I have two boys who are now 9 and 13 and as the title says - they LOVE Kalahari. We have gone to Kalahari at least 4 times now (maybe 5?), our first trip was in the summer a few years ago and the last 3-4 years we have made a trip to Kalahari in late November / early December to celebrate my son's birthday. We have stayed in many different room types - Nomad, Two Room Family, Desert (and maybe one other) and our last trip was shortly after Thanksgiving and we stayed in an African Queen suite - our nicest room yet. The room has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, sofa, fireplace, etc.

I would give this a "5" rating if it were not for a few minor issues. It seems over the years things have got a little lax. For example, on this trip the door to the deck from the master bedroom in the African Queen Suite was left unlocked by the staff. Our room was on the first floor, so this is obviously a safety/security hazard. Fortunately I discovered the problem before leaving our valuables in the room (or falling asleep that night). I reported the unlocked door while there and filled out the survey after our trip with no response. Please be sure to check your deck/balcony door when you check in!

As mentioned in other reviews, their bedding leaves a lot to be desired. Kalahari is not a cheap place to stay. For the amount of $$$$ the rooms cost, the bedding should be in much better shape. They still use nasty bedspreads on their beds. I hate bedspreads in hotels. Neither the bedspread or the blanket on the king bed appeared clean, the blanket actually had a pretty gross stain on it, I called housekeeping and had the linen changed. The housekeeper (she may have been a supervisor) was very nice and cheerful, and changed the linen for me without any complaints, and was sincere when she asked if there was anything else I needed. One time we checked in and changed and went straight to the waterpark. When went back that evening and found NO sheets on one of the beds, only the nasty bedspread. That stay also required a call to housekeeping.

The breakfast buffet while included with the package we got was IMO subpar quality. There was one thing on the buffet that no one in our group could identify. Maybe I am just spoiled by Vegas buffets. Further, we were at the resort with another family and asked for a table for 9. Large groups of people that checked in after us were seated before us. These groups had 9 or more. The wait was way too long and when we were finally taken to our table there were several empty tables that would have accomodated our group. The staff simply seemed unable to properly take names and seat people. I am not one to complain as I have worked in the service industry in the past, I am normally more understanding than the average guest. When I asked why we weren't being seated the staff simply had no answer and it took at least another 10 minutes to get to our table. At least it was "free" (more like "already paid for" with the package). The food line is an extremely poor set up, one line, only one side, and you must get in the back of the line and walk past all of the food stations, even if your child only wants one thing (that is towards the front).

The changing areas could use some attention, I feel that they could be kept a little cleaner. I also think that they should discontinue the day passes. The park is crowded enough with the number of rooms this resort has without the extra people that come for day passes. IMO the overnight guests are paying a premium for the rooms, they should at least get to enter the park earlier, or stay later, have a special wristband for a speed line, or something as a "perk" for the amount of money spent on the room.

Some positive items - The waterpark is clean and a lot of fun. My boys love the slides, the wave pool, lazy river and surfing (flowrider?). While I like the slides and such, I also really like the adults only swim up bar/hot tub, always nice to stop by for one of their frozen cocktails. It is really nice that Kalahari lets guests stay after check out to use the water park (hence the reason I have used the changing room). The large pizza with the package deals is a great value, the kids love it and it is actually decent pizza for a park. I have seen their safety/emergency/first aid team in action (someone had a seizure high up on the steps/in line for a ride 2 trips ago) and I must say I was very impressed with how fast they responded, how calm and orderly the situation was handled, and how caring they were for the pre-teen until her parents arrived at the scene.

Despite the minor flaws, Kalahari is a very nice place to stay and has a potential to be rated a 5. A little more attention to detail is all it would take.

Overall my family had a wonderful time at this resort. It was our 3rd time there and we had never had any problems before. This time however, we did have a few problems. But I'll start with the good side:

Pros:
The lobby had a very nice feel to it, and it was very big and welcoming. I loved the layout and there were many retaurants and shops. It had a huge view of the waterpark through a window in the back of the lobby. The room was nicely decorated and had a view of a small lake out front. The water park was very fun. Staff was friendly most of the time and we had a wonderful time in the wave pool.

Cons:
First of all, the lady in the Kalahari Outpost shop was rude. We were waiting to check out and she was having a conversation with the front desk lady. The beds in our room sagged in the middle, but we hardly noticed after a tiring day in the waterpark. The waterpark was dirty for the most part and VERY crowded. Lines were way too long of a wait; 20-30 minutes. In the arcade we had a very bad experience. We bought game cards but 2 of them didnt work on any of the games. We tried to get new ones but the rude teenager working the prize station said we couldn't have a refund and that he couldn't give us new ones. Very rude.

This was the first time we ever had problems with this resort. Overall we had a really good time and I recommend this resort to everyone.

Our family of five (Ages 43, 35, 12, 10, and 1 year) had our 5th Kalahari visit this week. Everything went extremely smooth and the staff is exceptional. It is very apparent the majority of the staff love their jobs! In the past, the staff in the water park where very rigid and often unkind. We couldn't find one staff member who wasn't on top of their game!

We always go off season and during the week to avoid long lines and mobs of people. The Kalahari's African theme is very welcome during cold winter months!

We always pick the "Choose Your Own Adventure" package, and even though we always make our reservations last minute, there has never been an issue the staff can't handle. This time, we upgraded to the African Queen suite and LOVED it! Two separate bedrooms with heavenly beds and bathrooms, a living room, and kitchenette, all with plenty of storage so you don't have to live out of a suit case. There are three flat screen TV's and a fireplace in the living area. The balcony was connected by door walls in the bedroom and living area, and overlooked the outdoor water park and animals. The master bathroom had the most wonderful jacuzzi tub that is big enough to fit more than one person and was the FIRST that my 6'8" husband was able to completely submerge in.

Even though we also choose pizza and pop and $40 voucher for The Reserve, we always bring plenty of snacks and drinks to keep our costs down. Eating the pizza after your first day in the water park is like heaven!!! Dinner at The Reserve is always mouth watering! It was our babies first birthday and he got a cute birthday button and free desert.

One suggestion for families is to bring your own in room entertainment. I don't let my boys bring electronic video games, instead we opt for family board games. There is so much stimulation during the day that everyone enjoys this quiet family time. I would like to see some resort run activities in the evening (story time or some other wind down activity) to give the children a chance to wind down and parents a chance to visit. I met some wonderful people but only had the chance to say hi passing in the hallway.

We have gone to many waterparks and hotels in the past, but since we discovered The Kalahari, we have never stayed anywhere else. It is a family tradition!!!!

This was our 5th time at the resort.We went for 2 nights.Our daughter got to take her friend & they had so much fun.All the staff was wonderful (especially Katherine @ check in!The arcade is HUGE!!!Our room had full kitchen,dining room,living room,fireplace,patio & private bedroom.It was very nice & very clean.I would highly recommend this as a great place to take your family.I really like that they have such a selection in rooms from 1 person to 20+.We have taken just our kids to in-laws,nieces,nephews.Every stay has been fun.They offer alot of specials & packages so you can get a really good price.