I've stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn, and it was perfectly fine and the rooms were clean. I just didn't like it all that much, well, because it just seems so dark and it's completely surrounded by pavement/parking. I guess that doesn't matter very much if you're in the parks all day, but when we go to DL for vacation, we like to stay somewhere that feels a little lighter and happier. I would stay there again though, and all the employees we encountered were very friendly. It's a great set-up for a family of five.
These days, if we can't get a good rate at one of the Disney hotels, we stay at the Howard Johnson. It's an extra five minute walk from the park gates, but it's worth it to us. It's just a happier place, with nice landscaping, light/bright rooms, and great pools and spas (although we're a family of swimmers and swim everyday on vacation). There's even a zero entry children's pool and a splash play area. All of their rooms have a mini-fridge and coffee maker, but only their premium rooms have a microwave (or will have a microwave since they are in the process of making this upgrade). The premium rooms also have nice views of
Disneyland, the monorail, and the Matterhorn.
If you have an Entertainment card, you can sometimes get a great Entertainment rate there. Just go to their website and put in the code Sd50. If there isn't a discount available, keep checking because Entertainment rates can be released at anytime. With the discount, you can get a premium room for around $74 plus tax per night. HOJO also offers a 15% discount for DisBoard members, and the code for that is LNDB.
