Jambo -v- Kidani

[shepherdypie]

Ooh undecided!

Can anyone whose stayed give me the low down on the studios and which are best.

I can amend my booking tomorrow and was thinking Kidani but unsure

[Ycryan]

I like both but probably prefer Jambo House as you have access to Mara and Boma and the lobby is stunning.

[dippiedawnie]

We liked Kidani as it was quieter and we didn't mind the shuttle ride between the 2 for food etc. At the time our decision was made by the fact we wanted a Savannah view of giraffes and when booking they said we were more likely to see them from Kidani but once we were there we found Jambo foyer always manically busy and noisy so we're pleased with our choice.

[BarryandCaron]

We prefer Kidani, stayed there quite a few times. It’s quieter and seems more exclusive.

[Sweetie Babes]

Well, Kidani is technically the DVC building but they changed some of Jambo over to DVC as well.

The Kidani rooms are bigger, and a big advantage with the 1 beds there is that there will be 2 full bathrooms (one of only 2 DVC resorts that have that) but I think you're more likely to have an ordinary or even bad view - there are as many rooms that face out as face in towards the savannahs. And let's not forget how many miles you can walk if you're out on one of the far arms. We only stayed one night, but coming back after dinner our space had been taken and we had to park 2 blocks further up and walk quite a long way back to get a lift. I was on my walking stick then - I only started hiring a scooter in 2014 - and it was hard work.

Jambo is just spectacular. It's obviously a lot busier because of all the cash rooms there, but it's got the Mara and Boma, and for that reason alone we prefer it. In fact, DD and I will be having another girlie trip in 2019, and she wants to stay at Jambo. She'll be on the sofabed whether we go for a 1-bed or a studio, unfortunately.

[shepherdypie]

I have called today to amend but Kidani not available!

Booked Jambo now.

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by shepherdypie

I have called today to amend but Kidani not available!

Booked Jambo now.

See more...

Is it a Kidani Standard, around 19th August and a couple of days after you want? If yes I can see it is booked for 3 days, otherwise wide open.
If you go online and waitlist the whole stay, selecting the option to replace existing reservation if it comes through, I’m 90% sure Kidani will come through for you. There’s quite a few standard rooms.

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by Sweetie Babes

Well, Kidani is technically the DVC building but they changed some of Jambo over to DVC as well.

The Kidani rooms are bigger, and a big advantage with the 1 beds there is that there will be 2 full bathrooms (one of only 2 DVC resorts that have that) but I think you're more likely to have an ordinary or even bad view - there are as many rooms that face out as face in towards the savannahs. And let's not forget how many miles you can walk if you're out on one of the far arms. We only stayed one night, but coming back after dinner our space had been taken and we had to park 2 blocks further up and walk quite a long way back to get a lift. I was on my walking stick then - I only started hiring a scooter in 2014 - and it was hard work.

Jambo is just spectacular. It's obviously a lot busier because of all the cash rooms there, but it's got the Mara and Boma, and for that reason alone we prefer it. In fact, DD and I will be having another girlie trip in 2019, and she wants to stay at Jambo. She'll be on the sofabed whether we go for a 1-bed or a studio, unfortunately.

See more...

I see you have mobility problems, which doesn’t make Kidani an ideal choice, like quite a few of the resorts.
However if you don’t mind a bit of walking, Kidani can be a lot better choice, particularly for the 1 and 2 beds as you say, and particularly if you like your accommodation more serene.
A good request if you don’t mind a bit of a walk to the room like we don’t, if you are getting a standard view, is ‘Near Pumba elevator’. This is not often requested and so there is a good chance of it coming through, and the standard rooms in this area used to be Savannah rooms. But, it is 5 mins brisk walk to the lobby.
Kidani also has Saana which is about the best restaurant on property (none Signature) in my view. It’s one of only a handful of ADRs I’m making this year at on site table service, due to increasing prices and reducing quality, but that’s another story.

[Sweetie Babes]

Originally Posted by shepherdypie

I have called today to amend but Kidani not available!

Booked Jambo now.

See more...

Doesn't surprise me at all! The Americans like to take long weekends throughout the entire summer/autumn period, and it completely screws up us Brits getting a continuous booking of more than 5 days or so - unless we want to resort hop. That's all well and good, but it uses up the majority of a day to pack, check-out, move everything and then unpack again. You have to be there on the phone the minute the 11-month window opens to be able to guarantee a continuous stretch of over a week. It's even worse at my home resort (GFV) as they only built 23 studios!

[Sweetie Babes]

Originally Posted by YorkshireT

I see you have mobility problems, which doesn’t make Kidani an ideal choice, like quite a few of the resorts.
However if you don’t mind a bit of walking, Kidani can be a lot better choice, particularly for the 1 and 2 beds as you say, and particularly if you like your accommodation more serene.
A good request if you don’t mind a bit of a walk to the room like we don’t, if you are getting a standard view, is ‘Near Pumba elevator’. This is not often requested and so there is a good chance of it coming through, and the standard rooms in this area used to be Savannah rooms. But, it is 5 mins brisk walk to the lobby.
Kidani also has Saana which is about the best restaurant on property (none Signature) in my view. It’s one of only a handful of ADRs I’m making this year at on site table service, due to increasing prices and reducing quality, but that’s another story.

See more...

I hire a scooter now! However, the rest of the family still have to hoof it! As I said, we were only at Kidani for one night, but until gone 10pm we had families returning to their rooms with the kids running hooting and shouting down the long corridors. I don't think people realise a) how echoey the corridors are and b) how non-sound proofed the doors are!

Regarding Sanaa, I haven't seen anything on the menu I'd eat, to be totally honest. I saw a review recently where one person had tandoori chicken - but it's not actually on the menu!