Embassy Suites South or Hilton Anaheim- help!

[rentayenta]

Ok, so admittedly the exclamation point is a little much.

I have been stalking the Hilton site as I have access to my friend's Friends and Family discount and by some miracle both the ES South http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en...bassy-suites-anaheim-south-LAXGDES/index.html and the Hilton Anaheim http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hilton-anaheim-SNAAHHH/index.html are showing as options for our Spring Break trip! Rooms fill fast though so for the moment I have them both but don't want to keep them both for long. I would hate for someone to miss out because I held onto both of them.

The price difference is minimal, literally $5 a night. The amenities, parking cost, and walking distance vary.

This is the quick comparison I have come up with. I haven't stayed at the ES South and think we stayed a night at the AH years ago; I recall a Starbucks I think or maybe I read about it.

There will be 4 of us; me and my three teenagers. We aren't huge early morning breakfast people but grabbing a muffin or something to tide us over would be great. We usually eat at the River Belle Terrace.

AH:

• .75 miles away, no need for ART
• parking $16 a night
• no fridge or micro
• Starbucks
• 2 queen beds

ES South:

• 1.42 miles away, will need ART or taxi
• parking $13 a night
• fridge and micro
• free hot breakfast and free nightly cocktail hour (this may be enough to solidify my decision)
• 1 king bed in it's own room and either a full or queen sleeper sofa

We usually stay on property so walking distance is important but not sure it's enough to outweigh the obvious better amenities at the ES South.


Thoughts?

 

[Canuck16]

Walking distance to the parks is huge for our family so being close is key for us. So the suites are not an option for us as we do not want to have to rely on transportation to get to and from the parks.

Have a great trip!

 

[Butterfly123]

Closeness trumps all else for me. You yourself said you weren't big breakfast people. I would bring a box of Kind bars, or something else you like, and stop at Starbucks for your walk to the parks.

I stayed far enough away on our first visit as a family that we required ART. Never again. It's just an inconvenience that is so easy to avoid by staying closer.

 

[rentayenta]

Walking distance to the parks is huge for our family so being close is key for us. So the suites are not an option for us as we do not want to have to rely on transportation to get to and from the parks.

Have a great trip!

Thanks! I agree with proximity.

Closeness trumps all else for me. You yourself said you weren't big breakfast people. I would bring a box of Kind bars, or something else you like, and stop at Starbucks for your walk to the parks.

I stayed far enough away on our first visit as a family that we required ART. Never again. It's just an inconvenience that is so easy to avoid by staying closer.

We used ART once and found it reliable but it's definitely not my favorite option. I also don't want to drive to the parks. That would be over $30 a day in parking.




I wish I could picture where the Hilton and ES sit in terms of getting to the park.

 

[Butterfly123]

Thanks! I agree with proximity.






We used ART once and found it reliable but it's definitely not my favorite option. I also don't want to drive to the parks. That would be over $30 a day in parking.




I wish I could picture where the Hilton and ES sit in terms of getting to the park.

Have you checked them out on Google maps? That may help.

We found ART reliable, too, it's just that it did add "commute" time, and we didn't like worrying about pickup times.

 

[bumbershoot]

free hot breakfast and free nightly cocktail hour (this may be enough to solidify my decision)

The question is if you will *be there* for the cocktail hour. Is your typical touring plan one that has you back at the hotel by whatever time the cocktail hour is? Or would that really mess up your plans? Same goes for breakfast; will the timing of it allow you to get to the parks at the time you like to get there?


We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn which is in the same basic area as Embassy. We actually did walk to and from there all but one exhausted night. It's a long walk, but it's possible. It's long long blocks down Harbor, so you just walk up Harbor. There's also some parking lot for trams you can go to, but we never did that. It actually sounded more complicated than just walking (we're "let's be in motion" people).

But Hilton is absolutely closer.

 

[chrisaman]

The Hilton has much nicer rooms too. I have stayed at both and I would choose the Hilton every time

 

[rentayenta]

thank you for the insights everyone.



bumpershoot, we are actually midday break people but that's when we stay onsite; we haven't stayed offsite in ages so not sure what that'll look like. Thank you for mentioning that. There's a big diff between walking 5 minutes and dealing with ART 6x a day.


