Can't decide - Hyatt Regency Orange County or Howard Johnson?

[Disneymooner07]

We are going to Disneyland the second week of September - we will be me, DH, DMom, DD(3) and DD(1). We are looking at suites with at least two bedrooms. I currently have reservations at both the Howard Johnson and the Hyatt Regency Orange County. At the Hyatt, we have a reservation for a 2BR suite and at the HoJo, we have a reservation for a Kids Suite. I'm not worried about the price since they're roughly in the same ballpark (amazing deals at both!), just the other issues. Here are the pros and cons I see:

Hyatt - lots of space, two bedrooms (1 for kids and 1 with 2 queen beds for us and DMom), and a sitting room in the middle. We have stayed here before and it's definitely a nice, clean, comfortable room. The negative is that the hotel's shuttle (which is great in that it's just for the hotel and punctual) runs only every 30 minutes, so we seemed to always be rushing to catch the shuttle. We go back to the hotel every afternoon for the girls to nap, so we do go back and forth quite a bit. The food at the hotel restaurants was also quite good, though the pool is not very fun.

HoJo - Not as much space since there won't be a separate sitting area and we'd have to play around with the sleeping arrangement. The main bedroom has a king bed and then the second room has a bunk bed and a pull-out sofa. We might possibly end up putting my mom in the girls' room on the pull-out sofa if we stay here. Of course the plus is that it's walking distance so we can come and go as we please without worrying about catching a shuttle or folding up the stroller. We have never stayed at the HoJo before so I don't know about the cleanliness and comfort level and whatnot. Is it nice? We don't need a luxury hotel by any means, just somewhere clean and comfortable. Of course there's the great water play area I've read about, but how much will we really use it?

Thoughts? What would you do?

 

[Bungle]

I've only stayed at the hojo but I can tell you that it is clean and the beds comfortable. It is an older hotel so it is starting to show its age. Our kids didn't really like the pirate water play area, they really preferred the pool in front of our building. I really like hojo, but due to price increase and no breakfast we will be staying elsewhere our next trip. The hyatt is on our list of places we are considering too! I'm sure no matter where you stay you will enjoy it.

I will add though that with having a baby so young it would be awfully convenient to put the baby in the stroller and walk from hojo.

 

[MommyLove]

How does mom feel about the sofa sleeper? I have to imagine it wouldn't be as comfy as a bed, but if she's ok with it, I'd def'ly choose HoJo. With little ones, it's *so* much easier to be able to walk back for naptime and stuff. Trying to do a shuttle with little ones and a stroller which you'd have to collapse... *shudder*.

HoJo's water area is fabulous and also has a warm shallow baby pool too. As far as sitting area, the room with the king bed will be a great place for all the adults to relax while the little ones are in the other room.

We've done the Hyatt twice before for one-nighters the night before our "real vacation" began at a walking-distance hotel and I can tell you that the Hyatt *is* nicer, but we will choose HoJo over Hyatt everytime for the walking distance factor when we have little ones. HTH.

 

[Disneymooner07]

I've only stayed at the hojo but I can tell you that it is clean and the beds comfortable. It is an older hotel so it is starting to show its age. Our kids didn't really like the pirate water play area, they really preferred the pool in front of our building. I really like hojo, but due to price increase and no breakfast we will be staying elsewhere our next trip. The hyatt is on our list of places we are considering too! I'm sure no matter where you stay you will enjoy it.

I will add though that with having a baby so young it would be awfully convenient to put the baby in the stroller and walk from hojo.

Yeah, the idea of being on our own schedule and walking the double stroller to and from the hotel seems very nice. There was one time during our last stay at the Hyatt when I was too intimidated to handle the stroller folding/two toddler wrangling process by myself so we all went back to the hotel together, when really only one of us needed to go back with the kids. At HoJo, one of us would easily be able to walk the stroller back to the hotel for naptime of whatever.

Is the walk really that short or is it one of those walks that's just on the verge of feeling long? I know people have varying ideas of close and far, but I am just hoping it's actually just a short walk by everyone's definition

How does mom feel about the sofa sleeper? I have to imagine it wouldn't be as comfy as a bed, but if she's ok with it, I'd def'ly choose HoJo. With little ones, it's *so* much easier to be able to walk back for naptime and stuff. Trying to do a shuttle with little ones and a stroller which you'd have to collapse... *shudder*.

HoJo's water area is fabulous and also has a warm shallow baby pool too. As far as sitting area, the room with the king bed will be a great place for all the adults to relax while the little ones are in the other room.

We've done the Hyatt twice before for one-nighters the night before our "real vacation" began at a walking-distance hotel and I can tell you that the Hyatt *is* nicer, but we will choose HoJo over Hyatt everytime for the walking distance factor when we have little ones. HTH.

I'm thinking we might put our 1yo in our pack 'n play, our 3yo on the top bunk, and my mom on the lower bunk - does anyone know if the bunk beds at HoJo are safe for a 3yo? I've never done a bunk bed for her before. It looks like it's completely enclosed? And she's a scaredy cat who wouldn't want to fall out so I know she wouldn't try to climb out.

Or if not the bunk bed, my mom is pretty easygoing and wouldn't mind the sofa bed. Does anyone know if it's comfortable? If it's terrible, maybe we'll bring our Aerobed - we're driving so it's not hard to pack.

 

[MommyLove]

The walk has never bothered us. Sure, there are motels that are closer that you pass along the way and sometimes at the end of the day, you wish you were staying at one of those. But really... the walk isn't bad at all. I will say though, that it's the furthest we'd be willing to walk. There are people that stay at hotels further away and walk, but we won't do it.

Mom sounds like a trooper! Whether she does bottom bunk, sofa sleeper, or blow-up mattress, sounds like you'll be able to make HoJo work for you! I can't answer your Q's about the bunk bed or sofa sleeper... our first time staying in a Kids Suite at HoJo will be this December. We can't wait!

P.S. I clicked the link to your Disneymoon TR yesterday and I've been *loving* it! I'm not finished readying it yet, heh. You are adorable and it looks like your honeymoon at DW was awesome. We've never been to DW, but we'd like to someday.

 

[Disneymooner07]

The walk has never bothered us. Sure, there are motels that are closer that you pass along the way and sometimes at the end of the day, you wish you were staying at one of those. But really... the walk isn't bad at all. I will say though, that it's the furthest we'd be willing to walk. There are people that stay at hotels further away and walk, but we won't do it.

Mom sounds like a trooper! Whether she does bottom bunk, sofa sleeper, or blow-up mattress, sounds like you'll be able to make HoJo work for you! I can't answer your Q's about the bunk bed or sofa sleeper... our first time staying in a Kids Suite at HoJo will be this December. We can't wait!

P.S. I clicked the link to your Disneymoon TR yesterday and I've been *loving* it! I'm not finished readying it yet, heh. You are adorable and it looks like your honeymoon at DW was awesome. We've never been to DW, but we'd like to someday.

Thanks for the info about the walk - sounds like it's very doable and I'm thinking at this point we'll probably go with HoJo. I'll let you know how the kids suite is!

Oh, and just a word of warning on the Disneymoon TR - I never finished it But it was truly one of the most magical times in my life - I think anyone's honeymoon is probably one of the most wonderful times in their lives, but I just love that our honeymoon had an added dimension of Disney magic. We never left the DW "bubble" and I absolutely loved being disconnected from the real world. You'll loooove DW, it really is an entire world unto itself!