DLH Vs. Best Western Anaheim Inn

[Pomlover2586]

Ok so DH and I are looking at a trip to DLR in August. We are currently planning on staying at the Best Western Anaheim Inn [not booked yet] but recently I figured out we could stay at the DLH for $400 more. Now I'm torn.....

DH thinks it's too much money and wants to stick to the original plan.....so I have 2 questions for you Dis experts:

1. Is it really worth the extra $400?

2. How do I convince DH that it is?

 

[ballarinamom]

It's funny you asked this. We are currently planning a surprise trip in November for DD's 8th birthday. Dh always loves the DLH but wants to save money for a summer trip to the Bahamas. He wants to stay at BWPP because of location but is mopping about missing DLH. But, because we will be there for 4 MMs and will only get one with our park hoppers, I think that DLH unlimited MMs is a HUGE benefit. AND we love the magic at DLH and walking through DTD each way each day. I'm planning on secretly paying for the upgrade and surprising HIM when we surprise DD. Hopefully I can pull it off!
If you can swing it- do it

 

[SilentFeline]

I agree with ballarinamom. Although I have never stayed at the Best Western Anaheim Inn, I can tell you how much my DBF and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the DLH. In fact, we have decided that we always want to stay there when we visit DLR. I loved its close proximity to the monorail and the DTD walk, the wonderful full Disney feel, all the great perks of staying on-site, and the gorgeous grounds. Plus, it would be nice for you to see the hotel at least once before the refurb so you can experience the old charm of the place and have a chance to use the balcony. I would highly recommend the DLH!

 

[Pomlover2586]

Wait!!! What?!?! There refurbishing DLH?? What are they doing to it?

 

[SilentFeline]

Here is the link to the thread that discusses the refurb: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2205485

 

[Pomlover2586]

Wow! It will look so good when it's done! Sad to see the "classic" look gone but it does show it's age a bit......

 

[Sosai X]

I have stayed at several of the hotels in the Resort area (Disneyland Hotel, the Tropicana, the HoJo, the Castle Inn, BW Anaheim Inn). I must say of all of them, the BW Anaheim Inn is my preferred of all of them. The Disneyland Hotel has the Disney theming, but the building, and the rooms themselves, were very claustrophobic to me. The BW Anaheim Inn is also far less expensive, and is actually much closer to both parks distance wise. So you have to determine what works best for you. The DLH is farther away and more expensive, but you get the Disney theme experience and the Monorail access. The BW Anaheim Inn is less expensive, and closer to the main gates, but no Disney theme. Choose your own adventure.

 

[Pomlover2586]

Sosai- Thank you for that info- closeness is definitely a priority for us [we don't want to hike after 12 hours in the park ] and the cost is definitely our other factor. I'm just cautious about the "quality" of the Best Western Anaheim Inn- I've heard tales about other hotels on harbor [not including BW] where cockroaches have been encountered!!! Definitely don't want that!

 

[Sosai X]

No worries. The BWAI is a high quality, clean hotel.

 

[DizMe]

Two things. First, if you don't have an ap, have you looked into upgrading to one? If there are good hotel rates during your stay, it could make it worthwhile to get one. If you already have a hopper you can upgrade it to a pass, and if you don't have anything yet you could buy a Costco ap and get the $50 gift card as a bonus. From Aug 16th on, most nights at DLH are $169 at the ap rate. Before that, it's 270-311. Aug 30 is $139 and Aug 31 is $230 (go figure). Same dates at PPH are $149 with Aug 30-31 $129. It's $259 at GCH with 30-31 $209.

I have never stayed at BW but I LOVE LOVE LOVE DLH. If there was a way to swing the cost, I'd do it. My dh would at this point side with yours, though I don't really agree that it's claustrophobic--the grounds are huge and the rooms are quite large, with floor-to-ceiling windows. Maybe there are some rooms that aren't as nice?

I'm sure you've heard a lot about Hojo's entertainment rate, but that's always my second choice to a resort hotel. Hard to beat $59/night at a good hotel! I have a friend who always opts for the Park Vue, but the cost is only slightly less than what I pay at DLH with my ap rate so I have never tried it. It is right across the street though and includes a pretty good breakfast (according to my friend).

 

[Pomlover2586]

DH and I cannot afford to upgrade to AP's this year......otherwise we would most certainly do so. I'm pretty sure if we go in August it will be at least a year until we go back again due to economy [stupid economy- getting in the way of my DIZ fiz!! lol]

I've looked into HOJO's and they are offering the ENT rate while we are there....however isn't the walk longer from HOJO's then from BW? When I look at it on a map it almost looks far enough away from the main entrances that you'd need to take ART shuttles

 

[DizMe]

DH and I cannot afford to upgrade to AP's this year......otherwise we would most certainly do so. I'm pretty sure if we go in August it will be at least a year until we go back again due to economy [stupid economy- getting in the way of my DIZ fiz!! lol]

I've looked into HOJO's and they are offering the ENT rate while we are there....however isn't the walk longer from HOJO's then from BW? When I look at it on a map it almost looks far enough away from the main entrances that you'd need to take ART shuttles

Well, if you can't get the entertainment rate at Hojo's, it certainly makes it less desirable! The walk isn't too bad but it's definitely farther than some of the other places on Harbor. Still, you might try calling them (in-house reservations @ 714-776-6120, not central reservations!) and ask about the rate for your dates. I did that for my dates in July and they went ahead and gave me the ent. rate, even though the dates were not on the ent. rate webpage.

As far as getting an ap, you only need one to get the discount, so one of you could upgrade from whatever you have to an ap. You get the full value of your hopper applied to an ap as long as you upgrade before the last day of your hopper pass. If you paid $199 for you hopper, then you only pay the difference between that and an ap ($269), which would be an extra $70. That $70 gives you access to the ap hotel discounts as well as 10% off of food in almost all places in the resort. I got hoppers for my family and bought one of the Costco ap vouchers for $269 for myself, and since it comes with a $50 gift card, it only cost me slightly more than a hopper. It doesn't matter whether you ever use it again if it saves you money on your trip.

Warning: having an ap makes it hard to resist another trip (or 2, or 3...)

 

[CdnKayDee]

I have to admit I was afraid of clicking on this post. We just booked the Best Western Anaheim Inn this weekend. We really wanted to stay on-site but couldn't justify the cost. We are getting Best Western gift cards with a rewards point program. I was pleasantly suprised with what I have read so far. Obviously if we had the money we would be staying on-site but at least there weren't 20 posts saying we had picked the worst hotel.