Ian
06-01-2011, 02:23 PM
Once the kids floated down from Cloud Nine, we pulled up to check-in and had the valet start unloading our bags. I went in to check in to the room and left DW outside to supervise the unloading. The two CM's at the counter were great! The woman who checked me in and her manager were so friendly and really, really helpful. When DW showed up with the kids, they made a huge fuss and when DD9 told them we were here to celebrate her birthday they really made a fuss. They filled out a birthday button for her, gave DW and DD9 roses, and basically gushed over us.
Since we checked in late our room was ready, so we headed right upstairs where our bags joined us shortly. I just have to say that the 1 BR villas at Kidani are just gorgeous. I thought BLT's 1BR's were nice, but this one was even better. Our master bedroom and bathroom were HUGE and very lavish. The walk-in shower was bigger than some hotel rooms I've stayed in and the soaking tub was one of the more modern, form-fitting ones vs. the soaking tub style the other DVC rooms have.
Everything was marble and dark wood ... very elegant and classy looking. Can't say enough about it. We didn't have a Savannah view room, but looked out right over the pool area and actually could see animals if we looked off to the right.
We decided to head out and find some food, since everyone was hungry. Originally we were going to eat dinner at Boma, but then we noticed Sanaa was in Kidani and didn't require us to hoof it over to Jambo House so we decided to try there instead. We walked down and were seated (with no ADR on a Friday night) in about five minutes.
The menu is Indian inspired and the restaurant decor is about what you'd expect for AKV ... lots of wood, sort of dark, but with nice atmosphere. The servers were really attentive and quick and before we knew it we had drinks and were waiting for our order to arrive.
I had a combo offering with spicy Durban chicken and braised beef short ribs. It was served with basmati rice and I had a glass of red wine with it. I'm not actually sure what it was, but the server recommended it and it was good. The kids both had pizza ( :rolleyes: ) and DW order Tandoori shrimp. I realy liked what I had a lot. I[ve had some really good Indian food over the years (including many "home cooked" meals from folks I worked with) and I thought this was very tasty. Not quite spicy enough for me, but probably more than enough for the average palatte. DW doesn't care for Indian food, so she thought hers was just okay. For dessert I got the sampler, which was chocolate cake, tropical fruit Kulfi, and chai cream. That was tasty, as well. Everyone else just had sorbet.
As we were wrapping up, we got a nice surprise when all the servers came up and sang an African-style happy birthday to DD, complete with bongo drums. They presented her with a nice card, hand signed by all the staff on duty. Great touch and she was beaming.
After that the kids were begging Daddy to take them to the pool, so we went down and swam for about 1/2 hour before heading up to bed. We had to wake up bright and early on Saturday morning, since we were switching resorts and still wanted to get as much park time in as we could.
Saturday, May 21st - As I said above, we woke up early, packed up what little stuff we had brought in with us, and headed over to Jambo House to grab breakfast at Boma. Like many buffet breakfasts in Disney World, it was pretty average. Pretty much the same stuff they have at all the other breakfast buffets, except for a small table that had some African style dishes. The Jungle Juice (fruit juice blend) got good reviews from everyone, though. In a funny moment, when our waiter brought Taylor a cupcake with a candle in it, she immediately leaned over and blew out th candle. The waiter kind of looked at her, reached in his pocket, lit the candle again, and proceeded to sing happy birthday. Taylor proceeded to turn red with deep embarrassment, eliciting some laughs from Mom and Dad.
Next up as we finish out day two ... a new surprise for Taylor and time spent in Epcot.
Since we checked in late our room was ready, so we headed right upstairs where our bags joined us shortly. I just have to say that the 1 BR villas at Kidani are just gorgeous. I thought BLT's 1BR's were nice, but this one was even better. Our master bedroom and bathroom were HUGE and very lavish. The walk-in shower was bigger than some hotel rooms I've stayed in and the soaking tub was one of the more modern, form-fitting ones vs. the soaking tub style the other DVC rooms have.
Everything was marble and dark wood ... very elegant and classy looking. Can't say enough about it. We didn't have a Savannah view room, but looked out right over the pool area and actually could see animals if we looked off to the right.
We decided to head out and find some food, since everyone was hungry. Originally we were going to eat dinner at Boma, but then we noticed Sanaa was in Kidani and didn't require us to hoof it over to Jambo House so we decided to try there instead. We walked down and were seated (with no ADR on a Friday night) in about five minutes.
The menu is Indian inspired and the restaurant decor is about what you'd expect for AKV ... lots of wood, sort of dark, but with nice atmosphere. The servers were really attentive and quick and before we knew it we had drinks and were waiting for our order to arrive.
I had a combo offering with spicy Durban chicken and braised beef short ribs. It was served with basmati rice and I had a glass of red wine with it. I'm not actually sure what it was, but the server recommended it and it was good. The kids both had pizza ( :rolleyes: ) and DW order Tandoori shrimp. I realy liked what I had a lot. I[ve had some really good Indian food over the years (including many "home cooked" meals from folks I worked with) and I thought this was very tasty. Not quite spicy enough for me, but probably more than enough for the average palatte. DW doesn't care for Indian food, so she thought hers was just okay. For dessert I got the sampler, which was chocolate cake, tropical fruit Kulfi, and chai cream. That was tasty, as well. Everyone else just had sorbet.
As we were wrapping up, we got a nice surprise when all the servers came up and sang an African-style happy birthday to DD, complete with bongo drums. They presented her with a nice card, hand signed by all the staff on duty. Great touch and she was beaming.
After that the kids were begging Daddy to take them to the pool, so we went down and swam for about 1/2 hour before heading up to bed. We had to wake up bright and early on Saturday morning, since we were switching resorts and still wanted to get as much park time in as we could.
Saturday, May 21st - As I said above, we woke up early, packed up what little stuff we had brought in with us, and headed over to Jambo House to grab breakfast at Boma. Like many buffet breakfasts in Disney World, it was pretty average. Pretty much the same stuff they have at all the other breakfast buffets, except for a small table that had some African style dishes. The Jungle Juice (fruit juice blend) got good reviews from everyone, though. In a funny moment, when our waiter brought Taylor a cupcake with a candle in it, she immediately leaned over and blew out th candle. The waiter kind of looked at her, reached in his pocket, lit the candle again, and proceeded to sing happy birthday. Taylor proceeded to turn red with deep embarrassment, eliciting some laughs from Mom and Dad.
Next up as we finish out day two ... a new surprise for Taylor and time spent in Epcot.