Does this sound like your hotel? Down to Hilton/Holiday Inn or Hojos!

[harveyj2]

Okay I think I have narrowed it down to Hilton Anaheim, Holiday Inn, or Howard Johnson. I liked them all equally so I need help. I am getting closer but still need help and I am going to be there next Friday! I first wanted a dozen amenities that I probably didn't need. I have also narrowed down that list and come up with the top 5 that I really want. Do the three above all fit these 5 or is there another one from the original list (Doubletree, Sheraton, Hampton Inn) that might be better?
My wants
1. Comfortable bed
2. Food in close proximity that is open very early/late
3. Shuttle or close enough that at 11pm when I stumble out of the park, I will be in that comfy bed quickly
4. Hot tub to relax in that is accessible and relaxing
5. Somewhere I can leave my bags early Friday morning and they will hold them for me.

Additionally, a magical feeling would be nice. I don't really want just an average stay. I can't afford a DL hotel but I don't vacation much as a single mom and I just want to really have the best experience possible!
Your help is appreciated!

 

[Casey's Mommie]

I like HoJo's but their hot tub is NOT relaxing. It's in the pirate pool area where lots of kids are going down slides and running around.

 

[crystal1313]

I don't know which Holiday Inn you are looking at. We have stayed at the one on 1915 South Manchester Avenue and won't ever again. It was really, really loud. Doors slamming, people yelling in the halls. I felt like the walls were paper thin. We found hair all over the bedding and in the shower, which grossed us out. Luckily we were only there one night.

We have stayed in the Hilton but it has been years! We want to stay again on an upcoming trip as we miss the "hotel" feel while staying at the motels on Harbor. Be careful for the parking charge here, it's pricey. You might also want to look at the Anaheim Convention center website and see if any conventions are going on. I've noticed the rates are much higher during a convention.

 

[awdsmama]

I can only speak for Hojo, which is where DS and I stayed in 2012:

1. Comfortable bed -- YES and comfy pillows too.

2. Food in close proximity that is open very early/late - YES. Mimi's across the street is great, good portions and real-life reasonable prices IMO. They are open at 7a and close at 11p. There is also a McDonalds between Hojo and DL. Go to Mimi's website and they usually send coupons if you sign up for newsletters.

3. Shuttle or close enough that at 11pm when I stumble out of the park, I will be in that comfy bed quickly -- As a single mom myself I felt perfectly safe walking back to Hojo with DS7 at park closing. Never once was approached by anyone questionable etc. A little trick to speeding up the already short 7-8min walk -- From Hojo cross to Millie's - then cross street again so you are walking the fenceline that encompasses DLR. This way you avoid all the foot traffic from the other tourists coming out of their hotels on the hotel side of the street ;-)

4. Hot tub to relax in that is accessible and relaxing - Yes hot tub, relaxing? Eh. It's in the pirate pool area so pretty much always has parents in it. BUt it still feels great to sit and soak in. It just won't be empty very often ;-)

5. Somewhere I can leave my bags early Friday morning and they will hold them for me. - I did not use this service but I do believe they offer it. Give them a call.


We loved Hojo. They even had a small plush Mickey on the bed waiting for DS when we checked in! DS loved the kids water area, thought the game room was pretty cool too.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I'm partial to Howard Johnson.

1. Comfortable bed

I think the Hojo beds are pretty darn comfortable.

2. Food in close proximity that is open very early/late

Mimi's is on the corner right across the street, open 7 AM - 11 PM.
For a snack, the Hojo gift shop is well stocked and open at 7 AM. Don't know how late they stay open.

3. Shuttle or close enough that at 11pm when I stumble out of the park, I will be in that comfy bed quickly

This one is quite subjective. We find the walk from Hojo totally manageable even at 11 PM. I think it is the only one of your three choices that I would consider a comfortable walking distance. I assume all three of these choices are on the ART routes, but I've never been a fan of the shuttle. Also, they can be pretty crowded if you are leaving when lots of others are leaving the park.

4. Hot tub to relax in that is accessible and relaxing

Hojo has a hot tub but like a previous poster mentioned, it's often not all that relaxing because of its proximity to the kids' pirate play area. Also, I think the whole area shuts down at 10 PM, so it's not a place to go soak after a late night at the park.

5. Somewhere I can leave my bags early Friday morning and they will hold them for me.

I think this is a commonly offered service. Hojo is great about this. They have a locked luggage room, so you can leave your bags before check-in or after check-out. Also, if you have a car with you, they will let you stay parked in the lot on your check-out day after check-out time.

Additionally, a magical feeling would be nice. I don't really want just an average stay. I can't afford a DL hotel but I don't vacation much as a single mom and I just want to really have the best experience possible!
Your help is appreciated!

