hotel recommendations

[damo]

Does anyone have any recommendations for hotels around Disneyland or Knotts or Universal or Six Flags Magic Mountain?

Has anyone stayed at the Residence Inn anaheim Resort Area hotel?

Would three nights be enough to do Disneyland and Knotts?

 

[Firefly777]

If you plan on going to DCA, then I don't think three days is enough for all three parks. You need a least 2 days at DL and 1 day at DCA and probably 1 day at Knott's. If you just plan on going to DL park and Knott's, then I think it's possible to do 2 days at DL and 1 day at Knott's.

 

[damo]

I need two days to do one park? We are planning on doing all the parks. I never thought that DL would be two days. Thanks, that's why I posted!!!

 

[disneychrista]

I guess it depends on how you plan to "do" the parks. If you only want to run from ride to ride, not see the parades or stop to smell the roses you could "do" disneyland in one day, DCA in 1/2 of a day and Knotts in 1/2 day.

However, I would recommended at least 2 days for Disneyland, 1 FULL day at DCA and 1 day for Knott's.

 

[NHLFAN]

Hi,

If you don't mind switching hotels:

My suggestion would be to stay a couple nights at a Disney Resort Hotel (or one close by) and one night at the Radisson Resort at Knott's Berry Farm.

Knotts Berry Farm has links on their website for package deals at Radisson Resort Knott's Berry Farm.

We did this last Feb. and it worked out great...lines were small at KBF so we only spent 1/2 day there and them headed back over to Downtown Disney...The Radisson has free shuttle service to Disneyland.

 

[damo]

Okay, we will spend a day at the Radison and three days at perhaps the Portofino Inn and Suites.

We also wants to do Six Flags Marine World and Paramount Great Adventure as well as the other great San Francisco sights. We will be spending about 5 days in this area. Do you have any recommendations for hotels and trip highlights up there?

DS is 15 and DD is 18.

We will also be doing to Pebble Beach area.

 

[Amy&Dan]

For information on attractions outside Disneyland try going to Tripadvisor.com I have used this site to check attractions and hotels all over the U.S. with good results. And yes, you need at least two days for Disneyland and one for CA. Learned this one the hard way on our first visit! Each time I go I extend by another day because I always find new things to do! We are going in May and staying six full days for Disneyland and California Adventure only! Will it ever end?

 

[damo]

LOL, I don't think we could spend 6 days there. DS would go insane, he's already balking at two days!!! He wants thrill rides and more thrill rides.

 

[NHLFAN]

WOW,

A trip even my teens might like...

The last two times to Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara we stayed at the Hilton.
It's located right next to the park...and is a VERY nice place... they also run special room promotions that include tickets.
check out..."hiltonsantaclara.net" or call them.

My Son, now 17, still loves going to Paramonts Great America--but he now refuses to be seen at Disney (LOL)...He just hang out at the movies, hotel or Downtown Disney.

Our last trip to Disneyland last FEB...my daughter 14 and her friend enjoyed DCA more than Disneyland...they loved the Rapids and Screamin'....Knotts Berry Farm has more extreme type rides that most teens would like...just like mine did.

Have fun...

 

[damo]

Since we are coming from Ontario, Canada I said that I wasn't going all the way to California and not do Disney. There are rides that we'll never get a chance to do again. We're really looking forward to California Screamin' but I'm also looking forward to all the dark rides.

 

[minniecarousel]

Since you want to stay a night in the Pebble Beach area - check out Carmel, but it's a little pricey. The less expensive places to stay are in Monterrey & Pacific Grove. I believe there are major chain hotels near Marine World - it's located in Vallejo. If you stay in Vallejo, it's a nice day-trip into the Napa Valley/Wine Country.

 

[pumba526]

If you want to stay at a hotel in the Magic Mountain area, try the Hilton Garden Inn. It's located at the bottom of the Magic Mountain entrance (which is located at the top of a hill...it's not within reasonable walking distance). We stay there whenever we are in that area. The rooms are reasonably priced, good size, clean and have a mini fridge and microwave. Also, the pool and spa is very nice. There are nice restaurants within walking distance too. You can't go wrong with this place.

 

[cats mom]

For six flags marine world we stayed at the holiday inn. It is not usually our hotel of choice - but it is right across the street so you can just walk to the park entrance and not have to deal with the parking lot.
Not sure what time of year you are coming or how many days you have - but if you are looking for great coasters, my 16 yr old (a true roller coaster fanatic) much prefers six flags magic mountain to knotts for the roller coaster experience. It is on your way out of LA heading up to SF.
I believe they have some season pass specials starting at around $60.00 which would get you into both six flags MM and six flags MW. Last year we bought two season passes that came with a booklet that had some friend passes and parking passes etc. Check out their web site.

