They say there are two types of families, the ones with siblings close to each other and even closer to the parents, and then there are those families where children and parents can’t stand each other.
Other than the fact they are related by blood, then there is no other possible relation.
Which of these are you?
If you are in the first one, how are you and your family trying to create better living conditions for each other? Better yet, how are you using your bond to at least create some multi-million-dollar business better than the Kardashians?
Anyway, I hope you know even the Kardashians don’t get along that much; they are just there because now they have to be there.
The Christmas holidays were here. People were rushing to go on vacations; some were also rushing to get to their families and friends.
There are those people who prefer to go to the villages while there are those who prefer to book a nice resort and spend their festive season there.
This is the group of people who hate being told to cook matumbo in those family gatherings. Which one are you?
During the festive season, I was speaking to one of my friends, who was searching for a cool place to spend her festive season –a place screaming tranquility, serenity, nature and creativity.
The search for a holiday destination landed her to the famous Lerruat Log Resort located in one of the vast Kajiado Hills in Kenya. Kajiado is a stretch of hilly plains in the outskirts of Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi.
The resort – ninety minutes’ drive from the capital city, Nairobi, was one of the best choices.
From the pictures she sent me, I was curious to know who owns this little heaven on earth? How did they manage to come up with such an amazing idea? Better yet, what was the drive?
What is the story behind this paradise? As a curious person, you never feel satisfied until your curiosity is fully satisfied.
A little digging got me to learn that this is a family business.
The other version of Kardashians if I may. For a family to start a family business, then they must have to be very much united.
How did this family decide to build this sort of resort? Also, did they just happen to be the lucky people whose ancestors left that piece of land on the hills for themselves or did they acquire it?
The online queries showed reviews and pictures of this paradise place that one might not believe is in Kenya.
With a catalog showing various services from food to swimming pools, and massage parlors and including a helipad for proper landing for a quick meeting.
How were they able to maintain it and create such an amazing escape place for the people who are fed up with the city and want to just run away from it for even an hour or two? I wondered.
Lerruat Log Resort never started up as a resort. This family business, consisting of the mother, the matriarch, and the two children, a son and daughter started when the mother bought one of the many hills in Kajiado in 2015.
She was looking to find a holiday place where she would stay with her grandchildren whenever they went to visit her.
Luckily for her, she got to attain land in Kajiado and got to fully purchase one of the hills.
Before you ask how someone buys a hill, because I feel like you really want to, it’s almost the same way you buy groceries. Approach the correct channels. Just so you know a hill is just like a piece of land that decided to outdo itself.
After buying the hill, she decided to build herself a family home where she would go and rest.
She built a house cabin that would host her family members and friends. The family cottage which would consist of three rooms was very accommodating for her family.
Clearing the place and coming up with this holiday house took almost two years; they had to make it even more accessible from the main roads.
As time went by, she would invite some of her friends and relatives and when most of these friends and relatives went to see her, they would insist on being allowed to stay for more than one night.
The serenity of the place made the friends feel more like a gateway place for them.
More often, some of these friends would insist on being charged so that they could stay even for longer.
Something about Nairobians, they would always enjoy having a place to get lost in. Keeping up with Nairobi can be draining.
Finding a place to get away from it, especially a place not far away from the capital city can be a rejuvenating way for most people.
After they saw that most people were amazed to stay in such a place, they then came together and thought about what if, they built more rooms, created more spaces and invited more people other than friends and family.
Better yet, what if they turned this into a resort? They then found out that the place was often crowded during the weekend and the holidays.
They needed the expansion to drive in much more income. Sorry grandma, you and your grandchildren are going to have to find another place. How about another hill?
They then weighed the options because the demand was so high. After seeking out capital from different financial institutions, they came up with this plan to expand the place and have more than just one cottage.
To their economic benefit, they did not create such a modern surrounding because of the traditional respect they have for the cabins.
Traveling around the world had made them fall in love with the cabin-like structures. Having been to Switzerland and seeing how cabins looked amazing, they knew they were bringing that touch.
They then thought of how surreal it would look to build the structure in the cabin form. They are already in the forested area, so why not blend?
Around 2018, Lerruat Log Resort was fully opened to accommodate more than just the family and friends.
Starting with a total of only twelve rooms, it was able to be a success and currently expanded to more than fifty rooms, three conference rooms, a gym, a swimming pool, and all services expected in a resort.
The place also offers various activities for people and exclusive food including some authentic Nyama Choma. You haven’t been to a Kenyan resort without actually indulging in Nyama Choma.
Currently, Lerruat Log Resort is one of the most sort gateway places in Kenya.
Life can get overwhelming. However, making big business decisions, especially with family members can either be extremely rewarding or the most regretful decision.
But who knows, maybe it can work out? Sometimes, all you need is a sit down with your family and decide how best you can grow with each other. Only if your mother buys a hill. (Pun intended)
