HOJO Hints & Tips

[Littleprincess2010]

Just subscribing because this is a great thread and we're staying here in November

 

[wvnative]

We fit a half gallon in the door on our last trip.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

We fit a half gallon in the door on our last trip.

Oops. Even though I read and said half gallon, I think I was thinking "gallon."

 

[jernysgirl]

We fit a half gallon in the door on our last trip.

Good to know! Thanks!!!

 

[Littleprincess2010]

Oops. Even though I read and said half gallon, I think I was thinking "gallon."

I just want to get this right, you fit a big jug (4L/1GAL) in the door??

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I just want to get this right, you fit a big jug (4L/1GAL) in the door??

No sorry. I'm the one who said you can't fit a half gallon in the fridge and a bunch of people came in behind and said you could. I realized suddenly that I was visualizing a gallon carton when I said it can't be done. Sorry about creating confusion. Someone else mentioned that they did successfully fit a HALF gallon carton on the door.

 

[dizneedoll]

Don't go near Captain Kidds Buffet Restaurant it is really discusting.

I just want to strongly second this advice! DO NOT eat there! The food is bad, the service (what little there is) is bad. I had chicken that was raw in the middle, bread that was stale and hard as a rock and well, pretty much everything was inedible. We had to stop at McD's on the way back to HOJO after eating at this dump.

 

[Mom2Joce]

Quarters in case you need to use Hojo’s coin op washers and dryers. Hojo having those saved me when my shampoo exploded in my bag all over my DCA sweatshirt.

Yes, I LOVE doing laundry on vacation! I'm a freak I know!! But I always have my quarters, soap and fabric softener

 

[mmtwinmama]

Subscribing. Great thread!

 

[Mom2Joce]

Thanks everyone for all your tips...lots I had in my head but some I hadn't thought of. I think the excitement starts to get a hold of me when we get to under 10 days and then my head starts going 100 miles an hour and I'm afraid I'll forget something or not think of something!

Also, we've never stayed at HOJO so just wanted to see what others were doing...what was easy, difficult, etc. We're just going with the Standard room (doubles) but we'll be fine!

Those that have had balcony's...how have you used them? Storage? Extended living space with some chairs? Don't use them?
At the Grand last year we barely used ours at all!!

I think we're going to try the Euclid Farmers Market on Sunday and a stop to the Von's down Harbor and over the freeway. I want to head over there anyway and stop at the Character Warehouse!

 

[smiley_face2]

Also, we've never stayed at HOJO so just wanted to see what others were doing...what was easy, difficult, etc. We're just going with the Standard room (doubles) but we'll be fine!

Those that have had balcony's...how have you used them? Storage? Extended living space with some chairs? Don't use them?
At the Grand last year we barely used ours at all!!

I think we're going to try the Euclid Farmers Market on Sunday and a stop to the Von's down Harbor and over the freeway. I want to head over there anyway and stop at the Character Warehouse!

We love love love Hojo's!! we were there 3 months ago, and will be there again in 3 months!! (the much anticipated snowball effect)
We've been staying there for the past 20 years now!! started going when the kids were just little and now this coming trip will be going with our grandson!
If you are in a standard room with the large double beds, you will be in one of the 2 story buildings. the top floor has a domed ceiling with huge skylights that make the rooms seem massive, and so light and airy, but do let the light in early in the morning so if that's an issue for you, you may want to stay on the ground floor. You can phone the hotel directly (714-776-6120) and ask for the inhouse reservation. Don't use the 1-800 number....you can request all sorts of things for your room location etc.They don't promise, but they do their best to fulfill your requests. We like to stay in building 4 overlooking the water play area, you can see the monorail go by, hear some sounds from the park, and the sunsets are beautiful! But, they do keep the pirate ship etc. lit up at night, and if you are in a room with the skylights, the light will come in fairly brightly. saves us bringing a nightlight though!
they don't have microwaves in those rooms, but the fridge is huge! seriously for a small fridge they pack in a lot! like others say though, you need to tinker with the dial to get it set right so it does not freeze stuff. The other side of the building is facing into a lovely garden courtyard area which is quiet and even if you were on the top floor, the light would not be such an issue, but it is shady in the daytime so no sitting on the balcony in the sun. And yes we do like to sit on our balcony in the sun!
If you are in building 4 or 6 you can leave out the end of the building furthest away from the lobby, go through the paking lot area and you are right at the intersection to cross the street, saves walking all the way through the hotel property. Then you can cross over harbor like others have said and enter through the taxi area, it's obvious when you get there, you won't get lost!! it really does save a lot of walking....you can come back in that way at night too, but you will need your room key to open the main door. You can see the fireworks from the parking lot if you are not at the park at the time.
They are getting wifi soon if not already so no need to bring a router, but you might want to check with them first to see if it's been done before you go, otherwise you can sit on the bench outside the lobby area and use the wifi there. They also have 2 computers in the lobby for people to use.
We always make a quick trip to Vons to get our milk, fresh fruit, juices etc. when we get there too, saves a bundle!
I'll try to keep thinking of things and posting as I do...

 

[auntiegem]

Does anyone remember if there's a hook on the inside of the bathroom door? Kind of silly, I know -- but we use an organizer for our bathroom stuff, and will bring our own over-the-door hook if there isn't one. Thanks!

 

[Barbossa]

HoJo is cool in that they have the luggage carts that bellhops use available for general use. They're usually located next to the office on the Bldg 1 (the tall building) side of the office. There is staff to transport your luggage if you'd like, but if you'd like to do it yourself (and save tip money) you can use these carts.

