Candy Cane Inn or Ho Jos? Newbie Here...

[Katems]

Hello, I'm a DisneyWorld vet, but a total novice when it comes to Disneyland. I finally booked our flights and now it's on to hotels.

So, my husband and I have two girls, ages 11 and 16. Do you recommend Candy Cane or HoJos? Why?

Also, I thought I once saw on here a map of the hotel locations in relation to the park entrances. I can't find it now though....any ideas??

Thanks!

 

[chrissiecutie]

Hello, I'm a DisneyWorld vet, but a total novice when it comes to Disneyland. I finally booked our flights and now it's on to hotels.

So, my husband and I have two girls, ages 11 and 16. Do you recommend Candy Cane or HoJos? Why?

Also, I thought I once saw on here a map of the hotel locations in relation to the park entrances. I can't find it now though....any ideas??

Thanks!

Oh My...these 2 hotels are SO different from each other. It really depends upon what you're looking for in a hotel. We've never stayed at Candy Cane but my Mom has and just loves it. I'm sure you'll get lots of great replies from folks about it. But because we ALWAYS stay at HoJo's, I'll tell you why we keep coming back.

1. The ET/Retro Rates just can't be beat. Check out their website and look under "blog" to see when these are avail. We typically pay $59-69 night!!

2. The kid's pirate themed water park is my son's absolute FAV!

3. It's walking distance to Disney. Although it is a little further then some other hotels, it's really very do-able.

4. Mimi's Restaurant right next door is super yummy and VERY reasonably priced. Kid's meals are $5!

5. The hotel grounds are very pretty. A central water fountain, flowers and a nice pool for everyone in addition to the kids water play area.

6. We like the rooms! We usually stay in either a deluxe King or a deluxe double Queen. Deluxe has a micro & all rooms have fridge and Keurig coffee pot. We don't care for the rooms that have 2 double sized beds. These are in the middle of the hotel property and don't have elevators. They also have skylights on top floor rooms. While this sounds & looks pretty- the reality is SUN in the early AM. These rooms feel "older" to me, but that's just my opinon. And all the rooms are nice and clean.

7. DS enjoys playing at the video game room. There's also a little (overpriced) store next to it. Both located in bldg 1.

I hope this helps you!

 

[DisneyMommy403]

I've heard rave reviews about HoJo, and I actually booked my room at HoJo because of it. We go in November, so if you're trip is after mine, I can tell you first hand! As of now though, I'm not really much of a help.

Also, I know the HoJo is about a block from the park which is a very short walk to the entrance gates. We booked a resort view room so we can see the fireworks our last night there from our balcony.

and Disneyland.com has a map of Good Neighbor Hotels

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/maps/#/m=good-neighbor

 

[chrissiecutie]

I've heard rave reviews about HoJo, and I actually booked my room at HoJo because of it. We go in November, so if you're trip is after mine, I can tell you first hand! As of now though, I'm not really much of a help.

Also, I know the HoJo is about a block from the park which is a very short walk to the entrance gates. We booked a resort view room so we can see the fireworks our last night there from our balcony.

and Disneyland.com has a map of Good Neighbor Hotels

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/maps/#/m=good-neighbor

DisneyMomma- I think you'll really enjoy the Hojo!

As for it being a block...well, I don't know the exact measurement, but if it's only a block then its one VERY, LONG block. It takes about 5-10 minutes of moderate walking to get to the enterance for Disney and then another 3-5 minutes to actually get to the gates. So depending on how fast you walk...I'm super slow....it will take you 10-15 minutes.

You can see the fireworks from many of the rooms. My best tip is to go to the quiet pool and if you're at the very far end you can actually watch the fireworks from the pool. DH & I LOVE doing this! And almost no one knows about it (well now they do!) so it's usually empty and nice & quiet!

 

[HydroGuy]

Hello, I'm a DisneyWorld vet, but a total novice when it comes to Disneyland. I finally booked our flights and now it's on to hotels.

