Candy Cane or Hyatt Regency Orange County?

[traveljen1027]

We are looking for a great place to stay for three nights near the parks before going on a Disney cruise in late October - the Candy Cane is a moderate hotel (exterior doors?) and is actually slightly more than the HRCO (when booking through Disney), but very close to the parks (walking distance), while the HRCO is a 4 star hotel, but about 1.5 miles away (with a free shuttle). Has anyone stayed at either or both? I don't mind the shuttle, although I love the idea of being close, but the fact that the Candy Cane has exterior doors makes me a little nervous. Thoughts?

 

[ter-moo]

I've always loved the Candy Cane. It is a beautiful little motel with a great breakfast, within walking distance of the parks AND it has a free shuttle every half hour for when you're too tired to walk. PLUS, parking is free, which is a rarity around there now.

I have never felt unsafe with the outdoor entrances. The only downside of this property is that the rooms are "cozy." If you're two people, you'll be fine, but it can start to feel squishy if you have 4 adults/adult-sized people. I would compare the feel of the rooms to Port Orleans French Quarter at WDW.

I don't like being at the mercy of shuttle buses while visiting Disneyland. It's really nice to be able to walk back and forth to the parks and DTD.

As far as price, I would CALL the hotel and book directly. If you have AAA or a Senior Discount or things like that, it'll get the price down for you. I'd also recommend getting a deluxe room (it's slightly larger). Don't bother with superior--that's just a deluxe room with a DVD player, delivered breakfast and some cookies on check-in.

 

[skiingfast]

Most of the truly close locations are motels with exterior doors. Candy Cane inn is quite nice for a motel. You will surely be glad you chose to stay close if you knew the difference.

BTW Candy Cane Inn has a shuttle too, it's free and used only by the CCI, an ok perk for a place you can walk from.

Have you tried to book these on your own? Maybe you will get better prices.

 

[mrswh]

I have not stayed at CCI, but have stayed at the Hyatt OC several times. The Hyatt is obviously not as well located, though it does have a very easy, reliable shuttle that runs to and from DLR every half hour. It is a very nice hotel, recently remodeled, very up-to-date. Very clean, great service, and a nice restaurant on the lobby level. I also really appreciate the full service Starbucks in the lobby. I see that CCI gets great reviews on the disboards as well as tripadvisor, so it must also be a good choice . . . the deciding factor is probably how much do you care about where you stay. I'll admit to being a bit of a hotel snob, and would not choose a motel. I'd rather spend more money or be farther away, or whatever sacrifice it is that I have to make for the better accommodations. It's just not relaxing for me to be in a place that is old or musty or not super clean. On the flip side, some people think of their hotel/motel as just a place to sleep, and don't plan to spend any time there, so they are willing to stay at a motel to be super close to the parks.

 

[skiingfast]

This link is to a quick report on the Candy Cane Inn. It has some good pictures included in it.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2532780

 

[traveljen1027]

Thanks everyone!! We won't be renting a car, so if we stay farther away, we'll be at the mercy of the shuttle, or we could just walk it (only 1.5 miles with two small children...how long could it take? )...and thank you for the link to the CCI review - very helpful. It seems like a cute place, but definitely a chance for us, while the Hyatt is a "known", so to speak.

 

[traveljen1027]

I have not stayed at CCI, but have stayed at the Hyatt OC several times. The Hyatt is obviously not as well located, though it does have a very easy, reliable shuttle that runs to and from DLR every half hour. It is a very nice hotel, recently remodeled, very up-to-date. Very clean, great service, and a nice restaurant on the lobby level. I also really appreciate the full service Starbucks in the lobby. I see that CCI gets great reviews on the disboards as well as tripadvisor, so it must also be a good choice . . . the deciding factor is probably how much do you care about where you stay. I'll admit to being a bit of a hotel snob, and would not choose a motel. I'd rather spend more money or be farther away, or whatever sacrifice it is that I have to make for the better accommodations. It's just not relaxing for me to be in a place that is old or musty or not super clean. On the flip side, some people think of their hotel/motel as just a place to sleep, and don't plan to spend any time there, so they are willing to stay at a motel to be super close to the parks.

Did you rely soley on the shuttle or did you ever attempt to walk it back & forth?

 

[skiingfast]

Thanks everyone!! We won't be renting a car, so if we stay farther away, we'll be at the mercy of the shuttle, or we could just walk it (only 1.5 miles with two small children...how long could it take? )...and thank you for the link to the CCI review - very helpful. It seems like a cute place, but definitely a chance for us, while the Hyatt is a "known", so to speak.

While the Hyatt may not sound far, you won't be walking it. Trust me if you do it one time you will realize you made a mistake. People staying there with cars would rather pay to park at Disneyland's parking areas.

The CCI FWIW rates higher than the Hyatt on trip advisor. So though you may not know of it, consider this. The Hyatt only stays in business because people know of it, and the conventions recommend it. If they gave it an unknown name and it wasn't referred to by conventions it would be so much cheaper. This is true of most of the far away chain hotels.

 

[Potterswife]

My vote is for the Candy Cane for all of the reasons listed above. You might appreciate being closer to the parks.

 

[mrswh]

Did you rely soley on the shuttle or did you ever attempt to walk it back & forth?

