AKL vs Kidani

[missnic]

We recently had breakfast at Boma and took some time to wander around AKL. Well, DH fell in love with it. We even asked for, and received, a room tour. The rooms are pretty cool, but the selling points for us were the little overlook areas with the rocking chairs, and the fire pits scattered around.. and obviously the animals.

I was looking at several dates this fall, and it looks like Kidani is actually cheaper for some dates. What's the difference in the two resorts, practically speaking? The room itself isn't so much of a concern, there's only so much it can vary. But what about the resort itself? Does Kidani have the peaceful rocking chair areas/fire pits? Does it have QS food available? Anything else you can tell me about the two, to make my decision easier? LOL

 

[Happy_Haunt999]

Yes. Kidani has all those things. I prefer Kidani to Jambo House (main AKL). One of the main and biggest differences with the two is that Kidani is all dedicated DVC rooms (villas). As to where Jambo is hotel rooms that were converted to DVC villas and are supposedly smaller and on the top two floors only (?).
IMHO Kidani has the better savanna in the Sunset savanna and it has better views as well. And the pool. The only thing is, Kidani only has Sanaa for TS dining. You have to take the shuttle, bus or walk over to Jambo for The Mara (QS) or Jiko and Boma TS dining. They both have really nice pools but I prefer the one at Kidani.

Just be aware that with the layout of Kidani, it has very very long winding hallways that seem to never end if you are put towards the end of one. So if walking is a problem, make sure you request near lobby.

 

[FofMM]

One of our favorite treats is to stay at AKL Jambo House in a "standard room, savanna view (Arusha) with club access." We have gotten this request for as little as $40 over a regular savanna view room. We really enjoy AKL. Club level for us further enhances the experience, especially if staying several nights. You can book a Wanyama Safari that takes you (small group) through all the savannas of the hotel (Jambo and Kidani) in a open sided truck. The animals are right there! The guide takes any questions and is not rushed. What an experience, then dinner is included at Jiko. We use club level for the breakfast, evening appetizers and drinks primarily. We grab a wine and roam the observation areas the hotel offers. In Kidani we love the short walk over from Jambo, have dinner at Sanaa and go out on their overlooks. It is wonderful!

 

[gzmtlock]

As a PP said, Kidani is all DVC. Studios will have kitchenettes, all others will have full kitchens. If you want to "eat in," that's great. If not, you don't need those amenities. Also, the 1BR and larger have fantastic bathrooms, with soaker tubs and walk-in showers. However, Kidani (like all DVC) does not have as many hotel amenities. The lobby, while dramatic, is much more modest than Jambo. I don't recall any rocking chairs, no fire pit, no walks out into the savannah areas, no flamingos by the pool. And no QS. That said, you can easily walk from Kidani to Jambo to enjoy its wonderful public areas.

We love both. Are owners at Kidani, but for short stays, prefer Jambo.

 

[oceanmarina]

We stayed at Kidani and absolutely loved it. Our sunset savannah view was amazing and we loved our 1 bedroom villa. I liked the pool better at Kidani. My kids loved the spray ground (which is only at Kidani). Yep they had rocking chairs around the viewing areas as well at the fire pit. I would stay at Kidani again in a heartbeat!

The only thing is that the main quick service was at Jambo, one night we stayed in for dinner, the shuttle took only a few minutes and I brought the food back to our room at Kidani, it was not a big hassle at all. The shuttle bus constanly goes back and forth between the two resorts. Also, as the buses come up, you ask them if they are going to stop at Jambo and catch a ride that way too. (and vice versa)

 

[Happy_Haunt999]

As a PP said, Kidani is all DVC. Studios will have kitchenettes, all others will have full kitchens. If you want to "eat in," that's great. If not, you don't need those amenities. Also, the 1BR and larger have fantastic bathrooms, with soaker tubs and walk-in showers. However, Kidani (like all DVC) does not have as many hotel amenities. The lobby, while dramatic, is much more modest than Jambo. I don't recall any rocking chairs, no fire pit, no walks out into the savannah areas, no flamingos by the pool. And no QS. That said, you can easily walk from Kidani to Jambo to enjoy its wonderful public areas.

