Best offsite hotel

[nick-pappagiorgio]

We will be going to DL on 3-19-2011--3-26-2011. We are only going to DL 2 days, but figured we could get a good deal on a nice resort in Anaheim. I have searched through all the off site good neighbor locations but would really like some input from people with experience in this area

We are looking for a nicer resort type hotel (when i say nicer, i mean better than the Fairfield or Howard Johnson across the street from DL) I have a list of things that we would like but would certainly cut one or two at the right price.

1. Nice pool area (this is probably the biggest one)
2. Free shuttle to DL
3. Free Parking
4. Less than 200/night (the lower the better)
5. Free breakfast

Thanks, for helping the WDW natives like me!

 

[SplashMo]

HoJo may be the best bet though it is not on your list....

Maybe Paradise Pier should be considered. Does not meet all of the list...

 

[BELLEDOZER]

I vote for HOJO's even though they don't have a free breakfast. No hotels that I'm aware of have free shuttle buses to and from the airports. You have to either get the DL express, or Supershuttle which I would avoid if I were you, as I had a bad experience with them last week that left a bad taste in my mouth.Or find alternative transportation. HOJO's does have a really nice pool area, with a pirates play area for the kids, and a quiet deeper pool at the back of the property. We love HOJO's and I just came back on Sunday from a 9 day stay with them, and while it's an off site property, it's a 7 to 10 min walk to the parks, and have no problems with staying there again.

 

[specialks]

The Sheraton Anaheim Hotel (I don't know if the Sheraton Park Hotel also has one) has a free shuttle to the DLR. Then they are running hotel promo offers for free breakfast with a booking code that might help you with that and the pool looks pretty normal for an Anaheim hotel. I think you need to tell us what is most important for you because I don't think there is a hotel that meets all your requests. Is breakfast more important than parking or shuttle? Is the pool more important that breakfast? Give us an idea and we can help. There are some nice hotels (sheraton, hyatt, and marriott) near DLR with good rates but they most all have parking charges and no shuttles to the parks. There is a shuttle system that has mixed reviews on these boards called the Anaheim Resort Transit (ART - www.rideart.org) that some people use to get from their offsite hotels to the DLR. If you want to avoid shuttles then you will have to take a couple of things off your list so you can stay in walking distance.

 

[specialks]

Also you might check out these threads:

General thread with lots of info links:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1072276

HydroGuy's DLR Guide for WDW vets:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[skiingfast]

(when i say nicer, i mean better than the Fairfield or Howard Johnson across the street from DL) I have a list of things that we would like but would certainly cut one or two at the right price.

1. Nice pool area (this is probably the biggest one)
2. Free shuttle to DL
3. Free Parking
4. Less than 200/night (the lower the better)
5. Free breakfast

If you want a nicer hotel, then you are stuck with the Hyatt, Hilton, Marriot and Sheraton. None of these will make every cut on the list. In fact if you want all of this you will have to make a sacrifice and stay at a smaller older hotel.

 

[nick-pappagiorgio]

I knew I had tough requests. I guess the biggest two would be the pool, and less than 200 price point. Proximity is not that big of a deal as we are only going to DL 2 days. Overall I was just looking for a nice resort that is a good value.

We will be going to DL on 3-19-2011--3-26-2011. We are only going to DL 2 days, but figured we could get a good deal on a nice resort in Anaheim. I have searched through all the off site good neighbor locations but would really like some input from people with experience in this area

We are looking for a nicer resort type hotel (when i say nicer, i mean better than the Fairfield or Howard Johnson across the street from DL) I have a list of things that we would like but would certainly cut one or two at the right price.

1. Nice pool area (this is probably the biggest one)
2. Free shuttle to DL
3. Free Parking
4. Less than 200/night (the lower the better)
5. Free breakfast

Thanks, for helping the WDW natives like me!

 

[Cagirl767]

The Hyatt is probably the nicest of property hotel in the area. Although I don't like recommending it since we had a bad stay, but that probably isn't typical, and it is recently remodeled though and does have a free shuttle. No free parking, no free breakfast typically, but they may have some package deals on their website.

Most hotels and motels in the area are in the family budget range and not a typical resort type property, most are geared toward families.

 

[specialks]

I personally think the Anaheim Marriott has a really nice looking pool. They don't show any availability on your dates yet but I remember they were really slow getting dates up for my trip. You might call them to get a price. The Hyatt is currently over your price point and the Sheraton Park comes just at your price at $199 after taxes. I think you could get a better deal, however that is around a spring break week for some so that might be a bit of a problem with increased hotel rates. There is a hotel near DLR that has amazing reviews but is only for people driving and parking. It is called Ayres Hotel. You might consider it as it has breakfast, great reviews, and good rates.

