Fig & Olive, Tigoni, Kenya

Welcome to our family getaway at the Fig and Olive in Tigoni, Kenya.

There are birthday parties, then there’s 3-day proper catch-up birthday celebrations — and for Mum’s 79th, we decided to go cosy, go family-time and go fun: rolling hills, lush green tea fields, forest walks, and … utterly hilarious games!!

First Impressions: Fluffier Than a Dairy Cow’s Tail

Mum has truly dedicated her life to us two girls (and our kids). She deserves every bit of peace, pampering and all the Prosecco life can throw at her (plus childhood drinking games… more on that later).

Mum feels uncomfortable in uber-luxe settings, she prefers cosy…

Introducing The Fig & Olive, a self-catering farm cottage in amongst rolling tea fields.

The Fig and Olive is one of those places where you arrive and immediately start calculating when you’re going to come back and who with? From the moment we arrived, we were beaming. They helped us unpack our car, unpack our cool boxes into the fridges, we had a bottle of bubbles waiting for us, fresh farm produce and just the feel, was delicious …

The environment was green, fresh and private. The interiors, though simple, made us feel like we’d stumbled into a secret page of a country-chic magazine. Every cushion, curtain, and cup seemed perfect. The decor is effortlessly stylish — a blend of rustic charm and refined taste with the most delicious bedding. The bedding? I’m not saying I tried to smuggle a pillow into my suitcase, but I’m not not saying that either.

A Forest Walk, Designer Cows, and Laughter in the Leaves

Our first activity was to stretch our legs. We took a gentle stroll through the dairy cows, the tea fields and a nearby natural forest, which felt less like exercise and more like a mindfulness retreat. Beautiful dairy cows, teeny little calves, happy tea farmers… happy us. took a gentle stroll through the dairy cows, the tea fields and a nearby natural forest, which felt less like exercise and more like a mindfulness retreat. Beautiful dairy cows, teeny little calves, happy tea farmers… happy us.

The Restaurant: A Culinary Plot Twist

Now, here’s where the story takes a tasty turn. The Fig and Olive isn’t just a pretty place to sleep and sip tea. It is connected to an absolutely fabulous restaurant by the same name. Think beautifully plated meals, garden-fresh ingredients, and flavours that will make you briefly consider licking the plate (we didn’t… publicly).

Important plot twist: the restaurant is not quite next door, it’s a drive away. So while you’re marvelling at your surroundings and dreaming of oozing sweet pastries, make sure you factor in the road trip.

Pro tip: Make the drive, it’s worth every bump and pothole. Psst. Why not throw in a little game of Padel too? We didn’t, but we will next time.

The Good, The Bad & the Ugly

We also leapt in the car on a couple of occasions to go to the nearby Banana Hill Art Gallery with its wonderful street art.

We went out for a delicious Thai meal nearby(and one awful one 😫). However, we were happiest when returning to our three little cottages (one for each room and one for the sitting, dining & kitchen). Our surroundings were a beautiful little garden, a refreshing pool and more rolling tea fields.

Games, Dares, and One Glorious Cake

Did we forget to mention? My sister & I came straight from an event we had organised for the world’s top WRC rally drivers ‘Brunch in the Park, with celebrity Chef Kiran Jethwa. Kiran very kindly gave us an ostrich egg to enjoy for Mum’s birthday; it was a lot of fun, cracking it & cooking it for Mum’s birthday breakie!!!

We also played game after game of Herd Mentality—a game where agreeing with the herd gets you ahead. Then Billy (age 12) introduced drinking games—minus the booze (of course), plus dares…

Seeing a Granny and Grandson rock & roll together was special.
Seeing Billy trying to get Zia out of a 6-foot flower pot after not thinking the dare through was something worth watching.

Seeing a Grandpa and a Grandson crying-laughing uncontrollably together is something I’ll never forget. 🥰

A Place Worth Returning To

In the end, it wasn’t just the décor, the food or the cows that made the Fig and Olive special. It was the slow pace, the togetherness, the shared laughter, and the birthday memories that got better with every slice of cake and round of dares. Would we go back? In a heartbeat.

Practicalities:

• The Fig & Olive – Will forever remind me of happy times spent with family. If you’re travelling to Kenya or within Kenya and have any level of interest in agriculture, I’d highly suggest at least a night here, but more importantly, two. Pssst. We can organise your food if you book through us.
• Tigoni – Where rolling tea plantations meet misty highland serenity. 🍃🏞️ It became the place to be during COVID for Nairobi city folk to escape to somewhere magical. We agree that it’s magical.
• For those travelling to Kenya with kids – Do it. Book your stay at Fig & Olive through us.
• For those who live in East Africa – Get your family together and GO!!! You’ll have a scream.
• Weather – Warm days and a little bit chilly nights.
• What to Pack? – Please have a look at our perfect list here and remember a fleece/jacket & jeans for the evenings.
• Price – From USD325 for the whole place on self-catering, but if we book it, we’ll include food at an extra USD50-100 per person per night, depending on your preferences.
• My advice – People go on holiday for many different reasons, but we just love to include a little bit of green lawn, a little bit of non-game drives and a little bit of ‘real’ Kenya in the middle of our family safaris.

We’d just love to organise your entire safari (or beach holiday) for you, from touchdown 🛬 to take off 🛫. In Africa, it is not more expensive to get someone to help with your holiday, so give us a tinkle and we’ll put together something perfect for you.