Need hotel help - Please!

[GMU MOM]

I really could use some advice. We are currently booked to visit DL Jan 25-29 and have a booking at the Desert Inn and Suites as well as Del Sol as those were the most reasonable for the hotels across the street. BWPPI is sold out which is where we were booked in Dec before we changed our dates to Jan.

Now with the recent thread about bed bugs found at DI&S, I've been trying to find something else but the hotels are crazy expensive.

If I move our trip to JAN 17-21, I can book the Fairfield Inn for $114/nt which is pretty reasonable. But then the parks might be more crowded due to MLK weekend as well as the marathon.

We have usually stayed at Marriott of Hilton properties, it doesn't have to be anything fancy just a nice clean hotel. This is why I'm having such a hard time deciding what to do b/c I really want to stay across the street from the parks.

Please tell me what would you do in this case?
1. Stay at DI&S or Del Sol with same dates.
2. Change dates but risk a more crowded park.
3. Stay with same dates and book different hotel which will be more expensive but which one do I choose? Many are sold out those dates? Is Tropicana Inn and Suites better?

 

[hbbutler]

Every time we go we stay at The Alpine Inn - it isn't fancy by any means. It's pretty small. But there's free parking, clean rooms, and comfy beds!! The front desk staff is super nice!! Breakfast is minimal - packaged doughnuts and granola bars, etc. But easy to eat on the 8 minute walk to the front gate!! Again - it is not fancy...but serves the purpose of a clean room - and fairly cheap compared to the surrounding hotels!

 

[PAGAS]

We have stayed at the Hilton a couple of times, it is very nice and a reasonable walk to DL. The hotel itself is quite large, so request a room near the elevator.

We are booked in the Doubletree Suites in less than two weeks. Both are around the $100 range.

 

[kevdo]

I would go with #3. Tropicana is definitely nicer than Del Sol. Candy Cane Inn is very nice and maybe only moderately more expensive.

 

[travelcoupons]

We have stayed at the Hilton a couple of times, it is very nice and a reasonable walk to DL. The hotel itself is quite large, so request a room near the elevator.

We are booked in the Doubletree Suites in less than two weeks. Both are around the $100 range.

You can get the Hilton Anaheim on Last Minute Travel site for $76 / night for the 17th-21st (higher for your dates). It's $126 if you book it on the Hilton site.
It will show up as a 4 star hotel Disneyland area. If you click 'photos' you'll see the photos match up with those on the tripadvisor link.

 

[travelcoupons]

Oops...NM, I was checking for the 17th-21st. When I check the 25th-29th then it's over $200/night.

 

[GMU MOM]

Oops...NM, I was checking for the 17th-21st. When I check the 25th-29th then it's over $200/night.

Thanks, i might end up changing our dates if i can change the flights.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I believe there is a big conference in Anaheim at the end of January. Not sure how much that will affect the parks really, but it has helped inflate the hotel prices substantially for those dates making it hard to find "reasonable" rates this close to the date.

 

[Malcon10t]

I would avoid DI&S and Del Sol (I dislike Del Sol more than DI&S.) My choices would be Fairfield, Candy Cane, Alpine (clean, older, family ran motel) or Hilton.

 

[GMU MOM]

I would avoid DI&S and Del Sol (I dislike Del Sol more than DI&S.) My choices would be Fairfield, Candy Cane, Alpine (clean, older, family ran motel) or Hilton.

Thanks, if i can change our flights, i will book either the hilton or fairfield, something i'm familiar with.

 

[GMU MOM]

I would go with #3. Tropicana is definitely nicer than Del Sol. Candy Cane Inn is very nice and maybe only moderately more expensive.

For now I went ahead and booked the Tropicana Inn and Suites and cancelled the other two. I decided not to change our dates b/c I'm afraid the parks will be more crowded the week before with the marathon and MLK weekend.
I also think we need to stay closer to the parks though I would love to book one of the Hilton properties.

Honestly, planning this trip (especially booking a hotel) is making my head spin.
We've been 3 times to WDW and already have our 4th trip booked for next August and it's never been an issue finding the right hotel since we always stay on property. I just wish DL offered a more reasonably priced resort like the moderates at WDW.

I hope I've made the right decision but I have a feeling this is not the end of it as far as the hotel goes.

 

[Fivers]

I stayed at Tropicana at the end of October, and it was a decent hotel. Nothing fancy, but it was clean, and the front desk staff were friendly and helpful. The breakfasts are pretty skimpy, but there's a fridge and microwave in the rooms, which helped a lot. And you really can't beat the location, even with the on-site hotels! Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[Stitch35]

We always stay at the del sol. The rooms are clean, decent sized and they have good customer service. We have always stated in the 2 queen/bunk bed rooms. It feels safe and as long as you get an upstairs room, the noise isn't bad. Parking is very tight, but they do valet your car if needed. It is not fancy, but inexpensive, close and clean. That's all I really ask of a Disney hotel.

 

[aml3679]

My husband and I stayed at the Candy Cane Inn. It gets great reviews on trip advisor. The rooms were comfy, attractive and big. Free laundry. Free breakfast (we ate elsewhere as we found it too crowded for us). They have a shuttle that goes back and forth. The rates are very reasonable. They also give you a discount coupon to come back the following year.