I don't know about magical really, but Hojo is clean with well-kept grounds. All staff I have encountered so far have been courteous and helpful. I do like too that this Howard Johnson is a hotel, not a motel.

I hope you have a great time whatever you choose. And if you do happen to go with the Hilton, I'd love to see a review after your stay since it's one of the places we've been thinking about trying out sometime.

 

[cmwade77]

You didn't mention when you are going, there are several new hotels currently under construction and I believe should be open by mid-summer or early fall from what I have been hearing.

First one is the Hyatt Place, we stayed at one in Gilbert, AZ and I couldn't recommend them more highly.

Room service is comparable in price to going to a higher end fast food or lower end (Denny's, IHOP) restaurant in the area, but much better food, it is available 24/7 and they don't even accept tips.

They have a free HOT breakfast that is actually really good.

There are also a couple of Marriott (I think they are Homewood suites) opening in the area, which also offer a free hot breakfast (although, it's not quite as good as Hyatt Place).

So, depending on when you are going, I would definitely recommend any of these three hotels.

One of the Marriotts is opening within walking distance of the parking structure, the other is on the corner of Ball and Harbor. The Hyatt Place is just down form there and you can easily walk to the Toy Story shuttle or the park from it. Alternatively, you can take ART or OCTA from any of the three into the park, as stops are near by.

All three will offer everything else you want.

Oddly enough, there are not a lot of food places near Disneyland or any of the hotels nearby that are open late. Which seems very odd to me, considering the park hours. And, no I don't consider 11pm late when the parks close at midnight. Also, Mimi's is out of the way, unless you are staying at Hojos.

 

[pharmama]

You didn't mention when you are going, there are several new hotels currently under construction and I believe should be open by mid-summer or early fall from what I have been hearing.

The OP's post states she will be there next Friday so I don't think these will be open yet

We stayed at the HoJo last month and would stay there again. Park proximity was plenty walkable and our room at least (a kids suite) had some wonderful POTC posters and artwork. I did feel like the bathrooms in particular had a dated feel (and almost no usable counter space) though the rooms themselves were recently remodeled. Our bed was plenty comfortable. One of our kids was on a twin pullout that was pretty bad (in my opinion) but she seemed happy enough.

 

[MotoWifey185]

Here's another vote for HOJO! We liked our stay there very much! I think our stay was so great that I felt that sense of Disney magic even though we weren't on site. The beds were comfy, rooms nice and clean, quiet! Any time we walked past the pool area there was no one there, and we went at the end of January as well. So you may still get to use that hot tub. Have a great trip!

 

[billbillbill]

Didn't see which Holday Inn either. We stayed last summer at the Holiday Inn on Walnut. While I found it a nice hotel, it was very isolated. It had no breakfast, no mini fridges in the rooms, and no restaurants around. There is a gas station on the corner but that is it.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Another vote for the HoJo! In a pinch, on an early morning or a late walk back, Mickey D's is 24 hours on Harbor.

 

[harveyj2]

This has all been some really great information and so very helpful! I have scratched the Holiday Inn on Walnut off the list. I am pretty heavily leaning on Hojos based on all the reviews. Does anyone know if there is a better room or building to be in? I am booking today so any other advice, tips, thoughts, reviews or suggestions are more then welcome and appreciated!

 

[Darvans]

We've stayed at the Hojo twice and have been very happy both times, we'll be back for our 3rd time in just over a week! I would agree with the rest of the posters, the hot tub is in a kids area, but your other wants are all there. My wife can't wait to get back to those comfy beds!!

We stayed in the premium view rooms last time, was nice to be able to watch fireworks from the balcony. This time we are in the kids suite, will be nice to have a drink with the lights on after the kids go to bed. lol

 

[awdsmama]

This has all been some really great information and so very helpful! I have scratched the Holiday Inn on Walnut off the list. I am pretty heavily leaning on Hojos based on all the reviews. Does anyone know if there is a better room or building to be in? I am booking today so any other advice, tips, thoughts, reviews or suggestions are more then welcome and appreciated!

I called when I made my reservation to inquire about room location because not all room types are in every bldg. I wanted to be close to parking lot and kids pool area. We ended up in either bldg 2 or 3 I don't remember in a room with 2 doubles. We went out the door of our hallway and were right at the kids area! It was also easy to get to parking lot (and they have the rolling carts which helps)

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

This has all been some really great information and so very helpful! I have scratched the Holiday Inn on Walnut off the list. I am pretty heavily leaning on Hojos based on all the reviews. Does anyone know if there is a better room or building to be in? I am booking today so any other advice, tips, thoughts, reviews or suggestions are more then welcome and appreciated!

We really prefer building 1 (requesting a higher floor), although we usually pay for a Disney view. I'm not sure if you want to pay extra for that?

