We've been back for a bit over a week from our trip to WDW. We spent a week offsite at Windsor Hills (when we weren't sloshing through the torrential downpours....our splash pool overflowed several times leaving a couple of inches of water on the patio...thank goodness it was several inches below the sliding doors!) and then moved to a 1BR standard view at Kidani. We're a family of 5 (kids are 14, 9 and 5), so we wanted to try the new layouts at Kidani and see how they worked for us.
First of all, I have to say that Kidani is beautiful. I love the more intimate feel of the common areas compared to Jambo House. I'd say Jambo House has grandeur, and Kidani has intimacy. It was interesting to have the parking under the building- much more convenient for the most part, as compared to the lots at resorts like BWV, BCV, WL and even Jambo. We enjoyed the pool and the Uwanja Camp area. The small slide in the pool was ideal for my 5yo and my 9yo loved the big one. My dh was dangerous with the water spray guns in the kids' area (my apologies to the child he hit full in the face with the spray....it really wasn't intentional!). There were plenty of places to view the savannah even though we didn't have a savannah view villa. Anytime we'd walk anywhere within the building it was wonderful...surrounded by art and animals. Our villa was on the 3rd floor overlooking the bus stop. We still had signs on our balcony that we were not to throw anything from the balcony for the protection of the animals- which gave us several days worth of joking about throwing food to the people waiting for the bus. We loved the 2 bathroom layout, and the kids went through negotiations about who would get to sleep on the chair alone rather than on the pull out with a sibling. My dh and I actually got to sleep alone a couple nights! The whirlpool tub in the master is smaller than the ones at the other resorts- but the more rectangular rather than oval shape was more comfortable. In fact, it was the most comfortable whirlpool tub I've been in (can't say I have loads of experience, but we've been to most of the DVC resorts). I liked the kitchen layout better than at the other resorts...more of a galley style. It seemed a better use of space. I have to say that even after moving from a very nice 3br townhouse, our 1br villa was more comfortable and felt more like home.
My girls and I had lunch at Sanaa one day. I suggest listening well to the waiter's suggestions. If you're accustomed to Indian food, it's not entirely what you expect. The mango lassi was more of a mango smoothie...not at all like all the Indian restaurants here at home serve. The paneer cheese with spinach (ie. saag paneer) was also not what I expected and was really bland. Our waiter was wonderful and let me switch it out for another selection- and I went with his recommendation of the shrimp in green curry. The shrimp was excellent. The chicken in red curry was good, but I've had better at home. I do wish you could get the breads individually instead of as part of the bread service. The naan was good, as was the paneer paratha (but it contains red onions, so I couldn't eat more than a bite or two without facing severe stomach pain later). I wished I could have just ordered a side of naan rather than having to pay for the whole bread service- it was good, but I really just wanted the naan. The chai cream dessert was delicious and light.
Now for the few things that didn't work so well for us. I guess because the resort is new they don't seem to have adequate signage to help you get where you're going. We had a hard time finding the pathway to Jambo House, maybe partially because we expected to be able to follow the building to the end and take a covered pathway to the other building. But there weren't any signs pointing us in any other direction either. With all the rain we had the previous week, we weren't entirely thrilled with the completely exposed and quite long walkway. We were expecting it to be more like WL, where the pathway is clearly marked and covered. Also, there is no DDP counter service at Kidani....Mara is quite a haul for a bite to eat. Bus service was just okay...we had a few lengthy waits and arrived half an hour late for dinner one evening (even having given ourselves more than an hour travel time). We would have driven, but didn't want to lose our parking space. Self parking seemed barely sufficient and you were pretty much out of luck if you tried to get parking in the evening. Because of those things, if I were to stay at Kidani in the future I would plan to eat more in the villa- there's a SuperTarget and a Publix barely 5 minutes away (turn R onto Sherberth Rd as you leave the resort, R onto Black Lake Rd. right before you reach 192, and this will drop you onto 192 about one traffic light away from both stores. Turn R onto 192- Publix is on the right, SuperTarget is on the left. We found SuperTarget to be less crowded.) I'd also plan to do more of my own driving and use the valet parking. Not sure why we didn't this time....we just didn't really consider it until the last day...and then we had a good parking spot. My only criticisms of the villa are fairly minor. I don't think there was enough cabinet space in the kitchen....there's nearly a complete absence of upper cabinets. That could make it challenging if you're doing a good deal of cooking. Also, there didn't seem to be sufficient lighting throughout the villa. It was fine with the drapes open, but with them closed and all the lights on it was still pretty dim. The only other complaint is the complete lack of decor in the master bath's toilet room. Typically there's art or *something* to look at while you're in there taking care of business. There was absolutely nothing. It definitely inspired you to get out quickly...because it had the feel of a utility closet. It was kind of visually jarring after the beautiful main room of the bath.
