Standard Room | Executive lounge

Reviews of Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort

3.5 out of 5
Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort
North Lake, Off Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, (Pan African Highway), Naivasha

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 21 out of 34 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 8 out of 34 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 4 out of 34 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 34 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 34 reviews" "

9.0/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

10/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Suzanne

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Emily

10/10 Excellent

Matthew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Amazing views, great food, and friendly staff. Will be back!
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

Alain

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Alain

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
very good
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Timothy

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was all great
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022

10/10 Excellent

Ted

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021

8/10 Good

Tamara

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfy, Attractive Getaway; Good Service
My 8 year old daughter and I, who live in another African country, traveled here in December 2020. It’s an odd time for travel with the pandemic continuing but we had not been able to leave our country for almost a year and needed a getaway. The GRVL was a refreshing stop with kind staff who wanted to make our stay the best it could be. We did have one issue at one evening buffet and though resolved, I was surprised our drinks were not comped to compensate for the long wait and inconvenience. The buffet food was surprisingly good Although somewhat repetitious, though for a 2 night stay we were fine. Had we stayed longer, we would have needed more variety. The rooms are a little small but with an attractive layout and very comfortable beds. I would recommend a stay here for a cool getaway from Nairobi with a visit to Hell’s Gate National Park or Crescent Island nearby.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

nicola

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely spot
Beautiful and relaxing stay
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020

10/10 Excellent

Lilian

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The experience was amazing, we had plenty of activities and the environment was fantastic. We loved the food too
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Diane

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely Stay
Great Rift is a beautiful place, family friendly, lots of activities for kids. The hotel villas were clean and cosy. Just a few small repairs need to be made but nothing major. The food was great! Loved their breakfasts. Overall, we had a great time. Will definitely visit again.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Erika

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic Naivasha Resort for Family or Business!
This was my first visit to Naivasha and I wish I had been able to stay longer, thanks to the Great Rift Valley Lodge! The rooms, comfort, and cleanliness are top notch, and the staff are excellent, especially Valentine at Guest Services & Esther in the Spa. Considering the price, some of the quality of the food could improve, but the buffet gives a wide range of options. The grounds are beautiful, and we loved the fireplaces. If you don’t have a car, you will need to budget for extra taxis since there is nothing in walking distance around the resort — but for my family, this is what we wanted most—a quiet, clean place where we didn’t have to leave. Next time we look forward to the star gazing walk and riding horses! We will return in the future!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic hotel and golf course
This hotel is very convenient to play golf with a fantastic course. Accommodation and food are very nice to make me be surrounded by the out of the ordinary.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

6/10 Okay

Kathleen

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
I have been a guest at The Great Rift Valley (GVR) Lodge since 2012; this was my first trip on my own, not for a conference. Unfortunately, I did not have the same experience as when I was a conference guest. The rooms and location are lovely. The challenge was that GVR was extremely busy with 2 large groups (250+ people); thus the usual rooms and activity areas were not readily available. The biggest issue was food; I was put a dining area usually reserved for members. We did not get our full board lunches (I was offered the buffet for the school group which I did not accept) and the next day, I was not allowed to use that lunch nor order a la cart for an extra cost for my 6 year old child when I inquired. She had potato crisps and cheese sitting outside while we waited for transport. Then several individuals commented that she looked hungry and that I should feed her "properly." I positively confirmed that I had been told I could not order a la cart at reception. Then I cried. I was made to feel so bad despite being the booker and payer of the room, but especially because I was criticized by the staff about being a mother (on international women's day no less) when it was the hotel's errors. 7 business days after check out the hotel has never contacted me.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Njuguna

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fairly good. Should improve on staff quality at dining and room service and reception.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2018

8/10 Good

Mary

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
The quality of food on the a la carte menu needs improvement. Had no hot water for a night and a morning.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

ingrid

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Loved it
Loved my stay here. Staff are friendly, room is comfortable. Food is delicious. Would definitely stay here again. If anyone has something bad to say about this lodge, it reflects their attitude, not the hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018

2/10 Terrible

Andy Huang, Qatar

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Hotel Front Office are full of Sharks & Conartists
Tried to charge me the boat trip the Naivasha lake like 3 times the going rate. Lied through his teeth that the boat has not other passengers and I have to pay for whole boat. Nice facilities if only managed closer to the international rates they are charging. The quality of food and cooking are far far from acceptable standards. Local fruits need great effort to appreciate but the vegetables from the hotel organic farm was a treasure.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful setting but views may vary
The property is large and beautiful with a lovely setting, and the room very comfortable. Food had a decent variety. However, I was very disappointed to find my room had no view whatsoever and the advertised "balcony" was just a tiny patio/entrance way at the door looking out at some grass. On the website of the hotel they are selling the view and it appears that all rooms have views - it's not the case. Also, weirdly enough, the rest of the property doesn't have views either - only from a few tables at one of the two restaurants can you see through the trees to the mountains and lake. Property could be improved immensely with a terrace with views somewhere where drinks or snacks are served, some small viewing platforms integrated into the trees around the walking/jogging trails, and more accurate descriptions of rooms on their website and hotel consolidator sites.

