Frequently asked questions

Cozy Stead Nairobi has 26 guest rooms across two boutique houses in Gigiri, 800 m apart: Haven House (11 rooms) and Garden House (15 rooms).

Haven House is a quiet, private house with 11 larger rooms, best suited to guests wanting a calm, private stay. Garden House has 15 rooms across a wider range of prices and is home to The Home Table Restaurant, making it the more social of the two properties.

Yes. Cozy Stead Nairobi is located in Gigiri, within close proximity to the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), the US Embassy, Village Market, and Two Rivers Mall.

Yes. At Haven House, guests may drink in their rooms or the executive lounge, and in-house guests can order from Garden House through any host. Events at Haven House are alcohol-free.

Haven House has six room types: Premier King with Bathtub, Executive King with Balcony, Garden View Balcony King, Balcony King, Large Twin, and Twin. Garden House has seven: Compact Single, Twin, King With Balcony, King, Twin with Air Conditioning, Premier King with Bathtub, and King Studio with Kitchenette.

Yes. The Garden King Studio with Kitchenette at Garden House is well suited to extended stays, and Cozy Stead accepts long-stay and organisational bookings, including for UN and NGO staff.

Yes. The Home Table Restaurant is located at Cozy Stead Garden House and serves both resident guests and the surrounding Gigiri community.

The Garden Compact Single at Garden House is the most affordable category, designed for solo travellers and short stays.

Balcony: five rooms at Haven House (one Executive King with Balcony, two Garden View Balcony Kings, and two Balcony Kings) and one at Garden House (the Garden King With Balcony). Bathtub: the Premier King with Bathtub rooms, two at Haven House and one at Garden House. Kitchenette: the Garden King Studio with Kitchenette at Garden House. Air conditioning: every room at Haven House, and at Garden House the King With Balcony, King, Twin with Air Conditioning, Premier King with Bathtub, and King Studio with Kitchenette. The Garden Compact Single and Garden Twin rooms have a room fan and a heater instead.

Yes. Haven House has a Conference Pavilion that holds up to 60 people classroom-style. Garden House has a meeting room for up to 6 people, a lounge for 12, a covered terrace for 25, and three gazebos seating 8, 5, and 5. We host business meetings, workshops, and retreats, as well as high teas, birthdays, baby showers, proposals, engagement parties, book launches, cocktail events, end-of-year parties, and corporate launches. Haven House also hosts intimate weddings and wedding receptions. Catering is by The Home Table Restaurant.

Yes. Events at Cozy Stead Haven House are alcohol-free, which suits organisations, families and groups seeking a non-alcoholic venue for meetings, retreats or private celebrations.

The Home Table Restaurant, based at Garden House, provides catering for meetings and events at both Garden House and Haven House, with menus customised to the occasion.

Yes. Cozy Stead Nairobi’s rooms are bookable directly through the live booking engine on our website, with real-time availability, rates, and instant confirmation. Corporate, per-diem, and long-stay bookings can also be arranged directly with the reservations team.

The Home Table serves the same menu in a quieter dining room at Haven House. Guests and walk-in diners are welcome at both houses.

Yes. Breakfast at The Home Table is included in every room rate we show, at both houses.

Choose Haven House for calm and privacy, larger rooms, balconies and bathtubs. Choose Garden House for the garden, the main dining room and the widest choice of rooms and prices, from USD 65 a night.

Yes. Parking is free for guests, in secure, gated parking at both houses.

Every day from 06:30. Last kitchen orders are at 21:00, and the lounge closes at 23:00.

22:00 to 07:00 at both houses, so everyone can rest.

Yes, at both properties. Garden House is the more social, garden-set dining room, while Haven House offers the same quality of dining in a quieter, more laid-back setting, both welcome resident guests and walk-in diners from the wider Gigiri community.

Yes. Our concierge can arrange spa treatments for Cozy Stead Nairobi guests during their stay.