We did not walk it. Personally, I would't want to walk from any of the hotels on Harbor - it's not a very pleasant walk. Loud, busy, lots of traffic. We always go at peak times and the shuttle is very easy and reliable. The only issue we have ever had is trying to leave right after fireworks - that can get crowded, and (though they do try to send out extra shuttles during this time) we have had to wait longer than we wanted to with two tired kiddos. If I had to do it again, I'd stay for another 30 minutes after fireworks because you might as well be on a ride rather than waiting in the shuttle lot!

 

[mrswh]

The CCI FWIW rates higher than the Hyatt on trip advisor. So though you may not know of it, consider this. The Hyatt only stays in business because people know of it, and the conventions recommend it. If they gave it an unknown name and it wasn't referred to by conventions it would be so much cheaper. This is true of most of the far away chain hotels.

That's quite a statement to make. I'm pretty sure the Hyatt (like most other Hyatts) stays in business because it's a nice hotel with great service and wonderful amenities.

As far as Tripadvisor, I learned long ago that the #1 rated hotel is not necessarily the nicest or best hotel. If you look at the hotel ratings for many major cities, you will see that many times an airport hotel or a 3-star hotel will have higher ratings than a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton. You have to consider who is writing the reviews, and what their priorities are. People who stay at 5-star hotels and spend a lot of money are more likely to be critical and expect perfection. And many of the people who give great reviews to 3-star hotels do so because it was inexpensive and they don't care as much about fancy amenities or chic furniture. That's why I told the OP that it really depends on the individual and what his/her priorities are.

 

[traveljen1027]

I know...it's tricky, right? I like a "nice" hotel, but I like the option of walking. I didn't think Paradise Pier was that great when we stayed there, but I put up with it because of it's proximity to the park. There is apparently a convention the weekend we are going so a lot of the hotels closest to the parks are already booked up...ugh. Darn conventions!!!

 

[ter-moo]

Something else to consider since you have two small children: The Candy Cane has quite a good breakfast for free. AND no elevators to wait for!

I must admit, the Starbucks in the lobby of the Hyatt might sway ME, too, though!

 

[Scribble Kitty]

I've only ever heard good things about the Candy Cane, but nothing about the Hyatt. However, may I ask what you didn't enjoy about the Paradise Pier? It might help eliminate one of your current choices.

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

OP you may want to price out the Sheraton Park Hotel, We love it and often find great deals...many times they will be cheaper than the closer motels and yes it is a very easy walk. In my opinion. We have been staying there since my children were young and we never had a problem walking.

 

[BlueBayou]

Our last visit to DL was the Candy Cane Inn. We really liked it. It has a very cute feel, the staff was wonderful and the breakfast was nice.

While it is a motel - it is more of a courtyard feel. It is a big U, with the center being the pool and office/breakfast area. All the rooms open to the courtyard. And the driveway is pavers not asphalt. Very much a nice feel.

The distance for walking is something that we would do - but we never did because the shuttle was so easy to use. When we were waiting at DL to come back - we talked with several others who were not pleased with their hotel's shuttle service.

We have stayed at the HOJOs, BW, Tropicana, Camelot, and Desert Inn and Suites and the Candy Cane is one of our favorite off site hotels. I would go as far as to say we liked our experience there better than the Disneyland Hotel (remodeling was going on and we arrived late - so things did not get off to a good start, the experience was inconvenient enough - no hot water after being on an Amtrak train for 12 hours - we got comped like half of the first night's stay. And we are not complainers and did not ask for anything). Now, of course, the Grand Californian was WONDERFUL.

 

[traveljen1027]

Thanks everyone! My hubbie told me he really doesn't want to stay in what is technically a "motel", no matter how nice it may be, which actually cracked me up, but that at least eliminated one of my choices! When we stayed at Paradise Pier, I just thought it was a bit overpriced for what it is, but my husband has a different recollection, and told me he would rather pay more to stay onsite (plus now we can just walk downstairs to jump on the DCL bus the morning of our cruise departure), so guess what? We are now staying at Paradise Pier - Disney Reservations just booked everything for me seperately, rather than as a package, which actually ended up saving me a little bit of money, surprisingly. But thank you all for your really great suggestions...I just need to visit more often so I can stay at both the CCI and the Hyatt in the future and experience both for myself.

 

[mrswh]

Traveljen, that's great! We love staying on site! And FWIW, for better or worse, I agree with your DH about motels. If I'm not mistaken there has been a recent refurb at PPH, so maybe you will enjoy it more. Hope you have a better experience this time around - have fun!!

 

[traveljen1027]

Traveljen, that's great! We love staying on site! And FWIW, for better or worse, I agree with your DH about motels. If I'm not mistaken there has been a recent refurb at PPH, so maybe you will enjoy it more. Hope you have a better experience this time around - have fun!!

I thought I saw some different pics of the rooms! I hope so - and thanks for your positive feedback!!

 

[MillauFr]

Personally, I would't want to walk from any of the hotels on Harbor - it's not a very pleasant walk. Loud, busy, lots of traffic.

Are you speaking of the walk along Harbor or walking inside DL? The walk along Harbor is far quieter than inside the park and is far less congested.