Good Neighbor Hotels?

[Pixieshouse]

We have stayed at a few good neighbor hotels without luck. The resort hotels are booked on quite a few of the dates that we can travel are full. So if you had a choice where would you stay?

Pref. within walking distance to DL. But a short shuttle is ok. We took a shuttle from one hotel but it wasn't on the half hour and they were always way to full.

Please help, I really need a DL fix and I having such a hard time finding dates that will work.

Ok off to keep looking.

[funnygarcia]

I like HoJo's (Howard johnson). The won an award thru Tripadvisor.. picked as top hotel for families in US.

The have decent rates, sometimes they have really low rates with the Entertainment card.
Clean, comfy rooms, walking distance, great staff.

I have tried Best Western Park Place Inn, it's located at the cross-walk... It was just "OK". Very easy to walk (shorter distance than DL Hotel), clean rooms. They have a free breakfast.. nothing spectacular. I found the rooms to be depressingly dark and did not like pool location (next to parking). Even my sons asked why didn't we stay at Hojo's?

Due to Priceline bids I have had stays at the Hilton and the Marriot by the convention center. Loved the hot tubs/jacuzzis and view at Hilton. The room was ok, the hotel is starting to show its age. Geared more for the convention goer than a DL trip.
The Marriot was very nice, crowded if a big convention is going on. Rooms were very clean, respectful professional staff, very comfy beds. The have a Pizza Hut and Starbucks in lobby which was nice.
Both of those would require a shuttle. We walked in the morning.. can't stand waiting! LOL and used ART shuttle back to hotel.

Our first trip was the Holiday Inn and Suites on Walnut. Another hotel that is just "ok", we had encounters with rude staff. haven't gone back.

[lucky1]

Here are the places we have stayed at resently and a quick review. I always post a review (good or bad) on tripadvisor.

HoJo: Good rate on mousesavers and we found the room & pools very nice. Also the staff was very helpful and nice. We typically do not choose, because the street between Mimi's and Hojos just got a bit too busy for crossing (IMO, others disagree with me)

Anabella: Good internet rate on their site or with AAA. We have stayed there 4 times with just 1 "bad" experience and that was due to uncomfortable bedding, all others have been good stays. It is Motel style that has been upgraded. We find the walk easy, cross the light at Katella and head up Disney way to DGC & DTD. It is just a little bit longer than walking from PP. Next to an ART stop, but we have never used.

Fairfield: Ok hotel/motel, nothing special. Room was very big. Pool is in the parking lot. Walk to Disney was very easy Nothing really stands out about this place.

Best Western PPI: Nothing special motel, except that it is the closest to Disneyland and you just cross the street. We did not have the greatest experience there (you can do a search on our stay on this board). Parking is very tight here and we had problems with a rude staff. The free breakfast is very much a carb breakfast (breads, donuts, cereals and pastries) , but they did offer hardboiled eges. Heard they are going as an all non-smoking hotel.

Candy Cane Inn: Will let you know after our trip this month.

[funnygarcia]

Forgot about the Fairfield. I agree, it was just ok, nothing special.
I remember having issues with opening the door, hard to turn the handle. And we put a towel along door edge at night due to annoying sound of wind whistling under the edge.
The mini couch/foldout bed is very small, less than twin sized.. ok for child but was uncomfortable for my SIL who was 16 at the time.
Kinda dark room, pool was ok but again location was not ideal (paraking lot). I liked the shorter walk..

[hlbtimes2]

We like the candy cane. Its close enough to walk, does offer a shuttle as well as breakfast. It is an older motel style, and I know some people dont like that. If you check tripadvisor you'll see its one of the top rated properties in the area.

[abby]

Another vote for HOJO's. We stayed at DLH twice and loved it, but for $$ reasons needed to stay off site last October. I booked HOJO in part because of the great things I read, but I was nervous. We really enyoyed it. Me and dd 6. She loved the pool. The service was great (loved the gift shop) and the grounds are nice (OK not as nice as DLH but not totally "motel" ish...) We would stay there again. You could see the fireworks from some rooms (not ours) or from the parking lot. If you book there go to mousesavers.com and they have some deals at HOJO.

[spazzyjazzy]

We stay at the HOJO for our summer trips. We love it there.

[ZeusNike]

We would definitely be staying at the Candy Cane in July if we didn't need a suite this time. The rooms are very clean and the beds are comfy, the breakfast is better than most, the grounds are very pretty, the staff was great, there is lots of parking, it is within easy walking distance from the parks but there is a shuttle every 30 min. should you want it...we liked everything about it.

