Laragai

LARAGAI - A HOME FAR, FAR AWAY

A far, far away place, 100 miles north of Nairobi, Kenya is Laragai: a private home completed in 1992 as a labor of love by the Cecil family of Hertfordshire, England. It is a brilliant combination of environmental sensitivity and elegant design poised on the crest of a 1500-foot escarpment. Now this sanctuary is available for rental by families and small groups of friends.

One reaches Laragai by air, a 40-minute flight from Nairobi over The Rift Valley, green coffee and tea plantations, cragged Mt. Kenya,and finally the 6500-foot high Lakipia Plateau and the sprawling 35,000 acre Borana Ranch. Two landing strips are available on the property. The complex has several buildings, a Main House, Top House and Pool House, all constructed with indigenous building methods and materials: stone-piled walls, cedar trim and beams that rise 30 feet to a peaked roof covered by papyrus thatched reed.

Dramatically set at cliff's edge, the main house's focus is a warm, 55-foot, double-fireplaced drawing room. Locally-made sofas, Irish antique mirrors and English porcelain lamps make cozy conversational clusters - delightful spots to sip before-and-after diner drinks in front of soothing fires. Tea is served each afternoon at four on the porch which looks over acres of plains where elephant and giraffe wander by daily.

Off the living room are five bedrooms. Two master bedrooms, Meru Oak Room and Elgon Olive Room, are suite- size with fireplaces, with magnificent views. Bathrooms are vast and luxurious. The third master bedroom, the Kabaka Room, has a unique four-posted cedar bed, and looks out on the garden on three sides. Two smaller twin-bedded rooms, the Pink room and Twin room, perfect for children, share a bathroom.

The Dining room with fireplace, seating 16, and the kitchen, game room and an additional three bedrooms are in the Top House, just a few yards up the hill.

Great thought went into the design of the Pool House which is equipped with full bar, two changing rooms and a bathroom. A free-form heated pool spills into the sensational panorama. A raised wooden, partially covered deck, and bar afford a 70-mile view toward Ethiopia. Perfect for game-viewing any time of day.

It does not take long to feel at home at Laragai. There is a complete music system with a selection of 250 CDs by the pool and in the drawing room. For the cooler hours, one can play tennis on the clay surface court on the top of the hill, complete with distracting views. Vehicles and drivers are always at one's disposal for safari drives and excursions.

Most of Laragai's staff has been with the family and house for nearly 10 years. Menus, including local cuisine, often with vegetables grown on the farm, can be requested in advance. Clothes left out by guests are laundered daily and families with children have built-in babysitters.

A week's stay is barely enough, ten days is suggested. There is always something to do and it is easy to slip into the gentle rhythm of the African days early morning safaris, back for lunch by the pool, then a swim and a short nap to escape the midday sun, tea at four followed by a late afternoon or evening safari, back to a hot bath or shower and dinner by the fire... perfect.

For reservations contact: Resorts Management, Inc.,800-225-4255.