Post Photos of Hotels Here...DLH, HoJo, BWPPI, DI&S, CCI...etc.

[smiley_face2]

We just had an awesome stay at Hojo's! we were in building 4, second floor, looking out over the water play area. The room was clean and comfortable, and the best part was the brand new bed!! We looked to see what it was, a Simmons, super plush, something or other, the manurfacture date on it was only 2 weeks before we arrived!! ...best bed we've ever slept on!!
The sun came pouring in our room in the morning, we loved being able to open the balcony door and sit at our table and have a light breakfast in the sun while the sounds of Disneyland coming to life drifted across the road, and the monorail zoomed by. I am claiming this room as "our" room from now on, and will be booking well in advance to try and make sure we get it! The fan in the bathroom was not only clean it looked brand new as well. The only thing some people might not like is that the light from the pool area shines in through the skylight at the top of the room at night, we thought it was great as a night light! noise was never an issue, the only loud noise was from the giant bucket dumping the water in the play area every few minutes during the day time. We love Hojo's and will make every effort to stay there for the next 18 years, like we have for the past 18!

 

[seadd67]

DLH or Fairfeild,they both look so nice?

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

DLH or Fairfeild,they both look so nice?

Fairfield. It's a much better value, imo. Plus the rooms at DLH are being renovated right now so you may end up with a newly renovated one which would be great, or an older one.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

We just had an awesome stay at Hojo's! we were in building 4, second floor, looking out over the water play area. The room was clean and comfortable, and the best part was the brand new bed!! We looked to see what it was, a Simmons, super plush, something or other, the manurfacture date on it was only 2 weeks before we arrived!! ...best bed we've ever slept on!!
The sun came pouring in our room in the morning, we loved being able to open the balcony door and sit at our table and have a light breakfast in the sun while the sounds of Disneyland coming to life drifted across the road, and the monorail zoomed by. I am claiming this room as "our" room from now on, and will be booking well in advance to try and make sure we get it! The fan in the bathroom was not only clean it looked brand new as well. The only thing some people might not like is that the light from the pool area shines in through the skylight at the top of the room at night, we thought it was great as a night light! noise was never an issue, the only loud noise was from the giant bucket dumping the water in the play area every few minutes during the day time. We love Hojo's and will make every effort to stay there for the next 18 years, like we have for the past 18!

I'm glad the fan looks new and clean! Glad you enjoyed your stay! I love their mattresses too!

 

[seadd67]

I am going crazy!!! I am ready to make our reservation on the hotel that we will be at,but I have no clue of where we want to stay!!!!! Frist we had our harts set on the DLH,then we where thinking about it and thought we really only sleep there so why not chose one of the other hotels around!. OK we will stay at HJO! right,no!. I start looking around and see CCI,Fairfeild the Hiltom and Marriott Oh and anyone of the many diffrent places all haveing there pluses and minius. Then I went back to going to DLH!, because(my thinking here) we have never been there and we always say the next time!.But I keep running Into jusfying the price,why cant I just say we will go here and be happy with It??

 

[kaoden39]

I am going crazy!!! I am ready to make our reservation on the hotel that we will be at,but I have no clue of where we want to stay!!!!! Frist we had our harts set on the DLH,then we where thinking about it and thought we really only sleep there so why not chose one of the other hotels around!. OK we will stay at HJO! right,no!. I start looking around and see CCI,Fairfeild the Hiltom and Marriott Oh and anyone of the many diffrent places all haveing there pluses and minius. Then I went back to going to DLH!, because(my thinking here) we have never been there and we always say the next time!.But I keep running Into jusfying the price,why cant I just say we will go here and be happy with It??

I do the same thing every trip. This trip we are going with a friends and her family and we are going to stay where she stays every year and the decision is made and I am not stressing over it. Hallelujah!!

 

[bumbershoot]

I am going crazy!!! I am ready to make our reservation on the hotel that we will be at,but I have no clue of where we want to stay!!!!! Frist we had our harts set on the DLH,then we where thinking about it and thought we really only sleep there so why not chose one of the other hotels around!. OK we will stay at HJO! right,no!. I start looking around and see CCI,Fairfeild the Hiltom and Marriott Oh and anyone of the many diffrent places all haveing there pluses and minius. Then I went back to going to DLH!, because(my thinking here) we have never been there and we always say the next time!.But I keep running Into jusfying the price,why cant I just say we will go here and be happy with It??

Well, changes can be made up to cancellation dates.

But you have to figure out what aspects of a hotel are important to you, and then figure out what hotels fit your needs the best!

