I\u2019m sitting in the Nairobi Airport after a five-night stay at the new Marriott Safari Lodge in Kenya. This is my third African safari and I wanted to share my honest JW Marriott Masa Mara review \u2013 the good and the bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I used my own Marriott points and money to book and travel to this luxury all-inclusive safari lodge. So all thoughts and opinions are my own based on my personal experience. I hope this review helps you know what to expect so that you're prepared for your trip as well as helps you decide whether to spend the money or points for this property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My review below includes a lot of detailed information including prices as well as some useful tips that I wished I had known before my stay.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
To get to the new JW Masai Mara Safari Lodge you need to fly into Nairobi, Kenya. I was able to use points to book a business class flight from Seattle to Nairobi via Dubai on Emirates. I had a 15-hour overnight layover in Dubai and booked a room at the Premier Inn Dubai Airport<\/a> for $53 (August). It was clean, included a breakfast option, and most importantly had a free shuttle to and from DXB Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My flight from Dubai to Nairobi was easy and arrived around 2 pm Nairobi time. I booked a room at the Crowne Plaza Nairobi Airport<\/a> with a free shuttle from NBO to the airport. That hotel cost $162 and was clean with dining options in the hotel. Plus, they have a great rooftop pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: if you're not accustomed to African travel, you might not be prepared for arriving at Nairobi airport. There will likely be very few signs with directions. I highly recommend you make sure to have a shuttle\/transfer arranged before landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I neglected to contact my Nairobi hotel with my arrival time and request a shuttle as I assumed the shuttle would be running regularly. That was a bit of a mistake as there were no signs or noticeable areas where shuttles would come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thankfully I found an airport security agent who was able to use his phone to contact the hotel (I couldn't use my WhatsApp to call the hotel for some reason) and they made sure to get a shuttle for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My friend purchased her flight from Vancouver to Nairobi with a stop in Frankfurt. Her flight left a day after mine as I had a long layover in Dubai. Her flight arrived in Nairobi around 9 pm and she met me at the Crowne Plaza after 10 pm. I had made sure to arrange a hotel shuttle pick up for her once I checked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We chose to stay overnight in Nairobi so we didn't arrive at the JW Marriott on the same day of our long travel days. I highly recommend<\/strong> this as it also gives you a cushion for any flight delays. You don't want to miss any of your preciously booked days at the JW Masai Mara Lodge!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have some free time in Nairobi, there is a National Park by the city and you can book a Nairobi National Park tour<\/a>. You can also book a visit to the popular Elephant Orphanage or a Maasai Village trip<\/a>. If you're allowing a whole day before your JW stay, consider booking this full-day tour<\/a> that includes a safari drive and a visit to the Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From NBO Airport you\u2019ll need to transfer from NBO to Wilson Airstrip for a bush plane flight to Keekorok Airstrip. If you don\u2019t want to fly, you can arrange a car transfer from Nairobi to the lodge but the drive will be 5-6 hours while the flight is only about 40 minutes depending on if you have stops beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can book all of your transfers directly through the JW Marriott team. They had quoted me the following prices for our August trip: USD 400 per car load one way from Nairobi to lodge; and USD 400 per person for the flight (roundtrip) from Wilson Airstrip to Keekorok. You can do a car transfer one way and then fly back one way, the one-way flight was quoted at USD 242.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My advice, book the flights! You'll have a lot of bumpy driving on your game drives and having the chance to experience local African airstrip flights, possibly flying over animals, is a unique experience of its own. Of course, if you have a large group, the $400 per person for flights might be more than you want to spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we did the flights, we had to find a way to get to Wilson Airstrip from Nairobi. The JW can book a transfer for you from the NBO airport to the airstrip for USD 70 one way. We chose to overnight in Nairobi the day before our JW Marriott stay and so ordered an Uber from our Nairobi hotel to the Wilson airstrip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The drive to Wilson Airstrip from the Nairobi Airport area will take approximately 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. There is indoor seating available at Wilson, it's has more infrastructure than most airstrips, so better to arrive early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I should note that we are experienced travelers and felt okay using Uber, however, if you've never been to Africa and are a hesitant traveler, you might want to arrange all your various transfers via the JW Marriott.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We booked our flights to the JW Marriott Masai Mara directly with the hotel for $400 each round trip and we were booked on Safarilink. We arranged for 10 am flights from Wilson Airstrip and left our hotel just after 8 am using Uber. It was easy but not the same level of vehicles that we\u2019d expect in the US. But the price was about $8 USD whereas the hotel\u2019s transfer service was $45.