The Historic Swedo House at the Karen Blixen Coffee Garden and Cottages, Ltd. was the original hunting lodge/farm house which was built around 1906 to 1908. It is located approximately a half mile from the Karen Blixen (Bogani House) museum, and is 15 minutes from downtown Nairobi.
The historic Grogan/MacMillan Manor House was moved brick by brick from downtown Nairobi to the Coffee Garden in 2008 to save it from destruction.
It is the site of the original farmhouse of the property, which now is near the Karen Blixen Museum (of “Out of Africa”) and about half a mile from the Karen Golf and Country Club where guest can enjoy golfing, tennis, squash as well as other activities. The Coffee Garden sits only 5 ½ acres of land with large hundred year old trees and a beautiful garden with hundreds of different varieties of blooming flowers, and a large population of birds.
Cottages
The cottages are located in Karen, a beautiful, peaceful suburb approximately 20 miles from downtown Nairobi. The cottages are located in the midst of one of the oldest formal gardens in Kenya which have huge jacaranda, candelabra, cactus, bottlebrush, and other trees. Over 200 types of flowers bloom through the year and numerous bird feeders attract hundreds of varieties of birds.
Cottage facilities house as many as 30 guests. Eight of the cottages have individual suites and three have two bedroom suites with a common large sitting room. The honeymoon cottage has a large bedroom and sitting room each with a fireplace.
The cottages have been designed after the historic Swedo House to give a sense of reliving history in elegant style. All well appointed cottages have hi-beam ceilings with fireplaces, wood and mazeras stone floors. Mini bars, satellite TVs and internet connections have also been installed.
Each bedroom has a large bathroom with its own shower and bath. Internet connections and phones are available in all rooms. Three cottages have two private suites with a separate dressing room.
All cottages have a verandah for relaxing while enjoying the birds, butterflies and flowers of the garden. We provide feeders to attract a wide variety of birds.
Residents can also enjoy twenty-four-hour room service. A private swimming poll and private garden bar are available for a relaxing afternoon or for small group get togethers. Private outdoor dinner parties by the pool can also be arranged.
Some of the advantages of this beautiful location whether you are a tourist or doing business include:
The cottages are located about a half mile from the famous Karen Blixen Museum, which is one of principal tourist attractions in Kenya. The museum property does not have facilities for meals or lodging and the Coffee Gardens have historically been major draw for the tourists visiting the museum.
The cottages are near the Wilson airport, which is used for all local safari flights in Kenya.
The Coffee Garden is located outside of Nairobi so guests coming on safari do not have to deal with the traffic and other problems of large city life.
The Coffee Garden is within a few minutes drive to the Nairobi National Wildlife Park. In route to the Coffee Gardens guests can be taken from the international airport and within 10 minutes be on their first safari game drive through Nairobi National Park.
They will exit on the Langata side of the park to arrive at the Coffee Gardens and Cottages within 10 minutes.
The cottages are located within 15 minutes of the Kenya Wildlife Service headquarters and zoo and within 10 minutes of the Sheldrick elephant and rhino orphanage.
All shopping and banking is accessible in the nearby township of Karen where residents will have easy access to banks, pharmacies, local restaurants, medical facilities, etc.
The cottages are located about a half mile from the Karen Country and Golf Club. Guests staying at the cottages have access to the country club golf, tennis and pool facilities.
We can arrange nature walks on horse back with the Karen Riding School including Champagne breakfasts or Sundowners.
Dining
The Restaurant is open for breakfast from 700hr daily and the kitchen remains open until 2200hr. (A light menu is available in the bar for late night snacks and a clay pizza oven is being built.) Diners have their choice of five areas for lunch or dinner. Residents can also enjoy dinner in their rooms or poolside.
The outdoor garden is spacious for those who enjoy watching birds and butterflies while dining. On week-ends and holidays numerous live music groups featuring African Music or Easy Listening Music play for additional enjoyment and relaxation or relaxed dining by the fish pond with waterfall.
The restaurant veranda is also a popular place to spend a relaxing lunch and afternoon.
The Large dining room of the romantic L’Amour Restaurant also has large framed windows overlooking the verandah and gardens.
It has large suede chairs for comfortable seating and its two large fireplaces provide a warm and cozy atmosphere for raining or chilly days.
For many, the bar and bar verandah are a fun place to have lunch or dinner while playing darts, board games, or watching news or sporting events.
The refurbished c.1910 Swedo House is available daily as a lounge for guests or for tea or cappuccino or for romantic dining by the fireplace. The Swedo House is also a popular venue for receptions, small meetings and formal dinners by reservation.
Our Menu
The international menu has large menu with over 40 items and we provide weekly specials and a soup and seafood bisque of the day. Special food theme evenings or outdoor barbecue or special ethnic food buffets provide additional variety. Menu items include: Gourmet recipes by French Belgium Chef Pierre including steaks with a wide variety of sauces, and numerous seafood dishes such as fish with Pink Butter or Crab Diablo. A wide variety of salads is offered and specialty items include Bonnie’s Country Chicken Fried Steak or Texas Chili. There are vegetarian and pasta items as well as a bar snack menu with sizzling beef and chicken or your basic hamburger, cottage pie or chicken wings.
Activities
Saturday Lunch and Tuesday Night New Orleans Style Jazz.
Sunday Buffet in the gardens with Live Music and Croquet on the front lawn.
Romantic “Out of Africa” Style or “Murder Mystery” dinners in Swedo House.
Performing arts or special functions (weddings, conferences, fundraising dinners, etc) in the Grand Marquee Sultan tent, including live dinner theatre and live bands.
Lectures on African Wildlife, History, Adventure tours, and Peoples of Kenya.
Golf, tennis, and squash at Karen Country Club.
Horseback riding through Karen Riding School followed by champagne garden brunch or sundowner.
Pool, Chess and tumbledown tournaments on occassion;
Table and other Games available at Bar or Swedo House (chess, scrabble, puzzles, Boggle, Chronology, and more).
Gala New Year’s Eve, Valentine, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Easter Egg Hunts and other holiday parties.
Weddings and private parties in the garden or L’Amour Restaurant (up to 150 people). Note: We will always keep one of the restaurants and bar facilities open for our regular clients and guests.
Black tie “Out of Africa” Events including New Year’s Eve in the Grand Marquee Tent or Garden Restaurant.
