quickly opens out into a large and cosy open plan living area and kitchen. Beyond that are the three bedrooms and the newly-renovated patio area overlooking an almost private watering hole. Since our previous visit some years earlier, the cottage has undergone some much-need renovations, and is all the better for it.
Rooms
There are two doubles with sliding doors facing onto the large verandah, one with an en suite bath and shower, the other with its own private wet room, but not ensuite. A third double has a double bed and two singles, and is useful for packing in the kids. It also has an ensuite with shower and bath. A rondavel a few metres from the house can be used for overflow.
Dining
The house is offered on a self-catering or fully catered basis. The cook provided is pretty competent, and does good curries. The house is missing a few items such as egg cups, so if you particularly like your boiled eggs, bring your own. There is a nice breakfast area for kids, and evening dining usually takes place in the open plan sitting room / kitchen. For lunches (the chef makes good quiches), the table is set outside.
Activities
Ol Pejeta has many different activities on offer, and the great thing about Pelican House is that you can choose to be entirely self-sufficient (taking yourself off for drives, sundowners overlooking the birdlife on the watering hole) or take up some of the activities on offer, such as lion tracking, visits to the canine unit, a visit to Baraka, the blind rhino, horse riding with rhino or a stop at the chimpanzee orphanage.
Upsides
Sometimes it’s lovely just to have your own house, and it’s rare to find such an attractive one in a wildlife conservancy. The furnishings are well thought out, and the revamps to the house have transformed it into a very comfortable spot. A roaring fire in the evenings brings an element of cosiness to the set up.
Downsides
The house is run on generator power, and it can be annoying to be sent off to bed at 10pm, although you can usually ask for them to keep it on a little longer. The fridge is also run on the generator, meaning that it is turned off for a large part of the day - although the fridge is much better than the one that used to be in the house, beware of relying too much on the freezer. There’s also a rather cumbersome iPad-style guest registration procedure on arrival, irritating if you have multiple people to register. Finally, in marked contrast to most lodges in Kenya, any staff travelling with you will be charged the full accommodation price.
Rates
Guests pay on a per-person basis, rather than paying for the whole house. If two to four people, the cost is Ksh 9,000 pp per night; or Ksh 8,000 pp if 5-8 guests. Children pay Ksh 4,500 per night. A chef costs Ksh 3,500 per day. If taking the house on a fully catered basis, Ksh 5,000 is added to the per person rate. A family of five, for instance, might expect to pay Ksh 33,000 if self-catering with a chef, or Ksh 54,500 if taking it fully catered.
Layout
It looks small from the outside, but appearances can be deceptive. The house quickly opens out into a large and cosy open plan living area and kitchen. Beyond that are the three bedrooms and the newly-renovated patio area overlooking an almost private watering hole. Since our previous visit some years earlier, the cottage has undergone some much-need renovations, and is all the better for it.
Rooms
There are two doubles with sliding doors facing onto the large verandah, one with an en suite bath and shower, the other with its own private wet room, but not ensuite. A third double has a double bed and two singles, and is useful for packing in the kids. It also has an ensuite with shower and bath. A rondavel a few metres from the house can be used for overflow.
Dining
The house is offered on a self-catering or fully catered basis. The cook provided is pretty competent, and does good curries. The house is missing a few items such as egg cups, so if you particularly like your boiled eggs, bring your own. There is a nice breakfast area for kids, and evening dining usually takes place in the open plan sitting room / kitchen. For lunches (the chef makes good quiches), the table is set outside.
Activities
Ol Pejeta has many different activities on offer, and the great thing about Pelican House is that you can choose to be entirely self-sufficient (taking yourself off for drives, sundowners overlooking the birdlife on the watering hole) or take up some of the activities on offer, such as lion tracking, visits to the canine unit, a visit to Baraka, the blind rhino, horse riding with rhino or a stop at the chimpanzee orphanage.
Upsides
Sometimes it’s lovely just to have your own house, and it’s rare to find such an attractive one in a wildlife conservancy. The furnishings are well thought out, and the revamps to the house have transformed it into a very comfortable spot. A roaring fire in the evenings brings an element of cosiness to the set up.
Downsides
The house is run on generator power, and it can be annoying to be sent off to bed at 10pm, although you can usually ask for them to keep it on a little longer. The fridge is also run on the generator, meaning that it is turned off for a large part of the day - although the fridge is much better than the one that used to be in the house, beware of relying too much on the freezer. There’s also a rather cumbersome iPad-style guest registration procedure on arrival, irritating if you have multiple people to register. Finally, in marked contrast to most lodges in Kenya, any staff travelling with you will be charged the full accommodation price.
Rates
Guests pay on a per-person basis, rather than paying for the whole house. If two to four people, the cost is Ksh 9,000 pp per night; or Ksh 8,000 pp if 5-8 guests. Children pay Ksh 4,500 per night. A chef costs Ksh 3,500 per day. If taking the house on a fully catered basis, Ksh 5,000 is added to the per person rate. A family of five, for instance, might expect to pay Ksh 33,000 if self-catering with a chef, or Ksh 54,500 if taking it fully catered.
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