We loved having enough sleeping space and the second bathroom for our family of 5. While a 2br will probably become more comfortable as our kids get older, this really worked well for us and is a more comfortable option than fitting 5 in an older style 1br (even when we had one child under 3)...particularly because of the extra bathroom. I love that the BLT villas will have a similar layout.
Speaking of which, we viewed the villas and my dh is ready to call our guide- though I had to remind him that it's not in the budget until I'm working again (gee I hate being the grownup!!!!). The decor of the BLT villas is very nice- my aesthetic generally doesn't lean to modern decor, but I found the rooms pleasant and I think they would be a fun getaway. My dh loves it- he does tend to like a more modern and even industrial feel (though he couldn't actually tell you that!). He's also all about the location, though I think I actually prefer the Epcot resort area (I'm campaigning to shop for a BCV resale once we're ready for more points....but I can't really argue with BLT either). The models definitely gave me the feel of when I stayed at the Contemporary in the 70's with my grandparents. The treehouse villas also look amazing. I hope to give one a try one day.
That's pretty much it...I'd be happy to answer any Kidani questions, or ones about the BLT models.
First of all, I have to say that Kidani is beautiful. I love the more intimate feel of the common areas compared to Jambo House. I'd say Jambo House has grandeur, and Kidani has intimacy. It was interesting to have the parking under the building- much more convenient for the most part, as compared to the lots at resorts like BWV, BCV, WL and even Jambo. We enjoyed the pool and the Uwanja Camp area. The small slide in the pool was ideal for my 5yo and my 9yo loved the big one. My dh was dangerous with the water spray guns in the kids' area (my apologies to the child he hit full in the face with the spray....it really wasn't intentional!). There were plenty of places to view the savannah even though we didn't have a savannah view villa. Anytime we'd walk anywhere within the building it was wonderful...surrounded by art and animals. Our villa was on the 3rd floor overlooking the bus stop. We still had signs on our balcony that we were not to throw anything from the balcony for the protection of the animals- which gave us several days worth of joking about throwing food to the people waiting for the bus. We loved the 2 bathroom layout, and the kids went through negotiations about who would get to sleep on the chair alone rather than on the pull out with a sibling. My dh and I actually got to sleep alone a couple nights! The whirlpool tub in the master is smaller than the ones at the other resorts- but the more rectangular rather than oval shape was more comfortable. In fact, it was the most comfortable whirlpool tub I've been in (can't say I have loads of experience, but we've been to most of the DVC resorts). I liked the kitchen layout better than at the other resorts...more of a galley style. It seemed a better use of space. I have to say that even after moving from a very nice 3br townhouse, our 1br villa was more comfortable and felt more like home.
My girls and I had lunch at Sanaa one day. I suggest listening well to the waiter's suggestions. If you're accustomed to Indian food, it's not entirely what you expect. The mango lassi was more of a mango smoothie...not at all like all the Indian restaurants here at home serve. The paneer cheese with spinach (ie. saag paneer) was also not what I expected and was really bland. Our waiter was wonderful and let me switch it out for another selection- and I went with his recommendation of the shrimp in green curry. The shrimp was excellent. The chicken in red curry was good, but I've had better at home. I do wish you could get the breads individually instead of as part of the bread service. The naan was good, as was the paneer paratha (but it contains red onions, so I couldn't eat more than a bite or two without facing severe stomach pain later). I wished I could have just ordered a side of naan rather than having to pay for the whole bread service- it was good, but I really just wanted the naan. The chai cream dessert was delicious and light.