 

[smiley_face2]

Here are a couple of pics I took, looking out through the balcony door, and the skylights, the view off the balcony, the awesome birds of paradise blooming everywhere on the property, the amazing bougainvillea growing up the building. I didn't take any pics of the whole room, the pics on their site are very accurate. Large comfortable rooms in excellent condition. I was lazy this trip and took very few pics with my camera, used my iphone to see what it was like. I will go back to using my camera in future, the pics are ok, but not good enough.

 

[GinCar]

Thanks to all who have posted pics on this thread! I have just gone through each and every picture (what a way to spend my day off).

I just booked HoJo's for my family of five for our first DL experience. I was going to wait to book because I was not sure of where we wanted to stay. When I called the hotel directly, I spoke with the nicest staff person who quoted a better rate than I have seen online- so I booked it!

If there is any reason I should change locations- please advise me, now.

Thanks again for all the posts, you guys made it hard to decide!

 

[Judy from Boise]

LovethatMouse, would you consider editing your first page with links to the various sets of pictures? If you don't mind, but don't know how I could do it.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I am going crazy!!! I am ready to make our reservation on the hotel that we will be at,but I have no clue of where we want to stay!!!!! Frist we had our harts set on the DLH,then we where thinking about it and thought we really only sleep there so why not chose one of the other hotels around!. OK we will stay at HJO! right,no!. I start looking around and see CCI,Fairfeild the Hiltom and Marriott Oh and anyone of the many diffrent places all haveing there pluses and minius. Then I went back to going to DLH!, because(my thinking here) we have never been there and we always say the next time!.But I keep running Into jusfying the price,why cant I just say we will go here and be happy with It??

Because for the prices they charge you are concerned about whether or not you'll be happy there, especially with all the negative reviews they receive on places like Tripadvisor and such?? Honestly, I'd be concerned too for the prices they charge. It seems their prices have come down a bit due to the economy, but again it depends on how busy they are. Sometimes their prices are just downright scary!
Is this your first trip to DL or your first time staying at the DLH? I wasn't sure what you meant when you said this was your first time there.
First of all, if your trip is within the next 6 months or so, you should just book the ones you can book for yourself with no penalty because time is of the essence. If the price goes down, you can always call and rebook at the lower prices. WDTC has some quirks with booking; like I've heard some mention being charged a penalty if they cancel unless they book a package or something like that. So I would be very careful and read the fine print for them, and actually all the hotels you decide to pre-book. I would avoid Marriott and Hilton unless you plan on taking their shuttle and don't mind paying a resort fee &/or parking fee of $12-15 per night. If you don't park at least you won't have to pay for that. Don't forget to cancel any ressies you decide not to take advantage of before the cancellation date or you'll be charged.

So of your choices you listed, for walking distance, your choices would be Hojo, Fairfield Inn or Candy Cane Inn. Candy Cane Inn also has a free shuttle and continental breakfast. Hojo and FFI do not have a free shuttle, but they are closer to the park than CCI. That makes a difference at the end of the night, unless you use the shuttle.
Fairfield Inn has room service as an option from Millie's restaurant, a Pizza Hut Express and Seattle's Best, they also have a small store that sold soda pop etc. It was like a pantry store similar to Hojos, but smaller IIRC. They also sell continental breakfast items on the 3rd floor where PHE and SB are located.
Hojos has the mini-mart store in Bldg 1 that sells single serving breakfast items, sodas and stuff.
Hojos has NQQ1 rooms where a fireworks/park view is available, and FFI has a view that anyone can enjoy by simply walking up to the higher floors due to its open corridors.
FFI's upper floor corridors are only accessible by going through the lobby and going up the elevators however, so the assumption can be made that they pass by security and front desk personnel so therefore it's safer than one of the other nearby motels in which you park in front of the room and anyone walking by can break in. (They do have lower floor rooms that you can park in front of though I would request a higher floor and Disney view room if at all possible. I don't like those types of rooms that you or anyone can park in front of.) You need a room key to access the interior of the hotel at night. Hojos rooms are enclosed corridors, but there are several separate bldgs and anyone can access it, especially during the day. They put in key swiper things about a year or so ago, so that you have to swipe your key to access the rooms in Bld 1, not sure of the rest of the bldgs, although I imagine they all should have them. However, there were many late nights we arrived back at the hotel in our January and September trip to find the doors ajar/unlocked so anyone could access the hotel interior.
Fairfield Inn charges $4 a day for parking now, and Hojos parking is free.
You need to decide what is important in the amenities that each place offers. Sorry I can't comment in depth on CCI because I've never stayed there.
HTH and good luck!

