Help! Please with Final Decision

[PoohBearFriends]

Ok here it is:
5 adults and 3 kids going 5-10 years old. 2 are grandparents in 60's
Like to go back for a break mid-day to the hotel

BW Stovalls with buy 2 get 3 free. great price but haven't used ART before:
How long does it take to get to/from the hotel. Also do you have to take ART or can you walk up DisneyWAY to PPI or GCA?

Holiday Inn Suites on Walnut buy 3 get 2 free also.

Anaheim Plaza and Del Sol Most inexpensive but aren't good neighbor hotels so I am a little scared.

Fairfield and Tropicanan, right accross the street but about $200 more even with 4th night free deal.

I have stayed at Tropicanan and loved it but I am not sure it is worth the price difference. I heard BW Stovalls was good but worried about ART.
I am not all about the hotels that is why offsite but don't mind paying some more if it is really worth it to stay close and are the 2 cheaper hotels that much worse ie Del Sol and Anaheim Plaza?

In advance thanks for the help.

[DangerMouse]

I would pick (a) Anaheim Plaza for budget or (b) Fairfield for comfort. Both are easily walkable and you don't have to mess with the ART which can be a real pain, especially mid-day because they take a long lunch break every afternoon.

[ballarinamom]

Did you try Desert Inn and Suites? They are right next to DelSol and had a great price.

[PoohBearFriends]

Would booking with AAA help? Don't they have deals like free parking and Multiple early entry?

Thanks for the info I will check them out.

[PoohBearFriends]

I checked Desert Inn and it was 100 more than Fairfield because of the 4th night free there. We could get a suite but the price evened out on that so it looks cheaper to do Fairfield or Anaheim Plaza

[ballarinamom]

You only get additional morning entries if you stay at one of the three DL Hotels. You only get the extras like Toontown Morning Madness etc.. if you book a whole Package with AAA. I think when we stayed at Desert Inn and suites we got a AAA discount through them and got two adjoining rooms (which they called a suite) for about a $130 a night for the two rooms. We needed two bathrooms and they were the only hotel who would garauntee us two adjoining rooms

[PoohBearFriends]

Dangermouse where are your costal pics taken at? They are beautiful.

I passed your quote along to my friend. It is her parents who are coming and I'll let her decide what distance of walking she thinks that they can do.

[aristocat65]

I haven't stayed at any of the properties you mention, but another poster (sorry can't remember who) posted pictures of BW Stovalls and it looked really nice. It's recently renovated, yet still has it's retro charm.

AAA does give you free parking. You actually don't have to book a package with them to get that. You only need to buy their parkhoppers and don't even need to be a member. We're not members but we've bought our hoppers there just to get the free parking.

Another thought might be Candy Cane Inn? It is a good neighbor hotel, and it is an easy 10 min walk. They also have their own shuttle bus if the older people in your party aren't up to walking.

[PoohBearFriends]

Price was 139 per noc so much more expensive. Thanks for the tip about the indpendent shuttle, that is a good idea.

[spacemermaid]

Originally Posted by aristocat65

I haven't stayed at any of the properties you mention, but another poster (sorry can't remember who) posted pictures of BW Stovalls and it looked really nice. It's recently renovated, yet still has it's retro charm.

AAA does give you free parking. You actually don't have to book a package with them to get that. You only need to buy their parkhoppers and don't even need to be a member. We're not members but we've bought our hoppers there just to get the free parking.

Another thought might be Candy Cane Inn? It is a good neighbor hotel, and it is an easy 10 min walk. They also have their own shuttle bus if the older people in your party aren't up to walking.

I posted those pictures; here they are again


Newly remodeled room; the beds are so comfortable!


Every room has a microwave & refrigerator; there's also a free continental breakfast.


There are 2 pools, 2 hot tubs, and also this cute round pool house.


The property is landscaped with topiary animals, there are lots of them in the pool area.