[azgal81]

I just was not impressed with the HOJO when we stayed there a few weeks ago. The only good thing about it was the internet and the gift shop. I'm probably going to look at staying at the candy cane inn next!

[MATTERHORN]

Yes Candy Cane Inn gets great reviews, it seems to be the place that most people stay if they can't stay onsite!! I have never stayed there but that's only because if I am staying offsite, I refuse to pay over $100 per night!!!

One day I will try it though!


Andrea

[Amy&Dan]

Here are the good neighbor hotels we have stayed at:

Howard Johnsons: Very nice motel, great staff, lovely grounds and pool. The bathroom area was kind of old and a bit moldy but it did have a great set up with sink outside the shower area and another one inside the toilet/shower area. My kids loved the pool. It had some nice views of the fireworks from around the resort, the hottub in particular. My only complaint was that the walk felt a bit long. Its about the same distance as the DLH but its up a busy street not DTD so it felt longer. We also had my fil with us who is disabled and that was a real problem for him so we took the ART which probably took longer but at least we were sitting. Its a very nice place, I would stay there again.

Camelot Inn: Stayed here when it was the Park Inn International. Very basic motel. The room felt dark and old, it was clean enough but pretty basic. Pool smelled funny but the deck it was situated on offered a wonderful view of the fireworks. Free, basic, not great breakfast. TV never worked and staff told us none of the tv's worked so not to feel bad :rolleyes: ! Now this place has since been sold and rennovated so I think it might be better. However, it feels dark, the room felt dark and it just felt like the whole thing was rooms in a parking lot. Would not stay here again because:

We found the Tropicana and like itmuch better. It is owned by the same people who now own the Camelot which is why I assume that one might be better now. It has smallish rooms but it was spotlessly clean and recently redone. Room had a microwave and small frig. The pool area was your basic square pool but there was plenty of seating, towels and a very large spa. It was also very clean. The whole place was clean, I constantly saw staff out hosing down the walkways, pruning the many trees and bushes (it does have some landscaping touches that make it feel less like a parking lot environment) washing windows etc. They were all so nice and helpful. Same free crappy breakfast as what we had at the Camelot but they did have apples and bananas which was nice. You could buy cereal boxes and a pint of milk for a dollar each. It is very close to the crosswalk, the second property in and we really liked it. I coulld see parking being a problem at this place however but I think that can be said about most of the motels right there at the crosswalk.

We will probably give the Candy Cane Inn a try next time we stay offsite, I want to see what all the hype is about. But since it usually rates higher than even the GCH and I have never seen a bad review, I think the hype must be deserved. I wish it was sitting where the Tropicana is but that would be too perfect I guess!

[Disneyenthusiast]

Candy Cane Inn was good. Rooms were clean and well maintained. Landscaping was nice. The free breakfast and having their own shuttle was great too. The rooms are a bit small, so no more than 4 to a room. (There were just 2 of us.)

[Twinprincesses]

We stayed at the BW Park Place. The only thing I did not like was that when the water was on it was so loud. Other than that for the price and location it could not be beat.

[lucky1]

Candy Cane Inn - We are here this trip and it is great. Now the walk is doable (similar to Anabella) and they offer their own shuttle. No ART or not sharing with others. The Free breakfast is mostly carbs, but seemed to be much better set up than BWPPI. Rooms are nice, not very big, but nice. Staff and grounds are nice. Definately try for a AAA or internet rate to bring the price down.

[IandGsmom]

Just got back from the Tropicana.
Much better than what I expected. Location was perfect walking distance. Rooms were clean as was the property. We didnt go swimming but there were always people in the pool so it must be ok. Breakfast was the only disappointment. Only coffee/oj and danishes but hey, its free.
I have stayed at various places over the years: Candy Cane was fine but a little overrated IMHO. I didnt like the Anabella. Embassy Suites South was my favorite . Holiday Inn on Walnut was just ok. None of the others really stick out in my mind. Have fun.

[tracer]

Just got back from the Tropicana.
Much better than what I expected. Location was perfect walking distance. Rooms were clean as was the property. We didnt go swimming but there were always people in the pool so it must be ok. Breakfast was the only disappointment. Only coffee/oj and danishes but hey, its free.
I have stayed at various places over the years: Candy Cane was fine but a little overrated IMHO. I didnt like the Anabella. Embassy Suites South was my favorite . Holiday Inn on Walnut was just ok. None of the others really stick out in my mind. Have fun.


We are considering the Tropicana for Dec. I hear the b-fast isn't anything to get your hopes up for. You can buy a bagel and a few other things for $1. If you can save a few bucks by staying here, what is $1 for a few little extras at b-fast?? I also hear it is very clean and newly remodeled. Is that true?