So, my husband and I have two girls, ages 11 and 16. Do you recommend Candy Cane or HoJos? Why?

Also, I thought I once saw on here a map of the hotel locations in relation to the park entrances. I can't find it now though....any ideas??

Thanks!

Both are good options. CCI has the advantage of a shuttle that runs every 30 minutes. HoJo's is nicer and has a nicer, larger pool. Some Hojo's rooms in the back are near the Interstate 5 freeway and the noise bothers some people. Hojo's seems to run more deals and if you are pinching pennies you often can get a better deal on rooms.

This map may help:

http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=33.8092124&lon=-117.9188132&z=19&l=0&m=b

 

[hlbtimes2]

In my opinion, it depends on what you need / want in a hotel.

We love the CCI, and have not stayed at the hojo. For our family, the hotel is a place to sleep and shower. We spend little time in our room, and some trips we don't swim at all. What draws us to the cci is the shuttle! Walking distance is about the same, but the shuttle every 1/2 hour makes a big differnce to us.

 

[Sally_fan]

We have stayed a both more than once & I really love them both. They are very different.
I loved our room at the CCI, the grounds were beautiful, the staff was super helpful, enjoyed having the shuttle as an option....I could go on & on. We had the premium rooms with breakfast delivered every morning & that was wonderful. It was just a little pricy compared to the HoJo (which is our usual hotel).
We love the premium Disney view rooms at the HoJo. Being able to see the parks from our room every morning & the fireworks every evening they are showing makes it seem so special! The pool is nice (much bigger than CCI) & their customer service is second to none. They go above & beyond to make their customers feel at home. The walk to the parks isn't bad at all. We grocery shop so we have breakfast items in the room so the lack of free breakfast isn't an issue to us ESP when we get the retro rate.

 

[katejc]

We've stayed at both and like them, but the one we return to is CCI, for a number of reasons. One is that shuttle--it really makes a difference when you or your kids are wiped out to have your own Shuttle that doesn't go anywhere but where you are staying! Another is that CCI has its own free breakfast-- certainly nothing fancy, but much appreciated, especially on your early entry day. I also think that the walk is the shortest we've found for non DLR hotels. Hojo is a really long block in the other direction--just seemed longer and harder! CCI staff are always really nice and helpful (will print your boarding passes, mail your postcards, etc.) and they offer a AAA rate, too! We usually get the slightly larger room, which doesn't cost much more but offers more space for bodies and stuff and will include a small fridge. Have a great time!

 

[erocrobro]

We just finished up a week stay at Hojo. While there was absolutely nothing "wrong" with it, I would probably not stay there again unless it was with the entertainment rate (which we had.) It was clean and we could see the fireworks from our room, which was a plus, it was much older than I had expected. We were on the Harbor side of building 1 and the street noise was very loud at night. With your girls being older, I don't think they will like the water playground area.

If I was paying full price, I would definitely go for CCI just for the shuttle. The Hojo is close enough to walk, but we were in the parks open to close and it is a long walk home at night. Also, it would be nice if they offered a small breakfast or something without having to go to Mimi's.

 

[jakew128]

I have read great things about hojo, but one thing to keep in mind is that cci has breakfast included. Breakfast in disney can be expensive..... Having the shuttle is nice too if you don't want to make the walk back. I loved the cci!

 

[LisainCalifornia]

I have stayed at both, so maybe I can help:

Howard Johnsons: Out of all the hotels/motels across the street from Disneyland, this one is the most like a real hotel. Many of the places directly across the street (which I have also stayed in) are motels, which is a different sort of experience.

The only time I have heard people complain about Hojos is when they stay in the cheapest rooms located on the Freeway side of the hotel. If you pay a bit more and stay in a deluxe or superior room, then this is a VERY quiet hotel. We always request the top floor and pay for a room with a view of the park (you can see the Matterhorn from your window, and have a great view of the fireworks). These rooms have a skylight and are amazingly large for a hotel room. Plenty of room for a family. The beds are great--soft yet very supportive with great hotel style bedding. The rooms all have a Keurig coffee maker and they give you coffee pods to use. Central air conditioning, fast elevators, and quiet hallways.

