Imagine yourself sitting on your hotel balcony, drinking a cup of warm, delicious coffee. Your feet are up, your phone is away, and you have no worries in the world. Sounds nice right?
Now, let's add in a couple of other things to this imagination of yours. As you are drinking your cup of coffee, you see a zebra walk by, swinging its tail back and forth. Then, you notice a giraffe reaching its tongue as high as it can go to get that one last leaf. Over in the corner is a group of wildebeests laying down in the shade.
Oh yeah, did I mention you are seeing this all of this at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom Lodge?
A Little Bit About the Resort
Animal Kingdom lodge has two different sections, Jambo House and Kidani Village. Jambo House is the main section of Animal Kingdom Lodge and is where the standard rooms as well as some villas are located. Kidani Village is made up of Disney Vacation Club Villas. The villas range from deluxe studios to 3 bedroom grand villas.
Jambo House
Located near Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Animal Kingdom Lodge instantly puts you in the African savanna. As you walk into the gorgeous lobby, you are greeted with a smile and a"Jambo". Jambo means hello in Swahili.
Although you can check in via your My Disney Experience App, I always suggest stopping by the front desk in the lobby of every Disney Resort. They will have a schedule with all of the events happening at the resorts, an answer to almost any question that you may have, and maybe even some fun tips or surprises. Now let's check out the room!
The Savanna View
In a standard room, you have can get a room with a king bed or two queens. I was staying here with my best friend and her little one, so we choose to get two queens. We had actually purchased a standard view but were given a little pixie dust and received a savanna view.
These rooms are newly renovated. The have a barn door to separate the bathroom from the room and a door to even further divide up the bathroom. That way, one person can shower while the other brushes her pearly whites.
One new feature in the room that I absolutely LOVED would be the Keurig machine with special Joffrey's WDW 50th anniversary coffee! I had myself a fair share of coffee during that stay.
On the balcony, you have an incredible view of the savanna. This was not our best savanna view this night, but we had several animals come by throughout the day.
*If you want to save a little bit of money but would still like to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, purchase a standard view room. While you may not be able to see animals from your balcony, there are plenty of places to check out the savanna around the resort.
Make sure to keep reading to see our spectacular savanna view over at Kidani Village.
Activities at the Resort
Throughout each day, Animal Kingdom Lodge has a full list of activities for you to choose from. You can do crafts in Simba's clubhouse, watch a Disney movie under the stars, play in the arcade, join an instructed painting class, make a Mickey Tie-Die shirt, make s'mores by the fire, and so much more.
If you just want to take a dip in the pool, Animal Kingdom Lodge has you covered. The kids even have a pool slide and you have a whirlpool tub and plenty of places to relax.
Kidani Village
In 2019, we stayed in a 1 Bedroom Villa with a savanna view at Kidani Village. We had stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge in a standard room for the week and then transferred to a 1 bedroom villa on the weekend.
Kidani Village is a short (I mean very short) drive over from Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is on the same property, but because it was built a little bit later, it is a completely separate building.
In a 1 bedroom villa you have a full kitchen, washer and dryer, 2 full bathrooms, a living room with a pull out coach, a dining area, and a master bedroom with a king bed. The room was spacious and had everything we needed and even had a larger balcony.
Because Kidani Village is a separate building than Animal Kingdom Lodge, they have their own pool, gym, and basketball and tennis courts. If you want to visit the Lodge without driving your car, there is a shuttle that goes back and forth between the buildings.
Our Favorite Place to Eat on Property - Sanaa
If you thought that watching animals right off your balcony was cool, how about watching animals as you dine?
At Sanaa, you can do just that. Found below the lobby of Kidani Village, Sanaa is surrounded with windows looking out on the savanna. The menu is African and Indian inspired and is full of delicious options. Always make sure to make a reservation ahead of time, but if you are not able to land a time slot, you can try to find a seat at their bar.
*HINT: Try to check for dining reservations 24 hours before. Because there is a cancellation fee, a lot of people tend to cancel their dining reservations a day before due to changed plans.
As you wait to be seated, there is a fire place outside with rocking chairs surrounded by all the animals.
A must do at Sanaa is their bread service. There are 5 different bread choices and even an additional allergy friendly option (free of gluten, milk, egg, soy, peanut and fish). You can pick from garlic-ginger naan, traditional naan, spiced naan, onion kulcha, or paneer paratha. Don't know which one to pick? You can mix and match!
The menu consists of a whole range of options from samosas, to grilled steaks, to a pork shank. If you want to try a few different options, I love to order their potjie inspired selection. You can choose one harvest (vegetable option) and one journey (fish or meat option). As a vegan, I tried two of their harvest options: lentil daal and chickpea wat. My husband ordered a new addition to the menu and tried their Vegetable Curry. The vegetables weren't cooked enough and were too crunchy, so he had wished he ordered something else.
Because we had ordered the bread service, we were already pretty full and were able to take a lot of food back to the room.
All in All
Animal Kingdom Lodge is a unique experience that you can't get many other places. Surrounded by several African animals on the savanna, this resort instantly puts you on another continent.
No longer do you feel the hustle and bustle of Walt Disney World, you are surrounded by the calming sounds of animals grazing in the grasslands around you. Sit back and relax by the fireplace and enjoy the stillness of the resort after a long day at the parks.
Though it may be a little bit more expensive than a value or moderate level resort at WDW, Animal Kingdom Lodge is absolutely worth the cost.
I wish that I could sit outside and watch the animals all day!
Interested in staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World? I would love to make that happen for you!
Contact me
(689)-247-8124
Comments