 

[ter-moo]

Because for the prices they charge you are concerned about whether or not you'll be happy there, especially with all the negative reviews they receive on places like Tripadvisor and such?? Honestly, I'd be concerned too for the prices they charge. It seems their prices have come down a bit due to the economy, but again it depends on how busy they are. Sometimes their prices are just downright scary!
Is this your first trip to DL or your first time staying at the DLH? I wasn't sure what you meant when you said this was your first time there.
First of all, if your trip is within the next 6 months or so, you should just book the ones you can book for yourself with no penalty because time is of the essence. If the price goes down, you can always call and rebook at the lower prices. WDTC has some quirks with booking; like I've heard some mention being charged a penalty if they cancel unless they book a package or something like that. So I would be very careful and read the fine print for them, and actually all the hotels you decide to pre-book. I would avoid Marriott and Hilton unless you plan on taking their shuttle and don't mind paying a resort fee &/or parking fee of $12-15 per night. If you don't park at least you won't have to pay for that. Don't forget to cancel any ressies you decide not to take advantage of before the cancellation date or you'll be charged.

So of your choices you listed, for walking distance, your choices would be Hojo, Fairfield Inn or Candy Cane Inn. Candy Cane Inn also has a free shuttle and continental breakfast. Hojo and FFI do not have a free shuttle, but they are closer to the park than CCI. That makes a difference at the end of the night, unless you use the shuttle.
Fairfield Inn has room service as an option from Millie's restaurant, a Pizza Hut Express and Seattle's Best, they also have a small store that sold soda pop etc. It was like a pantry store similar to Hojos, but smaller IIRC. They also sell continental breakfast items on the 3rd floor where PHE and SB are located.
Hojos has the mini-mart store in Bldg 1 that sells single serving breakfast items, sodas and stuff.
Hojos has NQQ1 rooms where a fireworks/park view is available, and FFI has a view that anyone can enjoy by simply walking up to the higher floors due to its open corridors.
FFI's upper floor corridors are only accessible by going through the lobby and going up the elevators however, so the assumption can be made that they pass by security and front desk personnel so therefore it's safer than one of the other nearby motels in which you park in front of the room and anyone walking by can break in. (They do have lower floor rooms that you can park in front of though I would request a higher floor and Disney view room if at all possible. I don't like those types of rooms that you or anyone can park in front of.) You need a room key to access the interior of the hotel at night. Hojos rooms are enclosed corridors, but there are several separate bldgs and anyone can access it, especially during the day. They put in key swiper things about a year or so ago, so that you have to swipe your key to access the rooms in Bld 1, not sure of the rest of the bldgs, although I imagine they all should have them. However, there were many late nights we arrived back at the hotel in our January and September trip to find the doors ajar/unlocked so anyone could access the hotel interior.
Fairfield Inn charges $4 a day for parking now, and Hojos parking is free.
You need to decide what is important in the amenities that each place offers. Sorry I can't comment in depth on CCI because I've never stayed there.
HTH and good luck!

Just FYI, Hojo and CCI are almost exactly the same distance from the park entrance, so that shouldn't be a deciding factor in the decision. The other advantage to walking from the Candy Cane is that it's on the same side of the street as the park entrance. The only street you need to cross is one that's a DL entrance and it's generally pretty easy to get across traffic-wise.

CCI is a lovely little motel with nice decor, comfy beds and a really substantial continental breakfast in the morning. Parking is free, as is the dedicated shuttle that runs every half hour back and forth to the front entrance. In front of the hotel, there's a convenience store where you can get most sundry items, too.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Just FYI, Hojo and CCI are almost exactly the same distance from the park entrance, so that shouldn't be a deciding factor in the decision. The other advantage to walking from the Candy Cane is that it's on the same side of the street as the park entrance. The only street you need to cross is one that's a DL entrance and it's generally pretty easy to get across traffic-wise.

CCI is a lovely little motel with nice decor, comfy beds and a really substantial continental breakfast in the morning. Parking is free, as is the dedicated shuttle that runs every half hour back and forth to the front entrance. In front of the hotel, there's a convenience store where you can get most sundry items, too.

Oh that's good to know. For some reason I thought it was slightly further away. Of course it really doesn't matter because they have the free dedicated shuttle!

 

[Sake]

I'm planning my first ever trip to DL towards the end of April. I'll be there with my 4 1/2 yr. old daughter, staying 5 nights.

My criteria for the hotel is walking distance, clean room and something entertaining for my DD when we are not at the DL.

I've reviewed these pages and few other msg threads, and am leaning towards HoJo, mostly due to the swimming pool. I figure that it will be a nice refresher and that my DD will get a kick out of it, while also giving me a moment of sanity
I am anticipating that we will be arriving mid afternoon. I am not certain whether we will be hitting the DL the same evening, as we will be getting up at 5 am that morning, so the swimming pool may be a nice option. I'm pretty sure that DD will want to go to the pool a few times during our stay.

I see that other hotels/motels along the Boulevard also have pools, and are closer to the DL entrance and some dining places and mini stores. I'm wondering whether the HoJo swimming pool is worth the extra walk?

