I love the tile in the bathroom. It has a section of dark animals against a bright red/orange sunset. The bathroom was a decent size and had a nice, big shower. I love all the solid, dark, warm, welcoming wood. The dining table had a bench along the wall, which was very unique and the chairs had the a lion (Lion King show style) face carved into them. It's all very pretty, but the bathroom could've been cleaner. There were normal-size TVs in the bedroom and living area, so the kids could be told to go away. It's only about ten feet, but at least we aren't all on top of each other. Washer and dryer were the tiny, stacked apartment type...but better than nothing! They put the glasses away upside-down (someone should really inform them about which way of doing this is actually, scientifically, germ-wise more sanitary, aside from personal preferences), so I put them all through a wash cycle. There was dish washing powder for the dishwasher and a little mini-bottle of dish washing liquid for the sink (Palmolive, I think it was. It was green, anyway.) They have the nice, lemony-scented bar soap in the bathrooms, of which there are 1.5. We had a savannah view and saw a lot of varied animals. I got a little confused with the parking garage and where I should park inside it...my choice ended up with a lot of extra walking the first time (when we checked in), but we got it down after a while. People really drive too fast in there, so if you have little kids, hold their hands. The gift shop was on the small side, but nice enough. Sanaa seemed a little more adventurous food-wise than we wanted, so we headed over to AKL proper for Boma and fast food. If I were going to do a DVC stay again, I'd get one at Jambo to save the walk or van ride. The van wasn't in the best shape, kind of smelled and crams you in with other people. It isn't really unpleasant, but I'd rather skip that all the same. I prefer the style of OKW-type one bedrooms. This is obviously just two hotel rooms that were made into a one-bedroom kind of place and doesn't have a large, open feel to it. But it beats one room! :)
When we joined the Disney Vacation Club, we chose Animal Kingdom because of BOMA and Jiko restaurants. We love all the lodge feel and the animals. Everything is done perfect and the lobby is beautiful.
Stayed in a 2 bedroom villa at Kidani Village. Cannot say enough good things about this resort! If Poly hadn't been the first one I ever stayed at, this would probably be my favorite. The savannah views are unmatched (except maybe in Africa)! Getting up in the morning to see giraffes from the balcony was incredible. One day there was a storm (imagine that!) and we watched the giraffes and zebras running around trying to take shelter under the trees. There was something new everyday. Boma is our favorite buffet, and it was nice actually staying in the hotel rather than traveling from elsewhere on property to eat there for dinner. The only negatives... it was difficult to find the pool and the pull-out sleeper sofa was uncomfortable. But, all in all the theming and views make up for it! I cannot imagine staying here and not getting a savannah view. If one is not available, stay elsewhere, but make sure to visit!!!!
Oct 2010 W/myself (36), Mrs. Myself (31), Little Man (1), My sis in law (27), my in laws (ages???). We had a 2 bedroom villa with vacation club. The hotel is beautiful, gorgeous. The room was excellent. The view was really neat to see the animals even if it was the same animals barely moving for 7 days. The pool was great, parking great etc. Here's my gripe & its a big one. As a seasoned Disney Vet it was I who chose this hotel b/c it was new & the Boardwalk was booked & we had been there before & did not feel like staying @ the old Disney Institute again (aka Saratoga Springs). The issue is the walk. I mean the looooong walk to your room & we weren't even at the end of the hotel, I felt sorry for those folks. From the bus stop to our room was a 12 minute walk! Also the resort was so far removed from the rest of the property save for AK & AKL (Boma) that all bus rides were lengthy. One night coming back from MK we had to take the back roads & go behind the scenes of AK where the holding pens were. It was really neat as the security to ensure the animals don't get out is each gate has almost a drawbridge that raises. I felt like we were entering the Pentagon or something. But I digress, the hotel is very nice but very out of the way & a long walk. Not the locale if you want to go back & let your 1 yr old nap for a bit. You need to plan ahead. So no babies or elderly here as the walk is very inhibiting. PS-Why can't DVC members get free dining like the rest of the on property folks? We pay alot of $$ to belong & we could have stayed @ All star for $79 per night & gotten free dining? That does not make me happy.
