Off Site hotels

[mlggator]

In the past, we have stayed at DLH and GC, but this year we really need to save some money and will likely need to stay off site. I am heart broken about this. I am such a Disney girl, and love to stay in the heart of the magic.

Can anyone tell me what are some good choices for off-site hotels? I want to be able to walk and pool is very important. We have 2 small kids, and have really enjoyed being to come back to the hotel in the afternoons and relaxing and swimming before going back out. Can I still get this experience staying off site?

Tell me it will be okay and please give us some recommendations and information on the different hotels out there.

Michele

 

[bumbershoot]

It will be OK.

Many here (including me, but we didn't use the pool b/c I'm such a touring commando (bad Molly bad Molly!!! ) like the HoJo. They just redid their bedding, they now have the same kind of mattresses as Starwood hotels do, and even though we never even SAW the thing, their big pool is loved by many!

If you have the Entertainment Book, you *can* get a great discount, down to $59/night depending on your dates and if they are offering that great discount at that time. Or they have a discount for belonging to the Dis. Or if you have APs, they have a discount for that, too!

I recently stayed at the Carousel across the street on Harbor, and in December stayed at the Anabella on Katella (they are sister hotels, by the way). I liked them fine (Anabella I liked more than Carousel), but again, didn't see the pools (the picture on Anabella's site of their pool is nice, but I haven't seen it).

There's also the Tropicana on Harbor, and there's the Candy Cane Inn on Katella. The latter has a dedicated shuttle (one of only two hotels, I believe, who have their OWN shuttle instead of just relying on ART) and a continental breakfast that people say good things about.

Those are the ones I either know about or can remember positive things about off the top of my head. Oh wait, I have heard good things about the Desert Inn and Suites (that and Tropicana are closer to across the street from the walkway to the bag-check than the Carousel is).

 

[crasher11]

We are Tropicana Inn fans here, both times we have stayed there it has been very nice.. We love the walking distance to DLR and the hot tub/pool area was great.

 

[lillybug]

We loved staying at the hojo! Our dks loved the pool, the view, and watching the fireworks from our balcony. We were able to get the entertainment rate (promo code sd50 on hojoanaheim.com) for the dates we were there which made it an even better choice. Although I would stay there and pay full price, we had such a nice stay.

eta: Mimi's is right next door, and the food was excellent and very reasonable. They even have mickey shaped pancakes which was a huge hit with our dks in the morning.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

You'll be OK Michelle! I'm a HUGE Disney girl and I stay off site all the time. The more money I save on the hotel, the more I can spend at the park! I've been staying at the Park Vue Inn for the last 7 years. It's directly across the street from the entrance so it's a very short walk to the park....even closer than the Disneyland Hotel! They have a pool and in May they will also have a Cold Stone Creamery!

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

We like the Tropicana too! Very close to the gates and we really enjoyed the pool and hot tub. Clean rooms, and a free breakfast.

No, it's never gonna be like staying onsite. I'm with you, I love having all the magic always be around me. Nothing like it! But we couldn't go as often as we do if we didn't stay offsite sometimes. It's still magical though. We've had some of our best trips staying offsite even.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

We loved staying at the hojo! Our dks loved the pool, the view, and watching the fireworks from our balcony. We were able to get the entertainment rate (promo code sd50 on hojoanaheim.com) for the dates we were there which made it an even better choice. Although I would stay there and pay full price, we had such a nice stay.

eta: Mimi's is right next door, and the food was excellent and very reasonable. They even have mickey shaped pancakes which was a huge hit with our dks in the morning.

Ditto, ditto, ditto! You will love Hojos, and your kids will love the pool especially if they are younger. The pool area is nice, they also have a hot tub for the adults. It's safe, clean, comfortable and easy to walk to/from the parks. IMO, it's a closer walk to DL entrance than walking from DLH. Mimi's has better food and is a better value than any of the DL park restaurants, imo. Perfect for families.

 

[jemilah]

Do I need to show anything at check in for the sd50 rate.........it will save us $330.oo I will book tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIA

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Do I need to show anything at check in for the sd50 rate.........it will save us $330.oo I will book tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIA

You will need the entertainment card from the entertainment book. IF you don't have one, do a search online. Buy the one for your area and hold the card that comes with it with your credit cards. Mine never leaves my purse so I know i'll have it if needed.

