DL area hotels

[marymac71]

We are debating between GC and an outside area hotel. The obviously fun choice would be the GC. In the event we decide to save some $$ and stay in one of the perimeter hotels, does anone have any recommendations? We would prefer to walk to the DL so which are closest to the entrance?

And in terms of the GC, is the pool heated?

 

[Firefly777]

Hello,

Here's a map that shows all of the nearby hotels:

http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/Default.asp

In walking distance offsite hotels, I have stayed at the BW Park Place Inn, the Portifino Inn, and the (West)Coast Anaheim.

I haven't had any problems with any of them. Although I would recommend the Park Place because it's about as close as you can to the parks without staying at the Grand Californian.

 

[daannzzz]

The closest place to stay off site is the Best Western Park Place Inn. It is a fine place to stay. A little bit farther of a walk is the Howard Johnson which has nice grounds, two pools and interior corridors. This is our favorite place.
The Candy Cane Inn www.candycaneinn.net is also a great place to stay. It has a bit of a theme and a great free breakfast. The Park Place Inn is a 4-5 minute walk and HoJo and Candy Cane are a 7-10 minute walk.
Here is an ariel view of the area.
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/dlmp.html

 

[mbkteach]

Thanks to these boards, we just stayed at the Candy Cane Inn. While we did use the shuttle some of the time, it was a very easy walk to and from the parks. The breakfast was a savings. Rooms were nothing special...but clean and comfortable! The gardens are lovely, and the staff VERY helpful. The 7-Eleven at the corner was covenient.

 

[challada]

We were just there....

while I would LOVE to stay at GC, I can't see spending the kind of $$$ they are asking.

We LOVED staying at the Candy Cane Inn...definitely will go back there (and it is CLOSEST hotel, period...borders the park, plus has a shuttle of it's OWN).

We've stayed at the Coast and it was nice, but not any different than any other mid to high end hotel (and THEY CHARGE FOR PARKING).

We've not stayed at Portofino, but heard that the walls were very thin.

We've done Best Western Stovalls and it is HORRIBLE...bad beds, leaks, smells....terrible place!

We've done Peacock Suites and were pleased...but that was couple years ago.

We've done the Convention Center hotel (Hyatt or Hilton?) and it was OK...nice but pricey...was also a couple years ago.

We've done Dessert Palms couple years ago and it was terrible, but they've built a new building so might be better.


So overall, my recommendation outside the park...Candy Cane Inn...nice breakfast, pretty rooms and close by.

 

[LuvTigger]

I stayed at GC a couple of years ago and LOVED it! However, it's not feasible for us to stay there every trip.

I've had similar experiences to the previous posters.

Howard Johnson is my favorite, but it is slightly farther away. We usually walk to the park in the morning and catch the shuttle back (although it sounds like the shuttle may have changed and is not dedicated solely to HoJo anymore).

We liked BW Park Place Inn a lot too. It was extremely convenient.

Stayed at Carousel Inn once, which was also convenient, and very inexpensive. I would prefer Park Place Inn over Carousel, but Park Place tends to be pricier.

And ditto about BW Stovall's...we rarely have bad hotel experiences, but this one was horrible! Our air conditioner was dripping in the room, etc.

Last year I bid on Priceline after reading this board, and I got the Hyatt Regency for $44. It's not walking distance, but it's in a nice area, and the shuttle was great. It's shared with a couple other hotels across the street, but it didn't take long at all. There are also some restaurants and a Target/Walmart (can't remember which of the two it was) diagonal across the street too. Parking was $12, but $56 total was still less than even HoJo was!

 

[Tinkerbellish]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Clarion! It's a decent hotel (3 star) that's right across from convention way I beleive. It's nice, and fairly close and only 70 or so dollars a night.

 

[Blackunicorn]

We stayed at the Ramada Maingate two years ago, and it was reasonable. The rooms were nice, though nothing special, and the pool was kind of neat, or at least we thought so. The staff tended to be unhelpful, with one or two exceptions. They also offered a continental breakfast which we really liked. Parking was free.

 

[dsnylndmom]

Like Dannzzz the BW Park Place Inn is THE closest Harbor motel. We've stayed there and really enjoyed our stay, we're staying there again this weekend! The staff has always been wonderful for us!

We also really enjoyed our Hojo's stay, we had a 7th floor room facing the park, that was nice because we could see the fireworks. The extra walk was just a little too much on my kiddos.

Embassy Garden Grove rounds up the last of my personal top 3 Harbor blvd. faves. The shuttle was quick and efficient, at least when we were there, the breakfast was HUGE and yummy, and we liked the comp. snacks and beverages each night!

We thought Carosaul, and Desert Inn and Desert Palm were "okay"

We will not stay at Saga Maingate or Fairfield again, just REALLY bad stays there.

We've also stayed at Best Value Inn & Suites and Hilton Suites, but they were a tad too far away for my taste. Hilton Suites(the one by the Pond)was a very nice stay though!!