Now for the few things that didn't work so well for us. I guess because the resort is new they don't seem to have adequate signage to help you get where you're going. We had a hard time finding the pathway to Jambo House, maybe partially because we expected to be able to follow the building to the end and take a covered pathway to the other building. But there weren't any signs pointing us in any other direction either. With all the rain we had the previous week, we weren't entirely thrilled with the completely exposed and quite long walkway. We were expecting it to be more like WL, where the pathway is clearly marked and covered. Also, there is no DDP counter service at Kidani....Mara is quite a haul for a bite to eat. Bus service was just okay...we had a few lengthy waits and arrived half an hour late for dinner one evening (even having given ourselves more than an hour travel time). We would have driven, but didn't want to lose our parking space. Self parking seemed barely sufficient and you were pretty much out of luck if you tried to get parking in the evening. Because of those things, if I were to stay at Kidani in the future I would plan to eat more in the villa- there's a SuperTarget and a Publix barely 5 minutes away (turn R onto Sherberth Rd as you leave the resort, R onto Black Lake Rd. right before you reach 192, and this will drop you onto 192 about one traffic light away from both stores. Turn R onto 192- Publix is on the right, SuperTarget is on the left. We found SuperTarget to be less crowded.) I'd also plan to do more of my own driving and use the valet parking. Not sure why we didn't this time....we just didn't really consider it until the last day...and then we had a good parking spot. My only criticisms of the villa are fairly minor. I don't think there was enough cabinet space in the kitchen....there's nearly a complete absence of upper cabinets. That could make it challenging if you're doing a good deal of cooking. Also, there didn't seem to be sufficient lighting throughout the villa. It was fine with the drapes open, but with them closed and all the lights on it was still pretty dim. The only other complaint is the complete lack of decor in the master bath's toilet room. Typically there's art or *something* to look at while you're in there taking care of business. There was absolutely nothing. It definitely inspired you to get out quickly...because it had the feel of a utility closet. It was kind of visually jarring after the beautiful main room of the bath.
We loved having enough sleeping space and the second bathroom for our family of 5. While a 2br will probably become more comfortable as our kids get older, this really worked well for us and is a more comfortable option than fitting 5 in an older style 1br (even when we had one child under 3)...particularly because of the extra bathroom. I love that the BLT villas will have a similar layout.
Speaking of which, we viewed the villas and my dh is ready to call our guide- though I had to remind him that it's not in the budget until I'm working again (gee I hate being the grownup!!!!). The decor of the BLT villas is very nice- my aesthetic generally doesn't lean to modern decor, but I found the rooms pleasant and I think they would be a fun getaway. My dh loves it- he does tend to like a more modern and even industrial feel (though he couldn't actually tell you that!). He's also all about the location, though I think I actually prefer the Epcot resort area (I'm campaigning to shop for a BCV resale once we're ready for more points....but I can't really argue with BLT either). The models definitely gave me the feel of when I stayed at the Contemporary in the 70's with my grandparents. The treehouse villas also look amazing. I hope to give one a try one day.
That's pretty much it...I'd be happy to answer any Kidani questions, or ones about the BLT models.
People compare the lobbies of Jambo and Kidani & complain how small and non-impressive Kidanis is, but they forget the comparison of say VWL to WL. It's supposed to be intimate - you're "home" - OK, an impressive one, but still.
and wonderful in its own way. I can see having a much more relaxed vacation here- and I think if I were to stay again I'd want to get a savannah view.
Do we have the same three children? I felt the same frustration this trip. I finally just went to the MK and other things by myself. 