 

[zeitzeuge]

For about 119 a night, the Fairfield Marriott is a nice hotel, very clean, friendly staff and about 7 minute walk to the front gates. There's no shuttle, but I think the parking is free. We stay there all the time. There is also a pool thats decent size and kept up nicely with cabana's and plenty of towels. It's also heated during the cooler weather.

 

[23bw]

We will be going to DL on 3-19-2011--3-26-2011. We are only going to DL 2 days, but figured we could get a good deal on a nice resort in Anaheim. I have searched through all the off site good neighbor locations but would really like some input from people with experience in this area

We are looking for a nicer resort type hotel (when i say nicer, i mean better than the Fairfield or Howard Johnson across the street from DL) I have a list of things that we would like but would certainly cut one or two at the right price.

1. Nice pool area (this is probably the biggest one)
2. Free shuttle to DL
3. Free Parking
4. Less than 200/night (the lower the better)
5. Free breakfast

Thanks, for helping the WDW natives like me!

For aprox $150-160/night, you get all this at the Sheraton Anaheim Hotel. I haven't used their pool yet but it looked fine the last few times we've stayed there.

 

[skiingfast]

We will be going to DL on 3-19-2011--3-26-2011. We are only going to DL 2 days, but figured we could get a good deal on a nice resort in Anaheim. I have searched through all the off site good neighbor locations but would really like some input from people with experience in this area

I was thinking about this and wanted to bring up a couple things.

If you are only going to DL for two days of this trip, where else are you going, maybe you should spend nights near there since driving is a hassle in LA.

If you are going to DL for 2 days, using a pool is not going to be a big part of these days. DL is more dense than WDW, and there is a lot to fill up 2 days.


Also really take to heart this thread. That Specialks linked. It is made by Hydroguy especially for people new to DLR that are familiar with WDW. It can help get rid of preconceptions about how things should work at the West Coast Disney Resort.

A DLR Guide of WDW Vets

 

[c&m]

We are going in the same timeframe as you. Normally, we stay at a Garden Grove hotel. However, we're probably going to stay at the HOJO Anaheim because we just want to walk to the main gate this time.

Background info: In August, we stayed at the Sheraton Garden Grove, paid $12/day for parking, drove 2 minutes and diverted to the new Toy Story parking lot, paid $15, then took the 7-minute shuttle ride to the main gate. Did not like that at all. If we're paying for parking, I want to get closer and be in the M&F lot and take the tram in.

Also, thanks to Skiiingfast's comments on another post, I found out that if you're coming from the north, you can park at M&F. TS is for those coming from the south (Garden Grove). Didn't know that - but now that I know, we may not stay at HOJO after all. HOJO is $120 more than the Sheraton Garden Grove for our dates.

Anyways, the Sheraton Grove is very nice. I think it opened in 2008, so it's probably the newest hotel in that area. If you book on getawaytoday.com, you can get some extras like free parking, free shuttle, and 1 kid breakfast free for each paying adult. The price is also cheaper than what comes up on the Sheraton website.

We also like the Anaheim Marriott. However, no availability is showing up for our March dates on the Marriott website; but there is availability on the getawaytoday site, just a bit pricey. I think it's because rooms have been blocked out for a big religious conference that's showing up for our March week. However, I'm going to check back on that hotel in mid-Feb, because that's the deadline for the conference bookings.

Other nice hotels are:
- Embassy Suites South (free breakfast)
- Hilton Garden Inn
- Hyatt (free shuttle)
- Anaheim Hilton
- Sheraton Park

You may be able to get those hotels on getawaytoday.com also with some extras thrown in.

 

[nick-pappagiorgio]

The plan was to do DL for two days, go to Hollywood (yes i've been told ill be disappointed) Huntington Beach for a day and maybe the old Spanish Quarter in LA. Is there another area you might recommend? We were originally going to stay in Huntington but figured we could get a nicer (however non beach) resort for less in Anaheim.

I was thinking about this and wanted to bring up a couple things.

If you are only going to DL for two days of this trip, where else are you going, maybe you should spend nights near there since driving is a hassle in LA.

If you are going to DL for 2 days, using a pool is not going to be a big part of these days. DL is more dense than WDW, and there is a lot to fill up 2 days.


Also really take to heart this thread. That Specialks linked. It is made by Hydroguy especially for people new to DLR that are familiar with WDW. It can help get rid of preconceptions about how things should work at the West Coast Disney Resort.

