Best Off-Site Hotel WITH Kid's Suite?

[Cagirl767]

Hyatt is probably the nicest of the off property hotels. Yes, the kids suites are small, but newly renovated and a very nice property.

In defense of ART, we take 1 or 2 strollers each and every time, including backpacks, cooler bags. We just fold up the strollers. At Hyatt, the driver sometimes may help you on and off with your strollers and things. We've never had an ART problem in 6 years. Part of the trick is making sure your hotel is the first or second stop on the route.

 

[Queen Elisabeth]

I would make sure that you call the local HOJO reservation number during business hours and speak to someone regarding your reservation. We have a family of six and were given a family suite, and the local reservations supervisor (I assume) put a note in authorizing the extra person and rollaway bed. How old is your youngest? That may make a difference as well (our youngest is 5 and second youngest is 7).

We stayed at Portofino Inn last year and we really liked it. Customer service was good and the kids liked the bunkbeds and little table in the room. The walk was a bit far for us over 5 days but if you're in decent shape or only staying for a day or two the walk isn't bad at all. (We plan to stay across the street next time)

 

[blackjackdelta]

Phoooey! They said 5.

Sorry to hear that, but at least you are thinking about coming back.

Jack

 

[Mugglemama]

Hyatt is probably the nicest of the off property hotels. Yes, the kids suites are small, but newly renovated and a very nice property.

In defense of ART, we take 1 or 2 strollers each and every time, including backpacks, cooler bags. We just fold up the strollers. At Hyatt, the driver sometimes may help you on and off with your strollers and things. We've never had an ART problem in 6 years. Part of the trick is making sure your hotel is the first or second stop on the route.

Thanks for the suggestions! I think though, that we are going to just stay across the street and walk. To be honest, I think it will make things simpler for us, overall.

I would make sure that you call the local HOJO reservation number during business hours and speak to someone regarding your reservation. We have a family of six and were given a family suite, and the local reservations supervisor (I assume) put a note in authorizing the extra person and rollaway bed. How old is your youngest? That may make a difference as well (our youngest is 5 and second youngest is 7).

We stayed at Portofino Inn last year and we really liked it. Customer service was good and the kids liked the bunkbeds and little table in the room. The walk was a bit far for us over 5 days but if you're in decent shape or only staying for a day or two the walk isn't bad at all. (We plan to stay across the street next time)

Yeah, we're looking at Desert Inn, so that we can be right across the street as well. We have 6 people, but the 8 person room with 2 bathrooms, I think, will work really well for us. Being able to just walk out the door and off to the parks sounds GREAT to me! No buckling kids into the van, or waiting in line in the parking structure, etc. Of course, the kids LOVE the tram (lol!) so we'll probably have to make time to ride it at least once, just for novelty's sake.

Also, my 2 youngest will be 10 and almost 7 during this next trip. I did call the local number during regular business hours, and I was told 5 people were the limit. He didn't even ask how old the kids were.

Sorry to hear that, but at least you are thinking about coming back.

Jack

Good memory, Jack!

It turns out that a lot of our "disenchantment" with DLR could probably be chalked up to sheer exhaustion. That last trip, while really good in so many ways (I'm still REALLY glad that I invited the in-laws and nieces, because I know it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip for them), it was basically nonstop work for the oldest 4 members of my own family. Between, the wheelchair for my MIL and constantly trying to keep the nieces from getting lost (they were so mesmerized by their surroundings that they found it impossible to focus on where they were walking, etc. ) and other things like having to make multiple trips between the hotel and parking garage every single day because my FIL didn't want to pay for parking every day (lol!), etc., just made the entire visit a ton of work. It made what would be minor annoyances (like excessive crowds and more in-park drinking than usual) seem more irritating. Not that there weren't some legitimate things that I hated about that trip (like smelling pot inside the parks, or the numerous couples who really needed to just get-a-room already!).

By the time we made it home, DH and I, along with our 18DD and 12DS really didn't feel like we'd been to Disneyland at all! We're really looking forward to this next visit, and feel like it will be such a "treat" vacation, because we are taking steps to make the theme of this trip, "convenience", LOL!! A

Also, my youngest will be tall enough for Indy on this next trip, and after all these many years and SO many visits in the parks, we will FINALLY get to ride Indy all together as a family! Funny how something so relatively minor has everyone in the house so excited. But we have had to do the child-swap thing hundreds of times, and getting to ride all the rides together (all except Screamin') really is going to be a big treat for us. And who knows, maybe he'll really shoot up in the next 9 months and be tall enough for Screamin', too! He's 45" without shoes now, so we can hope.

Will your family be heading back down in August again?

 

[obe]

Will if I still have time I will make a reservation with HOJO, but I already have 2 rooms at crown plaza hotel for $62 name your price at priceline.com boooo

 

[blackjackdelta]

Good memory, Jack!

