On a recent trip to Walt Disney World, we traveled with a large group. In examining our accommodations, we decided it would be a good opportunity to try out a 2-bedroom villa at one of the Disney Vacation Club resorts. We decided upon Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, since the size and theme of the rooms appealed to us. Let me say, pictures do not do justice to how beautiful these rooms are.
Kidani Village is the newer portion of the Disney Vacation Club at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is located right next to the Lodge, but has its own lobby/check-in area and its own pool. The room accommodations at Kidani Village include studios, one-bedroom suites, two-bedroom suites, or three-bedroom grand villas. Our two-bedroom suite was exactly the right amount of space for our group of nine. Disney lists the two-bedroom suites as bring 1,173 square feet.
Check-in at Kidani was quick and pleasant. We arrived at the resort around 1-2 p.m., and our room was ready for us. One very nice feature is that Kidani Village is built with its parking garage underneath the hotel rooms. This meant that our vehicles did not roast in the hot Florida sun.
We found the rooms to be spacious, well appointed, and extremely well themed. At Kidani Village, the two-bedroom suites actually have three full bathrooms, which is a nice feature for a large group. The fact that we could take three showers at once definitely saved us time! My grandmother was traveling with a wheelchair for this trip, and we had no problems getting around with the wheelchair or storing it in the room.
The suite had two bedrooms, a king size suite with a gigantic bathroom/dedicated shower/whirlpool tub, and a separate bedroom with two queen sized beds and full bathroom. In between the two bedrooms was our living space, which included a living room (with pull out couch sleeping accommodations) and a full sized kitchen (stove/range, refrigerator, dishwasher, sink, dining table), and the third bathroom. There was also a large closet which contained a combination washer/dryer, which came in very handy while we were there!
Adjacent to the room entrance was a large balcony which spanned the full length of all three rooms, which had an amazing view of the savannah below us. The savannah is the truly unique part of staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We frequently saw giraffes and zebras right outside of our room along with other animals. We all felt as though this was the closest we would ever be to taking an actual African safari.
The pool at Kidani Village is a wonderful spot for families. It is a zero entry pool, so there were no steps to contend with for our young children. (Or grandma!) They have games around the pool for most of the day, which the kids enjoyed. There is also a large pool bar where you can get drinks and some limited food options.
If you stay at Kidani, you are also allowed to use the pool at Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Jambo House, but we never felt the need to do so, since we enjoyed the Kidani pool so much. In addition to the pool activities, Animal Kingdom Lodge offers other activities for its guests, many of which help you to understand more about life in Africa. You could easily make a whole vacation at Kidani Village without even entering the theme parks!
We truly loved our time at Kidani Village, and would not hesitate to return there. There was something very special about being able to make a nice breakfast in our room, and take a cup of coffee onto the balcony to watch the giraffes. It was also wonderful having so much space to spread out into our own little corners when necessary while still keeping the family so close together.
We have already booked our next vacation at a Disney Vacation Club resort for this year, but this time, we’ll be trying out Old Key West instead!
What are your thoughts on staying at Kidani Village?