Fairfield Inn or Howard Johnson .....HELP PLEASE

[Southern Peach]

I am planning our 2nd trip to Disneyland for my family. I can't decide which hotel to stay at, the Fairfield Inn or the Howard Johnson. We have 6 people in our party so we will have to book 2 rooms (can't find a hotel to accommodate 6 to a room). I have read good and bad reviews about both and that they both have comfortable beds. Will be traveling with two little ones, 1 and 2 years of age.

We went in 2006 and stayed at the GCH (due to my husbands convention there) but in no way did I plan for the trip. We missed out on a lot of things because we did not get up early in the mornings so by the time we got into the park we were waiting in long lines. Honestly, we were totally clueless about everything. This time I have researched and researched to maximize our time there. Any tips would be great. I have already learned so much from this board, thanks guys. We will be going the first week in August and driving from Idaho.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

well desert inn would hold all 6 in a room and its right across the street from the cross walk.
I also have heard good things about hojos. next time i may check them out but desert inn is where we are stayign in oct.
tho out of the two you say id say hojos

 

[Husker Mickey]

My vote is for the Fairfield. We have stayed there several times and will stay there in Oct. again. The rooms have been remodeled and the beds were very comfortable. One drawback was that there was no free breakfast offered. We resolve that by stopping by McD's on the way past for a bite to eat each morning. The Fairfield is a bit closer to the park entrance than Hojo. If walking will be an issue at the end of the day, you might want to consider the Fairfield.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

I too have read so much that my head is spinning! For me it came down to price, and the Hojo had the Entertainment rate for 3 of the 5 nights we are there. It was a huge savings for us over the Fairfield, and the Best Western PPI.

I bet your tiny ones would love their splash area too!

 

[canadianmommyof2]

Hi, we just stayed at Fairfield at the beginning of June and we really liked it. Nothing fancy but it is really close to DL entrance. I had my 4 yo and 2 yo and they had a great time. We loved that we could see the park from our room at night and even got to see the fireworks from our room the night we arrived. Of coarse it isn't the same as watching them at the park but we had a perfect view. We went to a grocery store and bought stuff to have for breakfast, there is a mini fridge in the room so we bought cereal and had that for breakfast as well as toast, we bought a toaster too. It really saved us money by having breakfast and lunch in the room, we came back to rest and have lunch. My vote would be for the Fairfield Inn

 

[michelle1]

I am actually deciding between the two also. The problem for me is that our dates are so close to when the new pool at Hojos is supposed to be open. We will be there at the very end of July and I have heard that it may potentially open a little ahead of schedule but if it doesn't then we would prefer to stay at Fairfield. The walk to DL is not an issue for us but a nice pool area is...can anyone give me some info on the pool and hot tub at the Fairfield Inn?

 

[canadianmommyof2]

I am actually deciding between the two also. The problem for me is that our dates are so close to when the new pool at Hojos is supposed to be open. We will be there at the very end of July and I have heard that it may potentially open a little ahead of schedule but if it doesn't then we would prefer to stay at Fairfield. The walk to DL is not an issue for us but a nice pool area is...can anyone give me some info on the pool and hot tub at the Fairfield Inn?

The pool isn't fancy at Fairfield, but it is a good size and when we were there it wasn't busy. They have one hot tub as well. The pool is heated and the hot tub is really hot. They don't have a kids swimming pool though, I can't remember how deep it is but my 4 yo couldn't touch the bottom. She stayed close to the stairs. They have several lounge chairs and some tables with chairs.

Edited: In one of the pictures I have I see 3 1/2 feet, that is right by the stairs. I don't really have any good pictures of the entire pool area, if I find a good one I will post it.

 

[canadianmommyof2]

This is the picture of the pool off of the Fairfield Inn website.

 

[misscampbells]

I think both hotels are a pretty decent place to stay. Have you checked out tripadvisor.com? That has helped me in past trips. You could be like me and just pick which one is cheaper, since the two are pretty comparable!

Kathy

 

[bumbershoot]

...can anyone give me some info on the pool and hot tub at the Fairfield Inn?

The garden pool at HoJo, in case the big pool isn't open, is very big (I believe it was DangerMouse who said it's bigger than all or most of the regular pools on Harbor? or something like that) and it's in a lovely spot.


