Hojo, Candy Cane or splurge and stay onsite?

[palmtreegirl]

I'm starting to plan our first trip to Disneyland, hopefully for the spring of 2006.

Where would you stay & why? Which month would you choose to go during, March, April or May?

Thank you!
Cate

 

[daannzzz]

HoJo and Candy Cane are both great places to stay and are fine backdrops for a trip to Disneyland. Staying at the Grand Californian or the Disneyland Hotel do make the trip more special. One thing to consider is that if you are going to be on the go from dawn until midnight,like many people do on the first trips to the parks, you will be fine at the off site places. I found that the more often I went to Anaheim the more time I spent relaxing at the hotel. If you can afford it and are spending numerous days there, staying on site is awersome. It just isn't as important as on trips to Orlando. March, April and May are good times to go with the flowering trees and spring gardens looking great. Chances of rain are more in March than in May. It is also possible that it will be fairly warm in May.

 

[Vanvmom]

We've been in March and April... true more likely to have rain in those months, but even a little rain hasn't spoiled our trips. It's not a humid muggy rain like you may be used to. My suggestion is to avoid the week before or after Easter, other than that... any of those months are good months to go. We love Candy Cane, so of course my bias is there. We don't spend much time at the hotel, so haven't ever stayed on site (the kids can swim at home, so they don't need to do it at the hotel). We've seen the rooms at the GCH (and they are wonderful). We're staying at PPH in Nov. because of a special deal we got, otherwise we'd be back at the Candy Cane Inn again. Some people like to be able to see the fireworks from their hotel room, so a good view is important to them. Me, I prefer to see the fireworks from inside the park (the music that goes with it is part of the magic for me). Whatever your decision about the month, or either of the hotels you've mentioned.... you will love your vacation!

 

[daannzzz]

Also be aware that the park (well Disneyland anyway) is real busy on Friday nights and Saturdays as well as Sunday afternoon because the locals and Anual Pass holders swarm in at these times, particularly if there are Fantasmic and Fireworks showings.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Thank you for the advice. We also want to maybe go to San Diego while we're over there so we thought that maybe we'd do SD on the weekend and Disneyland M-Th.

Since it's our first trip to Disneyland I don't think we'll be at the resort much, probably just to sleep at night. Are the Hojo & Candy Cane close by the parks? Which one is closer?

I can't decide if the extra $$ is worth it to stay onsite, it's hard to decide when you've never been there.

Any more advice would be great, TIA.

 

[Vanvmom]

Candy Cane Inn borders DCA and is right down the street from the main entrance to both parks. You can see the back side of TOT from the entrance to the Candy Cane Inn.

 

[daannzzz]

Here is a great ariel view. http://www.beachcalifornia.com/dlmp.html
The HoJo is way over on the right side of the photo.
The Candy Cane is not listed but find the words "Four Points Hotel" along the bottom of the photo and follow the line up to where the "Four Points" is actually located on the photo. A half inch above that you will see a large "U" shaped building. That is the Candy Cane.
Both Hotels are about a 7-10 minute walk to the front gates of the parks.
The Candy Cane Inn has a bit more character to it with pretty rooms, lots of flowring plants and a free breakfast. They have one pool in a slight garden setting.
Howard Johnson has interior coridors with bigger rooms but the decore is no big deal. The grounds here have lots of pine trees, two pools but noe free breakfast.

 

[Vanvmom]

Here is a more current overhead view of the parks. http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/556/11450dlgoodneighbormap1.jpg

The brick colored area between DL and DCA is the entry plaza for both parks.

 

[daannzzz]

Thats cool Vanvmom. Thanks. I kept that one.

 

[KatelynnsAuntie]

Another vote for Candy Cane. It's within walking distance (although they also have a shuttle) and the property is very nice.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Thank you so much!

 

[puggymom]

Candy Cane is great!!!!! It has the free breakfast and the free shuttle. It was alos cheaper than HOJOs. I just got back last night and I would definately stay at CCI again, it was also very clean.

 

[mtemm]

We were just at the Candy Cane on monday and tuesday (8/15 and 8/16). It was a very easy walk, even closer than I expected. We did take the shuttle 2x because we were really foot sore from our time at the parks and the shuttles were standing by, otherwise we would have just walked. The pool and hot tub were wonderful. It was a very happy atmosphere, and even though this was a trip just for dh and I, it looked like the families were all having a great time. The free breakfast was a nice touch.

I was a bit concerned about the CCI because my dh tends to be picky. While it was by no means a luxury resort, it was clean and comfortable and nicely situated. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

 

[CdnDisneyFan]

My friend and I are staying at the CCI for our very first DL trip next month, WOOHOO, and I found these great photos of the hotel, the website has photos of HoJos too, just click on moderate hotels on the left side of the page. http://www.dlresortinfo.com/CandyCaneInn/candyinn.html

Jules

 

[Disneylovers]

Another vote for CCI. We stayed there last month. The walk to the park was an easy one, (we kept missing the shuttle). But at night, we made sure to take the shuttle home, our feet thanked us! The free breakfast was a nice perk also (muffins, bagels, fruit, as well as cold cereal, and instant oatmeal too). The staff was friendly and quick to remedy a problem (they took our towels every day, even tho' we were trying to 'reuse' them, and housekeeping forgot to leave us new ones one day. I ran to the front desk, and within 5 minutes, we got a full stack of towels). If you're a member of AAA Motor Club, you get a discount.

 

[dawnrose]

We are staying at the CCI in Dec...We stayed there in August a couple of years ago and liked it. Our favorite place to stay is the Grand Ca. It is very special...super convenient to the parks and just a lovely, peaceful atmosephere. It's definitely the best place to stay IMO. It does, however, end up costing us A LOT more $$ so we save it for special trips. (We've stayed there 2x) The best thing about the CCI is the free shuttle. If it's raining or the kids don't want to walk, the shuttle works out well and it runs every half hour. And the breakfast is decent...I've eaten at some others that I wouldn't even bother with. If this is a special trip for you and you can afford to, I would be tempted to splurge and do the Grand Ca...plus, if you book a AAA pckg you can get the unlimited fastpass option. You can't get that staying at CCI. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Danvers]

I'm starting to plan our first trip to Disneyland, hopefully for the spring of 2006.

Where would you stay & why? Which month would you choose to go during, March, April or May?

Thank you!
Cate

We're staying at the Residence Inn Marriott, which is a Good Neighbor Hotel. If you check this site out, you can read about it. It has a free hot breakfast buffet, they will grocery shop for free for you, and it's right up the street from the park.

 

[cmputerdazed]

thanks for this I just posted the same question then go on to read this. It sound like I am going to try for the CCI in october. Jan