The Panari Hotel, Nairobi - Near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

The Panari Hotel stands near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, ten minutes by road. Its defining feature is the solar-powered ice rink, the only one in East and Central Africa, with a surface large enough for two hundred skaters at a time. You can hear the scrape of blades from the lobby.

The hotel looks out toward Nairobi National Park, where giraffes sometimes appear at the tree line. Inside, the rooms have work desks and views of either the park or the city. The ice rink operates in hourly sessions through the day, with instructors available for beginners.

Dining options include a main restaurant serving buffet and à la carte meals, a café for coffee and pastries, and a rooftop bar with park views. The hotel also has conference facilities and event spaces, from boardrooms to a ballroom.

The ice rink is the reason many guests come. It runs on solar power even in Nairobi's climate, and the hotel built it when no other in the region had one. You can skate here in the morning and be on a game drive by afternoon.