kwdw
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2010
- Messages
- 2,927
Just got back from 7 nights at AKV in a 1bdrm savanna view and 1 night in a studio at SSR. Awesome trip overall - here's the resort review stuff.
AKV - no wait for check-in at 1 pm, but room wasn't ready. Got a text about room being ready about 3:30. Room was same level as lobby - about half way between the lobby and the end of the hall on the main savanna (7650). The good - a set of steps to the parking garage just one "building" away so we could take the steps to the garage (with the car we rented) AND that we were right by the back entrance to the pool!
Room was spotless, but the bathroom door had been damaged by a previous guest and the repair job was not pretty. The tip I got on the disboards to cover up the remote sensor for the bathroom fan was PRICELESS. Had we had to listen to that fan go on and off constantly we would have gone nuts.
Animal viewing was great - if you were around late in the morning (10-am noon) or in the late afternoon/early evening (4-7pm). Everything on the savanna visited us at one point in time. The two ankole cattle hung around right outside our room the whole time - they began to feel like pets. Using the night vision goggles with the CMs in the lobby at night was well-worth it!
Resort store - very pleased to see the pomegranate lemonade in the refill machine! I can't handle all the sugar and caffeine - so I had a great option for my refillable mug. It's a small store - really should be larger - but for the size, I think they sell the right stuff.
Sanaa - Had a great lunch here without reservations. Had a new option for the vegetarian options that was GREAT. It was quiet with good service. Got to watch a couple birds right outside the window. This unplanned meal turned out to be better than expected. I'm going to give it bad review online so others don't find this gem!
They are running a TRIAL of offering continental breakfast here - we did not go down to check it out so I can't comment about the offerings.
Pool - it's too small for the size of the resort. Period. Nice slide though! And the water play area looked like fun for the little ones. Parents - PLEASE teach your children to not cut in line at the slide. Yes, I'm an adult, but I, too, have the right to use the slide. I'm okay if they pass me on the stairs as I slowly climb the steps, but once I'm in line at the top - don't cut in front of me because I'm an adult! I like the layout of the area with the bar, savanna viewing, fitness club, etc. We were lucky to be close - at the opposite end of the building it could be a LONG walk.
Kitchen - we used it! Pancakes, quiche, brownies, couple salads, few things like that. I do wish there had been a slightly better knife and larger coffee mugs. Had to ask for a 9x13 pan since the one in the room was just 8x8 for the brownie mix. It did take a second time for them to get that request right (they brought me a second 8x8 pan the first time). I guess folks don't bake much anymore. I was glad I had packed some foil and plastic bags for left-overs.
Overall - AKV feels like a destination itself. You could spending days watching the animals, participating in activities in the community hall, or playing at the pool.
NEXT - one night at an SSR studio and a trip to their pool/fitness center.
For our last night, we moved to a studio in the Congress Park section of SSR. Okay, definitely felt like a resort for adults. The room itself was fine - though it did need some paint and the carpet was worn. Clean, plenty of paper goods in the kitchenette. The decor was "boring" and just felt like a hotel room with a kitchenette that you could find lots of places.
Pool/Fitness Center. Pool - the feature pool has a nice slide and some things that squirt water into the pool. Good size - but it was pretty full in the late afternoon/early evening. My boyfriend really liked this fitness center. He had been quite pleased with the one at AKV - and thought this one was better. Almost too many chairs at the pool and towels were hard to find.
Check-in went smoothly. I hadn't done online check-in and we were trying to check in at 10 am. He did find us an available room though! Took about 10 minutes...... but that wait was better than having to leave our stuff with bell services for the day.
Overall - this place was just too spread out for us. Long, long walk to feature pool and the fitness center, less gift shop than AKV, and just didn't feel "special." Boring, you might say. Would not stay in a studio here again - would book a moderate room before that. However, it was pleasant enough that if it was the only choice for a last minute trip when we needed the space of a one bedroom, I'd consider it.
AKV - no wait for check-in at 1 pm, but room wasn't ready. Got a text about room being ready about 3:30. Room was same level as lobby - about half way between the lobby and the end of the hall on the main savanna (7650). The good - a set of steps to the parking garage just one "building" away so we could take the steps to the garage (with the car we rented) AND that we were right by the back entrance to the pool!
Room was spotless, but the bathroom door had been damaged by a previous guest and the repair job was not pretty. The tip I got on the disboards to cover up the remote sensor for the bathroom fan was PRICELESS. Had we had to listen to that fan go on and off constantly we would have gone nuts.
Animal viewing was great - if you were around late in the morning (10-am noon) or in the late afternoon/early evening (4-7pm). Everything on the savanna visited us at one point in time. The two ankole cattle hung around right outside our room the whole time - they began to feel like pets. Using the night vision goggles with the CMs in the lobby at night was well-worth it!
Resort store - very pleased to see the pomegranate lemonade in the refill machine! I can't handle all the sugar and caffeine - so I had a great option for my refillable mug. It's a small store - really should be larger - but for the size, I think they sell the right stuff.
Sanaa - Had a great lunch here without reservations. Had a new option for the vegetarian options that was GREAT. It was quiet with good service. Got to watch a couple birds right outside the window. This unplanned meal turned out to be better than expected. I'm going to give it bad review online so others don't find this gem!
They are running a TRIAL of offering continental breakfast here - we did not go down to check it out so I can't comment about the offerings. Pool - it's too small for the size of the resort. Period. Nice slide though! And the water play area looked like fun for the little ones. Parents - PLEASE teach your children to not cut in line at the slide. Yes, I'm an adult, but I, too, have the right to use the slide. I'm okay if they pass me on the stairs as I slowly climb the steps, but once I'm in line at the top - don't cut in front of me because I'm an adult! I like the layout of the area with the bar, savanna viewing, fitness club, etc. We were lucky to be close - at the opposite end of the building it could be a LONG walk.
Kitchen - we used it! Pancakes, quiche, brownies, couple salads, few things like that. I do wish there had been a slightly better knife and larger coffee mugs. Had to ask for a 9x13 pan since the one in the room was just 8x8 for the brownie mix. It did take a second time for them to get that request right (they brought me a second 8x8 pan the first time). I guess folks don't bake much anymore. I was glad I had packed some foil and plastic bags for left-overs.
Overall - AKV feels like a destination itself. You could spending days watching the animals, participating in activities in the community hall, or playing at the pool.
NEXT - one night at an SSR studio and a trip to their pool/fitness center.
For our last night, we moved to a studio in the Congress Park section of SSR. Okay, definitely felt like a resort for adults. The room itself was fine - though it did need some paint and the carpet was worn. Clean, plenty of paper goods in the kitchenette. The decor was "boring" and just felt like a hotel room with a kitchenette that you could find lots of places.
Pool/Fitness Center. Pool - the feature pool has a nice slide and some things that squirt water into the pool. Good size - but it was pretty full in the late afternoon/early evening. My boyfriend really liked this fitness center. He had been quite pleased with the one at AKV - and thought this one was better. Almost too many chairs at the pool and towels were hard to find.
Check-in went smoothly. I hadn't done online check-in and we were trying to check in at 10 am. He did find us an available room though! Took about 10 minutes...... but that wait was better than having to leave our stuff with bell services for the day.
Overall - this place was just too spread out for us. Long, long walk to feature pool and the fitness center, less gift shop than AKV, and just didn't feel "special." Boring, you might say. Would not stay in a studio here again - would book a moderate room before that. However, it was pleasant enough that if it was the only choice for a last minute trip when we needed the space of a one bedroom, I'd consider it.
