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LARAGAI -- A HOME FAR, FAR AWAYA Fantasy Rental for Families and Friends in Kenya
A far, far away place, 100 miles north of Nairobi, Kenya
is Laragai: a private home completed in 1992 as a labor of love by the Cecil
family of Hertfordshire, England. It is a combination of environmental
sensitivity and elegant design poised on the crest of a 1500-foot escarpment.
Now this sanctuary is available for rental by families and small groups of
friends. One reaches Laragai by air, a 40-minute flight from
Nairobi over The Rift Valley, green coffee and tea plantations, cragged Mt.
Kenya,and finally the 6500-foot high Lakipia Plateau and the sprawling 35,000
acre Borana Ranch. Two landing strips are available on the property. The
complex has several buildings, a Main House, Top House and Pool House, all
constructed with indigenous building methods and materials: stone-piled walls,
cedar trim and beams that rise 30 feet to a peaked roof covered by papyrus
thatched reed. Dramatically set at cliff’s edge, the main house’s focus
is a warm, 55-foot, double-fireplaced drawing room. Locally made sofas, Irish
antique mirrors and English porcelain lamps make cozy conversational
clusters—delightful spots to sip before- and after-dinner drinks in front of
soothing fires. Tea is served each afternoon at four on the porch, which looks
over acres of plains where elephant and giraffe wander daily. Off the living
room are five bedrooms. Two master bedrooms, Meru Oak Room and Elgon Olive
Room, are suite-size with fireplaces, with magnificent views. Bathrooms are
vast and luxurious. The third master bedroom, the Kabaka Room, has a unique
four-posted cedar bed, and looks out on the garden on three sides. Two smaller
twin-bedded rooms, the Pink room and Twin room, perfect for children, share a
bathroom. The Dining room with fireplace, seating 16, and the
kitchen, game room and an additional three bedrooms are in the Top House, just
a few yards up the hill. Great thought went into the design of the Pool House,
which is equipped with full bar, two changing rooms and a bathroom. A free form
heated pool spills into the sensational panorama. A raised wooden, partially
covered deck and bar afford a 70-mile view toward Ethiopia. Perfect for
game-viewing any time of day. It does not take long to feel at home at Laragai. There
is a complete music system with a selection of 250 CDs by the pool and in the
drawing room. For the cooler hours, one can play tennis on the clay surface
court on the top of the hill, complete with distracting views. Vehicles and
drivers are always at one’s disposal for safari drives and excursions. Most of Laragai’s staff has been with the family and
house for nearly 10 years. Menus, including local cuisine, often with
vegetables grown on the farm, can be requested in advance. Clothes left out by
guests are laundered daily and families with children have built-in
babysitters. A week’s stay is barely enough, so ten days is
suggested. There is always something to do and it is easy to slip into the
gentle rhythm of the African days’ early morning safaris, back for lunch by the
pool, then a swim and a short nap to escape the midday sun, tea at four
followed by a late afternoon or evening safari, back to a hot bath or shower
and dinner by the fire... perfect. For reservations contact: Resorts Management, Inc. at
800-225-4255. Edited
by Kerry Cohen |
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TM