Set on the Mbirikani Group Ranch – 275,000 acres of private wild Africa bordering Chyulu Hills National Park and owned by 4,000 Maasai – ol Donyo Lodge blends contemporary design with the rich culture of the Maasai. An annual lease fee and a per person conservancy fee go directly to this community on the understanding that they will ensure the conservation of the area and its wild inhabitants.

The lodge itself sits in thick woodland in the foothills of the Chyulus with views over the plains to Mount Kilimanjaro. Designed to merge outdoor and indoor living, the unique suites and villas (no two are the same) rise from the landscape on either side of a palatial lounge and dining area. All six suites plus 1 two-bedroom family unit have their own plunge pool and enjoy roof terraces where intimate “star beds” can be set up, allowing guests the thrill of sleeping in style under a canopy of endless stars.

The ten very spacious suites at Ol Donyo Lodge are situated in six separate ‘villas’. Each suite has its own lounge and veranda, indoor and outdoor showers, a bath, a flush loo and twin washbasins. From the veranda, a stone staircase leads up to a rooftop sundowner terrace-cum-sleeping platform, complete with a mosquito-net-covered four poster ‘star bed’ (though note that you need to give some notice if you intend to sleep up there).

The furnishings at Ol Donyo Lodge are a triumph of stylish-rustic, with generously over-sized mosquito nets, swing doors of heavy glass, stand-alone baths and washbasins, rainfall showers, dark wood chairs and tables, wicker armchairs and cushions, tall bedside lights, and mirrors hanging on cables from the ceiling. The curved walls are decorated with large prints of the ethnic photo portraits of Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher. And the grounds around each villa are the natural black, volcanic gravel of the region, which contrasts so strikingly with the wood and thatch and pale cream-, grey-, or orange-coloured walls of the villas’ architecture, and looks particularly striking during the growing season, with planted and naturally growing native shrubs, succulents and other plants bursting forth.

Everything about Ol Donyo Lodge is a delight to the eye, and the private plunge pools, each with its own infinite view across the plains, are a wonderfully hedonistic indulgence. Ensuring the privacy of these and the roof tops is a feat of design that Ol Donyo has pulled off very impressively.

Ol Donyo offers an exclusive, luxurious and romantic honeymoon safari in Kenya. Six rooms have their own plunge pool, and a roof deck where you can spend a night sleeping under the stars. It’s a very stylish lodge, and clearly designed with your privacy and comfort in mind.

Ol Donyo Lodge is probably the best place for riding holidays in Kenya, and is a working stud. Its 20 horses offer superb riding for almost all aboility levels. Discover this fascinating landscape on horseback, with the impressive Kilimanjaro as your backdrop.

• Mountain-biking, accompanied by a pedalling armed guard allowing you to get close to plains grazers such as zebra, wildebeest and giraffe
• Bush walks – either down the hill towards the plains, or up into the green hills, and again always accompanied by at least one armed guard
• Open-air hide – the ‘log-jam’ – below the lodge where you can often watch elephants and other big game from close quarters as they drink at one of Ol Donyo’s waterholes
• Game drives, both during the day and after dark, are also popular
• Photography
• Game viewing on horseback, with a stable of 20 horses, suitable for various abilities
• Massages with a trained masseuse in your room (at extra cost)
• Flycamping on horseback if you are a more experienced rider