HoJo Plaza vs. Candy Cane Inn?? Any opinions??? Help needed

[Lives4Disney]

Hi, I am once again thinking about a spring break trip to Disneyland. We made our first ever trip last March and LOVED LOVED LOVED Disneyland. We are WDW vets with about 50+ trips/stays behind us, but very much Disneyland noobs.

Last year we stayed at the DLH and enjoyed it & the location but for the money/time spent in the room we would rather stay somewhere less costly but with good amenities and location. The Disneyland Hotel was nice & we did enjoy it, but the bathroom was old and shabby...some of the linens were too. It definitely had it's plusses (service & location ), but also some things didn't impress me too much that I'd pay that pricey spring break rate again. KWIM?

Looks like there are some awesome deals on the HoJo and Candy Cane Inn during our possible trip time and they both seem to get good reviews here. Just curious which would be better for our family of 5....2 adults, 3 kids - ages 8, 11, and 17. We like WDW deluxes & often stay concierge, but concierge isn't necessary or something I would do at DL. We also like to be within comfortable walking range and have good restaurant choices or room service maybe, nice comfy beds, and a fairly large hotel room, decent bathroom, good service is a biggie & I do like a balcony. We like convenience.

THANKS for any advice & input. You guys really helped me so much last year.

Lives4Disney

 

[Disneyenthusiast]

Candy Cane Inn is very nice. We enjoyed our stay very much, BUT the rooms are snug! IMO, HOJO for a family of 5 is the way to go. Our room at CCI had 2 queen beds, a table and two chairs (total). Since there were only the two of us, and we didn't spend much time in our room, the room was fine. I also notice that HOJO is replacing their bedding, so it should be in good condition. I would try to request a room away from the freeway.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I too can recommend the Candy Cane Inn. The free breakfast is nice, the rooms are clean and comfortable and staff is great! The exclusive shuttle is also nice for those tired feet at the end of the day, but the walk in manageable and there's not need to cross Harbor Blvd.

 

[BillyFan]

We've never stayed at CCI, but we did stay at Hojos in November for the first time and loved it. The rooms were pretty big, plent of room for a rollaway bed. The service was fantastic, and the grounds were beautiful! We were in building 2 overlooking the quiet pool, and had a view of TOT from our "standard room."

 

[BillyFan]

BTW, we stayed at the DLH in August, and Hojos really was just as nice. Add in the price difference (we paid $54 per night at Hojos) and it can't be beat.
No room service, but there is a Mim's cafe very near by.

 

[lulubelle]

I vote for CCI, but we only have one child and she is grown .The standard room would be too small for 5. I have heard the deluxe rooms are a lot larger and the free breakfast is brought to your room (like room service). I really liked parking right outside my room and being able to see/access my car ten feet away from the room. Plus, no chance of a freeway facing room. We stayed with a AAA rate and it was $99 for a Fri and Sat night in May. Comparatively, even with DD's Castmember discount for on-site, I felt the CCI was a great bargain - especially with free parking, breakfast and shuttle. We had a minor maitenance request and the guy was there in like 30 seconds! I think the walk is about the same from either place, but I utilized CCI's shuttle . The service and staff are outstanding at both. I think you would not regret either choice. Have fun planning.

PS I am returning to CCI for one night for the Girls Only trip next April!

 

[jonsmom57]

I vote for CCI, but we only have one child and she is grown .The standard room would be too small for 5. I have heard the deluxe rooms are a lot larger and the free breakfast is brought to your room (like room service). I really liked parking right outside my room and being able to see/access my car ten feet away from the room. Plus, no chance of a freeway facing room. We stayed with a AAA rate and it was $99 for a Fri and Sat night in May. Comparatively, even with DD's Castmember discount for on-site, I felt the CCI was a great bargain - especially with free parking, breakfast and shuttle. We had a minor maitenance request and the guy was there in like 30 seconds! I think the walk is about the same from either place, but I utilized CCI's shuttle . The service and staff are outstanding at both. I think you would not regret either choice. Have fun planning.

PS I am returning to CCI for one night for the Girls Only trip next April!

lulubelle:

Did you get your AAA ressies through a AAA office or through Candy Cane Inn directly?