 

[mlggator]

Thanks everyone, I am going to try check all those out. Has anyone done a split stay? Stay a night at one of the Disney hotels and then a night off-site? Wondering if that is a waste of time or worth it.

Thanks,
Michele

 

[trodrigue]

One night doesn't seem worth it, but we have done 3 and 3, moving on our day of rest.

 

[missyelliott]

We stayed at The Sheraton Anaheim! It was wonderful and they have an aweseome breakfast buffet. I guess you can walk it is not that far away but why when they have a free shuttle that runs every 1/2 hour that will take you too and from the park.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I think the Hojo would be perfect for you. Nice large rooms and the pool area is really the only one worth much on Harbor. For coming back and relaxing, this pool area (and there are actually two pools) will not disappoint. No slide and no place to have a cocktail but still very nice. There is a nice gift shop that sells snacks, a laundry room and an arcade.

I prefer the Tropicana for location and the free (not great but free) breakfast. The rooms are super clean and it was wonderful. But if I wanted an offsite place with an above average pool, the Hojo would be my choice. The Tropicana has a nice pool area but it doesn't have the baby pool and spray jets that the Hojo does. And the Hojo has lovely grounds that are quite extensive. Its a gem really in that busy location, very removed from the hustle and bustle. And the staff are wonderful. The walk isn't too bad, it can be a bit long at the end of a long day. Its about the same distance as the DLH, just no DTD or monorail to break it up and make it more enjoyable.

Who knows you may enjoy it so much you won't ever want to pay the high prices to stay onsite again! That didn't happen to me, but I still had a wonderful time and realized that going and staying offsite sometimes is the only way and once there I don't sit around and miss the DLH. I am just glad to be there, the parks are just as wonderful regardless of where you lay your head at night I promise! Have a great trip!

 

[doombuggy]

We stayed at the Desert Inn & Suites in 2006 and liked it just fine. the room was clean and it was very convienent. I am not sure about the pool. however. It was indoors...

 

[jemilah]

ok I am going to get a new entertainment book because mine did not come with a card.........I bought it from my sons school and it must have fell out!

 

[Cindaddy]

We stayed at the Desert Inn & Suites in 2006 and liked it just fine. the room was clean and it was very convienent. I am not sure about the pool. however. It was indoors...

Agreed. It's clean and convenient. Right across the street from the entrance. The connecting doors between rooms let a lot of noise through. The pool is not indoors, exactly. It is enclosed, but there is a connecting door to the garage that is merely an open grate. All the air and noise flows in through there. So the air temp in the pool area is very close to outside.

 

[aymekae]

Last May, we stayed at the Radisson, but I won't go into detail because apparently it's no longer there. A few weeks ago, we stayed at Hotel Menage (right next to the 5, and maybe a mile to the entrance). We chose it because it was one of the few hotels left that had a king bed available so soon, and had a great price ($75 per night, normally $100 I think.) It's classier than other hotels I've stayed in with MUCH better bedding, a leather head board, and flat panel TV. We asked for a view of the fireworks, and they came pretty close. We just had to go out to the balcony to see them, not quite out the window, but other rooms overlooking the pool could see them. My only complaint is that we didn't know a wedding was going on the first night we were there, and it was literally below us at the pool. The music was so loud we could understand the words, and it didn't end till almost 11:30 (when they spent 10 minutes popping balloons!)

They had a restaurant and bar, but it looked expensive (and we don't drink) so we ate breakfast both mornings (and dessert one night) at Carrow's, within easy driving distance. ART is also available. What's nice is that there's no stops to the park, so it took 5 minutes or less. On the way back to the hotel, however, it's the last stop, so it was a good 20 minutes.

As for the pool, I didn't try it out (it was cold and rainy!) but it looked beautiful. There was a hot tub, and a pool bar or something like that.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

ok I am going to get a new entertainment book because mine did not come with a card.........I bought it from my sons school and it must have fell out!

That's a bummer. Maybe you could try to ask whomever your son bought it from if they could replace it? My card was simply glued inside the first page (after the table of contents) with some kind of rubber cement. It very well could have fallen out, but not too easily... I kind of had to wrestle with mine and then when it came off the page I had to rub the glue off...