Explorer’s Lodge Hotel

This hotel is incredible, it is situated between the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and The Hollywood Hotel in HKDL.

The moment you pull up to the resort, it screams Animal Kingdom Lodge in WDW. I would even go as far as to say it was the same hotel but better! There are African artefacts like in AKL, a walk across bridge from a small height from each side of the interior of the hotel and ultimately gives you ‘explorers feels’ like you are in a completely different country.

Here when we checked in we did not struggle with any language barriers, the cast member was polite and was sure to explain everything to us. We were given plenty of maps and times guides (in English), a fast pass for each of us for each night of our stay and maps of the grounds. Check in was a great experience and we encountered zero issues.

When we booked our hotel we qualified for a free upgrade to a deluxe room. I am not to sure on the difference between the standard and deluxe. For a three night stay it cost us a little over £600. As soon as you step inside the room, it its extremely welcoming, open and it has a fresh, new smell. This hotel is only about a year old.  There are two double beds, with Mickey and Minnie wooden shaped carvings behind the bed, a spacious bathroom area and a huge window with scenes of the resort grounds. Similar to Shanghai’s Toy Story Hotel, you were supplied with many amenities, bathroom toiletries, slippers, cups, a travel tin and toothbrushes. The difference in ‘extras’ from the Asian hotels to American park hotels are worlds apart.

The hotel corridors were African themed, I felt like I was walking in a hotel that was not in Disney, it was incredibly well thought out. The elevators were designed like you were traveling inside a hot air balloon, Mickey and Minnie welcomed you to each floor.

There was a small merchandise shop which I thought carried better merchandise than the whole of Shanghai’s Disney park.

2 restaurants are located in the hotel along with a cafe counter that sells cakes, sandwiches and a few hot meals. Quick note, buy cakes after 9pm at that cafe they are 40% off, it is not advertised but discounted at the till at time of purchase. Dragon Wind, is considered a fine dining resutrant. It serves Chinese and Cantonese inspired foods. We ate here about 20 minutes after checking in to our room. We were well looked after and different server attended to us for different things. Breakfast offers character dining but be warned the lines get long in the morning, I would suggest getting there early. The park does not open until 10am so guests are happy to eat breakfast around 8/9am. We went down one morning around 9am as we wanted to slowly walk to the park and the queue for this was around 40 people deep. No thank you. We did not eat in World of Colour, the menu offerings did not appeal to either of us.

(The table set up at Dragon Wind)

(Herbal tea with fresh flowers, my ‘cup of tea’)

(Pork gyoza behind and seafood fried rice, both tasted great)

I would 100% stay in this restaurant again, the food, the theming inside and outside the hotel, the walking distance to the park and how spacious and comfortable the rooms were make this one of my favourite hotels I have ever stayed in. Period.

Have you stayed in Explorer’s Lodge? Would you want to stay here on an upcoming trip?Let me know in the comments.