Best hotels closest to DL?

[longtimedisneylurker]

Hojo is a nice option. Free parking. It's a hotel, not a motel. Great kids pool. And yes, my kids have swam there in Dec (it was 90 degrees) If you get a room facing the parks, they have a great view. Next to a lot of food options (Mimis, Panera, McDonalds) They have amazing customer service too! Not a bad walk either. Would be closer than Hotel Indigo I believe. Have a great trip!

I second all this. The walk from our fourth floor room in building one this month when taking the stairs was .5 miles from door to security table. It's really not a bad walk at all. The walkability, great staff, really clean rooms, comfy beds, and interior corridors make this my favorite Disney area hotel. We have stayed there dozens of times.

 

[Captainkidd76]

The problem with the majority of these hotels (for my family anyway) is the pools. My kids like swimming. They're used to the pools at Disney and Universal. I don't think there's a decent size pool within walking distance, except of course for the Disneyland Hotel and Grand California. Even Paradise Pier's is small. I know Courtyard has a small waterpark, but the pool is about the size of a large hot tub.

 

[Captainkidd76]

I second all this. The walk from our fourth floor room in building one this month when taking the stairs was .5 miles from door to security table. It's really not a bad walk at all. The walkability, great staff, really clean rooms, comfy beds, and interior corridors make this my favorite Disney area hotel. We have stayed there dozens of times.

I was thinking abuot staying there. What I don't like is I can't tell what the rooms look like as there are multiple pictures on their website, all with different looking pictures.

 

[ImDMous]

We just stayed at the Doubletree Suites for D23. It's half a block past the convention center and the Toy Story parking lot. The rooms were nice, separate hanging out/sleeping areas. Huge lobby with a coffee shop, bar and restaurant. You can walk to the parks or you can just walk the half-block to the Toy Story shuttle stop.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I was thinking abuot staying there. What I don't like is I can't tell what the rooms look like as there are multiple pictures on their website, all with different looking pictures.

Different room types in the different buildings do in fact look different. I just took a look at their webpage and those pictures are pretty accurate. The rooms in Building 1 are the most recently remodeled and therefore the freshest. The paint, decor, bedding, furniture, and appliances were all updated for those rooms. The rooms in buildings 2-6 have not been remodeled in some time and the look reflects that. They are about to do a major remodel of building 2 though that will last at least 4 months starting in November.

 

[Captainkidd76]

Different room types in the different buildings do in fact look different. I just took a look at their webpage and those pictures are pretty accurate. The rooms in Building 1 are the most recently remodeled and therefore the freshest. The paint, decor, bedding, furniture, and appliances were all updated for those rooms. The rooms in buildings 2-6 have not been remodeled in some time and the look reflects that. They are about to do a major remodel of building 2 though that will last at least 4 months starting in November.

I actually like the look of the older rooms. Less contemporary, but I like that.

 

[Captainkidd76]

We just stayed at the Doubletree Suites for D23. It's half a block past the convention center and the Toy Story parking lot. The rooms were nice, separate hanging out/sleeping areas. Huge lobby with a coffee shop, bar and restaurant. You can walk to the parks or you can just walk the half-block to the Toy Story shuttle stop.

How often do the shuttles run? And where do they drop you off?

 

[ImDMous]

How often do the shuttles run? And where do they drop you off?

They run continuously and drop you off right outside the security check lines.

 

[pharmama]

Different room types in the different buildings do in fact look different. I just took a look at their webpage and those pictures are pretty accurate. The rooms in Building 1 are the most recently remodeled and therefore the freshest. The paint, decor, bedding, furniture, and appliances were all updated for those rooms. The rooms in buildings 2-6 have not been remodeled in some time and the look reflects that. They are about to do a major remodel of building 2 though that will last at least 4 months starting in November.

To add on to this, Buildings 1 and 2 are larger hotel towers/buildings (Building 1 is 7 stories and Building 2 is 4 stories). I believe building 2 used to be a different hotel altogether but is now part of the HoJo (and has been for quite a while). The other buildings are smaller-and only 2 stories-and sort of between the two towers. I have only stayed in Building 1 (both before and after the refurb) and found the rooms to be great. We especially like the Kids Suites (only available in Building 1) since, in addition to the second sleeping area with bunks and a pull out sofa, you also get 2 full bathrooms.

It's also worth noting that there are two water areas at the Hojo- the kids water park/water play area which is near Building 1 Buildings 3-6. There is also a decent sized regular pool over by Building 2. Try looking at the satellite view on Google maps to give you a better idea.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

We are planning our first trip to DL for April. I made a reservation at HoJo but recently received an email stating that the Garden Pool will be closed during the Building 2 refurb from Nov - April. If a pool is important to you, you may want to look elsewhere for a Christmas trip.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

Best Western Anaheim Inn is right across the road. I've stayed there twice before and will soon be there a third time. It's not posh, but, it's clean, comfortable and convenient.
It's not that big, so very easy to navigate. I enjoyed the free breakfast especially sitting on the balcony overlooking the entrance to DL.