AKL villas ?

tom in ct.

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Joined
Jun 12, 2001
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Hi everyone I/ we our family have been members for over 15 years and have never stayed at AKL could anyone tell me their preference when staying in a 1 BDRM savana view, Kadahni village or Jambo house is one better than the other? and what floor is the best THANKS !
 
We prefer Kidani because the 1BR units have an extra bathroom and we love the space and layout of the master bathroom. The children's play area at the pool is also incredible and our son (age 3 in 2+ weeks) loves it. Parking is underground and, therefore, shaded. :cool1: For those taking the buses to the parks, they always stop at Kidani before Jambo, so you are pretty much guaranteed a seat on the bus.

There are a few reasons to consider Jambo. We usually do our own cooking when staying in a 1BR, so for that reason we don't mind staying at Kidani where there is is only a table service restaurant (not counting the pool bar options). But if have more food options is important to you, particularly a counter service option, then jambo house is a better bet where the Mara is there. Jambo also offers value rooms, which are smaller (3 feet shorter) than regular rooms, but because of the size difference they can be booked for a lot less points. Jambo's pool is also a little nicer than Kidani's pool, at least with respect to theming, so if you don't have little ones or your kids are older, they may prefer Jambo House.

Animal viewing in either Jambo or Kidani is always best from a lower floor, while standard view is better from a higher floor so as to have less noise from whatever view you have (e.g., pool or bus noise). If staying at Kidani and you book a savannah view, I recommend requesting a room facing the Sunset savannah close to the rafiki elevator, which is the elevator that empties out at the pool. I usually request pool view at Kidani so that I don't have a view of the buses or valet parking lot.

Either way, both Kidani and Jambo offer a great stay. AKL is our home resort and still our favorite!
 
AK is also our home resort. I agree with newyorkmike on all but what floors to stay on. We perfer the higher floors for the savanna views. In the morning you can watch the animals eating breakfast and stroll around the area. If you really like to spoil yourself, go with the one-bedroom Kilimanjaro Club Concierge at Jambo house, they are on the top floor. (5th) The Boma, is a buffet style eating, with alot of great items to pick from.( reservations are recommended ). Ak has a breath taking lobby, in my humble opinion. You will have a great time.
 

I agree that they higher floors are better for viewing especially in the AM. Night time my kids are usually to zonked so it wouldn't matter.
 
Kidani is about 1/2 mile walk from Jambo front door to front door. You can take busses between them and there is often a shuttle. As to which one, advantages and disadvantages:

Jambo: all rooms are on fifth floor (except concierge on sixth). All three savannas (including Sunset which Kidani also faces) have giraffes. Some prefer a low floor view for more direct sight line to animals but high floor view gives you more of a panoramic view around the entire savanna. Pool is larger than Kidani but has smaller slide. Has a lot more mature vegitation (trees, bushes) than Kidani pool and thus it is fairly easy to find shade at Jambo's pool area. Jambo has the much larger store and lobby and three restaurants -- Jiko, excellent table service, Boma excellent buffet, and Mara for counter service. Busses to parks stop at Kidani first and thus you can sometimes, although not often, during morning rush at Jambo face issue of not enough seats. Rooms at end of halls are a long walk from lobby (significantly further than the supposed long walk at BWV). Master bathroom in 1BR has combined tub and shower and it is a large step over to get into the tub. Jambo has no dedicated 2BRs, all are combined 1BR and studio.No community Hall at Jambo.

Kidani: 1BRs (and 2BRs) are significantly larger than Jambo's (about 100 sq ft larger). Master bath in 1BR (2BR) has separate tub and shower. They also have extra bathroom. Many dedicated 2BRs with two queens in second bedroom; with rooms on all floors you can request lower or higher floor depending on preference for savanna view. Smaller lobby than Jambo but still impressive. Store is not impressive in comparison to Jambo's. Only one restaurant, Sanaa, which is table service and no breakfast. However, we consider Sanna one of best reataurantsat WDW. No counter service except for limited items at pool bar. Pool, though smaller than Jambo, has much longer slide. The elaborate kids water play area is great for kids. Has a community hall. Most savanna rooms are on Sunset which has giraffes. The small savanna to the north, Pembe, does not. Has the ideal parking situation if you have a car. You park on ground floor under building and with two sets of elevators along each wing, you can always park fairly close to your room. As I mentioned above, there can be a long walk from lobby to room at Jambo. Well, Kidani stands alone as setting the world record for such a walk down an internal hallway and makes Jambo's walk look like a nice short stroll. Walk from lobby to end rooms on North wing is over 5 minutes adult pace (about 1/3 mile); walk to end of south wing is not much shorter (about 1/4 mile). Wise to request room "close to lobby" there, which, if savanna view,automatically puts you on Sunset savanna and puts you close to all amentites.
 

















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