We've done DLH a few times but never done GCH, planning to next year though!

 

[SKFamily]

We just stayed at HoJo's a couple of weeks ago. Loved it. The walk was fine, even for dh with his sprained knee. 10-15 mins from the hotel to the main park entrance. We did it twice/day, usually and never used the shuttle. There's no continental breakfast, but we didn't need it. There's fridges in the room and a well stocked gift shop... cereal, milk, fruit, juice, muffins, bagels and then some. Plus you can pick up Mimi's muffins on your way back from the park. (Mimi's is the restaraunt across from HoJo's) We only went out for breakfast twice, and that was by choice.

We would definately stay there again.

We talked to some people who had friends at GC.... we paid for our entire trip for what they were paying for their hotel.

 

[mitymott]

Hi,
Does anyone have a review of homewood suites by hilton?
Thanks,

 

[danacath]

mitymott,
If you don't get any response here, check out tripadvisor.com. I know that there are a number of reviews posted for Homewood.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Ive fallen for the HOJO- Ive stayed there twice and loved it- Usually its the Super 8 on Katella for me (free doughnuts) but I may switch totally to HOJO from now on

The walk wasnt bad at all -em

 

[Amy]

We just got back from Disneyland last week and we stayed at the Anaheim Fairfield Inn Marriott, right next to the HoJo's. Easy walk to the parks, nice clean rooms, nothing special but ok for sleeping. No free breakfast, but there's a cafe on the 3rd floor that opens at 6:00 a.m.

 

[IandGsmom]

Just back from a quick 3 night trip to DL. It was sooo last minute I just went w/ Hotwire. Got a 3 and 1/2 star for about $63 a night or so. Got the Anabella. I did not like it. They are so so so so snooty there, I think they belive they are the Ritz The room was rather small but ok for sleeping only. It had a refirg., 2 double beds but they wanted to give my family of four 1 queen bed. I said NO! The ART stops right in front of the hotel (one of the only good things) I have stayed at many hotels around there and this was my least favorite mostly because of their attitude and the bathroom.

 

[disneyma80]

My 2 cents worth: Stay at the GC (or the DH)!!! It is so worth it!!! When you get drenched by Grizzly rapids, you can go back and change...when you little one gets cranky it's a easy trek back to the room....they have great pools....they are close to downtown disney....they have the magic!!!

 

[Pugdog007]

Highly recommend Candy Cane Inn.

 

[weluvdizknee]

We've stayed in most of the Harbor Blvd motels.

Our first choice would also be the Candy Cane Inn. We try to get reservations there first if it's just four of us. It's clean and the pool is wonderful. The price is worth the room.

The Castle Inn is also very nice, but no breakfast. They have nice suites if you're traveling with more than 4 people. The pool is OK, in the middle of the parking lot, and a long wet walk back to any room you have there.

Best Western Anaheim is nice and clean. Great for small family. Another small pool.

We've also stayed at the Desert Inn and Suites. It's nice and right across the street from the main Disneyland entrance. The pool is indoors, very small, very humid. Also, they have a parking issue you may want to consider before booking a reservation.

The parking is horrible. They do not have enough parking spaces for each room. There is a dark basement garage under the motel where they have tight parking spaces, and when that's full (and it fills up fast), you are directed to park as close as possible up and down the garage ramp.

They only give one parking permit per room, so if you're planning to get a large suite for 8-10 people, and planning to arrive in separate cars, you will only get a parking permit for one vehicle. Any car without the permit gets towed, and they will tow!

Returning late after visiting the parks, you will meet up with a parking attendant that will sqeeze you in where ever he can find room, sometimes two cars wide up against the hotel wall and fence. And trying to get your car out the next morning is a Disney Adventure in itself!

If you're planning to arrive via a shuttle from the airport, Desert Inn is the place to stay with large groups.

When we visit DisneyWorld, it's a must to stay on the property, because there is so much to do 24 hrs/day. But Disneyland has a closing time, and the on property hotels there don't give you your money's worth of 24 hr entertainment. Disneyland is also just a walk away from alot of nice motels, at reasonalbe rates. In Florida, most people stay for a week or longer. Disneyland is more of a 3-4 day visit, so your motel is just a place to shower, sleep, and grab a mid-day swim before you head back to the parks.

Any trip to Disneyland is a great one!

 

[Firefly777]

Originally posted by weluvdizknee

When we visit DisneyWorld, it's a must to stay on the property, because there is so much to do 24 hrs/day. But Disneyland has a closing time, and the on property hotels there don't give you your money's worth of 24 hr entertainment.

Could you give me an example? I don't remember 24 hours of entertainment at any of the WDW hotels I've stayed at. Maybe it just didn't interest me. Or are you talking about all of WDW?

 

[danacath]

Great, helpful thread! I'm especially glad to see positive comments on the Candy Cane Inn since DH and I will be staying there for the first time this September! Can't wait!