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I called when I made my reservation to inquire about room location because not all room types are in every bldg. I wanted to be close to parking lot and kids pool area. We ended up in either bldg 2 or 3 I don't remember in a room with 2 doubles. We went out the door of our hallway and were right at the kids area! It was also easy to get to parking lot (and they have the rolling carts which helps)

If you had double beds, then you were in building 3 (or one of the other 2-story buildings).

This has all been some really great information and so very helpful! I have scratched the Holiday Inn on Walnut off the list. I am pretty heavily leaning on Hojos based on all the reviews. Does anyone know if there is a better room or building to be in? I am booking today so any other advice, tips, thoughts, reviews or suggestions are more then welcome and appreciated!

Building one is 7 stories. It has kids' suites on the highway side. Those sell out far in advance. The standard rooms in building 1 also face the highway. They have two queen beds. I think there are also some king bed rooms on that side too which work if you are alone, a couple, or a couple traveling with one small child. All the Disney view rooms are also in building 1 on the non-highway facing side. As far as view goes, ymmv. You can look out at the Matterhorn and see a partial view of the fireworks at night. Many views are obstructed partially by trees. Building one houses the gift shop and arcade and is close to the lobby.

Building 2 is 4 stories. I consider it the quietest of the buildings. It is also the furthest walk but imho since we're not talking great distances here that doesn't really matter that much. It's located near the main pool. Most of the rooms in this building have two queen beds. There are also some king rooms and one or more suites. Hojo doesn't have very many suites.

Buildings 3, 4, 5 and 6 are 2 story buildings. I have never stayed in them, but I think they don't have elevators. These are the buildings with the double beds. I think the first floor might also have some accessible kings. These rooms were fairly recently renovated so I would expect them to be in pretty good condition.

One other comment about the rooms: top floor rooms in building 1 and I think the smaller buildings have skylights. Just something to know in case light streaming in through a skylight is a factor for you. Also, while they added additional soundproofing to the highway side rooms in building 1, they couldn't do that for the top floor due to the skylights.

 

[nana50]

My favorite of the 3 is the Hilton. I'm a luxury lover. However with small children, Hojo's is better. I am reluctantly staying there next week. I don't like the old 60's look of the hotel. It really needs a makeover.

 

[Gisele]

I know it's not on your list but....the Disneyland Hotel is what I highly recommend. I have stayed there and it's so very nice. You might be able to obtain a rate that is affordable for your budget by calling the hotel directly. If not, there are different on line travel site options.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

This has all been some really great information and so very helpful! I have scratched the Holiday Inn on Walnut off the list. I am pretty heavily leaning on Hojos based on all the reviews. Does anyone know if there is a better room or building to be in? I am booking today so any other advice, tips, thoughts, reviews or suggestions are more then welcome and appreciated!

It's a very small campus, so everything is close to everything. They recently renovated, so the run of house rooms with 2 double beds in low-rise buildings 3, 4, 5, and 6 are just as nice as the higher-level room categories in tower building 1 and building 2, with small balconies and skylights in the top-floor rooms.

The real questions are whether you want a higher floor/need an elevator, a Disney view, connecting rooms, a family suite, a larger Queen or King bed, less outside noise (i.e. avoiding rooms that face the Santa Ana Freeway or the kids' water-play area), or simply a lower rate. However you answer those questions, the room you end up with will be a nice one. You can see their room descriptions here http://www.hojoanaheim.com/what-you-get/rooms

Last trip we stayed run of house. We were really surprised that we liked the room as much as the deluxe Disney view rooms in Tower 1 that we usually stay in. So really, don't worry about the category. (All rooms have fridges, microwaves, Keurig coffee makers, and safes, too.)

 

[Phoenixrising]

I've stayed at both and here's my opinion on things. Both the Hilton Anaheim and HOJO's have a similiar kind of play area. And my comparisons of the 2 hotels. Both have similar play areas. HOJO's Buildings 1 and 2 are the quietest, and found building 4 to be really noisy, and think building 3 would be even noisier due to it's proximity to the Pirate play area. HOJO's has slightly larger hotel rooms than the HIlton Anaheim. HOJO's is a 7 to 10 mins walk, versus a 15 to 20 mins walk from the Hilton Anaheim. Honestly I liked both hotels, and have good experiences with both. I personally liked the walk better from the Hilton Anaheim than HOJO's. Bonus to the Hilton Anaheim for the 7-11 on the corner of Katella and S. Harbor blvd for cheap snacks and water as you are walking to the parks. If pools are not a high priority, then I can recommend the Best Western Park Place Inn. It's a no frills hotel, and the closeness to the parks can't be beat. I had a great experience when I stayed with them in Nov. Either way you can't lose by staying at any of the hotels mentioned.