Is the pool at the DL Hotel "Resort"-like?

[bayareadisneyland]

First of all, thank you SO much for all the feedback and support!

My husband is not really a Disney person. I'd like this vaca to also be relaxing for him. I'm thinking we will spend 4+ hours at the hotel in the afternoon.

GCH is out of the budget.

DLH seems like a really nice pool. The PPH pool seems a little blah...is this a correct assessment? Is the DH pool worth the extra money vs the PPH? Both have hot tubs, correct?

Any other preferences on PPH vs DLH? My daughter is only 20 months and won't care either way.

Thanks!

 

[bumbershoot]

PPH's pool is a simple rectangle. There is a big slide, but it doesn't go into the pool, it goes into its own small thing of water. I don't really find it to be blah, but then when we're in a pool we want to swim, and a rectangle is better to do that in, in our opinions, than a glob-shaped pool.

DLH's pool grounds are resort like. Very nice. Very spread out. This won't be a problem on this trip since your child isn't going to be roaming around. There IS a lot of room in the main pool, which is nice to get away from people. The lifeguards, when we were there, keep on top of the people roughhousing in the pool, which will be nice for you with the little one. (and there are lifevests that you guys should use for her, or bring your own proper, tethered to itself, life vest... please don't use arm floaties, they aren't safe)


Now as for resorts, since DLH's renovation, they are just about equal. PPH wins out because the rooms are bigger, but that's pretty much the only reason at this point. PPH used to be our hand's down favorite, though.

 

[BlueBayou]

If you are wanting a resort pool feel - DLH would probably be best. Though the PPH would probably be less crowded. I really think my family ended up liking the PPH pool better (we have a pool - so my girls probably expect a lack of crowding). When we stayed at the GCH we never went in the pool (December).

But on a side - we are a rare family that likes PPH much better than DLH. Just a better experience for us.

 

[Jairy]

We just stayed 8 nights at the PPH. You are right! The pool is definitely blah! Just a boring old rectangle on the third floor. They do have a slide, but for some strange reason it is not connected to the pool.
We were jealous of the DLH pool that we could see as we ate outside at Trader Sam's. It looked very "resort like", and servers from the bar were servicing the pool. (At PPH there was drink service only on the weekend when we were there. It may change as the seasons change?)
We kind of wished we stayed 4 nights at the DLH instead of 8 at PPH, just for the pool. We love an afternoon pool break!

 

[ffugitive]

At PPH there was drink service only on the weekend when we were there. It may change as the seasons change?

Is the pool bar open at PPH when there is no wait staff?

 

[Jairy]

Is the pool bar open at PPH when there is no wait staff?

When we were there 3 weeks ago, no. It was closed Mon-Thurs. It must be open more hours as the weather heats up.

 

[Rubygoose]

I think your 20 month old would enjoy the DLH pool area. There is a little slide for toddlers underneath the two monorail slides, and ankle deep water to splash around in. When we were there in July, the CMs did activities on the pool deck with games and dancing for the kids.

 

[wallawallakids]

If you are worried about a resort feel for your DH you could always rent a cabana for him for a day. You get a personal attendant and they run and get your drinks from the bar and food. You also get a small fruit plate, a safe, bottled water, towels, chairs and a TV. He can hang out and watch sports in there if he wants. We did this one day and we really enjoyed it. It isn't super cheap but if you want a one day splurge that might make hubby happy, it may be worth it to you.

As an aside, we love the DLH. We take turns every other trip staying there or at GCH.

ETA: If you do rent you can request the location by the slides. It is perfect for younger kids because it has a little splash zone. It is also very close to the hot tub. We requested that location and got it and were happy we asked for it.