I wonder if being a AAA member in Massachusetts would give me the same discounts? They should....

 

[Lives4Disney]

Thanks guys! I was wondering about the AAA rate for CCI, too. The "premium" room at CCI is larger (as is the deluxe room - they say about 400 sq ft so about the size of a WDW deluxe room) than standard and the pics online make the rooms look kind of cute.

I am curious about the shuttles, too...just kind of why are they needed?? Aren't these resorts like just a few minutes walk away from the entrance?? From something I read somewhere I had the impression both these hotels are right outside the DL gates - particularly the HoJo. Is that true??

About how much farther would the CCI or HoJo be than the walk from DLH to the entrance?? We walked b/f from DLH thru DTD to get to the entrance to magic kingdom.

Thanks for the feedback on the hotels. So it sounds like either hotel is a good thing.

Lives4Disney

 

[DangerMouse]

The CCI and the HoJo are virtually the same distance from the entrance plaza. They are just shy of 1/2 mile to the esplanade. The Candy Cane offers a shuttle just as a convenience for those who may have mobility issues or are too tired to walk back to the parks after a long day. It takes about 7-10 minutes to walk to the esplanade from either hotel.

I am a loyal HoJo fan mostly because of the incredible entertainment rates they offer and the awesome customer service. I like that MiMi's Cafe is right across the street. It's nice to be able to pick lunch or dinner up on our way back to the hotel and eat in our room if we like. I also like that they have kid-friendly pools.

I'm trying Candy Cane in April for our ladies' only trip and am excited to be able to compare the two.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[PrincessSitka]

The CCI and the HoJo are virtually the same distance from the entrance plaza. They are just shy of 1/2 mile to the esplanade. The Candy Cane offers a shuttle just as a convenience for those who may have mobility issues or are too tired to walk back to the parks after a long day. It takes about 7-10 minutes to walk to the esplanade from either hotel.

I am a loyal HoJo fan mostly because of the incredible entertainment rates they offer and the awesome customer service. I like that MiMi's Cafe is right across the street. It's nice to be able to pick lunch or dinner up on our way back to the hotel and eat in our room if we like. I also like that they have kid-friendly pools.

I'm trying Candy Cane in April for our ladies' only trip and am excited to be able to compare the two.

Good luck with your decision!

Cute picture. I am just wondering how you got a princess to lay on the floor with your little princess?

 

[bumbershoot]

I know the story, but I'll let dangermouse tell it.

****
OP, have you seen this map?

http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html

The two hotels are opposite ways from the esplanade from each other. I found the walk from and to HoJo to be quite simple. Very plain and direct and straight. I liked that. Mimi's was close enough that DH walked there to pick up to-go food, and it was still nice and hot when he got back.

I haven't stayed at CCI, but I'm definitely intrigued. From what I've learned on the boards from a hotel manager who posts, most of the hotels around Disneyland advertise ART, a shuttle through Anaheim. But a few of the hotels are old enough that they had a shuttle pre-ART, and can still offer those shuttles, and CCI is one of them. Otherwise they would just offer ART, too (for a fee).

I found HoJo to be easily walkable, and I'm sure CCI would be easy too, but if one day I wanted to conserve strength, or if it was very hot or very cold or very rainy, I would very likely use their free shuttle if I was staying with CCI!

 

[DangerMouse]

Cute picture. I am just wondering how you got a princess to lay on the floor with your little princess?

Oh yea! I get to tell it again. I never get tired of telling this one. . .

It was my youngest dd's(2 at the time) first visit to Disneyland. She didn't know what to expect, except for she knew that Sleeping Beauty's Castle was there. All the way to Disneyland in the van she kept telling us over and over that when she got to Disneyland she was going to sleep with Sleeping Beauty in her castle.

I told her that Sleeping Beauty's Castle walk-through was closed years ago, so she wouldn't be able to visit her there, but she would surely see her other places. But she kept insisiting over and over that she would sleep with Sleeping Beauty. We laughed it off and said "Sure, honey. You can just ask her when you see her."