Unless I was using Marriott points or was really wanting to earn them, I would stay at HoJo if you can get it for less expensive than Fairfield. If you look at my "timing" walk, the difference in walk-time is very minimal.

Let's face it...leaving the parks at night, you want to just put up a tent in the tram area...when the difference from the Park Vue all the way to HoJo is about 5-7 minutes, really, it doesn't matter.

And I'm talking as someone who had massive and NASTY blisters on the ball of both feet and big and little toes of each foot, from BEFORE we even stepped into the parks, but still the walk was very very short!

(plus I wouldn't want to smell McD's nastiness from my motel room (oh yes, isn't Fairfield a Motel, but HoJo is a true Hotel?) or have the perception that I might)

 

[KCmike]

I personally would stay closer. Although there is not much distance between the two my family of five had a better time at the Fairfield Inn. My son loves Pizza hut and there was a small one there on the third floor and it was very easy to run and get McDonals for the family each morning.

Really the only thing I liked about the HOJO was their mini mart. It had everything!

Both rooms were just ok. Both associates from the hotels were very nice. Stay closer and enjoy the 50 yards of walking.

 

[ToodlesRN]

We have stayed at both and didn't have any issues with either, Fairfield inn is a little closer than Howard. I'd say stay where you will get the best rate!

 

[honeymom]

We stayed at FI, liked it and it is a little closer. But, despite any pics to the contrary there isn't much landscaping. The pool pretty much sits by the parking lot. I'm not sure, but I think that HOJO's may have nicer grounds/pool areas.

 

[Michaelasmum]

I loved HOJOs, the distance between the two is quite minimal. If you can get a good rate at HOJOs then I think that should help make your decision...and if the new pool is ready all the more reason!!

I found the walk so short, we never took a shuttle...and we were tired!! We even made it back there a few afternoons for a dip in the pool and a nap.

 

[Amy&Dan]

The Hojo definitely has some pretty grounds. The Fairfield is pretty much a parking lot, they have some trees around the pool I think but no grounds. That said, I woudn't really consider either place a true hotel. To me a hotel is something that has things like a full service restaurant, room service (from the onsite hotel restuarant, not a nearby restaurant that delivers), valet parking, that sort of thing. I would however, rank the Hojo as a very upscale motel, definitely a cut above most of the other places on Harbor (given the grounds and new pool in particular). The walk isn't that big of an issue, they are so close to each other. The Hojo does have interior corridors vs. the exterior corridors of the Fairfield Inn.

The Fairfield seems to get very good reviews and if you are Marriott reward member (or whatever they call it) than that might be a very good choice. But the Hojo has more personality, better pools and grounds. And it always seems to be the favorite here on the disboards!

 

[bumbershoot]

The Hojo does have interior corridors vs. the exterior corridors of the Fairfield Inn.

That's the Hotel vs Motel difference. Motor inn vs, well, I don't know what the H stands for but it's the main diff usually.

 

[Amy&Dan]

That's the Hotel vs Motel difference. Motor inn vs, well, I don't know what the H stands for but it's the main diff usually.

Yes, that's definitely one of the criteria for a hotel. But I would still be hesitant to call the Hojo a true hotel. A hotel critieria is also about amenities, not just the specifics of the building(s). In some countries (the UK for one I think) to be called a hotel, it must serve food and drinks during certain hours. I know its called the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel though, so I guess if they can call it that, it must be one!

Whenever I see the rare, bad review of the Hojo, its by someone who was expecting an experience more along the lines of a hotel and got super excited by some of the hype that the Hojo gets.

Oh and when we stayed there, our interior corridor was open (not enclosed by any sort of doors) on either end. So it cut down on the noise but wasn't anymore secure than an open corridor set up.

 

[Jenlan]

Hojo's all the way. We started off about 7 years ago at the Fairfield, and for some reason after two years we switched to Hojo's. Very good decision. We had several problems at the Fairfield - relatively small bathroom, our door never closed properly one year, we really did not like the outside corridor and the view of the parking lot (and the smell from it) stank. Yes, we could see the fireworks, but you see them just as well at Hojo's and the grounds are much more pleasant - by the way, we have always been able to see them from our balcony.