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

We hace stayed at the Homewood Suites and really enjoyed it. Just recently they started having a private (not an ART bus) shuttle to the parks, which is great (it's too far away to walk).

There are great reviews on trip advisor. The pool is nice, free breakfast and internet- however I do believe you have to pay to park...

Here is a link to my Homewood Suites photos (but there are a lot more on trip advisor)

http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj194/mom2aidannpiper/Homewood%20Suites/

 

[specialks]

We hace stayed at the Homewood Suites multiple times and really enjoyed it. Just recently they started having a private (not an ART bus) shuttle to the parks, which is great (it's too far away to walk).

There are great reviews on trip advisor. The pool is nice, free breakfast and internet- however I do believe you have to pay to park...

Here is a link to my Homewood Suites photos (but there are a lot more on trip advisor)

http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj194/mom2aidannpiper/Homewood%20Suites/

We stayed at the Homewood Suites our last 2 trips. I don't really think of it as a resort level hotel but it was remodeled in 2008 and the rooms all have upgraded furniture and LCD tvs. It makes the rooms feel a little higher end. However there is no luxurious lobby and it is just a building in a parking lot next to 2 major roads so no real landscaping. They didn't have they shuttle so that is a really nice new perk. I know our parking fee was waived because we stayed 6+ nights. You can regularly find a rate for $119/night for them.

 

[lwilkison]

We will be going to DL on 3-19-2011--3-26-2011. We are only going to DL 2 days, but figured we could get a good deal on a nice resort in Anaheim. I have searched through all the off site good neighbor locations but would really like some input from people with experience in this area

We are looking for a nicer resort type hotel (when i say nicer, i mean better than the Fairfield or Howard Johnson across the street from DL) I have a list of things that we would like but would certainly cut one or two at the right price.

1. Nice pool area (this is probably the biggest one)
2. Free shuttle to DL
3. Free Parking
4. Less than 200/night (the lower the better)
5. Free breakfast

Thanks, for helping the WDW natives like me!

If you purchase the Entertainment book you can book the Hojo for $59 a night. The walk to/from Disney is about 7 mins but you can get the shuttle for a small fee. The parking is free. The don't charge you the "resort fee" like a lot of the closer hotels charge.

We have stayed @ Hojo numerous times and we are staying again this December 2010.

We love love love this place. If you have any questions about booking just call In-House reservations and they do an awesome job at trying to accomodate what you need.

The pool is heated and there is also a seperate "kid" pool area that is awesome. They have laundry, a store etc etc etc.

Good luck!

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

We stayed at the Homewood Suites our last 2 trips. I don't really think of it as a resort level hotel but it was remodeled in 2008 and the rooms all have upgraded furniture and LCD tvs. It makes the rooms feel a little higher end. However there is no luxurious lobby and it is just a building in a parking lot next to 2 major roads so no real landscaping. They didn't have they shuttle so that is a really nice new perk. I know our parking fee was waived because we stayed 6+ nights. You can regularly find a rate for $119/night for them.

You're def right about it not feeling like a resort...but the updated furniture and kitchens made it feel much nicer. Its on the corner of Harbor and Chapmen I think, so it's busy around there- but I liked having dining options across the parking lot (Red Robin and others, a Starbucks, etc) which we liked since we could walk to them. Another large hotel is in the same parking lot complex too.

We have reservations for there again in Feb unless a good deal for onsite opens up

 

[Cagirl767]

Specialks - Wow, I've never gotten a $119 rate at Homewood! How'd you find that?! (assuming it wasn't the prepaid online deal). And great to hear they now have a free shuttle! That's the best perk!

It's on the same property as Marriott Suites, Crowne Plaza is behind. The restaurants are Oggi's, Red Robin, Joe's Crab Shack, Marriott has a restaurant (Sunspot) and Hyatt has a restaurant.

 

[specialks]

Specialks - Wow, I've never gotten a $119 rate at Homewood! How'd you find that?! (assuming it wasn't the prepaid online deal). And great to hear they now have a free shuttle! That's the best perk!

It's on the same property as Marriott Suites, Crowne Plaza is behind. The restaurants are Oggi's, Red Robin, Joe's Crab Shack, Marriott has a restaurant (Sunspot) and Hyatt has a restaurant.

I have found it using the hilton website and on expedia(?). We also have a AAA card and that helps a little because you can input your number on the hilton or homewood suites site to get a better rate. Our rate in 2008 was $109 per night with our AAA card. In 2009 we booked a package through AAA but I know the rates were $119. We aren't staying there this year but when I searched expedia it came up again at $119/night.