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not uncommon when planning an African safari vacation to use small planes to travel between airstrips. We arrived at Wilson airport to find it had much more infrastructure than we expected. They\u2019ll weigh your luggage (including backpacks) and check you in for your flight. They have bathrooms and even a very small gift shop and caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our flight from Wilson to Keekorok was on a Dash 8 plane and had at least three stops as we were the second stop and there were people continuing after us. The Dash 8 flight experience had a flight attendant, and she even provided a \u201cwater beverage service\u201d with a tote during the flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The return flight from Keekorok to Wilson was on a small bush plane and was a direct flight with six passengers, no flight attendant and a direct view of the pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we landed at Keekorok airstrip, the JW Marriott had a guide waiting for us. David collected our luggage and showed us and another couple to our JW Marriott open air Jeep. There are restrooms at the airstrip, just know they\u2019re very basic and don\u2019t include toilet paper, so bring your own tissue. Also be sure to pack some hand sanitizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Masai Mara park fees are due upon arrival at Keekorok. Currently the fee is $80 per person per day. For our five-night stay we paid $400 each, $800 total. You can pay in advance with the hotel or pay on your own upon arrival. If you pay the hotel in advance, the pickup guide will pay the fees for you while you wait in the jeep or use the restroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure you know what fees you should pay! Our guide almost had us paying a week of fees versus the five days. I wouldn\u2019t have known if it wasn\u2019t for the park ranger stating the amount to me and me knowing that it was too much. The park ranger said our guide told him we were there for seven days, but that was the other couple, not us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are locals selling crafts at the airstrip. I\u2019m not sure about the authenticity or pricing of the products as I didn\u2019t shop there. If you\u2019re only staying at the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, this will be your only local shopping option unless you buy from the hotel gift shop or add-on a village visit during your stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n JW Marriott Jeep to Lodge<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting to the JW Marriott takes about 30 minutes from the Keekorok airstrip, but your arrival will likely take longer as your driver will take you on a scenic route. You will have the opportunity to see animals on the way as you are in the park. We saw gazelles, cape buffalo, zebra, warthogs, and even giraffe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your guide will also have packed a few drinks and snacks for your drive and will set up a table for a short break. We enjoyed some prosecco and snacks of arrowroot chips before finishing our drive to the lodge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our guide wasn\u2019t great at telling us what to expect, which we later learned. I believe that during this arrival drive time, you\u2019re typically told what your schedule will look like. We also discovered that we were being paired with the same couple for all of our drives, so if you get paired with strangers on your pick up, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll be touring with them during your stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Arrival and Check In<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masai Welcome Song<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you arrive at the Lodge, you\u2019re supposed to be greeted by a group of Masai with a welcome song. This didn\u2019t happen for our group and when we saw it being performed the next day, we asked about it and were told we should have been greeted with the performance. The Masai were kind enough to let us join their celebration song even though we had already arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After leaving the Jeep, you\u2019ll cross the suspension bridge over the Talek River. There is a separate entrance for individuals with mobility issues if needed. On the other side of the bridge you\u2019ll be welcomed with some sparkling wine or hibiscus juice and then seated at the lodge lounge or dining room if you\u2019re hungry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was our first hiccup point of the trip; they handed me my check-in paper to sign and I saw it said we were booked in tent 12 which was a 1 King room. I had to show my email booking confirmation that showed I had booked a 2 Queen room. Jemma, one of our hotel supervisors apologized and said she\u2019d look into it. We had to go to room 12 and they later brought a twin bed into the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were told they would be able to move us into a 2 Queen room the following day, which they did, room\/tent 16. But it was disappointing and made us not be able to settle into our room the first day. Then they told us to have everything packed up ready to move by the next morning (before our game drive), which took extra time in the early morning and the move ended up not even happening until later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Checking in does go quickly and depending on when you arrive you can likely go straight to your room. You can also decide to eat right away if you\u2019re hungry. Be prepared for an evening game drive on your arrival day. We arrived at the resort around 1 pm and David told us we\u2019d head out at 4:30 pm for a safari drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rooms at JW Masai Mara Resort<\/p>\n\n\n\n Layout of Resort<\/p>\n\n\n\n The JW Masai Mara lies along the edge of the Talek River. You enter from a floating bridge that separates the lodge into two sections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To the left of the bridge is the main lobby and dining area, and beyond those areas are tents 1-11, as well as the pool and gym. From the right side of the bridge are tents 12-21 (there is no tent 13). Tents 1-11 are considered sunset view tents and 12-21 are sunrise view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some tents are supposed to look across the river and might see some animals. The two tents we were given (12 and 16) both had large fig trees and shrubs blocking our view. We heard the couple that we were teamed with on our drives had a sunset tent and had views of animals and the river from their patio\/balcony. I was really disappointed that there is such a wide difference for tent views as all tents are essentially sold as the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n King Room vs Queen Room<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I mentioned above, they messed up our reservation and assigned us a King room, even though I booked 2 Queens which I had to show proof of to be believed. For a five night stay, this was an inconvenience and not luxury care standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I was traveling with a friend, they did agree to bring a twin bed into the room for us. The twin bed addition was a full bed, not a roll away, including the four posters and mosquito netting. This room type would be great for a couple with a kid as long as you\u2019re ok sharing the bedroom space with that other person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two-queen room is essentially the same, but I will note that the King room has a nightstand with plugs on each side of the bed. The two-queen room shares a center nightstand