There are very nice and clean public restrooms on the first floor of Bldg 1.

The staff are very friendly, I've been staying at HoJo for years and a lot of the same people are still working there. I personally tip the housekeepers daily and generously as they're very friendly and do a great job.

Old Spaghetti Factory fans can find an OSF about 5 miles down Harbor Drive. I recommend call-ahead seating and getting there early as parking is a nightmare. It's a converted train station and is very cool. (You can watch/hear passenger and freight trains rumble by while you're eating.)

The sundry store is one of the better stocked hotel stores that I've ever seen. Marriott/Hilton/Sheraton have nothing on the HoJo store.

Note that the 9:30 fireworks shows are loud. You'll definitely hear them if you're in your room.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Does anyone remember if there's a hook on the inside of the bathroom door? Kind of silly, I know -- but we use an organizer for our bathroom stuff, and will bring our own over-the-door hook if there isn't one. Thanks!

Yes! There is, 2 on the back of the bathroom door. At least in Building 2 there is.

 

[auntiegem]

Yes! There is, 2 on the back of the bathroom door. At least in Building 2 there is.

Thanks -- and we'll be in Building 2!

 

[Mom2Joce]

We love love love Hojo's!! we were there 3 months ago, and will be there again in 3 months!! (the much anticipated snowball effect)
We've been staying there for the past 20 years now!! started going when the kids were just little and now this coming trip will be going with our grandson!
If you are in a standard room with the large double beds, you will be in one of the 2 story buildings. the top floor has a domed ceiling with huge skylights that make the rooms seem massive, and so light and airy, but do let the light in early in the morning so if that's an issue for you, you may want to stay on the ground floor. You can phone the hotel directly (714-776-6120) and ask for the inhouse reservation. Don't use the 1-800 number....you can request all sorts of things for your room location etc.They don't promise, but they do their best to fulfill your requests. We like to stay in building 4 overlooking the water play area, you can see the monorail go by, hear some sounds from the park, and the sunsets are beautiful! But, they do keep the pirate ship etc. lit up at night, and if you are in a room with the skylights, the light will come in fairly brightly. saves us bringing a nightlight though!
they don't have microwaves in those rooms, but the fridge is huge! seriously for a small fridge they pack in a lot! like others say though, you need to tinker with the dial to get it set right so it does not freeze stuff. The other side of the building is facing into a lovely garden courtyard area which is quiet and even if you were on the top floor, the light would not be such an issue, but it is shady in the daytime so no sitting on the balcony in the sun. And yes we do like to sit on our balcony in the sun!
If you are in building 4 or 6 you can leave out the end of the building furthest away from the lobby, go through the paking lot area and you are right at the intersection to cross the street, saves walking all the way through the hotel property. Then you can cross over harbor like others have said and enter through the taxi area, it's obvious when you get there, you won't get lost!! it really does save a lot of walking....you can come back in that way at night too, but you will need your room key to open the main door. You can see the fireworks from the parking lot if you are not at the park at the time.
They are getting wifi soon if not already so no need to bring a router, but you might want to check with them first to see if it's been done before you go, otherwise you can sit on the bench outside the lobby area and use the wifi there. They also have 2 computers in the lobby for people to use.
We always make a quick trip to Vons to get our milk, fresh fruit, juices etc. when we get there too, saves a bundle!
I'll try to keep thinking of things and posting as I do...

Great info...thanks so much! I was hoping to get one of the rooms closer to the street...call me crazy!! We don't mind noise or light...so no biggie!! Maybe I should call and request (I know not guarenteed) being close to Harbor!

Thanks to all who mentioned that Mimi's was good for take out! I just thought if I had the fruit, cereal, milk, etc. that I could run over and grab some eggs and bacon Perfect! I'll have to put their number in my phone!

Lovin' the Wifi..hope it's up and running but if not we'll be fine!!

Thanks everyone

 

[Mom2Joce]

What is the closet like in the standards...Does it have a bar with hangers?

 

[haydeecm]

My tip is to sign up for the mimi's free breakfast on their website. They also sent us some great $10 off coupon for my birthday. Note that the kids breakfast is not included in the free breakfast, so the lady handed us back the coupon and we got to come back the next day. The breakfast are quite large, specially the perdu comes with a muffin that could be a meal by itself, a LOT of eggs, and the actual cheesecake like perdu, and orange juice all for around $8-9, so share. We kept coming back to mimis.

I thought it was great to get groceries, the mart was really expensive. The $50 min from Vons scared me, but including the water bottles, yoghurt, deli meats, bread, snacks, and fruit, we ended spending more than that at Trader Joes, so next time I will save me the trip and just get delivery from Vons.

I second about the top floor rooms, they get a lot of light in the morning, they made it impossible for my son to take a nap cause there was too much light, so I would stay away from those if you are planning on getting naps in.

 

[Mom2Joce]

My tip is to sign up for the mimi's free breakfast on their website. They also sent us some great $10 off coupon for my birthday. Note that the kids breakfast is not included in the free breakfast, so the lady handed us back the coupon and we got to come back the next day. The breakfast are quite large, specially the perdu comes with a muffin that could be a meal by itself, a LOT of eggs, and the actual cheesecake like perdu, and orange juice all for around $8-9, so share. We kept coming back to mimis

I wondered how Mimi's was regarding the coupons...can we use different email addresses and take one in each day? Is that too much?

 

[jessica52877]

Do all the rooms now take the k-cups? DH drinks coffee non stop and so that won't be a great fit for him. Yikes! Was thinking I would buy our own coffee but guess they don't have a pot do they.