One day when we were in the Animation Studios we saw Belle in the Princess area (used to be where Turtle Talk now sits). So we waited in line for Belle. My dd walks up and asks Belle where Aurora is and matter of factly tells her that Sleeping Beauty is her favorite and she wants to sleep with her. Belle was very gracious and told her that Aurora would be coming out next and they would arrange to have her first in line to see her. Then she kissed my dd on the LIPS! It was precious!

The handler CM put my dd first in line to see Aurora who came out right after. Dd walked right up to her gave her a huge hug and said "Can I sleep with you??" Aurora was taken back and asked "What?" Dd repeated that she wanted to sleep with her. Aurora said "Of course!" and laid out her dress and laid down. Dd laid on top of it, closed her eyes and the picture taking commenced. They both pretended to sleep for about 30 seconds. Aurora asked dd if they could wake up. Dd said "Nope! Still sleeping!" Aurora gave her another 30 seconds or so before they woke up.

My mom and I were seriously bawling. What a magical moment for my dd and my entire family. We even heard Aurora ask the CM photographer for a copy of the picture.

The next year when we went back, we saw the same Aurora during storytelling at the Princess Shoppe. She recognized my dd and called her by name. Then she introduced her to Prince Phillip who went on and on about how Aurora had told him all about their nap time together. How they pulled that off, I have NO idea! But once again, another Disney Magical moment for dd.

Just an aside: After having the above experiences with the princesses at DLR, it is no wonder why I am not a fan of PFFT! Oh how I miss the magic when the princesses were free. Now they are prisoners of the PFF.

Anyways, thanks for letting me share that again! Like I said, I LOVE LOVE sharing the magic!

 

[MommyWithDreams]

I had ALWAYS wondered the story behind that picture as well. How much more magical can you get than that? What a wonderful story your dd has to tell years from now. That's one lucky little princess!

 

[daannzzz]

I have stayed at both HoJo and Candy Cane. Both are fine places to stay and you can't go wrong with either one.
HoJo has larger rooms and interior corridors. The rooms are nicely, though blandly, decorated. Some of the rooms have bathrooms that feel a bit dated. Everything is clean and comfortable and some of the rooms have incredible views of the fireworks. Some have nice pool views and some have wonderfull garden views and , unfortunately some have views of Highway 5.
Candy Cane rooms are (in general) smaller but are decorated MUCH nicer and have an atmosphere that is very nice. This is a two story motel with exterior corridors but it is a very nice motel. There aren't really any good views here.
HoJo has nice grounds with walkways and paths and trees and gardens and two large pools. It is next to Highway 5 so gets some noise.
Candy Cane has almost no grounds but what they have is landscaped extremely nicely. They only have one smallish pool here. It is located near the intersection of Harbo Blvd and Katella which are both very busy.
As was stated above the walk from either one is about the same. Candy Cane has it's own private shuttle and a nice free breakfast.
HoJo has a Anaheim Resort Transit bus that stops there but it costs. They have no breakfast there.

 

[ter-moo]

As much as I love the CCI, I think a family of 5 would be squished in their rooms, even the deluxe ones. And it's much more like a moderate than a deluxe.

I haven't stayed at the Hojo, so I can't tell you about that. If you want full service and something more like a deluxe, I'd recommend one of the Sheratons or the Hilton. They're a little farther away, but they have all the amenities you want. The Sheraton Anaheim has a shuttle bus, also.

If you really want a deluxe with all the perks, I'd go with the Grand Californian, but it'll cost you!

 

[Lives4Disney]

As much as I love the CCI, I think a family of 5 would be squished in their rooms, even the deluxe ones. And it's much more like a moderate than a deluxe.

I haven't stayed at the Hojo, so I can't tell you about that. If you want full service and something more like a deluxe, I'd recommend one of the Sheratons or the Hilton. They're a little farther away, but they have all the amenities you want. The Sheraton Anaheim has a shuttle bus, also.

If you really want a deluxe with all the perks, I'd go with the Grand Californian, but it'll cost you!

THANKS for your input. The CCI looks so cute & charming in the online pics and it is sooo hard to tell about room size in the photos - I have been deceived by online hotel pics many times so I appreciate real opinions.