with plugs. Both rooms have two ceiling fans, two wardrobes, a seating area with two couches, and a desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bathroom is very spacious and lovely. I\u2019ll mention that there is no bathroom door to the main sink area, so keep that in mind if you\u2019re not sharing with a partner. There are doors to a separate toilet room, and a door to a large walk-in shower which has an exterior access door to an outdoor shower on the side of the tent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each room has a hot tub on the outside patio, but it is kept covered and unheated, so you\u2019ll want to let your housekeeper know far in advance if you want to use it. Typically, we\u2019d enjoy it after dinner so let our dining server know at lunch that we wanted to use the tub after dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Housekeeper<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our housekeeping services were great and I have nothing remarkable to say about that. We didn\u2019t know how to contact our housekeeper as we rarely saw him, however talking with our servers worked well as they all seem to share messages between themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is turn down service and<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn down service<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dining at JW Marriott Masa<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amenities<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pool<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gym<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spa<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canon Studio<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safari Game Drives<\/p>\n\n\n\n Half Day Drives<\/p>\n\n\n\n Full Day Drives<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sundowner<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bush Breakfast<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeep Snacks<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10 Things You Need to Know<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t Be Afraid to Ask<\/p>\n\n\n\n Room Location Matters (but also doesn\u2019t)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tipping at JW Masai Mara<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5* Service Expectations<\/p>\n\n\n\n Preferences Form<\/p>\n\n\n\n Food Allergy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assigned Staff<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canon Photography Equipment<\/p>\n\n\n\n SD Card<\/p>\n\n\n\n Language<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masai Mara National Park Animals<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wildebeest Migration Season<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wheelchair Accessibility<\/p>\n\n\n\n What to Pack<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safari Packing List<\/p>\n","post_title":"My Full and Honest JW Marriott Masai Mara Kenya Africa Lodge Review","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"draft","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"jw-marriott-masai-mara-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-05 09:09:31","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-05 17:09:31","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/stuffedsuitcase.com\/?p=20190","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}
Type: info | Date: 05.01.2024 05:09:31 | Message: manually sharing post gutenberg{"ID":20195,"post_author":"1","post_date":"2024-01-05 09:09:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-01-05 17:09:31","post_content":"\n I\u2019m sitting in the Nairobi Airport after a five-night stay at the new Marriott Safari Lodge in Kenya. This is my third African safari and I wanted to share my honest JW Marriott Masa Mara review \u2013 the good and the bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I used my own Marriott points and money to book and travel to this luxury all-inclusive safari lodge. So all thoughts and opinions are my own based on my personal experience. I hope this review helps you know what to expect so that you're prepared for your trip as well as helps you decide whether to spend the money or points for this property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My review below includes a lot of detailed information including prices as well as some useful tips that I wished I had known before my stay.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n To get to the new JW Masai Mara Safari Lodge you need to fly into Nairobi, Kenya. I was able to use points to book a business class flight from Seattle to Nairobi via Dubai on Emirates. I had a 15-hour overnight layover in Dubai and booked a room at the Premier Inn Dubai Airport<\/a> for $53 (August). It was clean, included a breakfast option, and most importantly had a free shuttle to and from DXB Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My flight from Dubai to Nairobi was easy and arrived around 2 pm Nairobi time. I booked a room at the Crowne Plaza Nairobi Airport<\/a> with a free shuttle from NBO to the airport. That hotel cost $162 and was clean with dining options in the hotel. Plus, they have a great rooftop pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: if you're not accustomed to African travel, you might not be prepared for arriving at Nairobi airport. There will likely be very few signs with directions. I highly recommend you make sure to have a shuttle\/transfer arranged before landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I neglected to contact my Nairobi hotel with my arrival time and request a shuttle as I assumed the shuttle would be running regularly. That was a bit of a mistake as there were no signs or noticeable areas where shuttles would come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thankfully I found an airport security agent who was able to use his phone to contact the hotel (I couldn't use my WhatsApp to call the hotel for some reason) and they made sure to get a shuttle for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My friend purchased her flight from Vancouver to Nairobi with a stop in Frankfurt. Her flight left a day after mine as I had a long layover in Dubai. Her flight arrived in Nairobi around 9 pm and she met me at the Crowne Plaza after 10 pm. I had made sure to arrange a hotel shuttle pick up for her once I checked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We chose to stay overnight in Nairobi so we didn't arrive at the JW Marriott on the same day of our long travel days. I highly recommend<\/strong> this as it also gives you a cushion for any flight delays. You don't want to miss any of your preciously booked days at the JW Masai Mara Lodge!