07/29/08

Wonderful hotel, but not as convenient to attractions

by jenheidir

This hotel goes all out with its animal theme, from the main hall designed to look like a wilderness lodge to a savannah outback complete with live giraffes, zebras and other animals. My family would always make a special trip over to this hotel to eat at the Boma, a mix of African cuisine and classic, American buffet foods. Afterward once it got dark, we?d always sit by the large fire pit outback in the rocking chairs. (Yes, it is possible relax at Disney! Lol) The major disadvantage this hotel has though in my view is that guests without cars are dependent on the Disney bus system to get everywhere. There?s no park or attraction you can walk to from the lodge.

01/07/06

Deluxe resort features an African theme, regional cuisine and savannahs with plenty of roaming wildlife.

by Contributor

The Scene
Adjacent to Disney's Animal Kingdom park, this 1,293-room hotel celebrates the African continent with tributes to its mighty architecture, regional cuisine and exotic wildlife. The resort was designed using a modified kraal African village layout, a horseshoe-like arrangement allowing expansive views of the surrounding savannah and its many animal inhabitants. That's right, nearly 200 mammals and three-dozen species of birds--including Ankole cattle, zebra, wildebeest and geese--wander the grounds.

The Details
All rooms feature hand-carved African furnishings and art, and most overlook the 33-acre savannah. Accommodations range from spacious standard rooms to two-bedroom suites with kitchenettes. Kids will enjoy the 9,000-square-foot Uzima pool with a 67-foot water slide, a video arcade and extensive children's programs. Adults will appreciate the Zahanati spa and fitness center and Simba's Cubhouse, offering supervised activities for kids in the evenings so parents can have a night out of their own.

11/26/03

Can't Say Enough Good Things!

by daved

Wife and myself stayed there 8-15 Sep. One of the few places that is actually better than the advertisements. Animals on a savannah outside your window. Super Staff..always ready to help. Great food..you must try the evening bouffet..OUTSTANDING! Super pool and relaxing atmosphere. Just walking into the lobby is an overwhelming experience! Just walking around the lodge is like going to a theme park...multiple viewing areas to see the animals. Can't say enough good things about this place. Definitely intend to go back..can't wait!

• Pros: GREAT ATMOSPHERE, VERY GOOD FOOD, RELAXING

11/05/03

Amazing and Relaxing

by bigredeo

We booked a Standard View Room because we heard they usually offer a free upgrade if the hotel isn't full. At check-in, they told us they'd already upgraded us to a Pool View Room at no extra charge. I asked how much more it would be for a Savannah View Room - only $10 more per night! So, for $60 more, we got a room that would have been $500 more for the week if we had reserved it in advance! Plus she let us pick the area of the hotel we wanted. Definitely ask for an inside Savannah view. Nothing like having breakfast on your balcony while the animals eat below. Peaceful. Like another reviewer said - DO NOT get a Pool View room. We went for a quiet swim close to midnight and parents had their kids screaming out there. Restaurants are fantastic, especially the breakfast buffet!

• Pros: View, Quiet Savannah Rooms, Great Food & Service
• Cons: Screaming kids @ pool

10/09/02

Wonderful resort

by jessicadinius

I stayed this year and I had an excelent time the resort was beautiful the rooms very wonderful and inviting. The people were helpful and friendly. The view was amazing. DO NOT get a pool view if you intend on sleeping because its open TWENTY FOUR HOURS A DAY. I could not sleep because of children screaming at 11:30-12:30pm! I reccomend a savannah view its amazing to wake up to zebra and geraffes at your window being fed!

• Pros: beautiful rooms, excelent service, great setting
• Cons: 24hr pool, distance from MK!, hard matress

08/14/02

Make memories at WDW

by frodesen

Let's face it, Walt Disney World is an expensive vacation destination. So, if you are going to come here, make ALL of it memorable. By staying in the middle of a recreated African savannah, you will be constantly amazed at the beauty and majesty of it's animals. Every morning, we were able to have coffee on our veranda and watch wildebeest, zebra and giraffe foraging. You are close enough to hear the sounds of their chomping. The atmosphere of the resort is truly in another world, a wonderful learning experience for each and every one.

• Pros: Atmosphere, Animals, atmosphere
• Cons: long walks to lobby

08/06/02

Unforgettable experience

by KForrest_Citysearch

I started out feeling disappointed that this hotel was a distance from the Magic Kingdom (a bus ride, as opposed to taking the monorail), but the Animal Kingdom won me over the second I walked inside. The lobby is gorgeous, the views from each room are priceless and the breakfast buffet is one of the best I've ever had. Highly recommended.

• Pros: Incredible views

06/20/02

A GREAT FAMILY PLACE

by DKAusitn

Every morning we had breakfast with the animals and enjoyed coming back from the park in the afternoon for a quiet nap.

Pool is giantic. Nice play are for small children.

Disappointment in that there are no walking trails, but touring the different areas in and around the Hotel you can get quite a bit of experise.

It was worth every cents we paid for it.

After the room was made we came back to these wonderful little creatures made out of towels and wash clothes.

• Pros: Animals, African Theme, Quiet
• Cons: Expensive, Out of the way, Massive but inside

06/05/02

girraffs, zebras and wildebeasts oh my

by twadams13

FANTASTIC!!!!!! you have all the animals within 50 feet of your room. I woke the wife at 6:30am just before going to my tee time and we had cattle, kudo, zebra, birds, girraffs, wildebeasts and more right outside the window. The food was terrific in all the restaurants.

• Pros: the animals, the food, the service
• Cons: long walks from the l, know it all guests th

06/05/02

The Relaxing Oasis

by lillykat

This hotel has not only a wonderful staff but many spots to simply sit and relax in your time away from the parks. We had a savannah room and did enjoy all of the animals from the balcony but we would have been find to have a simply standard view room. There are multiple places to sit in rocking chairs and watch the animals. This place is great for couples and families. Don't miss trying Boma the food was excellent. Although the hotel might seem far from some of the parks we had a car and it took us no time at all to get back and forth from our hotel. Overall this was a hotel we could not wait to get back to each day and were never disappointed when it was time to leave the park. It is a hotel we will definitely be returning to.

• Pros: Great Restaurants, animal viewing areas, Great staff
• Cons: pool not very warm