Aero Club of East Africa Nairobi

For anyone flying to the Masai Mara, Amboseli or any of Kenya's other wonderful game parks and whose connections require an overnight in Nairobi, Aero Club of East Africa is a good choice.

Set on the grounds of Wilson Airport from which the flights to the parks depart, it is clean, convenient and good value, with room rates less than half other options.

It's a member-only facility, but it's possible to purchase a temporary membership for a nominal fee.

The Club is set in beautiful landscaped grounds, plenty of shade trees.

There aren't many rooms, and they are located a short distance away from the Club lounge, where you can order a drink or a meal, and watch whatever sporting event is on the big TV.

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Rooms are spacious and simply decorated but certainly adequate for an overnight.

Decent bathroom with shower, and the room had air conditioning, albeit rather weak. However with the high cathedral ceiling and cool night temperatures, we were comfortable with window open and using the mosquito net over the bed.

The only downside was some traffic noise from a nearby road.

The tv in the room had local channels only - not a big deal for an overnight stay.

No internet (at least not in our room) and with just a 12-hour stay from check-in at 8pm until the next morning, we didn't bother to inquire if we could access it in the Club main building - which by the way had a lovely "old colonial" feel to it, with lots of dark polished wood, black-and-white photos of early aviation, and polished wooden propellers decorating the walls.

Breakfast was available (at additional charge) in the club or on their deck overlooking the runway, but our flight was so early we skipped it.

Had we known in advance, with our light luggage we could have walked to the Safari Link check-in, but arrangements had already been made by our safari planner for the airline to pick us up at the Club and drive us the 400 meters to their check-in (note: check-in for Air Kenya and Tropic Air would be further in another part of the airport grounds, and not a comfortable walk for most).

In summary, I found this to be a pleasant no-frills alternative to the expensive international hotels in Nairobi and more than adequate for an overnight before heading to our safari camp. We'll stay there again!