Howard Johnson Hotel?

[serendipity]

Has anyone stayed at HoJo's in Anaheim? How far is the walk and is it clean, nice etc. My fiancee and I are going to be spending the first four nights of our honeymoon this May in Disneyland and were eventually going to splurge and stay at the grand californian....the wedding is costing more than we anticipated so we're trying to bring costs down. Any reviews would be great!

 

[SamIAm21]

It is a nice hotel. It has a nice flowered walkways and quaint fountain. The pools are nice, but not extremely large. The hotel was clean, the rooms were nice, bright, and clean. The beds were comfortable and I was kind of impressed by the light blue sheets rather than the standard hotel WHITE. The staff was really friendly and helpful when I approached them.

There's a store on premises that is packed full of knick knacks, souveniers and the sundries you might have forgotten like toothpaste, aspirin, etc. It would be a nice place to stay, but I think I would be a tad disappointed if I had to stay there on my honeymoon. Maybe you could look at something just one step up like the Sheraton, Hilton or Marriott. I heard the Crowne Plaza is very nice too.

Don't get me wrong, its a nice hotel and it fits the bill for clean, budget friendly place, but I'm not sure it's honeymoon material?? I just don't want you to be disappointed on your honeymoon, which is extra special.

 

[Disneyland1084]

I stayed at the HoJo in July of 2004 and loved it. The service is great, the staff is really nice and the rooms were so clean. It's not THAT far of a walk to the front entrance to DL, but I'd get ART. Have fun whatever you decide to do!

 

[poconoboatniks]

Why don't you check out the Candy Cane Inn? We've stayed at both hotels and like the CCI better. The price includes a continental breakfast (bagels, cereals, danish, fruit, juices, coffees and teas) which was more than enough for our family of four. They have a free shuttle and it's only 800 steps from the front of the CCI to the entrance of DLR. The rooms were a little smaller than HoJo's, but we're nicer.

Congrats on the wedding and enjoy your stay at DLR.

Poconoboatniks

 

[Goofster57]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/556/11450dlgoodneighbormap1.jpg


We have friends that stay at the CCI every time they come out and it is nice, clean and inexpensive. I want to say they paid around $75-80 a night.

Have you considered the Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier? I believe they are a little cheaper than Grand California.

 

[got2travel]

There are many people who are very loyal to HoJos. I like it. It is a very decent hotel, clean, big rooms, walking distance to the parks. But it is not my first choice. There are others along that strip of Harbor that I prefer. I have stayed at HoJo twice, but only because I couldn't get a room elsewhere for a decent price.

I agree with the others who have said that it might not be honeymoom material. I understand wanting to cut costs, but there are some other places that may provide a nicer room and still stay in budget. The Candy Cane is an excellent example. Another I would suggest trying is the Carousel Inn in one of their view suites. They really are not that expensive condisering you're in walking distance to the parks and have a view of the parks.

 

[spazzyjazzy]

I guess I am one of the loyals. We were in the same situation as yourself with the wedding. We stayed at the HOJO for our honeymoon and we had a blast. We weren't in the room much and we spent alot of time at the park. Our stay was very nice and I would recommend it.

 

[abookworm]

We just got back from a 5 night stay there. Clean, nice rooms, less than a 10 min walk to entrance. We had a park view rm so got to watch fireworks from the balcony 2 nights-that would be romantic
We were happy with it. It's next to a very nice restaraunt too, Millie's that gets great reviews and we loved the food.
good luck

 

[SamIAm21]

We just got back from a 5 night stay there. Clean, nice rooms, less than a 10 min walk to entrance. We had a park view rm so got to watch fireworks from the balcony 2 nights-that would be romantic
We were happy with it. It's next to a very nice restaraunt too, Millie's that gets great reviews and we loved the food.
good luck

Actually the restaurant next door is Mimi's Cafe and Millie's is down the way a bit. I don't mean to be nitpicky, just that Mimi's is much nicer and the food is way better than Millie's. Mimi's is another perk to staying at the HOJO.

 

[serendipity]

Thank you so much for all of your responses. I'm going to research all of your suggestions before making my final decision!

 

[serendipity]

Okay I just looked into it and HoJo's, The Ramada main gate and the Marriot Fairfield Inn are all in our price range. Can anyone tell me more information about any of these and which one would be the nicest? The difference in price is very small!

 

[stampinshauna]

The Fairfield is a little closer than the HOJO and we stayed there in 2003 and it seemed just as good as the HOJO in 2005. My sister stayed at the Fairfield in 2005 and didn't like it, but she is pickier than I am. I figure you can't really go wrong with a Marriott brand.

The HOJO is nice compared to some of the other good neighbor hotels, but it is nothing compared to the Grand Californian. I expected a little more from the HOJO because of all of the rave reviews. It is decent, clean, nice enough staff, but it just doesn't have that Disney quality. The pool and hot tub were nice. We were in a 2nd floor room in one of their out buildings, one thing I didn't like was that there was a semi-circle window up high that didn't have any window coverings, so when we tried to sleep in we couldn't because it was too light.

The next trip we stayed at the Grand Californian and loved how close it was and how nice it was. We could easily go back to the room and change clothes, swim, etc. At the HOJO once we left Disney for the day we didn't come back, it was just too much walking to go back to the room.

Whatever you decide you will be fine. At least you will be close to the Happiest Place on Earth and you will be with the one you love! Just don't go expecting too much from the hotel so that you won't be disappointed.

 

[SamIAm21]

Okay I just looked into it and HoJo's, The Ramada main gate and the Marriot Fairfield Inn are all in our price range. Can anyone tell me more information about any of these and which one would be the nicest? The difference in price is very small!

I have heard okay things about the Fairfield rooms because it is a Marriot property, it's usually nice/clean, etc. That is where you will find the Millie's restaurant. However, I have heard pretty bad things about the Ramada Maingate. It's dark, not always very clean, crabby as all get out management, but the pool area is supposed to be rather nice. If I were choosing between those three, I'd stick with HoJo all the way.

I like to check TripAdvisor although I know that it's usually negatively biased, but the one thing they usually have is candid hotel pictures. And that really helps me decide. I have seen on line pictures of the Fairfield pool and its kinda blah too.

Out of those three, stick with HoJo.

 

[azgal81]

People always rave about HOJOs we stayed there in January and I did not see what was so special about it.

Yes it was a decent hotel but there are other decent hotels close to DL. I wouldn't stay there again. The walk was also a little further then we would have liked. I would rather stay at a hotel closer to the entrance. You can get a hotel closer for the same price that includes breakfast and is just a decent!