Families will soon be able to stay in a luxury hotel in Kent overnight and have breakfast with a herd of giraffes the next morning.
Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve hopes to open the highly-anticipated Giraffe Hall next summer after plans to build it were given the go-ahead.
Nine thousand people are already on the waiting list to stay in the boutique hotel, set for the wild animal park in Lympne, near Hythe, KentOnline reports.
The hotel will allow for the long-necked animals to poke their heads through windows while guests observe the gentle giants.
According to its website, Giraffe Hall will be in a Grade II-listed 15th century French house currently undergoing extension and restoration.
The boutique accommodation will be the first experience of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, with a similar attraction in Nairobi.
Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve hopes to open the highly-anticipated Giraffe Hall next summer after plans to build it were given the go-ahead (pictured: artist’s impression)
The hotel will allow for the long-necked animals to poke their heads through windows while guests observe the gentle giants (pictured: artist’s impression)
‘Get closer than ever before and make friends with your giraffe neighbours, as the resident herd peer into the lofty ceilinged drawing room, or amble up to the bedroom windows, where you may be lucky enough to feed them,’ the website says.
Giraffe Hall will be based at the top of Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve, overlooking the Aspinall Foundation-owned African Experience safari.
Hotel guests can stay in one of 10 luxury bedrooms and five cabins while enjoying stunning views over the Reserve’s savannahs where its 900 animals roam free.
Five sleeping pods will be set up in the grounds, offering accommodation for up to four guests, meaning 40 guests maximum can stay at Giraffe Hall at one time.
An existing restaurant, The Lapa will be renovated to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner for guests, with an outside seating, bar and decking area.
An events building with a canopy is planned to be constructed within the grounds offering a site for weddings and conferences.
Giraffe Hall will be based at the top of Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve, overlooking the Aspinall Foundation-owned African Experience safari. Hotel guests can stay in one of 10 luxury bedrooms and five cabins while enjoying stunning views over the Reserve’s savannahs
The Reserve also wants to build a new access road from Aldington Road to reach the hotel, as well as a 50-space car park – demands which proved contentious at Folkestone and Hythe District Council’s planning meeting this week.
The house was originally part of the Port Lympne estate and was extended by MP Philip Sassoon during an extensive renovation carried out in 1920.
Sassoon was Private Secretary for Field Marshal Haig during World War One, and famously used the estate as his country retreat to entertain guests including Winston Churchill, TE Lawrence (‘Lawrence of Arabia’) and Charlie Chaplin.
Though the Reserve has not revealed how expensive a stay will be, it does have a number of other animal experiences – priced online.
Lion Lodge, built in a loft-style building, is one of the Reserve’s most popular experiences, complete with an open fire and wood-heated Scandinavian outdoor baths on secluded platforms – out of reach of prowling lions.
The Reserve also wants to build a new access road from Aldington Road to reach the hotel, as well as a 50-space car park – demands which proved contentious at Folkestone and Hythe District Council’s planning meeting this week
The king-size master suite offers a prime view of the lions Adras, Oudrika and their three cubs – while a staircase leads up to a mezzanine level with two single beds.
A description reads: ‘The first of its kind worldwide, Lion Lodge is a timber clad, Manhattan loft style building, set within the lion’s natural enclosure.
‘Featuring floor to ceiling windows in both the master bedroom and the open plan living area, guests will be just a whisker away from lions.’
The lodge also contains two single beds for the kids, as well as a bespoke bar, six-foot chandelier and private terrace. An overnight stay starts from £1,750 – which includes breakfast, welcome fizz, a free safari and reserve tickets.
The Reserve’s Tiger Lodges, which sleep four people each and contain a log burner, mini bar, and outdoor bath, costs £1,000 per night.
Meanwhile the Wolf Lodge costs £549 and the Bear Lodge £350 per night each.
Guests will receive champagne upon arrival, use of a golf buggy to explore the Reserve, a full English breakfast and entrance to Howletts Wild Animal Park.