Time Sep

Who needs the zoo? At this

Kenyan retreat guests can

get up close and personal

with a local herd of Rothschild’s

girafes that roam the grounds—140

acres of indigenous forest—and

even pop their heads into the main

dining room during meals. The

estate has served as a sanctuary for

the endangered subspecies since the

mid-1970s when it was purchased

by conservationist Betty Leslie-

Melville who established a breeding

program that continues today. Since

then its 12 stately bedrooms—

one of which is furnished with

the belongings ofOut of Africa

author Karen Blixen—have hosted

thousands of visitors including

Mick Jagger Brooke Shields and

Ellen DeGeneres whose stay (and

accompanying Instagram posts)

made headlines earlier this year.

Rates start at $565 per person per

night including food and transport

to local excursions such as the David

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust where

guests can help care for orphaned

baby elephants.—Megan McCluskey

THE ON-SITE SAFARI

GIRAFFE MANORNAIROBI

HARNESSING

HYDROPOWER
IVEAGH GARDEN
HOTELDUBLIN

RACING

ON WATER
NORWEGIANBLISS

Although Iveagh
offers plenty of guest
perks—a central
location views of
lush surroundings—
its greatest feature
lies below the
surface: the new
hotel housed in a
20th century bank
building has been
retroitted to source
all of its energy from
an underground river.
Manager John Pardy
says the changes
decreased their
energy usage by
78% making it one of
the most sustainable
hotels in Europe.
—Samantha Cooney

If this ship’s 984-ft.
go-kart track the lon-
gest at sea sounds
like something a kid
might concoct that’s
because it is: the
idea originally came
via the grandchildren
of Frank del Rio
CEO and president
of Norwegian Cruise
Line Holdings. But
this $1 billion 4000-
guest ship which
took its inaugural
journey to Alaska in
June offers attrac-
tions that cater to
adults too including
an onboard casino
and a 20000-sq.-ft.
observation lounge.
—Alejandro
de la Garza

THE WORLD’S GREATEST PLACES 2018