You get what you pay for. The price for a basic room is reasonable for Karen and includes a full breakfast. The room I stayed in was clean and offered a non working outlet, plenty of storage space, mosquito net, and shower with no hot water. As I had traveled to Nairobi to relax for a few days, I was mildly disappointed. The staff however, are very welcoming and aim to please. If you are looking for a quiet place to stay, this may not be the place for you as this is a frequent "watering hole" for the ex-pates and also a base for overland safari groups. All in all, I would only recommend Karen Camp to budget minded backpackers.

If you find yourself stuck in Nairobbery . . . I mean Nairobi and want to avoid the city centre then Karen Camp isn't too bad a place to stay if you're on a tighter budget. They have camping space in the garden, dorm rooms in a building out the back and a range of en suite and shared bathroom bedrooms in the main house. It is also used as a stop by a few of the overland truck companies. Karen is about 30 minutes drive from the airport and city centre on the outskirts of the Nairobi National Park.

We had an en suite room with double bed and mosquito net which set us back $30 a night, not including breakfast. It feels a little bit overpriced as the rooms are a more than a little tired and could do with a bit of a freshen up. The bathrooms in particular look like they haven't been refurbished since the property was built.

Downstairs there's a communal TV lounge which has cable/satellite TV with about 50 channels. There's also a bar which serves a small selection of food (the home made chicken and cottage pies were very tasty). On Wednesday nights the local expats descend on the bar for a fairly lively drink . . . or 6!

The staff are friendly, there's good on site security (which is important in this part of the world) and the gardens are a fairly pleasant spot for a sit in the sun. The owner also has 3 very big but incredibly friendly dogs.

There's no internet access on site, the nearest net cafe is at the local shops, about a 5 minute ride in a taxi. Also fairly close by and reachable by taxi are the Langata Giraffe Centre (well worth a visit if you've never been up close and personal with a giraffe) and the Karen Blixen Museum (vastly overpriced).

In summary - feels a bit overpriced due to the tired condition of the rooms but it's probably the best of the budget options that Karen has to offer.

We stayed here after reading it was 'a spotless hotel' in lonely planet. The sheets were dirty, the bathroom disgusting and there was dog hair all over the furniture. The hostel is miles from anywhere and the surrounding 'gardens' as read in Lonely Planet is a junkyard of old trucks and rubbish. I would never stay here again.

I stayed here as part of an overland group. I upgraded from a tent to a dorm room, which was small, airless, crowded, and featured only one electrical outlet (for four people, with various electronic devices that required charging). The beds, which featured dirty mattresses, lacked mosquito nets, and as a result, I spent a sleepless night swatting mosquitoes. Absolutely miserable.

The surly staff claimed that they had only room room key for the dorm room. I pressed. them on this point, and eventually they handed over an additional key.