Like others have said, it is a bit of a walk. It takes about 8-10 minutes to walk to and from the park--although it is a straight shot down Harbor. I personally hate walking down Harbor (Fast food joints, time share hawkers, and bus exhaust thrown in for ambiance), but you can't have everything. Customer service is very good, and it is handy to be right near Mimi's and McDonalds.

Candy Cane Inn:
This is a true motor coach style "motel". Outdoor corridors, two floors, and no elevator. When we got there last summer, I was surprised that there was no elevator at all, and had a hard time getting all our lugguge up the concrete steps. There is really no view from this motel, because your room faces the parking lot (mainly your car!), and you wouldn't want to open your curtains anyway, because when people walk by your room they can look right into it if the curtain is open.

The good part about this motel is that it is VERY family friendly and safe feeling. It reminds me of the way Motel 6 use to be when I was a kid. Very simple and old school style. It is family run, and you can tell that the family that owns it cares about the property. They are always landscaping their mature plants (very pretty!) and sweeping up. The pool is much smaller than Hojos, (it is sort of tiny and located in the parking lot) but they have lots of plants around it. I found it very nice to watch my girls swim there at night last summer. They pipe in music and make it very cozy with lighting. The other guests were very nice, and my girls made friends at the pool.

It was close to a Subway sandwiches, which was very nice for more heathy and economical dinners. The shuttle is GREAT--the drivers are very nice, and come right on time for every pick up and drop off. It is so nice to realize it is almost 10:30 and know that the shuttle will be right there waiting for you. You could walk to the parks too--but distance wise it is a little bit further than Hojos.

The motel was clean enough--but it is very retro. The bathroom cabinet looked like the one my MIL has in her house--and smelled very musty. This isn't a "hotel-style" bathroom. The beds are like soft marshmallows. The feel great at first, but after you sleep on them, you realize that they probably aren't the best quality and they gave me a backache. I love a soft bed, but this was so soft there was on structure, and you sort of roll off the side of the bed if you get too close. The bedding is older and they have bedspreads rather than hotel style bedding. Since the cooridors are concrete, and your window is on the walkway--you can hear every screaming kid that walks by in the morning. Same thing for the maid carts. Don't plan on sleeping in, because it won't happen. Air conditioner is the window kind, not central air--and I hate that. But even with these issues--this is a cute, safe little motel with a great shuttle. Breakfast is a few cereals, boxed doughnuts, and supermarket bagels.

I would stay at either place again--it just depends on what your priorities are.
Hope this helps!
Lisa

 

[silence]

I agree with most have said here so far.

I will say, we weren't impressed with the CCI "breakfast", depends on how big of morning eaters your family is. We basically skipped it as it wasn't much to speak of.

we LOVE the shuttle at the CCI, and it is the main reason we have selected this hotel in the past. HOWEVER the rooms are SMALL, at least, much smaller than the deluxe bldg 2 rooms at HoJo.

We also much prefer the beds at HoJo and having a Keurig in our room at HoJo sure is nice! They have micro and fridge in the rooms at HoJo, so if we are on a budget we hit their store or Target and stock up on breakfast items.

We have never walked from CCI to the parks, but then, they have the shuttle The walk to HoJo after several days can feel so much longer....in fact, to tell the truth, one sad night when my feet were killing me, I rode the monorail to DTD and took a cab back to the hotel.

 

[chrissiecutie]

I have stayed at both, so maybe I can help:

Howard Johnsons: Out of all the hotels/motels across the street from Disneyland, this one is the most like a real hotel. Many of the places directly across the street (which I have also stayed in) are motels, which is a different sort of experience.

The only time I have heard people complain about Hojos is when they stay in the cheapest rooms located on the Freeway side of the hotel.