Yes. Our concierge can arrange bespoke tours of Nairobi and Kenya, tailored to each guest’s interests, schedule, and length of stay.

Yes. The Cozy Stead Journal publishes guides to Gigiri and Nairobi, dining and recipes from The Home Table, event planning stories, and wellness and travel tips, written for guests staying at or visiting Cozy Stead Nairobi.

Yes. You can cancel or change a direct booking free of charge up to 48 hours before 14:00 on your arrival day, Nairobi time. Email reservations@cozy-stead.co.ke or message us on WhatsApp at +254 799 572 828, and we will confirm in writing.

If you cancel after that time but before your arrival day, we charge 25% of the total cost of your stay at the rate you booked. If you cancel on your arrival day, or do not arrive, we charge the full cost of your stay.

Yes. Date changes are free up to 48 hours before arrival, subject to availability. Later changes follow the late-cancellation rule above.

Nights you do not use after check-in are charged unless we can resell the room. Tell us at check-in if your plans may change, and we will agree terms with you.

Yes. Bookings of three or more rooms, and stays agreed with our reservations team, are free to cancel until 7 days before arrival. Terms for events and private dining at The Home Table are agreed in writing when you book.

The terms on your confirmation from that website apply. Contact that website to cancel or change the booking, and write to us if you would like help.

We take a deposit of 25% of your stay to confirm your booking, by card, M-Pesa (Paybill 522533, account number 572828), Airtel Money or bank transfer. It is refunded in full if you cancel more than 48 hours before 14:00 on your arrival day. You pay the balance during your stay, and every account must be settled in full before you check out.

We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, M-Pesa, Airtel Money and cash. We also accept bank transfer for deposits and company prepayments. Please tell us before you arrive if you plan to pay another way.

We charge in US dollars or Kenya shillings, and the rates we show include breakfast and taxes. If you pay in Kenya shillings, we convert at our own exchange rate, which we tell you before you pay and show on your receipt. Your confirmation shows the total you will pay.

The cardholder presents the card used for the booking, with photo ID. We do not take a deposit for incidental charges. Guests must be 18 or older. If someone else is paying, tell us before you arrive.

Yes, we issue invoices to companies and organisations on request. We are a small independent house, so every account, including company accounts, is settled in full before check-out. We can take prepayment by bank transfer or a company card guarantee. If your organisation pays a per diem, you settle your own bill and we issue an itemised receipt.

We refund to your original payment method within 7 working days of confirming the cancellation. Your bank or mobile-money provider may take longer to show it.

Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out is by 11:00. If your room is ready earlier, we check you in from 12:00 at no charge, and we can store your luggage. Late check-out until 12:00 is free on request, subject to availability. Between 12:00 and 17:00 we charge half of that night’s rate, and after 17:00 the full night.

Yes. Reception is staffed from 07:00 to 19:00 every day, and a caretaker is on site 24 hours, so we can check you in whenever you arrive. Tell us your arrival time when you book, and message us on WhatsApp on +254 799 572 828 if your plans change.

From Garden House, the main entrance of the UN Office at Nairobi and the US Embassy are a 5-minute drive or a 20-minute walk. Village Market is a 1-minute drive or a 5-minute walk, and Karura Forest Gate A is 7 minutes by car. Haven House is closer to the UN, the US Embassy and Karura Forest and farther from Village Market; the two houses are within 800 metres, a 3-minute drive.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is about 27 km away. The drive takes around 30 minutes off-peak on the Nairobi Expressway. We can arrange an airport transfer. Message us with your flight details, and we will confirm the charge for your route and party size.

We consider Gigiri a very safe area. It is Nairobi’s diplomatic district, with diplomatic security and police patrols day and night, and Haven House is about 200 metres from the Gigiri Police Station gate.

Both houses have an electric fence, 24/7 manned security, an alarm response service, CCTV cameras and a caretaker on site.