The Stopover is a recreational center and a restaurant located in Lari, Kiambu County along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
The establishment is owned by Charles Kanyingi and his wife who had lived in the United States for 10 years, but came back home in 2019 with the idea of building a multi-million empire.
While in the US, they capitalised on savings with a plan to set up a major stop over and mini-shopping outlet along one of Kenya’s main highways.
The couple, who loved traveling, had been to different states in the US and that is how they came up with an the idea of a highway stopover that would include convenient rest rooms.
“One thing that stood out for me and what I had not seen in Kenya was the convenience of coming in and out, sufficient parking and the tidiness of the rest rooms,” Kanyigi started his narration.
Though they knew the investment would be a risky one, they made a decision to pack their bags and come back home with the aim of starting their business.
“We needed to do something challenging and change the country in our own little ways. It’s not all about doing business and making profits but also changing the community
“We knew this was a big risk because it is in the middle of nowhere. There are no major town, we knew what we wanted and we did not want to listen to negative voices,” Kanyigi narrated.
Two years down the line, the couple has built a unique stop over along the Nairobi – Nakuru Highway.
Services
The stopover has a restaurant, bar, garden, kids zone, roof top bar, nyama choma zone, coffee shop and a mini-mart.
Some high ranking individuals like Deputy President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga have already visited the facility.
Reviews
Isabella Mwaura: Stopped for a meal. Good food and very clean toilets. Had the Caramel Latte and for my meal, pork chops and deep fried plantains. Was hoping for sweet plantains , but got deep fried green bananas. I hope they clarify this.
Erastus Muthee: It is a nice dining area, good service, has a playground, washrooms are clean, has a conference center and the gardens can host a wedding.
Churley’s Crew: Lovely little stopover plenty of shops and options to do some light shopping and even has a thoroughly maintained, well equipped and well secured kids play area.
Viona Maru: Definitely loved the customer service at the Homestead village coffee shop. The hotdog van has yummy hotdogs. Order yourself a burger and you’ll love it. Amazing music and fresh air. Make sure to carry warm,but there’s a fire place to keep you warm as well. There’s a kids play area too.
Maina Kelvin: It’s a good stop over for travellers to replenish supplies and take out food. Fast food place and a mini Mart, very clean and spacious washrooms.
Joan Chebet: Fast service, friendly staff, clean washrooms, and good food ready to go for those travelling. If you’re not in a hurry, there is are well manicured lawns at the back with a spacious sitting area and a rooftop with a makuti chilling spot. Worth a visit.
LHF: Wonderful experience. Well thought out ‘stopover’ on the outskirts of Limuru as you head to viewpoint. Clean facilities and friendly staff. Try out the Kuku kienyeji from the menu. Incase you’re told to wait 5 minutes for your meal, prepare yourself for a 30 minute wait. It’s a cold place even on a sunny day. Quite windy. Make sure to carry something warm to wear. The garden is well maintained as well. Downside is that the children’s play area charges 200sh per child even though the facilities are quite wanting. A heated pool would be a bonus, instead of the normal pool due to low temperatures experienced in the area. Their convinient store is well stocked. Drinks are fairly priced and well advised to buy here as next stop would have to be in Naivasha, if travelling Nairobi outbound. UPDATE; 5 months down the line, the pool still hasn’t been constructed. They have opened a kitchen on the roof top that serves food and drinks. For recreation, they added a dart board.
Francis Kibara: A great stopover joint that caters for events, coffee, honey, shopping and a Bar. Family friendly and highly recommended for events. Great for events like birthdays, anniversary and the like. There is a beekeeping section. They teach on beekeeping and the sorts. The grounds are more refined for large events. Staff are as warm as ever.
Ogava, K.: Had a brief stop here, got the masala tea, which was OK, but tasted a bit rushed. Liked the kids’ play area at the back. The should close pretty early for a transit point.
Rahab Mbiriti: The grounds are beautiful especially if you have kids because they have a play section. The bar area is okay with okay music. However, I was a bit disappointed with their chicken platter. It’s not as good as you’d imagine having tasted other platters plus it didn’t even have enough salt. Its a nice place place to chill overall.
Source: Google
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