[IandGsmom]

I remember seeing cereal for a buck but dont know what else. We only went to get the coffee and pastries and brought them back to the room. It was enough to get us going in the morning and last until an early lunch, even the kids, but we arent big breakfast people.
The hotel was very clean. I requested a ground floor room (I dont want to climb stairs after walking all day) in a quiet location. I got room 135 in front of the pool. It was great. I think they close the pool at 10 and it was always quiet at night, not a peep. I would recommend it and stay there again.

[Amy&Dan]

We are considering the Tropicana for Dec. I hear the b-fast isn't anything to get your hopes up for. You can buy a bagel and a few other things for $1. If you can save a few bucks by staying here, what is $1 for a few little extras at b-fast?? I also hear it is very clean and newly remodeled. Is that true?

Yes it is newly remodeled and super clean. The bathroom was so nice and new looking! Another thing was that the bedding seemed cleaner than some places. It smelled fresh (I am talking about the blankets and bedspreads which we all know don't always get a lot of TLC at hotels/motels). I remember one night asking for another blanket and a very nice guy brought one up, still warm from the dryer. I would always see huge bins of clean bedspreads in the laundry area as we walked by which made me think they do actually wash them occasionally! We had a great stay there last year. The room was small but still very comfortable for four people. There was plenty of room for a rollaway so that we could leave it out/unfolded at all times. The staff was very nice. We bought boxes of cereal for a dollar and the milk was a one pint bottle so it was enough for both kids to use for their cereal. They also had apples and oranges and encouraged us to take those for a snack in the parks, which we did. The free breakfast is all about the "free" part believe me. But its enough to get you going and it saves some time and money. They had muffins, danish, croissants, lemonade and juice as well as coffee. I don't remember if they had bagles or not. And one good thing, each room as a frig and microwave so you could make something like oatmeal in your room and buy things at a grocery store to also save some money on breakfast.

Its an older motel type property. But it had a lot of nice touches and staff was great and the location could not be beat. I would definitely stay there again.

I also want to add that I checked tripadvisor a few times in the last month and the reviews of the Tropicana have been very positive. I was checking for a co worker and also myself. I ended up booking the Candy Cane only because I am curious to see what the hype is about. But I might just go back to the Tropicana because we had such a good time there and my kids loved being so close to the crosswalk. We'll see!

[labagit]

Embassy Suites South was my favorite .

I'm so glad to read this as this is where we've decided to stay in April. I've read so many good things about it, with the only negative being the location. I tend to get a big on sensory overload, so I think being a bit further away will be a good thing for us. Can't wait!

[tracer]

I love to hear feedback from everyone on the GN hotels/motels.

What do you guys think about the order of these hotels? On tripadvisor this is the ranking they are in. Of these five, how would you rank them from 1-5 based on cleanliness and comfort (newly remodeled is helpful)?

#9 Camelot Inn
#12 BWPPI
#18 DLH
#25 Tropicana
#30 Carousel Inn

I wish the CCI was a bit closer for walking. I am not ready to tempt it with 2 strollers and 2 little ones. But it seems like a hotel that I would be comfortable at.

I also like the Hampton Inn and Suites. The bedding was very clean, the kitchen and bathrooms were too. The hot breakfast was great and very filling with tons of options to choose from. It isn't in walking distance though so a totally pain with two strollers.

[spongemommie05]

i am curious to see if anyone has stayed at hotels that accomadate a party of 8 i have 7 in my family and my mother in law this will be our first trip as a family and also a first trip to disneyland i am looking up hotels and they are saying that we exceed the occupancy . any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated:hug:

[Amy&Dan]

I love to hear feedback from everyone on the GN hotels/motels.

What do you guys think about the order of these hotels? On tripadvisor this is the ranking they are in. Of these five, how would you rank them from 1-5 based on cleanliness and comfort (newly remodeled is helpful)?

#9 Camelot Inn
#12 BWPPI
#18 DLH
#25 Tropicana
#30 Carousel Inn

I wish the CCI was a bit closer for walking. I am not ready to tempt it with 2 strollers and 2 little ones. But it seems like a hotel that I would be comfortable at.


I also like the Hampton Inn and Suites. The bedding was very clean, the kitchen and bathrooms were too. The hot breakfast was great and very filling with tons of options to choose from. It isn't in walking distance though so a totally pain with two strollers.