Butterfly, I'll check out Google maps. Good idea.


chrisaman, do you know if the ES has the old wall AC units? Those are so loud.


I read some on Trip Advisor and it hasn't helped. Neither look great.

 

[bumbershoot]

Glad to be of help, renta. It's sort of the same thought process with booking club/concierge level; will this go along with my plans, or mess with them? During our last Universal trip DH really wanted Club level but the cost was just too high. So we got snacks that replicated what we would get in Club level and enjoyed that.

I love an Embassy Suites; if you ever take a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale there's a really nice one on 17th street. And the Anaheim location is right near the Red Robin and the Target and the Buca di Beppo as well. But is that what you're at disney for?

We've definitely enjoyed our too-short stays at the Hilton Anaheim. The ONLY issue we've found (beyond their parking fees) is that it's a convention hotel, so the public spaces can be packed.

 

[teacherlisa1978]

We've loved ES. The space, the meals, very comfortable. Our last trip, they weren't using ART anymore but had their own shuttle. I couldn't find reliable information to be sure we would have a transportation schedule I liked (like to be in line 30-40 min before opening and take advantage of our 1 early entry as well as take mid day breaks). We somehow ended up at Paradise Pier.

 

[rentayenta]

Glad to be of help, renta. It's sort of the same thought process with booking club/concierge level; will this go along with my plans, or mess with them? During our last Universal trip DH really wanted Club level but the cost was just too high. So we got snacks that replicated what we would get in Club level and enjoyed that.

I love an Embassy Suites; if you ever take a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale there's a really nice one on 17th street. And the Anaheim location is right near the Red Robin and the Target and the Buca di Beppo as well. But is that what you're at disney for?

We've definitely enjoyed our too-short stays at the Hilton Anaheim. The ONLY issue we've found (beyond their parking fees) is that it's a convention hotel, so the public spaces can be packed.

I think we tour the same because no, we aren't at Disneyland to eat at Buca or shop at Target. Our hotel could offer three full meals a day and I still wouldn't give up my Plaza Inn or corn dogs.

Great tip for cruising out of FL. Thanks!!!!

Smart to replicate the Club level snacks. And I totally agree; if I have to modify the way we tour to make whatever perk worth it, it's not worth it.

We've loved ES. The space, the meals, very comfortable. Our last trip, they weren't using ART anymore but had their own shuttle. I couldn't find reliable information to be sure we would have a transportation schedule I liked (like to be in line 30-40 min before opening and take advantage of our 1 early entry as well as take mid day breaks). We somehow ended up at Paradise Pier.

That's great to know. Your post prompted me to call the ES South and they don;t run on ART but have their own shuttle system. It's $5 for adult and $2 for kids ages 3-9. It starts running 45 minutes before opening including MM/EMH. Last pick up ia an hour after the parks close.

 

[scrapshappen]

I've stayed at both and would lean more towards the Embassy Suites. I know I'm in the minority here, but that .75 mile walk back to the hotel feels really, really long at the end of the day. And it is a large resort and the hotel complex is also large and it felt much, much longer than .75 miles to me. Having done it once, I won't do it again. Yes, the rooms are a titch nicer, but we love the breakfast at the Embassy Suites. We also found it cheaper to drive our car to the Toy Story lot and park it there than to take the ART, but that might vary depending on the number of people in your party. You can't really go wrong either way. My DH gets a lot of Hilton Points for work so we've never paid to stay at either so I have no room to complain about either place.

ETA: The rooms are much larger at the Embassy Suites (or maybe we just lucked into a larger room) so if that is important to you, take that into consideration as well.

 

[Aspoonfullofsugar]

When we don't stay at one of the Disney Hotels we've usually stayed at the Hilton. If you go out the front door, turn to the left and walk two blocks you can hop on the Toy Story Parking lot busses. We've usually walked in the morning but sometimes on the way back it was nice to take the bus and walk the two blocks from the stop to the hotel. Also you can get a park view room and have a good view of the fireworks.