I've heard that they have been working on soundproofing these freeway facing rooms. I have seen others on HoJo threads post that they are much quieter now. And since HoJo recently changed the King rooms located in bldg 2 to "deluxe" status, you now have to pay extra for these rooms. So if you're looking to book a standard double queen or a standard king room- I believe you will be in the freeway facing rooms located in bldg 1. Otherwise, you'll have to pay extra.

We always stay in a deluxe room in bldg 2. These are super quiet, near the big pool and come with both a fridge AND micro. The standard rooms do not have a micro. We request top floor and we have NEVER heard kids running or screaming or even seen a maid cart- although our room is cleaned as if by magic.

 

[PinkBudgie]

We keep going back to CCI for all the reasons people already said. If you want to see my review of CCI with pictures click on the link in my sig. That was from our first visit there. Another reason we keep going back is the $10 off per night coupon they give you for your next stay. And this is on top of the AAA discount. Makes the rate for a room that close to DLR very reasonable.

 

[pixiewings71]

We like both, if we are paying for a hotel (we have a timeshare in Anaheim so normally stay there) we try for the Retro Rate at the HoJo first, if it's not available I look at the CCi to see what the best rate there is.
HoJo and CCI are the same distance from the parks walking, seriously, I timed it. For us it's 7 minutes to both hotels.
CCI has a dedicated shuttle (very nice at night after a long day of walking around the parks)
HoJo uses ART (but we just walk)
CCI has a good breakfast, HoJo has none
CCI has outdoor corridors, HoJo has indoor
Both have amazing customer service, both have nice rooms. We didn't use the pool area at the CCI but we love the pool and the pirate play area at the HoJo.

Good luck, both are good choices IMO!

 

[Katems]

Wow, thanks everyone.... Now I still can't decide, LOL!

The shuttle at CCI is certainly appealing.... But the hotel itself is more of a motel and I prefer hotels, which apparently the HoJos is.

Oh what to do!! I had no idea they were so different. Are any of the slides at the HoJos waterpark for teens?

Is there another hotel you would recommend? We are going in August so those retro rates at HoJos aren't available that month, correct?

 

[Katems]

Okay, this may sound stupid, but how do you cross the streets to the park entrance?? It looks to be a zillion lanes of traffic in both directions. So how do you get across with your life intact?

 

[aggiegirl1234]

We like both, if we are paying for a hotel (we have a timeshare in Anaheim so normally stay there) we try for the Retro Rate at the HoJo first, if it's not available I look at the CCi to see what the best rate there is.

What is the retro rate and how do I get it?! I think we're going to stay at the HoJo the first week in October so I'm very curious about this. The best rate I've seen is about $130.

 

[I'm mikey]

Okay, this may sound stupid, but how do you cross the streets to the park entrance?? It looks to be a zillion lanes of traffic in both directions. So how do you get across with your life intact?

There are traffic signals and crosswalks.

What is the retro rate and how do I get it?! I think we're going to stay at the HoJo the first week in October so I'm very curious about this. The best rate I've seen is about $130.

The hojo "retro rate" is hojos promotional room rate to fill their rooms. details can be found here. HoJo retro rate

 

[GrandBob]

Oh what to do!! I had no idea they were so different. Are any of the slides at the HoJos waterpark for teens?

No, I'd say that the main water slide would appeal to the 10 and under crowd. My DGD is 9, and while she used that slide a couple of times on the last visit, she has mostly outgrown Pirate's Cove and prefers the main pool.

Okay, this may sound stupid, but how do you cross the streets to the park entrance?? It looks to be a zillion lanes of traffic in both directions. So how do you get across with your life intact?

There are two places with crosswalks and signals. The one at Manchester is right at HoJo's, and results in a slightly shorter walk. Or you can walk down Harbor, where you'll encounter the main crosswalk in front of IHOP and ParkVue. That's the one that nearly everyone uses, and typically has huge hoards crossing when the light turns.

-Bob