It turns out that a lot of our "disenchantment" with DLR could probably be chalked up to sheer exhaustion. That last trip, while really good in so many ways (I'm still REALLY glad that I invited the in-laws and nieces, because I know it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip for them), it was basically nonstop work for the oldest 4 members of my own family. Between, the wheelchair for my MIL and constantly trying to keep the nieces from getting lost (they were so mesmerized by their surroundings that they found it impossible to focus on where they were walking, etc. ) and other things like having to make multiple trips between the hotel and parking garage every single day because my FIL didn't want to pay for parking every day (lol!), etc., just made the entire visit a ton of work. It made what would be minor annoyances (like excessive crowds and more in-park drinking than usual) seem more irritating. Not that there weren't some legitimate things that I hated about that trip (like smelling pot inside the parks, or the numerous couples who really needed to just get-a-room already!).

By the time we made it home, DH and I, along with our 18DD and 12DS really didn't feel like we'd been to Disneyland at all! We're really looking forward to this next visit, and feel like it will be such a "treat" vacation, because we are taking steps to make the theme of this trip, "convenience", LOL!! A

Also, my youngest will be tall enough for Indy on this next trip, and after all these many years and SO many visits in the parks, we will FINALLY get to ride Indy all together as a family! Funny how something so relatively minor has everyone in the house so excited. But we have had to do the child-swap thing hundreds of times, and getting to ride all the rides together (all except Screamin') really is going to be a big treat for us. And who knows, maybe he'll really shoot up in the next 9 months and be tall enough for Screamin', too! He's 45" without shoes now, so we can hope.

Will your family be heading back down in August again?

I have always had a wierd memory when it comes non essential information, it just sticks. Ask me what I did yesterday, is questionalble. I chaulk that up to age.
The plan is August again since our vacation time is extremely limited. I was "offed" on one of my jobs with a substantial loss of income, so I have been job hunting across the US for the last few weeks with not much luck, so we will plan the trip and see how things go.
I hear you when it comes to exhaustion. This last trip was great fun, less crowds than usual for August. But with the drive down and back and I am not getting any younger, I was very tired.
We will not go on a trip with friends or relatives just because I have been burnt with that concept in my younger years.
I agree, that based on all of your previous posts in would stay at a close harbor hotel/motel, life will be much easier. Have a great day.

Jack

Sent from my iPhone

 

[Ariel224]

Mugglemama, have you considered a privately owned vacation rental? I see in your other thread that you're planning to get 6 day parkhoppers....even a spacious kids' suite can seem cramped by the end of a week (been there done that!) We just spent a week in a wonderful 2 bedroom 2 bath condo right across the street (Walnut Blvd) from the parks. There were 6 of us. The kids had their own bedroom, fully stocked with games, toys, TV, and DVD library. MIL slept in the living room on a very high quality airbed. DH & I had our own king size bed and our own bathroom. Our bedroom opened up onto a private patio, complete with table, chairs and a BBQ. The full kitchen was wonderful, even if you don't think you'll use it. We ended up doing dinner in the crock pot one night, and were able to have a decent breakfast before heading out. We had a washer and dryer and a double garage to park in. The complex had a pool and hot tub, which the kids really enjoyed on one of our "non-park" days. The owner provided WiFi, beach/pool toys, an ice chest, strollers and a high chair for those traveling with little people, water bottles in the fridge, snack baskets, and a treat bag for the kids...very nice touches!

The walk was probably about 20 minutes if we walked all the way through DTD to the gates, and about 10 minutes if we walked to the parking garage trams. It was a farther walk than HOJO (where we spent the first 3 nights of our trip and highly recommend), but to us it seemed so worth it to come back to a real "home" every night, and to have room to spread out. The price for that particular stay came out to less than $160 per night. We will definitely try to rent there again next time we do an extended stay!

 

[Mugglemama]

Mugglemama, have you considered a privately owned vacation rental? I see in your other thread that you're planning to get 6 day parkhoppers....even a spacious kids' suite can seem cramped by the end of a week (been there done that!) We just spent a week in a wonderful 2 bedroom 2 bath condo right across the street (Walnut Blvd) from the parks. There were 6 of us. The kids had their own bedroom, fully stocked with games, toys, TV, and DVD library. MIL slept in the living room on a very high quality airbed. DH & I had our own king size bed and our own bathroom. Our bedroom opened up onto a private patio, complete with table, chairs and a BBQ. The full kitchen was wonderful, even if you don't think you'll use it. We ended up doing dinner in the crock pot one night, and were able to have a decent breakfast before heading out. We had a washer and dryer and a double garage to park in. The complex had a pool and hot tub, which the kids really enjoyed on one of our "non-park" days. The owner provided WiFi, beach/pool toys, an ice chest, strollers and a high chair for those traveling with little people, water bottles in the fridge, snack baskets, and a treat bag for the kids...very nice touches!

The walk was probably about 20 minutes if we walked all the way through DTD to the gates, and about 10 minutes if we walked to the parking garage trams. It was a farther walk than HOJO (where we spent the first 3 nights of our trip and highly recommend), but to us it seemed so worth it to come back to a real "home" every night, and to have room to spread out. The price for that particular stay came out to less than $160 per night. We will definitely try to rent there again next time we do an extended stay!

