Kadini Village or Jambo House- Pros and Cons??

[Kidanifan08]

Oh, my main concern is in the layout of the master bathroom. Does the vanity area really only have one sink?

Only one sink in the master bath vanity, but in the 1BR you have a second bathroom with a vanity as well near the front door. The master bathroom is HUGE.

 

[eva]

Only one sink in the master bath vanity, but in the 1BR you have a second bathroom with a vanity as well near the front door. The master bathroom is HUGE.

Well, I am sure that we will make due this trip. But I think it is odd that the master only has one sink. DH and I are normally getting ready at the same time. I hate to have him shower in one room and then have to move to another bathroom to shave and brush his teeth. Very strange. Who wants to run through the livingroom in a towel to go shave? We will have to see how this works on this trip. I know it seems picky, but this could keep us from reserving AKV again. From the layout in Jambo House it looks like you have to walk across a hallway to get to the master bath. Not sure that is any better. Even the regular deluxe hotel rooms at WDW have two sinks in the vanity area. Well, we'll see how it goes. Maybe it won't make that big of a difference with just the two of us. But it would be a real hassle if we had people sleeping in the livingroom and using that extra bath.

 

[gkrykewy]

Glad I read this thread. We had originally tried for Jambo house for a 1-bedroom in May. But it wasn't open. So we opted for Kidani. DH and I are walk/runners so it sounds like we will enjoy the walk between the two. Since we are only hitting the parks three out of nine days, time is not really an issue. As a matter of fact, I may need the extra exercise of walking back and forth between the two.

Oh, my main concern is in the layout of the master bathroom. Does the vanity area really only have one sink?

My objection to the walk is not the distance, but the fact that it really wrecks the beautiful AKL theming. They really didn't landscape it much at all. Still not a big deal though.

 

[BoardwalkSuzy]

We stayed at both, and Kidani is far more luxurious and think animal viewing much better. If more than 2 people in a 1BR, then think no choice - Kidani with the 2nd bathroom comes in so handy, plus everything is NEW and lots of detailing! It's our 2nd favorite after VGC. It's funny that so many stay at Jambo just for quick service alone. It's nice, but not as important as the nicer more luxurious room with ever so important extra bathroom. The Uzima pool bar does offer Tandoori Chicken salad, sandwiches, and a few other foods counter service. We loved that our room, as requested, was just upstairs from Uzima Springs Pool Bar, near Rafiki elevator and the pool bar was well utilized.

Sanaa downstairs at Kidani is popular for dinner, so recommend if staying there to book a bunch of ADR's there. Sometimes we were too tired to venture down to take shuttle, or drive to Jambo or another resort, and wished that Sanaa just had a table available, but we would find all booked. Next time we stay, will make more ADR's for dinner there because often we are just so exhausted from the parks, no more energy to go elsewhere. I also joked that wished had gotten the Deluxe DP just so could have room service whenever wanted (we never got around to buying groceries at store, although we had car). We just got the regular dining plan, didn't work well for us as not too wild about the few counter service options anyway, so used up fast all our table credits, leaving lots of leftover counter services, and like 19 snacks unused when we left. We much preferred saving carrots and the grapes from meals and using those for snacks instead of buying sweets, etc.

The pool and water play area at Kidani is the better pool and play area for kids that are preschoolers and pre-swimmers. My son's favorite part of trip to WDW this month he said was swimming in the Uzima Springs pool at Kidani.

 

[Kidanifan08]

Even the regular deluxe hotel rooms at WDW have two sinks in the vanity area. Well, we'll see how it goes. Maybe it won't make that big of a difference with just the two of us. But it would be a real hassle if we had people sleeping in the livingroom and using that extra bath.

I agree that it was short-sighted to not put a dbl-vanity in the master bath. For you and DH it should be fine. I shave and brush while DW showers and then I jump in the shower. We have the additional distraction of a 4-yo, so the morning ritual passes quickly. I think you will enjoy the quiet cozyness of Kidani and this minor inconvenience will not be one of those things you will remember about your stay at Kidani.

 

[eva]

I agree that it was short-sighted to not put a dbl-vanity in the master bath. For you and DH it should be fine. I shave and brush while DW showers and then I jump in the shower. We have the additional distraction of a 4-yo, so the morning ritual passes quickly. I think you will enjoy the quiet cozyness of Kidani and this minor inconvenience will not be one of those things you will remember about your stay at Kidani.

Thanks for the reassurance. But I am still a bit apprehensive about this. We haven't shared a sink in years. And I take at least an hour getting ready in the morning. Maybe I will need to be the one running through the livingroom with a towel. NOT! Or I guess I could try to convince DH that he needs to use the extra bath off the livingroom for his shower and getting ready each day. It probably depends on what the shower situation is in each bathroom. He is used to a pretty good size walk-in shower at home. Oh well, not the end of the world. I just hate dodging each other when getting ready. Thanks again!

 

[palaemon]

Wow. I have never seen so much discussion over a single sink. lol.

 

[jodifla]

Personally I like Jambo for the easy access to the amenities: the bar, Jiko, Boma, the kids' club, the fabulous lobby and nice sized gift shop. Not enough going on at Kidani for my taste.

 

[La2kw]

Jambo is a giant, bustling, crowded, loud, overdone hotel which is way too dark for my tastes. The rooms are repurposed hotel rooms and lack some of the better DVC amenities since they had to shoehorn everything into the existing space. Unless you have a savannah view, or know where the few lookout spots are, or traipse down to the Arusha Rock, you wonder if there are really any animals there.

Kidani is a quieter, intimate, friendlier, homier, DVC resort. The rooms are designed as DVC rooms, with all the DVC amenities. As soon as you enter the intimate lobby you see the animals out the lobby window- you don't have to go looking for them. The lobby is much brighter and views of the savannah are everywhere in the lobby area. Very easy to find. Walking down the hall, you see the animals. Dining at Sanaa, you see the animals at ground level from your table. On your way to the pool you see the animals.

 

[tkillini99]

While I love many of the amenities at Jambo House, I would choose Kidani. I love the master bath at Kidani, and the extra bathroom. The units feel larger, overall, especially the balconies. We've also had MUCH better savanna views at Kidani as well. And my girls LOVE the pool at Kidani and the water play area. While the lobby and gift shop are much smaller, they are both very nice and sufficient for our purposes. Either way, you will enjoy your trip, I am sure. We LOVE AKV!!

 

[briand1023]

We have alwasy stayed at Boardwalk Villas(our home resort) we love it there, especially the proximity to Epcot and Hollywood Studios...we have considered staying at the AK properties, what would you recommend, stay at BW or is AK worth it? Kids are 10 and 13