I wonder whether you have heard of the Kingdom Gardens Guest House. Well, if you have not, it is tucked away in the quiet, leafy suburbs of Muthaiga.

This non-smoking, non-alcoholic facility is a cosy, warm place to while away a weekend. Besides the hospitable staff, the guest house has a beautiful well-manicured lawn where you can hold your family picnic, party or even a wedding.

Just clocking a year since it opened its doors to the public, Kingdom Gardens Guest House, located on Muthaiga Road, directly opposite the Oil Libya plaza, about 3 KM from the Aga Khan University Hospital, was once a residential place that has now been tastefully renovated to give it a new tribal yet contemporary look.

The rooms are elaborately styled with a rich assortment of African decor that begins with the wall art, the furniture and all the way to the room finishing – it is almost as if everything works together to deliver that golden-brown rustic feel that makes the rooms so earthy. One cannot help but feel this distinct sense of being somewhere back in time, in ancient Africa.

It is only the presence of the flat screen TV, offering an assortment of DSTv cable channels, a coffee making facility and a mini-fridge that calls one back to the reality of 21st century modern Kenya – I particularly liked the dark-green packaging on the soap and lotion in the bathroom! Never seen that before!

There is a green garden which is adorned with a variety of lovely exotic flowers surrounding the house. Try taking walks around the lawn and garden at night when the sweet aura of the flowers is stronger and the dim lights cast shades of gold upon the darkness – it is really therapeutic.

It is at the main lounge, as you get warm with a cup of hot coffee, by the fireplace, that one notices the medieval architecture of the place. Actually it is my artsy wife who saw it first! I particularly could not help but marvel at the heavy wooden beams supporting the roof – surely they do not make them like that any more, I mused.

For those who love some bit of entertainment, shopping and outdoor activities then you will find the choice of facilities nearby useful and limitless. There is, for instance, the Muthaiga Mini Market.

Muthaiga Shopping Centre, Caltex Plaza, Muthaiga Country Club, Muthaiga Golf Club and, of course, Karura Forest, adjacent to Runda. Karura forest is now open to the public and there is a fantastic nature trail.

Budget to spend between KES 7,000.00 and KES 15,000.00 on accommodation per night. Go enjoy green nature!