 

[Disney Dreams]

I don't mean to cause you more confusion, but I guess I don't understand why you are changing hotels. I will say first off that I have never stayed at any of the places you have mentioned, so I have zero first-hand experience with these properties.

That said, if I am following correctly, you canceled the Del Sol Inn and are now booked at the Tropicana Inn & Suites because you are concerned about bed bugs.

However, on the Bed Bug Registry web site (for whatever that's worth) DSI has zero reports of bed bugs and Tropicana has reports of bed bugs.

What caused you to switch hotels? Also, it's worth noting that ANY hotel can get bed bugs. It does not mean it's not a good hotel.

You mentioned that planning a trip to WDW has never caused such issues for finding a hotel. What criteria do you use there? If it's bed bug reports, did you realize that several WDW property hotels ARE on the bed bug registry.

I have never worried about bed bugs. DH and I don't check for them. I have traveled international for most of my life. It's just not something I worry about. If it is important to you, then by all mean, worry about it, but I am curious what criteria you are using due to the information I stated above.

Thanks and good luck,
Dreams

 

[GMU MOM]

I don't mean to cause you more confusion, but I guess I don't understand why you are changing hotels. I will say first off that I have never stayed at any of the places you have mentioned, so I have zero first-hand experience with these properties.

That said, if I am following correctly, you canceled the Del Sol Inn and are now booked at the Tropicana Inn & Suites because you are concerned about bed bugs.

However, on the Bed Bug Registry web site (for whatever that's worth) DSI has zero reports of bed bugs and Tropicana has reports of bed bugs.

What caused you to switch hotels? Also, it's worth noting that ANY hotel can get bed bugs. It does not mean it's not a good hotel.

You mentioned that planning a trip to WDW has never caused such issues for finding a hotel. What criteria do you use there? If it's bed bug reports, did you realize that several WDW property hotels ARE on the bed bug registry.

I have never worried about bed bugs. DH and I don't check for them. I have traveled international for most of my life. It's just not something I worry about. If it is important to you, then by all mean, worry about it, but I am curious what criteria you are using due to the information I stated above.

Thanks and good luck,
Dreams

There was a recent thread about DI&S having bed bugs which really grossed me out and they did absolutely nothing to help the guest with the issue which concerns me. And Del Sol is owned by the same company so that got me worried too. Honestly, i'm not really sure that i'm satisfied with my decision yet. The hotels i would prefer to stay at are either sold out or too far for walking. BWPPI and the Candy Cane Inn are both sold out.
At WDW, our decision is based on the theme we would like for that specific trip and I always read lots and lots of reviews. For example this year we stayed at AoA, the new resort. Next year, we have booked POR. To tell you the truth, I was never concerned about the bed bug issue as I am now. Maybe because I know that if I had any issues at a Disney hotel, they would take care of it and same goes for one of the big chain properties such as Marriott or Hilton.
Finding a hotel at DL has been difficult because there are so many mixed reviews for each hotel.
You mentioned that you have not stayed at any of these properties, do you mind sharing which hotels you've tried.

 

[danlkrim]

I am interested in recent hotel reports too. We are booked at DI&S for late Feb.
My family has traveled at lot and stayed on both hotels and private homes rented through VRBO.com. We have never really looked for bed bugs or had this problem. I always struggle with choosing the right place to stay on vacation. A bad hotel can really effect the whole trip. This recent report has me concerned enough to look at other hotel options. I can stay most any place for 1 night. I like a clean room, but dirt washed off. This is different. Bed bugs cause irritation from the bites and then they can come home with you and cause more trouble. Guess I will look into Tropicana, BW, Candy Cane, Carousel and the others in that area. For us it is important to be in walking distance and have fridge and microwave in the room. We like to have a little extra space since we will be there 6 nights but I'll give that up for clean and no bed bugs.

 

[snvanvl]

Del Sol is owned by Anaheim Desert Palms Hotel & Suites which is on the corner of Katella and Harbor. Not the same place as Desert Inn and Suites. Somebody correct me if I am wrong but I don't think all 3 are owned by the same people.

Del Sol and Anaheim Desert Palms Hotel & Suites have similar websites but Anaheim Desert Inn website looks completely different.

 

[starshine514]

Del Sol is owned by Anaheim Desert Palms Hotel & Suites which is on the corner of Katella and Harbor. Not the same place as Desert Inn and Suites. Somebody correct me if I am wrong but I don't think all 3 are owned by the same people.

Del Sol and Anaheim Desert Palms Hotel & Suites have similar websites but Anaheim Desert Inn website looks completely different.

I stayed at the Del Sol just last week. When I was checking in, I mentioned that there wasn't a valet at the podium. The employee that checked me in said she just had to radio them, as they were at the hotel next door (the Desert Inn & Suites) and that both hotels had the same owners. The websites may look different, but the reservations share a numbering system (I realized this when I made a reservation at one and then the other within the same hour).

I'm not sure if they own the Desert Palms, but I know they own both the Del Sol and the Desert Inn.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

As people have said, any hotel can have a bed bug problem. Think of how many people come and go daily at all the hotels in the DLR area. The amount of luggage coming and going can bring bed bugs to any hotel room. The key is how management deals with the situation. The DI&S should have offered an apology and some kind of service recovery. The OP was standing there covered with numerous bug bites right in front of the desk staff. A refund was nice, but was the least they could have offered.