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have some free time in Nairobi, there is a National Park by the city and you can book a Nairobi National Park tour<\/a>. You can also book a visit to the popular Elephant Orphanage or a Maasai Village trip<\/a>. If you're allowing a whole day before your JW stay, consider booking this full-day tour<\/a> that includes a safari drive and a visit to the Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From NBO Airport you\u2019ll need to transfer from NBO to Wilson Airstrip for a bush plane flight to Keekorok Airstrip. If you don\u2019t want to fly, you can arrange a car transfer from Nairobi to the lodge but the drive will be 5-6 hours while the flight is only about 40 minutes depending on if you have stops beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can book all of your transfers directly through the JW Marriott team. They had quoted me the following prices for our August trip: USD 400 per car load one way from Nairobi to lodge; and USD 400 per person for the flight (roundtrip) from Wilson Airstrip to Keekorok. You can do a car transfer one way and then fly back one way, the one-way flight was quoted at USD 242.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My advice, book the flights! You'll have a lot of bumpy driving on your game drives and having the chance to experience local African airstrip flights, possibly flying over animals, is a unique experience of its own. Of course, if you have a large group, the $400 per person for flights might be more than you want to spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we did the flights, we had to find a way to get to Wilson Airstrip from Nairobi. The JW can book a transfer for you from the NBO airport to the airstrip for USD 70 one way. We chose to overnight in Nairobi the day before our JW Marriott stay and so ordered an Uber from our Nairobi hotel to the Wilson airstrip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The drive to Wilson Airstrip from the Nairobi Airport area will take approximately 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. There is indoor seating available at Wilson, it's has more infrastructure than most airstrips, so better to arrive early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I should note that we are experienced travelers and felt okay using Uber, however, if you've never been to Africa and are a hesitant traveler, you might want to arrange all your various transfers via the JW Marriott.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We booked our flights to the JW Marriott Masai Mara directly with the hotel for $400 each round trip and we were booked on Safarilink. We arranged for 10 am flights from Wilson Airstrip and left our hotel just after 8 am using Uber. It was easy but not the same level of vehicles that we\u2019d expect in the US. But the price was about $8 USD whereas the hotel\u2019s transfer service was $45.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not uncommon when planning an African safari vacation to use small planes to travel between airstrips. We arrived at Wilson airport to find it had much more infrastructure than we expected. They\u2019ll weigh your luggage (including backpacks) and check you in for your flight. They have bathrooms and even a very small gift shop and caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our flight from Wilson to Keekorok was on a Dash 8 plane and had at least three stops as we were the second stop and there were people continuing after us. The Dash 8 flight experience had a flight attendant, and she even provided a \u201cwater beverage service\u201d with a tote during the flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The return flight from Keekorok to Wilson was on a small bush plane and was a direct flight with six passengers, no flight attendant and a direct view of the pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we landed at Keekorok airstrip, the JW Marriott had a guide waiting for us. David collected our luggage and showed us and another couple to our JW Marriott open air Jeep. There are restrooms at the airstrip, just know they\u2019re very basic and don\u2019t include toilet paper, so bring your own tissue. Also be sure to pack some hand sanitizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Masai Mara park fees are due upon arrival at Keekorok. Currently the fee is $80 per person per day. For our five-night stay we paid $400 each, $800 total. You can pay in advance with the hotel or pay on your own upon arrival. If you pay the hotel in advance, the pickup guide will pay the fees for you while you wait in the jeep or use the restroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure you know what fees you should pay! Our guide almost had us paying a week of fees versus the five days. I wouldn\u2019t have known if it wasn\u2019t for the park ranger stating the amount to me and me knowing that it was too much. The park ranger said our guide told him we were there for seven days, but that was the other couple, not us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are locals selling crafts at the airstrip. I\u2019m not sure about the authenticity or pricing of the products as I didn\u2019t shop there. If you\u2019re only staying at the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, this will be your only local shopping option unless you buy from the hotel gift shop or add-on a village visit during your stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n JW Marriott Jeep to Lodge<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting to the JW Marriott takes about 30 minutes from the Keekorok airstrip, but your arrival will likely take longer as your driver will take you on a scenic route. You will have the opportunity to see animals on the way as you are in the park. We saw gazelles, cape buffalo, zebra, warthogs, and even giraffe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your guide will also have packed a few drinks and snacks for your drive and will set up a table for a short break. We enjoyed some prosecco and snacks of arrowroot chips before finishing our drive to the lodge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our guide wasn\u2019t great at telling us what to expect, which we later learned. I believe that during this arrival drive time, you\u2019re typically told what your schedule will look like. We also discovered that we were being paired with the same couple for all of our drives, so if you get paired with strangers on your pick up, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll be touring with them during your stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Arrival and Check In<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masai Welcome Song<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you arrive at the Lodge, you\u2019re supposed to be greeted by a group of Masai with a welcome song. This didn\u2019t happen for our group and when we saw it being performed the next day, we asked about it and were told we should have been greeted with the performance. The Masai were kind