Disneyland races - where to stay?

[DianaMB333]

Hi
Which hotel have you been for DL races that you would stay again?

Is it better to stay right in front of the parks? Or down the road a bit? Pay the price for a stay onsite?

I would like to balance convenience of start/finish lines vs access to the parks after…

Thanks!

 

[hpygrll]

We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott in January and it was about a 5 minute walk to the start line and about 5 minutes to the parks. Would definitely stay there again. Although for Halloween Half we're staying at the Pixar Place Hotel - looking forward to seeing what they've done!

 

[pluto377]

I stayed at Hotel Lulu, which was about a 10 minute walk to both the start/finish and the parks. It was maybe just a smidge longer than I would have liked, but I'd definitely stay there again.

 

[TarynM]

I stayed at the Grand Californian for race weekend in January and I'm planning on doing it again in January assuming I get into the races but only because that's my birthday weekend and I'm using it as an excuse to stay onsite. The runners coming back from the races mixed with regular park visitors to go through security on the Harbor side and that was not the most fun thing for anyone. For the September runs, I'm staying at the Desert Inn & Suites on Harbor, which is one of our usual hotels for Disneyland visits. I would strongly consider one of the Harbor hotels right across the street, a good balance between race access and park access assuming the courses don't change.

 

[sandam1]

We stayed at the Clementine Hotel and the start line was right next to the hotel - like the corrals for the 10K and half were literally on the other side of the fence from the hotel and we walked passed the start line arch every day on our way to and from the parks. It was a great hotel. The free breakfast was substantial and we had a full kitchen in our room, which was very convenient. The trip to and from the park was easily walkable and there were a number of restaurants in the block (example: Cheesecake Factory is at the other end of the block).

I was a little leery because it isn't a hotel that usually comes up when people talk about DL hotels, but we couldn't have been happier staying there and will definitely stay there again when we go back.

 

[ghrundis]

We stayed at the Clementine Hotel and the start line was right next to the hotel - like the corrals for the 10K and half were literally on the other side of the fence from the hotel and we walked passed the start line arch every day on our way to and from the parks. It was a great hotel. The free breakfast was substantial and we had a full kitchen in our room, which was very convenient. The trip to and from the park was easily walkable and there were a number of restaurants in the block (example: Cheesecake Factory is at the other end of the block).

I was a little leery because it isn't a hotel that usually comes up when people talk about DL hotels, but we couldn't have been happier staying there and will definitely stay there again when we go back.

How was the walk to the parks? I'm staying at the Suncoast near the Clementine for the Halloween races.

 

[The Expert]

I stayed in that same area and always do for Disneyland visits. You just go down Disney Way, cross Harbor Blvd and you're essentially walking alongside the California Adventure park down to the main entry. It's probably 15 minutes to get to the Springs/park security check.

For reference, the start/finish was set up on Disney Way and staging was in the parking lot just to the north. The fencing was inside the sidewalk on the south side of Disney Way so you don't have to go around even if the race stuff is set up there. I believe there may also be a cut-through between the hotels on the north side of the staging fence to get to Harbor, but not sure.

 

[Naomeri]

I really liked the Castle Inn and Suites. The location was perfect for the parks and the races, and it was also a short walk to the Walgreens for room snacks. And it was very reasonably priced

 

[sandam1]

How was the walk to the parks? I'm staying at the Suncoast near the Clementine for the Halloween races.

It was very simple and an easy walk, even after a long day at the parks. I would say that it's shorter than the walk from the Epcot parking lot to the start corrals at Disney World. It isn't a "let's pop back to the hotel to drop off our shopping bags on Expo day" distance (I'll let you guess how I know that), but the perks of the hotel made it worth walking a little bit further IMHO.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I stayed at the Candy Cane Inn, which is almost at Harbor and Katella. There's a convenience store and a 7-11 between it and the intersection. I've stayed there before and really liked it. They have a complimentary breakfast which came in handy after the 10K. It is a little bit of a walk, but they also offer a shuttle throughout the day. I brought my white noise machine and didn't hear a thing at night.

 

[fatmanatee]

I really liked the Castle Inn and Suites. The location was perfect for the parks and the races, and it was also a short walk to the Walgreens for room snacks. And it was very reasonably priced

Also endorse, was quiet at night too, made it easier to get a reasonable sleep in before races.

 

[luv2cheer92]

If anybody is looking for a budget-friendly option, I stayed at the Motel 6 on Disney Way this past January. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. Clean, safe, cheap, and I could see the corrals from my room. And a super easy walk to the parks.