I was looking for a budget hotel for a night's stay in Nairobi and found this to be reasonable. The rooms are clean and the bathrooms big with hot and cold water. The only problem is that the rooms facing the main road are a bit noisy . Would recommend this place for a nights stop over...

Situated on the edge of downtown Nairobi, not far from the much grander Norkfolk Hote, the Boulevard is a slightly run-down and faded place but reasonably clean and tidy. The tacky African tribal/safari decor in the corridors adds to its charm. There's a helpful tour desk, internet access, handy shop for everyday groceries and a surprisingly good (by Kenyan standards) restaurant. Breakfast is also not bad at all with superb English sausages, great fruit salad and delicious Kenyan coffee, my only complaint being that the food is generally cold to lukewarm. Perhaps it would be an idea for the chef to put the lids on the hot food trays on those cold Nairobi mornings ?

Bedrooms are cramped with awful looking 70's furniture, the bathroom toiletries never seemed to be replaced and like all hotels in Africa there aren't any coat hangers. The TV didn't work but at least the fridge did.

The hotel is located in beautiful gardens next to a river, which you can hear but not see due to a high hedge. These gardens are lovely for morning and evening strolls, they are also completely safe due to good security and fencing. The pool is pretty good too, although being unheated its a bit chilly early in the morning.

Staff were friendly if a little incompetent. Our room key card, like everyone elses, was invalidated during breakfast EVERY morning. The hotel told us our stay was for 2 nights when in fact we had been booked in for 3 nights. Ordering food or drinks was a little challenge as often the order bore little resemblance to what was asked. Example: ordering a sparkling mineral water with a slice of lemon resulted in getting a bottle of Sprite ! As has been said above, nobody ever replaced the toiletries, all I had was a sad half-empty bottle of hotel conditioner sitting on my bathroom shelf for 3 days.

So far so good, but why only 3/5 ? The NOISE ! We had the misfortune to be on the side of the hotel next to the main road and boy was it noisy. The rooms aren't the slightest bit soundproofed and the constant noise from one of Nairobi's busiest roads goes on 24/7. Even at 3am on a Monday morning the traffic was roaring past, I used to live next to a main road and am used to coping with traffic noise but this was something else, it felt like I was sleeping in the central reservation ! In 3 nights I never got more than a snatch of sleep.

Other people commented on prostitution at the hotel - absolutel rubbish, the only people here are Western tourists and the occasional local and very respectable Kenyan coming for a meal or drink. No disco either, just a bar in the grounds with a bit of music, it was normally way too quiet to keep it open later than 10pm.

All in all a safe and relaxing place to start an African safari, just a shame they can't make the road-facing rooms quieter.

The hotel boulevard was clean and the bedrooms comfortable. The bathrooms are somewhat dated and, unless you got up really early, the showers cold. The food was absolutely fantastic. I felt very safe whilst staying at the hotel and there was a safety deposit box in each room. The hotel has a bureau de change and a taxi rank outside from which you can get taxis to see attractions such as elephant orphanage ,giraffe manor and safari walk - beware, however, as the taxi drivers will ask for a ridiculous price at first - ALWAYS GO QUARTER OF THE PRICE! We paid $45 for a trip to elephant orphanage and safari walk... it is probably possible to get it cheaper! This hotel is fine so long as you don't expect luxury and remember, it is in a very poor country!

We stayed at the Boulevard at the beginning & end of a 14 day overland safari. It's a popular spot for these trips with plenty of room for trucks to park & subsequently the overlanders make up a big proportion of the hotel guests.

The hotel is somewhat worn at the edges with tired decor but in our experience was at least clean and secure. Nairobi is famously expensive for mid/upper range hotels & the Boulevard is no exception. Our additional night booked via the tour operator (Explore worldwide) was US$200! To put that in perspective, go stay in the outskirts of Nairobi at Macushla house for $30 less a night and an immeasurably better experience.

Top tip for travellers is to request a room on the Garden side as opposed to the road side. The road and roundabout is very busy and runs 24/7 so traffic noise is a big problem. The garden on the other hand is very pleasant, although on Saturday nights you'll have to contend with the noise from the Disco until 5:00am.

Food was OK if pretty bland. Service was reasonable. Internet access via the onsite internet 'business centre' was very expensive compared to other options in central Nairobi. It felt perfectly safe to walk to downtown from the hotel during the day (around 15 minutes) but take a taxi at night.