enough to let us join their celebration song even though we had already arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After leaving the Jeep, you\u2019ll cross the suspension bridge over the Talek River. There is a separate entrance for individuals with mobility issues if needed. On the other side of the bridge you\u2019ll be welcomed with some sparkling wine or hibiscus juice and then seated at the lodge lounge or dining room if you\u2019re hungry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was our first hiccup point of the trip; they handed me my check-in paper to sign and I saw it said we were booked in tent 12 which was a 1 King room. I had to show my email booking confirmation that showed I had booked a 2 Queen room. Jemma, one of our hotel supervisors apologized and said she\u2019d look into it. We had to go to room 12 and they later brought a twin bed into the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were told they would be able to move us into a 2 Queen room the following day, which they did, room\/tent 16. But it was disappointing and made us not be able to settle into our room the first day. Then they told us to have everything packed up ready to move by the next morning (before our game drive), which took extra time in the early morning and the move ended up not even happening until later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Checking in does go quickly and depending on when you arrive you can likely go straight to your room. You can also decide to eat right away if you\u2019re hungry. Be prepared for an evening game drive on your arrival day. We arrived at the resort around 1 pm and David told us we\u2019d head out at 4:30 pm for a safari drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rooms at JW Masai Mara Resort<\/p>\n\n\n\n Layout of Resort<\/p>\n\n\n\n The JW Masai Mara lies along the edge of the Talek River. You enter from a floating bridge that separates the lodge into two sections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To the left of the bridge is the main lobby and dining area, and beyond those areas are tents 1-11, as well as the pool and gym. From the right side of the bridge are tents 12-21 (there is no tent 13). Tents 1-11 are considered sunset view tents and 12-21 are sunrise view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some tents are supposed to look across the river and might see some animals. The two tents we were given (12 and 16) both had large fig trees and shrubs blocking our view. We heard the couple that we were teamed with on our drives had a sunset tent and had views of animals and the river from their patio\/balcony. I was really disappointed that there is such a wide difference for tent views as all tents are essentially sold as the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n King Room vs Queen Room<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I mentioned above, they messed up our reservation and assigned us a King room, even though I booked 2 Queens which I had to show proof of to be believed. For a five night stay, this was an inconvenience and not luxury care standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I was traveling with a friend, they did agree to bring a twin bed into the room for us. The twin bed addition was a full bed, not a roll away, including the four posters and mosquito netting. This room type would be great for a couple with a kid as long as you\u2019re ok sharing the bedroom space with that other person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two-queen room is essentially the same, but I will note that the King room has a nightstand with plugs on each side of the bed. The two-queen room shares a center nightstand with plugs. Both rooms have two ceiling fans, two wardrobes, a seating area with two couches, and a desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bathroom is very spacious and lovely. I\u2019ll mention that there is no bathroom door to the main sink area, so keep that in mind if you\u2019re not sharing with a partner. There are doors to a separate toilet room, and a door to a large walk-in shower which has an exterior access door to an outdoor shower on the side of the tent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each room has a hot tub on the outside patio, but it is kept covered and unheated, so you\u2019ll want to let your housekeeper know far in advance if you want to use it. Typically, we\u2019d enjoy it after dinner so let our dining server know at lunch that we wanted to use the tub after dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Housekeeper<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our housekeeping services were great and I have nothing remarkable to say about that. We didn\u2019t know how to contact our housekeeper as we rarely saw him, however talking with our servers worked well as they all seem to share messages between themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is turn down service and<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn down service<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dining at JW Marriott Masa<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amenities<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pool<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gym<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spa<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canon Studio<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safari Game Drives<\/p>\n\n\n\n Half Day Drives<\/p>\n\n\n\n Full Day Drives<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sundowner<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bush Breakfast<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeep Snacks<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10 Things You Need to Know<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t Be Afraid to Ask<\/p>\n\n\n\n Room Location Matters (but also doesn\u2019t)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tipping at JW Masai Mara<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5* Service Expectations<\/p>\n\n\n\n Preferences Form<\/p>\n\n\n\n Food Allergy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assigned Staff<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canon Photography Equipment<\/p>\n\n\n\n SD Card<\/p>\n\n\n\n Language<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masai Mara National Park Animals<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wildebeest Migration Season<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wheelchair Accessibility<\/p>\n\n\n\n What to Pack<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safari Packing List<\/p>\n","post_title":"My Full and Honest JW Marriott Masai Mara Kenya Africa Lodge Review","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"inherit","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"20190-revision-v1","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-05 09:09:31","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-05 17:09:31","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":20190,"guid":"https:\/\/stuffedsuitcase.com\/?p=20195","menu_order":0,"post_type":"revision","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}
