AKV Grand Villa: Kidani or Jambo????

[CarpeDisney]

I'm thinking of pitching the idea of a family gathering (12 people with a good mix of adults and children) at AKV next year, and would like some input from anyone with experience staying in a Grand Villa at either Kidani or Jambo.

I'm familiar with the layouts of each, but would like to hear the "I wish I had thought of that before booking at......." or "I'm glad we chose a GV in this building because....." types of experiences from those who have used these units.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and ideas.

 

[Be1021]

I just went through the same thing and ultimately ended up choosing Jambo because it is going to be a short trip and wanted more of the hotel feel with easy access to counter service restaurant

 

[jbrowna]

Last December we did a family gathering with 12 people at a Jambo GV. I think we would have been happy with Kidani, but with Jambo we had the pool table, which got plenty of use.

 

[crazybones27]

The hubby and I bounced this same thing around a few months back. We picked the Jambo GV for our Sept. family gathering for a few reasons. 1. We will have a senior citizen and 2 very small children(2 yr. and 1yr) traveling with us. For this reason we didn't want to have to worry about stairs. 2. We liked the fact that the quick service restaurant was in Jambo for anyone who wanted to get a light snack or something. 3. The pool table, I mean how cool is that!
4. We can always walk over to Kidani to go in the pools and everything if we wanted too. I know there are more reasons, but that's what's coming to mind right now.

With all this I really wanted to stay at Kidani because it has a huge floor to ceilng window that I would love to have. It's also closer to the kids splash area and since my children are/will be that young I would like to be closer to it. But in the end we chose Jambo just for the fact that we really didn't have to worry about the kids and the upstairs.

I hope this helps a little. Unfortunately we haven't stayed there yet. These are just the things we based our decision on. Good Luck! No matter which one you choose I'm sure you'll be very happy!!

 

[CocosMeme]

I have the same problem. We are a family of 12 with kids ranging from 7-15. I know the older boys (12,13, and 15) would really like the pool table, but the little ones (7,8, and 10) would like the Kidani stuff. DH and I (the grandparents) discovered on our last trip, which was adult only, that if we stopped at Jambo on the way back to Kidani we could eat at the food court or Boma for dinner and catch the bus back to Kidani. We also like the idea of floor to ceiling window and the extra sofa sleeper in the Kidani GV. What to do, what to do??? I have until the summer to decide. The Community Hall in Kidani is good also. BUT the action is at jambo.

 

[Donna M]

We stayed in Jambo's GV and loved it. We were at the very end of the hall and the walk was long! Think about that with little ones or anyone with walking issues.

We loved the pool table, large dining room table, and the master bath is incredible. The unit felt very spacious and elegant. Since we were 3 families totaling 12 (teenagers and adults) we also got a studio to make the sleeping arrangements comfortable for everyone, but we hung out in the GV.

 

[AR81]

do you have any pics of the grand villas? I am very intrigued, I bet it was gorgeous...

 

[cropman]

Personal opinion only here, I liked Jambo House better. We have stayed at both. Liked the layout better in Jambo, and couldn't beat the pool table for the kids. I liked the view better at Jambo. Don't get me wrong, Kidani is great, but if you make me choose, I choose Jambo, hands down.