I have stayed at athe Tropicana, DLH and Camelot (back when it was Park Inn, over two years ago.). All I can say is that there is no way the Camelot is 9 notches above the DLH. I think a lot of ppl who post on Tripadvisor are deal hounds. If a place is expensive (as the DLH is) it is going to have to be beyond perfect to get a good rating. Tripadvisor is a valuable resource and I use it to scope out consistent problems with cleanliness, safety, location, staff problems, bug problems etc. But I also take a lot of those reviews with a grain of salt. I have noticed for years that the DLH ranks below some of the small motels on Harbor. If you are ranking a property for value and cleanliness alone I can see that. Because for less than half you can definitely stay offsite in a clean room, close to the park offsite. But any of the onsite DLR hotels are just beyond the motels on Harbor in service, room size, amenities, pools, dining and of course they have that magic. Its a lot to pay however and thats what gets them into trouble with many Tripadvisor reviews. But I have stayed at the DLH five times and had perfect stays each time. Camelot was clean but it was no DLH except it was so much cheaper and even a closer walk to the parks.

I also have to say that unless the Camelot did an AMAZING job of rennovating it is not nicer (especially 14 notches worth on Trip Advisor) than the Tropicana. The reason I did not like the Camelot (again, it was the Park Inn Int'l when I stayed there) was that the rooms were small and dark. And it felt like it was just a parking lot, no grounds, no charm. The Tropicana is also a motel but it did have some nice landscaping touches etc. It was also closer by a bit and had a nicer pool area.

Also, one or two bad reviews on Tripadvisor can really move a property down the ranks very quickly. The last time I looked not that long ago the Tropicana was about 10 on the scale.

As for the CCI, it is walking distance, I believe its about the same as the Howard Johnson's and the DLH. I know that can be a pain with two little ones however. But it does have its own dedicated shuttle going back and forth. I am sure there are plenty of strollers being loaded onto that shuttle each day! I would stay there (and am but my kids are older) if it looks good to you since the walk is less than 15 minutes and they do have a shuttle.

There's just too many choices and it gets overwhelming sometimes. But I think staying closer to DL is a real plus whether you go with the CCI or one of the others you mentioned.

[tracer]

Great post Amy&Dan!! Thanks!

[mikayla73]

Has anyone stayed at the Del Sol Inn? I haven't heard much about that one from here.

[blackjackdelta]

i am curious to see if anyone has stayed at hotels that accomadate a party of 8 i have 7 in my family and my mother in law this will be our first trip as a family and also a first trip to disneyland i am looking up hotels and they are saying that we exceed the occupancy . any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated:hug:

I would try BWPPI or Residence Inn Maingate.

Jackpirate:

[spongemommie05]

I would try BWPPI or Residence Inn Maingate.

Jackpirate:
Thanks :thumbsup2

[Lives4Disney]

Has anybody recently stayed at the Sheraton Anaheim?? The one that looks kind of like a castle?? I can stay there for almost nothing with SPG points, but if it's not great I would just save the points fpr something else.

I am considering the DLH or GCH nonconcierge or this Sheraton freebie. Free is good, but I also want NICE. :)

THANKS,

Lives4Disney (who canceled her GCH concierge AAA package :thumbsup2 and needs another hotel idea, lol)

[chanchiluv]

For the record, My family and I were at the Camelot (when it was Park Inn) back in November 2005 and we had a great stay. The staff was nice, the continental breakfast was good (better than BW Stovalis), and the rooms were attractively decorated and clean. As for the "atmosphere" we don't really care about things like that. Since we spend all our free time at the parks anyways, it doesn't really matter to me what the grounds look like as long as they're clean and fairly quiet. Also, on that subject, IMO it's very hard to find a hotel close to DL that doesn't have some sort of noise disturbance going on. After all, when you get all those families with kids together, they're bound to be noisy on occasion. :cutie: :flower3: If you want a hotel that's quieter, it might be worth it to book at one of the hotels that caters to Convention - type people instead. However, it will take you longer to get to the parks (and I'm not a big fan of ART:sad2: ). HTH!!!

xo Linda

[Amy&Dan]

Has anybody recently stayed at the Sheraton Anaheim?? The one that looks kind of like a castle?? I can stay there for almost nothing with SPG points, but if it's not great I would just save the points fpr something else.

I am considering the DLH or GCH nonconcierge or this Sheraton freebie. Free is good, but I also want NICE. :)

THANKS,

Lives4Disney (who canceled her GCH concierge AAA package :thumbsup2 and needs another hotel idea, lol)

Here is some information:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=7672503#post7672503

Also one of the regulars here on disboards disneegrl4eva (I think that is her user name, if not its very close to that) has posted very good things about that hotel. I am sure you could search back through her posts or pm her for more information. Good luck!