Type: info | Date: 05.01.2024 05:09:33 | Message: save_post_meta - from action - {"_wpnonce":"92708fb9ff","_wp_http_referer":"\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=20190&action=edit","user_ID":1,"action":"editpost","originalaction":"editpost","post_type":"post","original_post_status":"draft","referredby":"https:\/\/stuffedsuitcase.com\/wp-admin\/edit.php","post_ID":"20190","meta-box-order-nonce":"264c801ffb","closedpostboxesnonce":"96a087e3b7","samplepermalinknonce":"761c9aabf1","tbf_nonce":"15d83ec29a","meta-tbf-apply-live-fixes-hidden":"yes","tbf-individual-live-fix-disabled-hidden":["no","no","no","no","no"],"tbf-individual-live-fix-disabled":["on","on","on","on","on"],"nonce_CMB2phprank_math_metabox_link_suggestions":"fb9ecf6756","dpsptkn":"d7ab1c7c6b","dpsp_share_options":{"custom_image":{"id":"","src":""},"custom_title":"","custom_description":"","custom_image_pinterest":{"id":"","src":""},"custom_title_pinterest":"","custom_description_pinterest":"","custom_tweet":""},"dpsp_save_multiple_pinterest_images":"45333cd893","sws_post_nonce":"c184e45ee8","sws_meta_manual":"default","sws_meta_startdate_date":"","sws_meta_startdate_calendar":"","sws_meta_startdate_hours":"12","sws_meta_startdate_mins":"0","sws_meta_startdate_ampm":"am","sws_meta_enddate_date":"","sws_meta_enddate_calendar":"","sws_meta_enddate_hours":"12","sws_meta_enddate_mins":"0","sws_meta_enddate_ampm":"am","sws_meta_send_now":"now","sws_meta_schedule_date":"","sws_meta_schedule_calendar":"","sws_meta_schedule_hours":"12","sws_meta_schedule_mins":"0","sws_meta_schedule_ampm":"am","sws_meta_social_accounts_exclude":["47292","47294","47295","47296"],"sws_meta_include_image":"default","sws_meta_use_hashtags":"default","sws_meta_hashtags":"","sws_meta_format":"","sws_meta_custom_message_variations":[""],"sws_meta_variations_share_times":["0"],"sws_meta_variations_share_count_reset":["0"],"_ez_toc_nonce":"17728b20ea","ez-toc-settings":{"header-label":"","toc-alignment":"none","alttext":"","exclude":""},"dpsp_refresh_share_counts":"1781e8b6e9","dpsp_post_single_previous_urls":[""],"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_author":1,"post_mime_type":"","ID":20190,"post_status":"draft"}
Type: info | Date: 05.01.2024 05:09:33 | Message: sharing post{"ID":20190,"post_author":"1","post_date":"2024-01-05 09:09:33","post_date_gmt":"0000-00-00 00:00:00","post_content":"\n I\u2019m sitting in the Nairobi Airport after a five-night stay at the new Marriott Safari Lodge in Kenya. This is my third African safari and I wanted to share my honest JW Marriott Masa Mara review \u2013 the good and the bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I used my own Marriott points and money to book and travel to this luxury all-inclusive safari lodge. So all thoughts and opinions are my own based on my personal experience. I hope this review helps you know what to expect so that you're prepared for your trip as well as helps you decide whether to spend the money or points for this property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My review below includes a lot of detailed information including prices as well as some useful tips that I wished I had known before my stay.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n To get to the new JW Masai Mara Safari Lodge you need to fly into Nairobi, Kenya. I was able to use points to book a business class flight from Seattle to Nairobi via Dubai on Emirates. I had a 15-hour overnight layover in Dubai and booked a room at the Premier Inn Dubai Airport<\/a> for $53 (August). It was clean, included a breakfast option, and most importantly had a free shuttle to and from DXB Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My flight from Dubai to Nairobi was easy and arrived around 2 pm Nairobi time. I booked a room at the Crowne Plaza Nairobi Airport<\/a> with a free shuttle from NBO to the airport. That hotel cost $162 and was clean with dining options in the hotel. Plus, they have a great rooftop pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: if you're not accustomed to African travel, you might not be prepared for arriving at Nairobi airport. There will likely be very few signs with directions. I highly recommend you make sure to have a shuttle\/transfer arranged before landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I neglected to contact my Nairobi hotel with my arrival time and request a shuttle as I assumed the shuttle would be running regularly. That was a bit of a mistake as there were no signs or noticeable areas where shuttles would come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thankfully I found an airport security agent who was able to use his phone to contact the hotel (I couldn't use my WhatsApp to call the hotel for some reason) and they made sure to get a shuttle for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My friend purchased her flight from Vancouver to Nairobi with a stop in Frankfurt. Her flight left a day after mine as I had a long layover in Dubai. Her flight arrived in Nairobi around 9 pm and she met me at the Crowne Plaza after 10 pm. I had made sure to arrange a hotel shuttle pick up for her once I checked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We chose to stay overnight in Nairobi so we didn't arrive at the JW Marriott on the same day of our long travel days. I highly recommend<\/strong> this as it also gives you a cushion for any flight delays. You don't want to miss any of your preciously booked days at the JW Masai Mara Lodge!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have some free time in Nairobi, there is a National Park by the city and you can book a Nairobi National Park tour<\/a>. You can also book a visit to the popular Elephant Orphanage or a Maasai Village trip<\/a>. If you're allowing a whole day before your JW stay, consider booking this full-day tour<\/a> that includes a safari drive and a visit to the Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From NBO Airport you\u2019ll need to transfer from NBO to Wilson Airstrip for a bush plane flight to Keekorok Airstrip. If you don\u2019t want to fly, you can arrange a car transfer from Nairobi to the lodge but the drive will be 5-6 hours while the flight is only about 40 minutes depending on if you have stops beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can book all of your transfers directly through the JW Marriott team. They had quoted me the following prices for our August trip: USD 400 per car load one way from Nairobi to lodge; and USD 400 per person for the flight (roundtrip) from Wilson Airstrip to Keekorok. You can do a car transfer one way and then fly back one way, the one-way flight was quoted at USD 242.