Terk-1 said:
Am heading to Anaheim for 2 days and wanted to stay at the Grand Californian, but it is completely sold out. I was able to get the Disneyland Hotel, though. How is this hotel? How are the rooms? How far of a walk is it to Disneyland, California Adventure & Downtown Disney? How is the pool? Is there an area/room you would recommend? Is there a charge to park a car there? If so, how much? Where would you recommend 4 adults/0 kids dine for dinner? Do they have a foodcourt there? Am I going to like this hotel? Would you recommend Paradise Pier instead?
My family has enjoyed all 5 of our stays at the DLH. The buildings themselvs are pretty non descript on the outside. The rooms are nicely furnished and very large by hotel room standards. They have pixie dust wallpaper that glows in the dark and some other really nice Disney touches. They have sliding doors that can open to let in fresh air, but no balcony to speak of. There are three towers in a U shape. THe Bonita Tower is the furtherst (but still very close) to the pool and lobby area and located nearest to the lovely Koi ponds and fountains. The Marina is where the lobby and gift shops are and the Sierra is the most desireable as it is closest to DTD. All three towers have their pluses and minuses. We actually prefer the Bonita, it always seems very quiet and we love the fountains. Some rooms have daybeds but if you don't get one of those you can request a rollaway for free. If you end up in the Bonita or Marina you do stand a chance of getting a view of a parking lot. Sierra's views are either of the pool or DTD. Many of the rooms in the Sierra are more expensive due to the views.
The Neverland Pool sits in the middle of the three towers and is a lot of fun. We have never had complaints about the pool, always very clean common areas, warm water and plenty of pool towels. There is a bar there that serves some pretty decent drinks and a place to get snacks/appetizers/burgers also right by the pool. The Neverland pool is pretty big and has a nice slide my kids have always enjoyed. There is also a quiet pool area but we have never been to it as my kids love the Neverland Pool! There is a large hot tub area with a cute little statue of Ariel. The hotel has really pretty grounds, not as extensive as the onsite hotels at WDW but still worth exploring.
There is no food court but there is the above mentioned place (I am pretty sure it is called
Crocs Bits N Bites) that serves casual food. There is also a coffee shop that serves bakery items that is great to hit in the morning before the parks. Goofy's Kitchen is a wonderful character buffet that is right there at the hotel and also there is Hooke's Pointe and Granville's Steak House for nicer sit down restaurants. You can make ps' at the last three I mentioned up to 60 days out.
The hotel also has a pretty decent arcade your kids might enjoy. My kids have enjoyed many a time there and blown their fair share of quarters!
There is parking and it is included in your daily resort fee. I think that fee is $10 a day and includes newspaper and health club access. They will give you a pass to put on your windshield. They also have valet parking for an additional fee.
I much prefer the Disneyland Hotel over Paradise Pier. PP is also nice and we enjoyed our stay there last September but it just didn't feel as magical as the Disneyland Hotel. But we must have liked it okay as we are heading there tomorrow! It is usually cheaper by quite a bit, hence our upcoming stay!
The walk to the parks is around 10 minutes up DTD. DTD is right there, The Rainforest Cafe for example would be about a two minute walk from pretty much any area of the hotel. There is a monorail station in DTD, also a two minute walk from the hotel area that will take you straight into Tomorrowland. You miss coming up Main Street if you do this but it is nice especially after a midday break to take the Monorail. Be advised if you decide to take the Monorail back at night the lines can get pretty long. With your hotel key you can get in a separate shorter line but it can still take more time than it would to just walk back. You have to have a valid park ticket to ride as the Monorail goes right into the park. The Monorail goes through California Adventure but does not stop there.
I hope this helps! I am sure you will enjoy your stay there, your kids might actually prefer this over GCH due to the Neverland Pool and I know the rooms are bigger than GCH. Maybe you lucked out all things considered!
I have some pictures of the view and the pool posted here if you do a search they should come up. We loved the pool too...great theme and fun waterslide for the kids. 