I fell in love with Kidani the moment I walked in the lobby. I love warm colors and the theme of this resort so it really suited my decor tastes. The staff were polite and knowledgeable. The only negetive thing I have to say about the check-in process was we waited a long time to get our room. It was after 4pm before our room was ready and we went back up to the desk to see what the delay was. Sanaa is an amazing restaurant and deserves its own review. The room was spacious and we were lucky enough to get a corner-type room so our balcony had views on two sides. We had standard view and over-looked an area facing towards the fitness building and pool (although we couldn't actually see the pool through the trees). The only negative thing I can say about the room was that the drawers needed to be cleaned out. I did it myself before putting our clothes in them. The pool is great. Smaller than I imagined but it was never crowded during our stay in May. The main water slide would always have a line but you never waited more than a couple of minutes. I liked the little water slide that the kids could use independently. And the kids play area is just amazing - I had to drag the kids out of it everytime. The hot tub is nice as well and I liked that it is a little tucked away but still close to the pool area. The animal viewing was amazing. I loved the viewing areas with the rocking chairs, very relaxing in the morning. Bussing was actually quite good during our week stay. I was impressed. And we also used the shuttle a couple of times when going to Jambo House. The resort on a whole had a very relaxed feeling about it. I looked forward to coming "home" in the evenings. The shop is smaller than other resort shops but it was fine for what we wanted to purchase there. My only complaint would be the lack of quick service food. If you wanted a quick meal you had to go over to Jambo House. It takes between 8-10 mins to walk it or you can take the shuttle or the busses. There was one night when we came back late and wanted something to eat but we had to head over to Jambo House to find food! The pool bar has a very limited menu and closes at 9pm, I believe. Other than that I probably would have given Kidani Village a 10/10!
We just returned from our week-long vacation at the Jambo House building of Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was our first time staying as Disney Vacation Club members, and we requested a studio for our family of four. The receptionists and concierges at the hotel were extremely friendly and helpful, even providing us with a plethora of buttons when we mentioned we were "celebrating" our daughter's 16th birthday, and three wedding anniversaries within our family. (The extended family was staying elsewhere). The room was quite nice, and very comfortable for a family of four to stay in. We were located on far end of the Kudu Trail, and although it was a bit of a trek, we didn't really mind. We had a gorgeous view of the savanna, and my eldest daughter loved being able to see giraffes out her window every afternoon. The food court was convenient and well stocked, and we enjoyed a great breakfast one morning at Boma. However, the bus service for this hotel was absolutely horrific! We waited a good 45 minutes for our Hollywood Studios bus one morning, with half hour waits for both Epcot and Animal Kingdom on seperate occasions. All in all, we loved the hotel - but we definitely think its bus system could use some improvement.
The check in process was a little slow, but that gave the other party members a chance to enjoy the scenery from the viewing area. We had been allocated a lock off , Studio + 1 bed for our party of 5, so we had plenty of room. Our room overlooked the main entrance and at the time of our stay work was ongoing to the bus stops and the resulting traffic was noticeable. The worst part was the Magic Express vehicles loading luggage as their beeping reversing warnings in the early hours were loud enough to disturb. Luckily liberal doses of margarita solved that issue and I was able to sleep soundly. The rooms were probably the best themed of any Disney resort I have stayed at, and the subtle touches to fixtures and fittings were Disney at its best. Storage space was adequate, though I felt, as with all Disney rooms, we could have benefitted with more hanger room. The master bathroom was luxurious, though I would have to question if it is really a good use of space, and having 3 bathrooms did make the morning ablutions easier. Parking space in the basement car park was always available despite the high resort occupancy. It was a bit of a trek however to the room. Sanna was excellent, interesting menu and the food well presented and cooked. The server was most helpful and I’m sure would be able to reassure even those with an unadventurous pallet sufficiently to get them to try some of these new offerings. We also strolled over to the main lodge building and it was a well signed leisurely walk. The shop was adequate though I was disappointed at the lack of resort merchandise. The pool area is very nice, with plenty of activities for the brats, and a decent bar for those who enjoy a tipple. The slide was fun though the view from the pool deck was more over grown building site than savannah wilderness. The buses were hellish, with long waits if you timed it wrong! And I can’t see that getting any better as the Mouse strives to keep costs down. All in all a great resort, and one I hope I can get to stay at again in the future.
We are finishing up our first week spent at the world as DVC members. We bought in to BLT, but decided to surprise the kids with a stay at Kidani Village for our first trip. You should have seen the look of surprise on their faces... Anyway, for the other two trips we've made as a family we stayed at All Star Music (suite), and off-site, so that's what we have for comparing to this stay. Kidani was far better than either of those resorts. I'll break it down by pro's and con's. Bad news first: It took more than 5 minutes to walk briskly from the lobby to our room. That is a long distance if you need anything from the lobby. Movies, soda refills, etc. are all a long ways away if you are out at the end of one of the wings. If I were staying here again, I would rent a car because you can park under the hotel and save alot of walking. The other down side was that there was no dining in the hotel other than Sanaa, and the trip to Jambo house is significant. Now the good news: There were a lot of different types of animals, and they keep them moving around. The did a good job of placing the feeders around the savannahs in a way the brought a variety of animals past the room. The pool and water play area are incredible. I didn't get the chance to use the workout room, but it looked very nice although maybe a bit small. The lobby was beautiful, and the animal viewing areas were nice too. The one bedroom villa was large enough easily accomodate the 5 of us. All in all, I makes me very happy that I bought into DVC, and can't wait to book our next stay.