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My advice, book the flights! You'll have a lot of bumpy driving on your game drives and having the chance to experience local African airstrip flights, possibly flying over animals, is a unique experience of its own. Of course, if you have a large group, the $400 per person for flights might be more than you want to spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we did the flights, we had to find a way to get to Wilson Airstrip from Nairobi. The JW can book a transfer for you from the NBO airport to the airstrip for USD 70 one way. We chose to overnight in Nairobi the day before our JW Marriott stay and so ordered an Uber from our Nairobi hotel to the Wilson airstrip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The drive to Wilson Airstrip from the Nairobi Airport area will take approximately 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. There is indoor seating available at Wilson, it's has more infrastructure than most airstrips, so better to arrive early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I should note that we are experienced travelers and felt okay using Uber, however, if you've never been to Africa and are a hesitant traveler, you might want to arrange all your various transfers via the JW Marriott.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We booked our flights to the JW Marriott Masai Mara directly with the hotel for $400 each round trip and we were booked on Safarilink. We arranged for 10 am flights from Wilson Airstrip and left our hotel just after 8 am using Uber. It was easy but not the same level of vehicles that we\u2019d expect in the US. But the price was about $8 USD whereas the hotel\u2019s transfer service was $45.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not uncommon when planning an African safari vacation to use small planes to travel between airstrips. We arrived at Wilson airport to find it had much more infrastructure than we expected. They\u2019ll weigh your luggage (including backpacks) and check you in for your flight. They have bathrooms and even a very small gift shop and caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our flight from Wilson to Keekorok was on a Dash 8 plane and had at least three stops as we were the second stop and there were people continuing after us. The Dash 8 flight experience had a flight attendant, and she even provided a \u201cwater beverage service\u201d with a tote during the flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The return flight from Keekorok to Wilson was on a small bush plane and was a direct flight with six passengers, no flight attendant and a direct view of the pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we landed at Keekorok airstrip, the JW Marriott had a guide waiting for us. David collected our luggage and showed us and another couple to our JW Marriott open air Jeep. There are restrooms at the airstrip, just know they\u2019re very basic and don\u2019t include toilet paper, so bring your own tissue. Also be sure to pack some hand sanitizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Masai Mara park fees are due upon arrival at Keekorok. Currently the fee is $80 per person per day. For our five-night stay we paid $400 each, $800 total. You can pay in advance with the hotel or pay on your own upon arrival. If you pay the hotel in advance, the pickup guide will pay the fees for you while you wait in the jeep or use the restroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure you know what fees you should pay! Our guide almost had us paying a week of fees versus the five days. I wouldn\u2019t have known if it wasn\u2019t for the park ranger stating the amount to me and me knowing that it was too much. The park ranger said our guide told him we were there for seven days, but that was the other couple, not us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are locals selling crafts at the airstrip. I\u2019m not sure about the authenticity or pricing of the products as I didn\u2019t shop there. If you\u2019re only staying at the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, this will be your only local shopping option unless you buy from the hotel gift shop or add-on a village visit during your stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n JW Marriott Jeep to Lodge<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting to the JW Marriott takes about 30 minutes from the Keekorok airstrip, but your arrival will likely take longer as your driver will take you on a scenic route. You will have the opportunity to see animals on the way as you are in the park. We saw gazelles, cape buffalo, zebra, warthogs, and even giraffe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your guide will also have packed a few drinks and snacks for your drive and will set up a table for a short break. We enjoyed some prosecco and snacks of arrowroot chips before finishing our drive to the lodge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our guide wasn\u2019t great at telling us what to expect, which we later learned. I believe that during this arrival drive time, you\u2019re typically told what your schedule will look like. We also discovered that we were being paired with the same couple for all of our drives, so if you get paired with strangers on your pick up, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll be touring with them during your stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Arrival and Check In<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masai Welcome Song<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you arrive at the Lodge, you\u2019re supposed to be greeted by a group of Masai with a welcome song. This didn\u2019t happen for our group and when we saw it being performed the next day, we asked about it and were told we should have been greeted with the performance. The Masai were kind enough to let us join their celebration song even though we had already arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After leaving the Jeep, you\u2019ll cross the suspension bridge over the Talek River. There is a separate entrance for individuals with mobility issues if needed. On the other side of the bridge you\u2019ll be welcomed with some sparkling wine or hibiscus juice and then seated at the lodge lounge or dining room if you\u2019re hungry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was our first hiccup point of the trip; they handed me my check-in paper to sign and I saw it said we were booked in tent 12 which was a 1 King room. I had to show my email booking confirmation that showed I had booked a 2 Queen room. Jemma, one of our hotel supervisors apologized and said she\u2019d look into it. We had to go to room 12 and they later brought a twin bed into the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were told they would be able to move us into a 2 Queen room the following day, which they did, room\/tent 