As for the rooms, I like the idea of microwave and a fridge in the room, but I am not sure whether this is a standard for every room? One thing that I was not able to gather is whether there is a breakfast available? Due to lack of feedback on breakfast (or maybe I have missed it) I'm assuming that there is none?

Thank you everyone for the great pictures and comments, they are all very informative but also make a decision of where to stay a little bit more difficult

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I'm planning my first ever trip to DL towards the end of April. I'll be there with my 4 1/2 yr. old daughter, staying 5 nights.

My criteria for the hotel is walking distance, clean room and something entertaining for my DD when we are not at the DL.

I've reviewed these pages and few other msg threads, and am leaning towards HoJo, mostly due to the swimming pool. I figure that it will be a nice refresher and that my DD will get a kick out of it, while also giving me a moment of sanity
I am anticipating that we will be arriving mid afternoon. I am not certain whether we will be hitting the DL the same evening, as we will be getting up at 5 am that morning, so the swimming pool may be a nice option. I'm pretty sure that DD will want to go to the pool a few times during our stay.

I see that other hotels/motels along the Boulevard also have pools, and are closer to the DL entrance and some dining places and mini stores. I'm wondering whether the HoJo swimming pool is worth the extra walk?

As for the rooms, I like the idea of microwave and a fridge in the room, but I am not sure whether this is a standard for every room? One thing that I was not able to gather is whether there is a breakfast available? Due to lack of feedback on breakfast (or maybe I have missed it) I'm assuming that there is none?
Thank you everyone for the great pictures and comments, they are all very informative but also make a decision of where to stay a little bit more difficult

Hojos water play area for kids is not a real pool. The real pool is on the other side of the property, so if you plan on taking your 4.5 yo to that area, you likely will have to stay and supervise her.(In other words, no relaxing pool time for you. You could sit at one of the tables and chairs if they are available or in the jacuzzi.) The other hotels pools are small-ish and like the Hojos main pool, lack any particular theme. Some of the pools are literally in the parking lot of the motel and some are on the roof top. So you'd have to look at each property's website and check their amenities to see what they offer.

Hojos only has microwaves in the Premium DL facing rooms in Bldg 1, the Kids Suites in Bldg 1 (Highway view), the Deluxe Queen rooms in Bldg 2 (pool view), the King Suite and the Queen suite. They do not have a free breakfast available. However, a regular continental breakfast in any of the regular motels on Harbor Blvd should not be the deciding factor in where to stay, because a lot of those places serve junk. (Dried out donuts, toast, etc, and no protein whatsoever.) I have heard very good things about the Candy Cane Inn Breakfast. It's considered to be very hearty. I don't know if there is any protein involved but they do have pictures of the spread on their website and it looks good for free.
Hojos has a mini sundry store in Bldg 1 that sells single serving sizes of breakfast items like milk and cereal along with souvenirs, and all kinds of other stuff.
If worst comes to worst, if you stay at Hojos or Fairfield Inn you will have to walk by a Mcdonald's to get to the park (if you choose to walk on that side of the road) so you could always stop in there to get a McMuffin or breakfast platter and it would be far better than any dried up donuts from the nearby continental breakfasts. I think the Camelot Inn is on the other side of McD's.
HTH!

 

[Angel Ariel]

Does anyone have any pictures/reviews of the BW Anaheim inn? I looked through teh thread, and only saw one post and it didn't have inside pictures, just grounds...

any help is appreciated!

 

[kaoden39]

Does anyone have any pictures/reviews of the BW Anaheim inn? I looked through teh thread, and only saw one post and it didn't have inside pictures, just grounds...

any help is appreciated!

Here's what they have on tripadvisor.com

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...t_Western_Anaheim_Inn-Anaheim_California.html

 

[Angel Ariel]

thanks kaoden...I just finished looking through tripadvisor...the pictures look fine, the reviews make me a little hesitant...all of the recent (w/i the last year reviews) are great, and we'd book on those...

but there are reviews from 2006-2007 that aren't so great...talking of bugs and such...i'm hoping that perhaps the hotel has addressed those issues, adn that's why the more recent reviews are so good!

 

[kaoden39]

thanks kaoden...I just finished looking through tripadvisor...the pictures look fine, the reviews make me a little hesitant...all of the recent (w/i the last year reviews) are great, and we'd book on those...

but there are reviews from 2006-2007 that aren't so great...talking of bugs and such...i'm hoping that perhaps the hotel has addressed those issues, adn that's why the more recent reviews are so good!

That's my guess is that they have redone in the last few years. With the online reviews so available the hotels have had to do that. From what I have seen the last few years several of the hotels in that area have refurbed.

 

[Willow25]

Just Bumping so this does not get lost