The ART bus takes about 10 minutes to get to the Park, and about 15 minutes to get back from the Park. The bus picks up in front of the hotel. You can also walk down Disney Way to the Grand Californian, and enter the esplanade (area between the 2 parks with the ticket boots) from there. We preferred to do this in the morning so as to be at the turnstiles right as the Park opens, and to take the ART bus to/from the hotel during the day for a break & at night when done with our day in the Park. Actually I prefer to take the ART rather than walk even from the closer hotels, due to chronic pain issues...so, if anyone in your party gets sore & tired from walking alot, the ART bus is definitely a lifesaver

Anaheim Plaza is an older hotel (built in 1958, IIRC), it's not anything fancy, but I've always found it to be clean & not "scary". The beds aren't very comfortable, but the rooms are much larger than average motel rooms & most have a balcony or enclosed "yard". The walk to the Park is about 10 minutes from room to turnstiles. The Anaheim Plaza is not bad at all, it's just an older property.

[PoohBearFriends]

The walk information is what I was really wondering. I didn't know if you could go up Disney Way or not, otherwise it would be impossibly long to walk around. I don't mind walking in the morning, is it about a 15 minute walk?

I did WDW with POR last year and we did ok with the bus but we didn't go back to the hotel like we do at DLR. I think Tropicana really spoiled me with being directly accross the street.

[spacemermaid]

Yes; the walk is about 15 minutes

[aristocat65]

Originally Posted by spacemermaid

I posted those pictures; here they are again


Newly remodeled room; the beds are so comfortable!


Every room has a microwave & refrigerator; there's also a free continental breakfast.


There are 2 pools, 2 hot tubs, and also this cute round pool house.


The property is landscaped with topiary animals, there are lots of them in the pool area.

The ART bus takes about 10 minutes to get to the Park, and about 15 minutes to get back from the Park. The bus picks up in front of the hotel. You can also walk down Disney Way to the Grand Californian, and enter the esplanade (area between the 2 parks with the ticket boots) from there. We preferred to do this in the morning so as to be at the turnstiles right as the Park opens, and to take the ART bus to/from the hotel during the day for a break & at night when done with our day in the Park. Actually I prefer to take the ART rather than walk even from the closer hotels, due to chronic pain issues...so, if anyone in your party gets sore & tired from walking alot, the ART bus is definitely a lifesaver

Anaheim Plaza is an older hotel (built in 1958, IIRC), it's not anything fancy, but I've always found it to be clean & not "scary". The beds aren't very comfortable, but the rooms are much larger than average motel rooms & most have a balcony or enclosed "yard". The walk to the Park is about 10 minutes from room to turnstiles. The Anaheim Plaza is not bad at all, it's just an older property.

Thanks Spacemermaid! Yours were the pictures I was thinking of. I remember it from back in 1976 as the Inn of Tomorrow. As kids, we thought it and the Space Age Inn(?) looked like the coolest places.

[PoohBearFriends]

I looked up prices on AAA last noc since my friend has that. For just hotel the prices were cheaper for BWPPI overall if the family of 5 was in one room and 3 of us were in another.

How is BWPPI for comfort? I know the location can't be beat.

[rmom]

Originally Posted by PoohBearFriends

I looked up prices on AAA last noc since my friend has that. For just hotel the prices were cheaper for BWPPI overall if the family of 5 was in one room and 3 of us were in another.

How is BWPPI for comfort? I know the location can't be beat.

We stayed there in May and liked it. It was comfortable, clean and the staff was nice. You get a contiental breakfast at the restaurant next door (captian kidd's I believe). While the reviews of the restaurant are not good, the free breakfast was fine but they can't ruin beads, cereals, juice & beverages. I don't remember what else they had but it was ok to get started in the morning. We like the location.

It was better then the Desert Inn & Suites, where we are staying in a couple of weeks becasue of the price difference.

I did not notice when you were going but did you consider HOJOs since you have 3 children going? It looks great for kids and doesn't seem that far. Check out Mousesavers.com. There is a review of HOJOs and a discount.

Have fun!