10/10 Excellent

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

10/10 Excellent

michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Rustic luxury
The hotel is luxurious for Kenya - but in a rustic way. Rooms are stylishly furnished and sufficiently spacious, with fantastic views across the surrounding land and lake. The relaxing bar area benefits from a beautiful log fire which is well-stocked in the evening. On our most recent stay, out-of-hours food service was extremely slow, but this is unusual in my experience.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Everything was great until check out. I turned in my key, paid my balance for some sodas we bought and receipted a zero balance. Then we went to finish our lunch and leave. When we got to the main gate they said we needed a "clearance slip". I thought the guard meant receipt so I pulled it out of my luggage and showed her. But that wasn't what she wanted it was a "green clearance card" apparently they give at check out which they did not. So I had to drive back up the long drive only to find out they wouldn't clear me since they could not confirm my bill was paid via Expedia. When I checked in two days earlier I said my name and that I had booked through expedia and there was no problem, they had my reservation ready. So I was very surprised and frustrated that now they were saying bill wasn't paid. So I went back to my van got my computer to show them the email confirmation from expedia which showed dates and amount paid $562 "collected by Expedia". That did not satisfy the clerks. So I opened my online credit card and showed them the debit from Expedia on the day I booked it with ref numbers. They still weren't sure and had to call their home office in Nairobi. By now we were 30 min behind schedule to drive 4 hours back home. We live in Kenya and have resident rates. Finally they gave me my "green clearance card" 40 min after my first attempt to go. I forwarded Expedia email confirmation to their home office. The reservation manager Rose did email me this morning apologizin

6/10 Okay

Wilson, Nairobi

Liked: Staff & service
our stay at Great Rift Valley
My wife and I spent the mashujaa Day in your facility and it was great. Food was excellent and the staff were excellent too. I happened to have booked through internet, but the information on the net did not seems to match the room we were booked into. This was however resolved by the ground crew. As result of good service. I would like to book for the new year holiday starting 28th Dec. hoping and trusting to get similar j if not better. I would like to book 3 doubles one my 2 boys, my 2 girls and for myself and my wife. Kindly give me the best discount you can. Please note the the 3 should be in Villas. Kind regards

6/10 Okay

Peter, Miami, FL

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
When You need to be alone....this is the place!
This is an out of the way golf club with decent meeting rooms and living spaces. If you need to have a place for a small group to convene for a few days, this is it. It is a 12-14km drive on a rough dirt road. If you need to go in and out each day for work (like I did), then don't stay here. The drive is not worth it.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
very good
Rooms were clean, food was good, staff was friendly, internet worked in the rooms the last two days of my stay. What lovely birds.

6/10 Okay

t&j, nairobi

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful views but lacking in client comfort.
Room had fireplace but we were told it is hotel policy that no fires are allowed. We wanted to swim after a hot afternoon playing golf. The pool closed at 6pm and when we arrived at 5:55 we were told the pool was closed and couldn't get towels. Many people were still using the pool.

10/10 Excellent

Mia, Kilimani, Nairobi, Kenya

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent hotel with amazing view!
Had a wonderful weekend with my husband and some friends. We played golf right next to zebras and had a lodge room that seemed to me very luxurious. We had the most incredible view from the balcony, a private bush dinner and wonderful food overall. The pool was very fine and so was the rest of the facilities, e.g. the tennis court, the bar and of course the golfing. Also massage, biking safari, mountain walk and lake trip was available at affordable rates but unfortunately we did not get to that. The staff was always very attentive and very nice. They even brought us a bottle of champagne Sunday morning on our anniversary. Last but not least I loved the fact that there is nothing else nearby. So waking up to the sounds of birds and a beautiful sunrise was all worth it!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent experience for great price
We had a great stay and were extremely pleased with the quality of the Great Rift Valley Lodge. We are a graduate student couple on a tight budget, and felt like this lodge gave us a luxury experience without a prohibitive price. The rooms were clean and beautiful, the food options were excellent, and all of the complementary on-site activities were impressive. All of the staff was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive. The hotel features two restaurants: one a la carte and one buffet. We used the buffet for all of our meals, and found a diverse set of options that should appeal to everyone. The cocktails at the bar were fairly expensive, but the atmosphere was nice. Our room was a bit over-warm during the day and could be improved with a fan, but overall we would rate our experience 10/10.

10/10 Excellent

Damaris

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice hotel in a breathtaking location
We had a great time and had a lot of outdoor activities to do. The only disappointment was that most of the extra activities had charges on them, limiting guests on activities to enjoy in this exclusive location.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
awesome retreat, tremendous birds, peace and quiet
This was a wonderful setting to relax and get away from the noise of Nairobi. It was quiet, comfortable, and the views were stunning. The staff is friendly and helpful, the food was very good. I recommend this as a personal retreat, a place to rest and rejuvenate.

10/10 Excellent

Fums, Nigeria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel for everyone.
The hotel was lovely, the surroundings quiet. The live band in the restaurant were fantastic. Hotel staff were really friendly. Wish we had more time to explore.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Highly recommended
Wonderful place, beautiful location hill top location, superb service and staff, great food, a very memorable stay. Highly recommended!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfekt!!!