[Lives4Disney]

Here is some information:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=7672503#post7672503

Also one of the regulars here on disboards disneegrl4eva (I think that is her user name, if not its very close to that) has posted very good things about that hotel. I am sure you could search back through her posts or pm her for more information. Good luck!

THANKS! :goodvibes I just checked that link out, but that thread is a bit on the oldish side....I believe it has been thru a remodel since & high speed internet access was added and the place updated. You're right Disneygirl3eva (Maybe I don't have that exactly right, but I remember that 4eva part, lol) did comment on my other thread asking about this Sheraton & she spoke really highly of it & tripadvisor looks pretty good, too. Just curious about why it wasn't even mentioned on this thread yet, so I thought I'd throw it out here and see if I could get more opinions from Disers.

Thanks for your help!! :)

Lives4Disney

[Amy&Dan]

THANKS! :goodvibes I just checked that link out, but that thread is a bit on the oldish side....I believe it has been thru a remodel since & high speed internet access was added and the place updated. You're right Disneygirl3eva (Maybe I don't have that exactly right, but I remember that 4eva part, lol) did comment on my other thread asking about this Sheraton & she spoke really highly of it & tripadvisor looks pretty good, too. Just curious about why it wasn't even mentioned on this thread yet, so I thought I'd throw it out here and see if I could get more opinions from Disers.

Thanks for your help!! :)

Lives4Disney

I always wonder too why this place doesn't get much mention. Maybe because its sort of in the opposite direction of most of the places on Harbor and its also a bit pricey compared to places right there on Harbor. But to me it looks worth it. For our two nights offsite in June (before we head to the DLH) it was between this one and the Candy Cane Inn. I chose CCI due to the fact it was cheaper and had a free breakfast as well as free parking. But for a longer stay I would have picked the Sheraton, looks more like a hotel and the rooms look huge. Good luck, if you do stay there be sure and post your experience here when you get back!

[spongemommie05]

For the record, My family and I were at the Camelot (when it was Park Inn) back in November 2005 and we had a great stay. The staff was nice, the continental breakfast was good (better than BW Stovalis), and the rooms were attractively decorated and clean. As for the "atmosphere" we don't really care about things like that. Since we spend all our free time at the parks anyways, it doesn't really matter to me what the grounds look like as long as they're clean and fairly quiet. Also, on that subject, IMO it's very hard to find a hotel close to DL that doesn't have some sort of noise disturbance going on. After all, when you get all those families with kids together, they're bound to be noisy on occasion. :cutie: :flower3: If you want a hotel that's quieter, it might be worth it to book at one of the hotels that caters to Convention - type people instead. However, it will take you longer to get to the parks (and I'm not a big fan of ART:sad2: ). HTH!!!

xo Linda wow thank you so much for that info! that is where we are thinking of booking, we checked it out online and it did not look to bad so that is a strong plus for my family ...i do not want to walk that far or take a shuttle so if it's not too far from the parks that is even better....:cheer2: a lil :offtopic:
i saw that you are from san lorenzo i use to live in hayward but we went to mormon church in san lorenzo alot of friends lived there..
that is neat...:hug:

[Lives4Disney]

I always wonder too why this place doesn't get much mention. Maybe because its sort of in the opposite direction of most of the places on Harbor and its also a bit pricey compared to places right there on Harbor. But to me it looks worth it. For our two nights offsite in June (before we head to the DLH) it was between this one and the Candy Cane Inn. I chose CCI due to the fact it was cheaper and had a free breakfast as well as free parking. But for a longer stay I would have picked the Sheraton, looks more like a hotel and the rooms look huge. Good luck, if you do stay there be sure and post your experience here when you get back!

Now, my DH feels like for convenience factor we should stay at DLH. He likes that one! OMG. My head is spinning. :rotfl: I love the look of DLH best, but it wasn't available when I got sucked into the AAA GCH package. I see it on SWA and Getaway so maybe we will wind up there. :rolleyes: I saw your post and figured you decided for some reason not to stay at the Sheraton. That made me kind of curious why it seems nobody stays there!! What do you all know that I don't, LOL??!! (LOTS:laughing: )

Where would the good neighbor shuttles drop off guests?? Is it a hassle to use the shuttles or pretty easy??:confused3

THANKS so MUCH for taking the time with this DL NOOB! :goodvibes

Lives4Disney :)

[MulanFan]

I vote for the Tropicana. Even though it was a basic hotel, the service was great and the staff very friendly. And yes, we saw the staff working a lot. Location was AWSOME, breakfast was nothing special (hey, it's free ...!). I'd definitely stay there again.