Favorite Non-Disney Accommodations?

[smartlabelprint]

Yes, we are not ones to take a break and go back to the hotel...one bus in the morning and one at night whenever we feel done. And the wife is super-particular about what constitutes an adequate hotel room.

That makes sense. She has good taste. It’s a nice hotel.

 

[Dug720]

I would love to hear about your experience at Lulu. Thank you in advance!! I'm making the decision of where to stay far too difficult. Lol

I’m almost done with my trip but I can say I have really liked Hotel Lulu. The room is clean and the bed is super comfy!! If street noise is an issue for you, you could always ask to be in the North Tower or the back side of the South Tower (no guarantees obviously) - I am in the North Tower (where the lobby is) and that building sits perpendicular to Harbor.

If you want housekeeping you have to let them know before 10am. I just had to ask for more coffee (there were only 2 packets in the room) but that was no problem. The staff I have encountered has been super friendly.

You get a card (or I guess sometimes a token) for a drink per person (virgin options for under 21s) - and though I’m solo she wrote “2” on my card so the guy made it a double when I redeemed it.

I don’t find the walk bad at all - I have had none of the issues people talk about on here with homeless. Yes, I have seen a few but they are not accosting anyone (unlike the subways and streets in NYC where it is getting bad). For distance reference, it is across the street from the Portofino and about half a block further than the Candy Cane.

And they have a room where they will store your luggage before your room is ready if it isn’t when you arrive and after you check out if you have a late flight.

I’d definitely stay here again!

 

[prgal0715]

I’m almost done with my trip but I can say I have really liked Hotel Lulu. The room is clean and the bed is super comfy!! If street noise is an issue for you, you could always ask to be in the North Tower or the back side of the South Tower (no guarantees obviously) - I am in the North Tower (where the lobby is) and that building sits perpendicular to Harbor.

If you want housekeeping you have to let them know before 10am. I just had to ask for more coffee (there were only 2 packets in the room) but that was no problem. The staff I have encountered has been super friendly.

You get a card (or I guess sometimes a token) for a drink per person (virgin options for under 21s) - and though I’m solo she wrote “2” on my card so the guy made it a double when I redeemed it.

I don’t find the walk bad at all - I have had none of the issues people talk about on here with homeless. Yes, I have seen a few but they are not accosting anyone (unlike the subways and streets in NYC where it is getting bad). For distance reference, it is across the street from the Portofino and about half a block further than the Candy Cane.

And they have a room where they will store your luggage before your room is ready if it isn’t when you arrive and after you check out if you have a late flight.

I’d definitely stay here again!

Thank you for this very thorough review! And I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying your stay and trip!

 

[smartlabelprint]

I’ve never had an issue with the homeless either.

 

[bcla]

Just kind of seeing this after a search, but we stayed at the Hotel Lulu last weekend. It was kind of a non-Disney trip, but we did go to Downtown Disney and visited the Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian.

The rooms are kind of small, but certainly not a big deal for most. It's not cramped. The beds were quite nice, and they had tons of USB and power outlets on the nightstand between our two beds. There was some alarm clock that had two AC outlets and two USB ports. Then the base of the lamp had one USB port and an AC outlet. That helped a bunch since we had a lot of things to charge including USB power banks.

It seems that the pool is pretty popular although we didn't use it. We saw a lot of water everywhere, but I think they have a lot of water resistant flooring everywhere knowing that. We took advantage of the weekend food special in the restaurant (Lulu's Kitchen). It wasn't fancy or anything. We were served directly by the bartender, who I think may have prepared it. He mentioned something about a heat lamp, but it was a perfectly serviceable burger and I would have thought it was freshly prepared if he didn't say anything. It was packaged in a takeout container though. We were pretty much the only customers inside, although there might have been others being served at a the pool. I think they're busiest during breakfast and probably prepare a lot of stuff in advance for the bartender to reheat. It was like a decent cafeteria burger and the fries were fine.

It was a little bit odd trying to get an ART ride from the Disneyland Transportation Center. The ART lines that may get there are #7 Clementine and #11 Ball Road. We weren't too sure and then ran back to the #11 line stop when we saw it coming in. It stopped on the opposite corner, but that was fine as we headed into 7-11 for something and did a little bit of walking to CVS and then Walgreens. It's short and walkable, but our feet were feeling horrible (we had walked several miles during the day in Buena Park).

 

[bardays]

Is there advantages to staying on the Disneyland Drive side, and entering via DTD? I've always stayed on/near Harbor Blvd so I thought I'd stay at the Westin this time to switch things up. I'm a Marriott/Bonvoy member and usually stick to those hotels, and it's actually cheaper to stay at the Westin than it is to stay at the Fairfield!

I stayed at the Westin in April. My first time on the DTD side and loved it! We still took the shuttle at night but we liked the walk!

 

[bardays]

Reviews will depend on a person's expectations are for a hotel. Disneyland area hotels are overpriced and below average for their brand. An exception may be the Howard Johnson which is nicer than the brand would suggest but even that property doesn't have the free breakfast that is standard with the brand. The same issue exists with the Fairfield so someone familiar with the brand would be surprised the lack of free breakfast but someone like my aunt who is not familiar with hotel brands really likes the hotel for its proximity to the parks.