 

[exDS vet]

Question; Are you driving all over California, or flying from SoCal to the Bay Area? In any case, I would avoid hotel hopping. Here's why. All of the SoCal attractions are within driving distance from eachother. DL and Knotts are only 10 minutes apart. Universal is about 45 mins from DL (35 from Knott's), and Magic Mtn. is about an hour away. If driving to Bay Area, I would suggest doing Magic Mtn. at the end of SoCal Leg and staying overnight there before continuing to the Bay Area (5hrs driving).

The same is pretty much true for the Bay Area. If you stay in SF, you are only about 45 minutes away from Great America and Marine World (different directions). In fact, there should be a ferry that will take you to Vallejo and transfer to Marine World. There are a variety of hotels in SF with a variety of price ranges. I would recommend something in the Wharf area, or near Union Square. What to do in SF?

The Wharf, especially Pier 39. It's SF's top tourist attractions and well worth seeing. Don't miss the Sea Lions, located on the left side of the Pier towards the back.

Union Square has lots of shops and a huge Disney Store. It was the first big store before 5th Ave in NY. Just look around. There's nothing special to buy except possibly some SF shirts with Mickey and Pooh.

The Lion King show is currently playing in SF. I believe it's at the Orpheum. Don't know how long it's there but I'm sure it will be a while.

Coit Tower is a nice sight. For a few bucks you can take the elevator to the top of the tower for some breathtaking views.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a must! If the walkways are open,you can walk out on to the bridge. Also see Fort Point under the bridge, it's an old military installation that's open to the public and it's free.

Sony Metreon is nice, but not a must see.

PacBell Park would be great if you can take in a Giants game.

Of course you can ride the cable cars or the street cars to get around town. You can also walk pretty much everywhere from your hotel (except the GG Bridge)

Alcatraz, Angel Island and the Bay Cruises are all available from Fisherman's Wharf. (If you visit Fisherman's Wharf, there really is no need to see Monterey. Cannery Row is very similar. Also a bit like Pike's Place in Seattle).

I used to live in the Bay Area. Recalling all of these places is bringing back many memories. Hope this helps. Have fun!

P.S. How much time you spend at Disneyland strongly depends on the operating hours. If it's open late, you should be able to do it in a day. DCA would not fill up a full day. Knott's usually has a reduced price admission after 5pm, which is great if it's open late as well.

 

[damo]

Thanks! We are driving down to LA from San Francisco. So we should pick one hotel in SF, then perhaps one in Carmel (husband wants to golf Pebble Beach), then one hotel at Six Flags Magic Mountain and then stay in Anaheim? You don't recommend staying in a different hotel to view Universal and Beverly Hills?

We've got two weeks.

 

[exDS vet]

I would stay in Anaheim and just drive to Universal and Beverly Hills. Of course these are going to be on different days, but if you want to split your Disneyland time up a bit, this will be a great option for you. Again, it's only about 45 minutes by car to Universal and I think Bev. Hills is probably no much further.

 

[hmwnick]

We have been to SF the past 2 summers(1w/ kids & 1w/out). Dh & I stayed in Union Square last summer & I wouldn't recommend that area. Lots of homeless people & we didn't feel really comfortable walking around @ night. Both times we bought a Muni pass to use for public transportation(cable cars, buses, trolley). We'd stay in Fisherman's Wharf. There is also something called a "CityPass" you can buy. It is admission to Alcatraz, Exploratorium, museums & such. Have a great time!!!

 

[damo]

We have booked the Argonaut hotel in San Francisco for three nights. It is in Fisherman's Wharf. Got it thru Hotwire at a such a great price that we booked two rooms. It is a 4 1/2 star resort.

We've decided to stay at the Hyatt Huntington Beach for six nights while we are in the Anaheim area. That way we can do everything from a central point. We got a great deal on adjoining rooms there as well.

We are also going to be staying in the Magic Mountain area for three nights so the kids can do the park and we can golf.

I think we will stay at the Universal Sheraton for one night on our way down from Magic Mountain and then head to Huntington Beach.

 

[goofyfordisney]

If you haven't already booked your room at Magic Mountain area, I wanted to caution you against the Fairfield Inn (Marriott) in the Stevenson Ranch area of Valencia. It looks nice on the outside (it's fairly new), but...the rooms were pretty bad. We were only staying for one night, so we didn't care too much. The beds were very uncomfortable!

If you are planning on staying for a few nights, you might want to try the Residence Inn (it shared the same parking lot). Usually, Residence Inn hotels are a notch up from the Fairfield Inn. We would have stayed here on our stay but it was sold out. I'm not sure of the rates, since we used our Marriott points. You might look into priceline for this hotel. Try biddingfortravel.com for the list.
Hope this helps!

Have a great trip!
Sue

 

[damo]

At MM we are staying at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites. It is relatively new (2002) and 1/2 mile from MM. We got a 2 queen bed with pull out couch for $98.