Help me find a hotel for my dd sweet 16!

[BluBayou]

Hi- Im looking for a good neighbor hotel, that's sort of nicer than our usual Park Place Inn, for my dds sweet 16th birthday trip. Ideal would be: Nice, tall so we could stay high up, maybe free breakfast and a free park shuttle. Id like to stay under $150 a night. We'll be there in May, for a five days.
THANKS!!

 

[Geemo]

Here's a couple map of the area around DLR. You can see the various hotels.
http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/Disneyland/default.asp
http://anaheim411.com/2008_mapFRONT_xl.jpg

 

[Kristina4109]

For people who want more of a resort feel but don't want to stay on-property I recommend the Howard Johnson Anaheim. Still within walking distance from the parks. Fun pirate themed pool area with a view of the Matterhorn. Pretty grounds with tile work and lots of greenery. A fun "the day Disneyland opened in 1955" feel to it. No free breakfast but Millie's is right next door and I enjoy the breakfast there.

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

For people who want more of a resort feel but don't want to stay on-property I recommend the Howard Johnson Anaheim. Still within walking distance from the parks. Fun pirate themed pool area with a view of the Matterhorn. Pretty grounds with tile work and lots of greenery. A fun "the day Disneyland opened in 1955" feel to it. No free breakfast but Millie's is right next door and I enjoy the breakfast there.

Millie's is closed, do you mean Mimi's?

 

[chickapin parterre]

fun concept, what has been the best lodging that your daughter has experienced in her life time? The high up is confusing.

 

[figment_jii]

Most of the hotels right along Harbor Blvd between Ball and Katella are motels (like the BWPPI). So in that way, none of them are really going to be hotels-quality. I think the Fairfield Inn (probably) has the most floors and it does offer theme park views. The rooms were fine, but nothing outstanding. If you venture further south towards the Convention Center there are a few nice hotels (e.g., Anaheim Hilton, Marriott), but those don't offer free breakfast or shuttles (and the pricing is probably higher than $150/night).

 

[Kristina4109]

Millie's is closed, do you mean Mimi's?

YES, sorry, I'm always getting Mimi's and Millie's mixed up!

 

[BluBayou]

We've stayed at Disney Hotel once when they were really young, and Im SURE we didnt pay then what it is showing as $ now. I couldnt find anything under $350 a night!
Maybe we just need to bite the bullet and pay more? Hubby wants to stay at the Californian, but the price hurts me to think about. Im cheap. UG. She'll only have one Sweet 16th though, right?
Thank you all for the replies!

 

[StellaD]

We just stayed at DLH and did feel it was worth the cost. We went over Presidents weekend so it was pretty expensive. We loved the grounds and the pool and our room was great. Sometimes it is worth it to pay more. It felt like a real getaway vacation. We did the deluxe view and had a nice view. Staying on site might be a nice treat for a special birthday.

 

[Canuck16]

We've stayed at Sheraton Park Conceirge Level and have requested a Disney View room.......usually the 14th floor.

We love the view and location.....about a 15-20 minute walk to the parks.

 

[BluBayou]

After much consideration... we are now looking at onsite hotels. We've stayed at DLH, but even back then I felt the walk was pretty long (for me). The monorail was down the whole time we were there then, so that was yucky. (One of our teens was a toddler then. We had to carry him, in the rain, back to the hotel, screaming tired (me!). Ya, not the best memory LOL!)
I wish I could get a GUARANTEE that the monorail would be working.
One of those, there are no guarantees in life, kind of things though. ;-)

You are right. A special birthday deserves a little more.
:-D

 

[StellaD]

The monorail was working the three days we were there, but we only took it once. We found we liked the walk through downtown Disney. There was so much going on it was fun for us. But definitely GCH would be closer. We didn't walk in there at all but it sounds like it would be lovely. Definitely walking in the rain with a fussy toddler would have put a different perspective on it all for me too!

 

[BluBayou]

We booked last night, and I dont know how it happened but we booked at the Grand Californian! LOL! From seeking budget..... go figure out parenting ;-)

 

[StellaD]

We booked last night, and I dont know how it happened but we booked at the Grand Californian! LOL! From seeking budget..... go figure out parenting ;-)

Good for you! I'm sure you'll love it. We were just in Florida last year at Wilderness resort and the lobby photos reminded me of that. I love the theming it is just amazing. I get told my kids are a little spoiled because we tend to splurge on vacation, but I figure it is a treat for me too. Life is too short and it is meant to be enjoyed (and a vacation is the perfect place to live it up a bit). Oops, I somehow added my San Diego sunset pic. I'm technologically challenged and have no idea how I just did that. Sorry. Have a great time!

 

[StellaD]

I don't think the pic is showing. I'm glad, it was probably huge!