One complaint I'm seeing about the Westin and JW is their treatment of elites. Both are stingy with upgrades and are disappointing food-wise for elites. If you're Marriott Platinum or above, a standard benefit is being able to choose the full breakfast buffet as an amenity but the Westin seems to force elites into a lackluster lounge breakfast. I'd much rather stay at the Sheraton Grande at Tokyo Disney than either of these two properties even without taking account of the fact that the Sheraton Grande is often only half the price of the Westin and JW.

If you're rating the JW and Westin with the perspective of a world traveler, they are lackluster and treat elites poorly. If you're comparing them to Disneyland area hotels, they're the highest quality you can get.

hi there! Curious if you have stayed at the renovated Sheraton? The redemption rate is great so I thought I would give it a try! I was upgraded at the Westin this year, but they seemed pretty empty.

 

[pennym]

What shuttle does the Westin have? It seems quite a walk away.

 

[gelatoni fan]

hi there! Curious if you have stayed at the renovated Sheraton? The redemption rate is great so I thought I would give it a try! I was upgraded at the Westin this year, but they seemed pretty empty.

I haven't stayed at it since before the renovation. I did not really like it back then but obviously, the rooms would be much nicer now.

What shuttle does the Westin have? It seems quite a walk away.

You can take the ART shuttle just out to the left of the entrance.

 

[pharmama]

What shuttle does the Westin have? It seems quite a walk away.

The walk from the Westin really isn't that bad and a good portion of it is through Downtown Disney so its easy to do a little shopping or pick up a snack on the way in our out of the parks if you want. Personally I also prefer going through security down by the DLH rather than the Harbor entrance, at least first thing in the morning.

I think they let non-PPH guests use the new PPH gate in DCA as an EXIT (of course not as an entrance) which would make the walk back to the Westin from DCA SUPER easy if you're leaving from that park.

 

[monocle]

We’re big fans of HoJo if we’re staying offsite (Tower 1, park view), but their prices are all over the place — we paid close to $300 in mid-Nov 2021, and then $150 for the same room type in mid-Feb 2022.

 

[bardays]

The walk from the Westin really isn't that bad and a good portion of it is through Downtown Disney so its easy to do a little shopping or pick up a snack on the way in our out of the parks if you want. Personally I also prefer going through security down by the DLH rather than the Harbor entrance, at least first thing in the morning.

I think they let non-PPH guests use the new PPH gate in DCA as an EXIT (of course not as an entrance) which would make the walk back to the Westin from DCA SUPER easy if you're leaving from that park.

wait what?? there is a PPH exit gate? It was tough being at the Incredicoaster and we could see our room! but had to walk all the way back to the entrance to leave.

 

[pharmama]

wait what?? there is a PPH exit gate? It was tough being at the Incredicoaster and we could see our room! but had to walk all the way back to the entrance to leave.

Yes, they opened a new entrance/exit between Corn Dog Castle and Seaside Souvenirs for PPH hotel guests earlier this summer. General reports I've read are that proof of PPH hotel reservation (some have reported DLH reservation was also accepted) is required to enter the parks via this new "gate". I have read reports that hotel guest proof was not required to exit, however.

 

[IslaLila]

We're picky and we love the Hojo! The remodeled rooms have a retro feel but are also modern, clean, and comfortable. We did learn that you have to book early to get a park facing room, but oddly enough my husband got a kick out of watching the traffic haha. But if we have a choice we go with building 1 facing the park. We're also really picky about beds and the beds there are super comfortable (more comfortable than the Grand Californian IMO!).

 

[bardays]

Yes, they opened a new entrance/exit between Corn Dog Castle and Seaside Souvenirs for PPH hotel guests earlier this summer. General reports I've read are that proof of PPH hotel reservation (some have reported DLH reservation was also accepted) is required to enter the parks via this new "gate". I have read reports that hotel guest proof was not required to exit, ho

Yes, they opened a new entrance/exit between Corn Dog Castle and Seaside Souvenirs for PPH hotel guests earlier this summer. General reports I've read are that proof of PPH hotel reservation (some have reported DLH reservation was also accepted) is required to enter the parks via this new "gate". I have read reports that hotel guest proof was not required to exit, however.

ooh I am going to try!! thanks!

 

[GatorChris]

The prices have pushed us out recently, but the HoJo has a great feel and great vibe. Plus you can get some park view rooms for a little extra. That really makes the place worth it. If they fit 5 a little better and didn't go way up on prices, we'd still be going there year after year.

 

[Blue32]

The prices have pushed us out recently, but the HoJo has a great feel and great vibe. Plus you can get some park view rooms for a little extra. That really makes the place worth it. If they fit 5 a little better and didn't go way up on prices, we'd still be going there year after year.

Can I ask where they pushed you to? It seems everyone's prices have gone way up since our last trip, but that has been a few years now.

 

[GatorChris]

Can I ask where they pushed you to? It seems everyone's prices have gone way up since our last trip, but that has been a few years now.

We now do BW Park Place. They have rooms with a fold out couch that my son can use. It's very motel-ish. Nothing special, decorated, or themed like they're doing at HoJo. But it's across the street and accommodates 5. All for less than the Park View room that we would want if we were at HoJo.

 

[TinkAgainU]

I know this is an old thread, but found it helpful. We've used Clarion on Convention Way a couple times (low budget, no frills hotel) due to the rate, but just cancelled a reservation when we found their parking ($20 per nite to 3pm on checkout day), has now added a $8 first hour, $4 each additional hour - up to $40 per additional on their parking rate. They said it's now an "outside vendor" and they have "no control" over the rates? Yikes. Be sure to clarify, the gentleman who gave us rates seemed friendly, but not clear on parking pricing.