16. But it was disappointing and made us not be able to settle into our room the first day. Then they told us to have everything packed up ready to move by the next morning (before our game drive), which took extra time in the early morning and the move ended up not even happening until later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Checking in does go quickly and depending on when you arrive you can likely go straight to your room. You can also decide to eat right away if you\u2019re hungry. Be prepared for an evening game drive on your arrival day. We arrived at the resort around 1 pm and David told us we\u2019d head out at 4:30 pm for a safari drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rooms at JW Masai Mara Resort<\/p>\n\n\n\n Layout of Resort<\/p>\n\n\n\n The JW Masai Mara lies along the edge of the Talek River. You enter from a floating bridge that separates the lodge into two sections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To the left of the bridge is the main lobby and dining area, and beyond those areas are tents 1-11, as well as the pool and gym. From the right side of the bridge are tents 12-21 (there is no tent 13). Tents 1-11 are considered sunset view tents and 12-21 are sunrise view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some tents are supposed to look across the river and might see some animals. The two tents we were given (12 and 16) both had large fig trees and shrubs blocking our view. We heard the couple that we were teamed with on our drives had a sunset tent and had views of animals and the river from their patio\/balcony. I was really disappointed that there is such a wide difference for tent views as all tents are essentially sold as the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n King Room vs Queen Room<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I mentioned above, they messed up our reservation and assigned us a King room, even though I booked 2 Queens which I had to show proof of to be believed. For a five night stay, this was an inconvenience and not luxury care standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I was traveling with a friend, they did agree to bring a twin bed into the room for us. The twin bed addition was a full bed, not a roll away, including the four posters and mosquito netting. This room type would be great for a couple with a kid as long as you\u2019re ok sharing the bedroom space with that other person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two-queen room is essentially the same, but I will note that the King room has a nightstand with plugs on each side of the bed. The two-queen room shares a center nightstand with plugs. Both rooms have two ceiling fans, two wardrobes, a seating area with two couches, and a desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bathroom is very spacious and lovely. I\u2019ll mention that there is no bathroom door to the main sink area, so keep that in mind if you\u2019re not sharing with a partner. There are doors to a separate toilet room, and a door to a large walk-in shower which has an exterior access door to an outdoor shower on the side of the tent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each room has a hot tub on the outside patio, but it is kept covered and unheated, so you\u2019ll want to let your housekeeper know far in advance if you want to use it. Typically, we\u2019d enjoy it after dinner so let our dining server know at lunch that we wanted to use the tub after dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Housekeeper<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our housekeeping services were great and I have nothing remarkable to say about that. We didn\u2019t know how to contact our housekeeper as we rarely saw him, however talking with our servers worked well as they all seem to share messages between themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is turn down service and<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn down service<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dining at JW Marriott Masa<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amenities<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pool<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gym<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spa<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canon Studio<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safari Game Drives<\/p>\n\n\n\n Half Day Drives<\/p>\n\n\n\n Full Day Drives<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sundowner<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bush Breakfast<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeep Snacks<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10 Things You Need to Know<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t Be Afraid to Ask<\/p>\n\n\n\n Room Location Matters (but also doesn\u2019t)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tipping at JW Masai Mara<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5* Service Expectations<\/p>\n\n\n\n Preferences Form<\/p>\n\n\n\n Food Allergy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assigned Staff<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canon Photography Equipment<\/p>\n\n\n\n SD Card<\/p>\n\n\n\n Language<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masai Mara National Park Animals<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wildebeest Migration Season<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wheelchair Accessibility<\/p>\n\n\n\n What to Pack<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safari Packing List<\/p>\n","post_title":"My Full and Honest JW Marriott Masai Mara Kenya Africa Lodge Review","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"draft","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"jw-marriott-masai-mara-review","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-05 09:09:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-05 17:09:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/stuffedsuitcase.com\/?p=20190","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}
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Getting to the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wilson to Keekorok Airstrip<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Quick Highlights of my JW Marriott Masai Mara Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Flying Emirates into Nairobi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Getting to the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wilson to Keekorok Airstrip<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Quick Highlights of my JW Marriott Masai Mara Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Flying Emirates into Nairobi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Getting to the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wilson to Keekorok Airstrip<\/h2>\n\n\n\n