I am so excited— looking at a split stay with two nights at AKL in a savannah room. I have never been there before! I have a lot of questions.
What should we not miss?
Also if I want giraffes out our window what trail should I try for?
We are going to have a stroller, is the lobby considered the first floor there?
Looking at touring plans photos, it looks like maybe we don’t want a very high floor to see the animals more clearly?
I also want to do Boma breakfast, since it seems like a favorite on here. I’d also love to try Sanaa. We really want to soak in the resort. Planning our AK day while we are staying here. I think the kids will love it.
Lobby is floor 3. That would be a great floor to be on. We were on 5 most recently. If there are trees nearby that could be too high.
Try to get to do all of the cultural offerings and a hotel tour. And yes, all of the dining. It’s definitely a resort where one should be sure to allot plenty of time for just the resort.
I don’t. I think the only one that was not my favorite was the small one - Uzima. Not even because of the animals, but because I felt like it backed up to a roadway which took away from the immersion factor. I think I have most commonly been on the Sunset Savanna.
We did a split in October - first two nights at AKL then rest of stay at Boardwalk. We were in room 2577. I don’t know which Savannah it was on, but it was a looong walk from the lobby. However, we saw numerous giraffes, zebras and other animals so it was awesome from that perspective. Not sure where your interests lie (i.e. you mention a stroller, so we may not be on the same page lol as we were adults only trip), but our favorite thing there was grabbing a glass of wine at the bar in Jiko…they have mostly South African wines so it was unique and bar tenders were fantastic. We also loved the breakfast buffet at Boma!
I had my first (short) AKL stay in November and LOVED it! We were on the lobby level, in room 3110 (I posted some feedback on room requests): I think this level would be perfect both for your stroller situation and to view animals. We liked the variety of animals that we saw on the Ostrich trail. Our room was technically resort view (but actually partial savannah view). If you booked savannah view I would hope your view is straight-on (our was best when standing on the balcony and looking over to the left) - but if you like the idea of being close to the lobby it might be worth checking on the TP room finder if you see nice savannah view rooms on the Ostrich trail?
I know everyone loves Boma breakfast, but I will also highly recommend the casual breakfast at Sanaa: see my pictures and comments here. The views are unbeatable and I think it’s great value especially with kids who might not eat much at an expensive buffet.
Great info! I love not using elevators when we have a stroller so this is good to know! I will definitely shoot for the 3rd floor then. Is it easy to get to Sanaa? It’s in the other building right?
Indeed, Sanaa is in Kidani village. There’s a walkway between Jambo and Kidani, and also a shuttle bus that runs back and forth between the two lobbies.
We found the bus super easy: both times we took it, there was one already sitting and waiting right at the main resort entrance, and the driver took us over to the other building as soon as we boarded - it felt like VIP service! I was travelling with my elderly parents, so we didn’t try the walkway.
That should mean a lower room since DVC are the top floors, so one less thing you have to request!
We overlooked the sunset Savannah and absolutely loved it. I would request Sunset close to the lobby - you will have almost all of the animals. I could sit on my bed reading and look over and see giraffes.
The lobby is up above the Savannah levels - with the restaurants, pools and Savannahs down below. I don’t think there are rooms on the 1st and 2nd floors - those are restaurants and facilities if I recall correctly.
You will have a great time, there is nothing like it!