Four Points Sheraton Nairobi

The clean and contemporary open spaces are flooded with natural light. In the stylish lobby/reception area, high-backed wing chairs assure privacy as you sit with your coffee/book/laptop. The Marketplace, the main on-site restaurant, has a quirky charm, with its metallic decor and light fixtures, and outdoor terrace that leads to the well-tended lawn. With a few outdoor patios to sit and enjoy the flight patterns, the hotel capitalises on the atmosphere. There's a well-equipped gym and a heated indoor pool for a tad more activity.

The 172 rooms here range from traditional to deluxe to executive class, varying in size and amenities. Without exception, all are extremely comfortable and simply designed, with wooden floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, the chain's signature beds, crisp white linens, LED television, tea/coffee-making facilities and, luxuriously, black-out curtains. En-suite bathrooms all have rain showers and double basins, and the more deluxe options have deep baths.

If you've time to explore, Nairobi offers plenty to see and do. Uhuru Park provides a bit of a green reprieve among the high rises, while Nairobi National Museum houses a fascinating assortment of art and ethnographic and palaeontological artifacts. Though small, Nairobi National Park has plentiful wildlife, and is one of just a few national parks on earth that border a capital city. There are plenty of animals here, and remarkably, they seem quite unperturbed by the city buzz.