The issue I had last year with the GCH was the 5th person ( my teen son) might not have a bed. They couldn't guarantee that he would have anything to sleep on other than a sleeping bag and I was paying about $700/nt for that ressie (I already had GCH booked when I found this out and thought for THAT price EVERYBODY should have a bed off the ground - also heard the GCH rooms are tight) I switched it at the last minute to the DLH for a little less than 1/2 that rate and then my son opted out the day before we were to fly to CA!!! I just think the crazy spring break rates are WAY over inflated for what you get at any of the DL & WDW hotels and since this will be our second trip to DL we won't be in the hotel much anyway. I still like a deluxe feel & convenience factor is a biggie & I prefer to be in easy walking distance.

I have SPG points and last year seriously considered the Sheraton Anaheim but was kind of glad we didn't stay there when I saw where it was located - could not walk to DL. Maybe it would be worth it though for the niceness of the hotel. I am so unsure & most often I make the wrong choice.

I am nervous/wary about relying on shuttle buses. I picture huge crowds waiting at park closing and jampacked buses.

Lives4Disney

 

[NostalgicDad]

As much as I love the CCI, I think a family of 5 would be squished in their rooms, even the deluxe ones. And it's much more like a moderate than a deluxe.

I haven't stayed at the Hojo, so I can't tell you about that. If you want full service and something more like a deluxe, I'd recommend one of the Sheratons or the Hilton. They're a little farther away, but they have all the amenities you want. The Sheraton Anaheim has a shuttle bus, also.

If you really want a deluxe with all the perks, I'd go with the Grand Californian, but it'll cost you!

We are a family of 5 and have never felt squished in the "premium" rooms. Of course we are basically only there to sleep as we usually open and close the parks.

Our favorite feature of the premium room is the free in-room breakfast service. That works great for us and they always deliver at the exact time we specify!

 

[Lives4Disney]

We are a family of 5 and have never felt squished in the "premium" rooms. Of course we are basically only there to sleep as we usually open and close the parks.

Our favorite feature of the premium room is the free in-room breakfast service. That works great for us and they always deliver at the exact time we specify!

OK, you guys are making this hard for me!! You were supposed to say "***** sucks....stay at ******".

That premium room was exactly the room I was thinking of booking at CCI. That bfast service does sound nice. Also, they say it is a larger room - approx 400 sq ft and have turndown service, too, which is a nice little perk.

When you've stayed at CCI have you walked or used the shuttle??? Does the shuttle line get super crowded?? Was the shuttle convenient or a hassle??

We'd most likely be at the parks all day, too, but I want to be happy with our choice of hotel and I will be more happy with a deluxe feel - from newer decor/good service/nice location.

Thanks for all the opinions!!

Happy Disney planning,

Lives4Disney

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Another vote for CCI.

We've been staying at lower budget places the last couple of trips, but our 4-year-old always points out our "favorite hotel" as we drive by.

We even got a Christmas Card from CCI this year signed by all the employees.

 

[NostalgicDad]

OK, you guys are making this hard for me!! You were supposed to say "***** sucks....stay at ******".

That premium room was exactly the room I was thinking of booking at CCI. That bfast service does sound nice. Also, they say it is a larger room - approx 400 sq ft and have turndown service, too, which is a nice little perk.

When you've stayed at CCI have you walked or used the shuttle??? Does the shuttle line get super crowded?? Was the shuttle convenient or a hassle??

We'd most likely be at the parks all day, too, but I want to be happy with our choice of hotel and I will be more happy with a deluxe feel - from newer decor/good service/nice location.

Thanks for all the opinions!!

Happy Disney planning,

Lives4Disney

I'd say we walk to and from the parks 90% of the time for our visits. The shuttle is great for us when returning after a hard day and we just feel like riding instead of walking any more than we have to. Although we've seen several people waiting for the shuttle, we haven't had a problem getting a seat. Typically if there seems to be a lot of folks waiting for it we just walk. It's more of a timing thing I guess. The walk is so easy that it doesn't make sense for us to wait on it since we'll beat it there anyway.