 

[rentayenta]

I've stayed at both and would lean more towards the Embassy Suites. I know I'm in the minority here, but that .75 mile walk back to the hotel feels really, really long at the end of the day. And it is a large resort and the hotel complex is also large and it felt much, much longer than .75 miles to me. Having done it once, I won't do it again. Yes, the rooms are a titch nicer, but we love the breakfast at the Embassy Suites. We also found it cheaper to drive our car to the Toy Story lot and park it there than to take the ART, but that might vary depending on the number of people in your party. You can't really go wrong either way. My DH gets a lot of Hilton Points for work so we've never paid to stay at either so I have no room to complain about either place.

ETA: The rooms are much larger at the Embassy Suites (or maybe we just lucked into a larger room) so if that is important to you, take that into consideration as well.

I think you are right about driving our car and it being cheaper. Parking is $17 a day. The ES shuttle would cost $25. Ugh. I have been so spoiled staying DVC all these years.

When we don't stay at one of the Disney Hotels we've usually stayed at the Hilton. If you go out the front door, turn to the left and walk two blocks you can hop on the Toy Story Parking lot busses. We've usually walked in the morning but sometimes on the way back it was nice to take the bus and walk the two blocks from the stop to the hotel. Also you can get a park view room and have a good view of the fireworks.

Thanks! That sounds really easy to navigate. With my friend's rate I think we get a standard view.






Still undecided but appreciate everyone's input thus far.

 

[DisneyJewel]

We've stayed at the Hilton twice and really liked it. Walk was easy. Also, both times we've requested and gotten a fridge (though they won't guarantee it). Good luck!

Ok, so admittedly the exclamation point is a little much.

I have been stalking the Hilton site as I have access to my friend's Friends and Family discount and by some miracle both the ES South http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en...bassy-suites-anaheim-south-LAXGDES/index.html and the Hilton Anaheim http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hilton-anaheim-SNAAHHH/index.html are showing as options for our Spring Break trip! Rooms fill fast though so for the moment I have them both but don't want to keep them both for long. I would hate for someone to miss out because I held onto both of them.

The price difference is minimal, literally $5 a night. The amenities, parking cost, and walking distance vary.

This is the quick comparison I have come up with. I haven't stayed at the ES South and think we stayed a night at the AH years ago; I recall a Starbucks I think or maybe I read about it.

There will be 4 of us; me and my three teenagers. We aren't huge early morning breakfast people but grabbing a muffin or something to tide us over would be great. We usually eat at the River Belle Terrace.

AH:

• .75 miles away, no need for ART
• parking $16 a night
• no fridge or micro
• Starbucks
• 2 queen beds

ES South:

• 1.42 miles away, will need ART or taxi
• parking $13 a night
• fridge and micro
• free hot breakfast and free nightly cocktail hour (this may be enough to solidify my decision)
• 1 king bed in it's own room and either a full or queen sleeper sofa

We usually stay on property so walking distance is important but not sure it's enough to outweigh the obvious better amenities at the ES South.


Thoughts?

 

[rentayenta]

We've stayed at the Hilton twice and really liked it. Walk was easy. Also, both times we've requested and gotten a fridge (though they won't guarantee it). Good luck!

Thanks! Did they charge extra for the fridge? I didn't know requesting one was possible.

 

[DisneyJewel]

Thanks! Did they charge extra for the fridge? I didn't know requesting one was possible.

I honestly don't remember. But because they have a limited amount, it helps to make multiple requests -- I put it on my online reservation, then called a couple times as well, in addition to reminding them at check in.

Should add -- we stayed there in 2012 and 2013. I don't know if things have changed. But we really liked the hotel --we had convention rates for dance competitions and were able to convention tix to Disneyland.

 

[rentayenta]

I honestly don't remember. But because they have a limited amount, it helps to make multiple requests -- I put it on my online reservation, then called a couple times as well, in addition to reminding them at check in.

Should add -- we stayed there in 2012 and 2013. I don't know if things have changed. But we really liked the hotel --we had convention rates for dance competitions and were able to convention tix to Disneyland.

Thank you for the info. If we keep this reservation, I can add the fridge request and I'll call too. great tip!

Thankfully we have APs though next time I won't get APs the year I run out of DVC points.

 

[rentayenta]

Just wanted to come back and thank everyone for their insights. We decided on the ES South and Hilton- 3 nights at ES and 2 at the Hilton. I'll do a review when I get back.