We love both. Are owners at Kidani, but for short stays, prefer Jambo.

You have to know where to look. Kidani most definitely has rocking chairs (as I've sat in them) and a fire pit where an African CM tells stories at night. It also has a spot that you can stop and walk out "Onto" the savanna (via deck) and talk to CM's there about the animals and Africa. It's really great and I suggest it (it also gets you a little bit closer to the animals).

 

[Retro Magic]

I prefer Jambo house a lot more. I still highly enjoy Kidani, but I find Jambo to be a lot more immersive.

 

[gzmtlock]

You have to know where to look. Kidani most definitely has rocking chairs (as I've sat in them) and a fire pit where an African CM tells stories at night. It also has a spot that you can stop and walk out "Onto" the savanna (via deck) and talk to CM's there about the animals and Africa. It's really great and I suggest it (it also gets you a little bit closer to the animals).

Clearly, I need to look a little harder! Something to look forward to on our next visit!

 

[AnneK]

My husband and I stayed at Kidani for our Honeymoon back in April, and absolutely loved it. It was much quieter than Jambo house, and the lobby felt very cozy. It was a nice retreat after a long day at the parks! We enjoyed meals at Sanaa, Jiko and Mara and would go back to any of them again. Couldn't recommend Kidani more, we rented points and paid about $180 a night for a standard studio. Had groceries delivered our first day so we could use the kitchenette for breakfasts before heading out. Was perfect!

 

[missnic]

Thanks for the responses I wish I could say it helped make my choice easier, but... lol
They both sound like wonderful resorts, so I guess I won't go wrong either way! Or I'll just have to stay at both!

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

We own DVC at AKL. We began staying at Jambo house (before DVC), right when it opened and fell in love!! When Kidani opened, i honestly wasn't impressed. Over the years, this opinion has changed for us, for a few reasons... First of all, the rooms are larger. If you are staying in a 1bedroom, you get TWO bathrooms, and laundry in your room!! It is much quieter at Kidani. After crazy park days, this is such a nice feature. I also think you see more animals at Kidani. But most importantly to me, is that you are picked up and dropped off first for the parks (except DTD). This can be huge depending on the time of year. You almost always get a seat! As far as traveling between the two, you can take the van that continually goes back and forth between the two. You rarely wait more than 10 minutes. Or you can go to the bus stop and get on whichever shows up first (other than DTD), as it is going to Jambo next. After years of debating and comparing the two, I have decided that I really just consider AKL ONE large resort!

 

[DVC Mike]

This thread compares both:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/resort-comparison-akv-vs-akv-jambo-vs-kidani.3439006/

 

[moonshadow]

This thread compares both:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/resort-comparison-akv-vs-akv-jambo-vs-kidani.3439006/

Thanks, that link is very informative.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

I wouldn't want to stay at Kidani in a studio if I had children ( a one bedroom would be great, but unless you rent points and commit yourself far in advance, those are super expensive). We like having two queen beds as opposed to one queen and a sleeper sofa. We get the two queens in a standard room at Jambo House.

If it is just you and your husband and you sleep in one queen bed, that makes no difference.

We also like the value of the standard rooms at Jambo House. I have found that the standard rooms at Jambo House are often cheaper than preferred rooms at the moderate resorts. And both time we have stayed standard, we have had views of the savanna.

We prefer the pool at Kidani to the pool at Jambo House because we have kids and the Kidani pool is perfect for kids. However, we just took a shuttle from Jambo to get to the pool at Kidani. You can use either pool area if you stay at Kidani or Jambo House. For adults, I think the hot tubs are nicer at Jambo House because they are so secluded and romantic, especially at night.

Sanaa is one of our favorite restaurants on property, but we also like having a quick service restaurant readily available. Kidani does not have one of those.

For those reasons, we prefer Jambo House.