All that for under $160 a night?!! That sounds like a steal. Free WiFi would be great. Is there a website you can direct me to? I'd like to find out more. Thanks for sharing this info!

 

[Ariel224]

All that for under $160 a night?!! That sounds like a steal. Free WiFi would be great. Is there a website you can direct me to? I'd like to find out more. Thanks for sharing this info!

I will PM you a link to the vrbo.com listing.

 

[sacteach]

I've stayed at the Portofino twice. Last year we (four adults) stayed in a two bedroom suite - there was a living room with sofa bed, TV, fridge, etc. There was a bedroom/bathroom (1 bed - queen I think?) with a door that closed, and then the other bedroom/bathroom that had a sliding door I think (we just kept the doors open).

This year I stayed in the kids suite with my friend's family. There was a bed, and then a little "room" with bunk beds, small table and chairs and a sofa bed. We had 5 people - kids are 15 and 20, so it was really 5 adults.

The walk is not bad at all. You are on the same side of the street as the park, but do go through a couple of intersections (Katella and the shuttle entrance). It's probably 15 minutes. I was able to get from the room to AG for a dinner reservation in less than 20 minutes, but I was walking at a brisk pace most of the time.

I found the room(s) to be clean, the service was good, and we never took a shuttle, we always walked to/from the parks.

 

[albertamommyof4]

call in house reservations at hojo as on the hojo forum it says that the kids suite fits 6. I have never stayed there but looks awsome. I did stay at the Camelot in the kids suite and it was good and clean, could use a bit of updating but it was nice that it had a living room with pull out and a king or queen size bed and a table and chairs set, this is the main room where you walk in and then through a door it was 2 double or queen beds and a bathroom. It had a conitnental breakfast also and a very close walk

 

[ado121]

I will PM you a link to the vrbo.com listing.

can you pm me the vrbo listing too? sounds great for my large family.

 

[Ariel224]

can you pm me the vrbo listing too? sounds great for my large family.

PM'd you.

 

[Mugglemama]

I've stayed at the Portofino twice. Last year we (four adults) stayed in a two bedroom suite - there was a living room with sofa bed, TV, fridge, etc. There was a bedroom/bathroom (1 bed - queen I think?) with a door that closed, and then the other bedroom/bathroom that had a sliding door I think (we just kept the doors open).

This year I stayed in the kids suite with my friend's family. There was a bed, and then a little "room" with bunk beds, small table and chairs and a sofa bed. We had 5 people - kids are 15 and 20, so it was really 5 adults.

The walk is not bad at all. You are on the same side of the street as the park, but do go through a couple of intersections (Katella and the shuttle entrance). It's probably 15 minutes. I was able to get from the room to AG for a dinner reservation in less than 20 minutes, but I was walking at a brisk pace most of the time.

I found the room(s) to be clean, the service was good, and we never took a shuttle, we always walked to/from the parks.

Thanks for the info! I can see the route on Google Earth. I think Portofino would be nice, but the 2 bedroom suite at Desert Inn is a lot larger, has 2 bathrooms, and is a short, easy walk from the front gates of the parks. Your information is helpful though, in case we can't get the suite we want at DI. Thanks!

call in house reservations at hojo as on the hojo forum it says that the kids suite fits 6. I have never stayed there but looks awsome. I did stay at the Camelot in the kids suite and it was good and clean, could use a bit of updating but it was nice that it had a living room with pull out and a king or queen size bed and a table and chairs set, this is the main room where you walk in and then through a door it was 2 double or queen beds and a bathroom. It had a conitnental breakfast also and a very close walk

Well, I called the local (714) number for Hojo, and a guy who answered, said, "Hojo's Anaheim, how can I help you?" So can I be relatively sure that the number I DID call WAS in fact, "in house reservations"?

 

[blackjackdelta]

Thanks for the info! I can see the route on Google Earth. I think Portofino would be nice, but the 2 bedroom suite at Desert Inn is a lot larger, has 2 bathrooms, and is a short, easy walk from the front gates of the parks. Your information is helpful though, in case we can't get the suite we want at DI. Thanks!



Well, I called the local (714) number for Hojo, and a guy who answered, said, "Hojo's Anaheim, how can I help you?" So can I be relatively sure that the number I DID call WAS in fact, "in house reservations"?

If you wind up staying at DI, would you please post your assessment/review of the accomadations...
Thanks,

Jack

 

[Mugglemama]

If you wind up staying at DI, would you please post your assessment/review of the accomadations...
Thanks,

Jack

Sure!

Our trip is planned for mid-September though, so I might not have helpful info for your 2011 trip.

 

[michelleh1]

If you wind up staying at DI, would you please post your assessment/review of the accomadations...
Thanks,

Jack

here's a review I did from our trip last spring. HTH!

 

[blackjackdelta]

Sure!

Our trip is planned for mid-September though, so I might not have helpful info for your 2011 trip.

That is OK. If you post on here it will be helpful to others and our trip is not set in stone. We are also debating a Halloween vs August trip, so who knows.

Jack