Second guessing HOJO's for July Trip

[deesquared]

I've never stayed at the Hojo, so I can't comment on that.
However, if you are looking for something closer to the park entrance, I've stayed at Carousel and Desert Inn and Suites.
Carousel had very comfy beds, and the staff was very polite and helpful. The free continental breakfast is excellent as well. It's more pricey than Desert Inn and Suites though. I wouldn't use it for our family trip because the rooms are too small for my tastes.
Desert Inn and Suites was fine for our family trip. It allows us to get a very large room for an excellent price. The beds were okay (as far as I remember) and the continental breakfast was sparse, but free! It's not fancy, but it does the job.

As others have said, your experience can differ greatly from someone else. I hope you have a great trip regardless of where you stay!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Has anyone also stayed at HOJO recently and had a good experience?

Well my sister and her family were there last week and they loved it ~ most recently we were there last Nov. *Thanksgiving weekend* we HoJo ~ I've never had a complaint. We always feel safe and I've never stayed at HoJo with an adult male. I've been there with my kids always and my mom a couple times and my grandma once.

 

[rbbs]

No issues whatsoever with HoJo the 3 or 4 times we have stayed there. The walk is quite short when you think of the miles you put on when you are actually in the park. The security has been fine and we have never once walked on the wrong side of the road. I would rather be around other people and don't find this to be a bad part of town. I have been to the bad parts of town and this is actually a very safe area relatively speaking. I hope I haven't just jinxed myself....

One thing I have wondered about is the security at HoJo's? Does anyone know if they have security cameras etc for the parking lot? We leave our vehicle loaded with personal belongings for the week that we are there and we haven't had a problem yet but just wondering if anyone has had a problem and if they know what security measures HoJo's takes for the parking lot??

 

[skiingfast]

One thing I have wondered about is the security at HoJo's? Does anyone know if they have security cameras etc for the parking lot? We leave our vehicle loaded with personal belongings for the week that we are there and we haven't had a problem yet but just wondering if anyone has had a problem and if they know what security measures HoJo's takes for the parking lot??

The resort area in Anaheim has had lots of cars broken into. Some people do have concern about the Hojo for this very reason. Cars have been broken into there a little more than most places. Maybe because it's a bigger hotel. Maybe because the lot is open to the public streets. In most of the hotels on Harbor the hotel wraps aroung the parking and there is only one entrance that is in front of the resgistration desk. I would just use caution about what you leave visible in your car when parked.

 

[rbbs]

The resort area in Anaheim has had lots of cars broken into. Some people do have concern about the Hojo for this very reason. Cars have been broken into there a little more than most places. Maybe because it's a bigger hotel. Maybe because the lot is open to the public streets. In most of the hotels on Harbor the hotel wraps aroung the parking and there is only one entrance that is in front of the resgistration desk. I would just use caution about what you leave visible in your car when parked.

Thanks!! Last time there I did feel a little leery about leaving our vehicle parked for soo long and felt a need to go check on it about once a day with a feeling that I may be walking up to something that I don't want to see.....That is the only vibe like this I have ever gotten at HoJos....I was hoping to hear that they have onsite security or surveillence or something? I don't imagine people would want to sort through the mass of personal effects that we bring on holidays but then again know whos?

A random storey from when me and a friend drove down there when we were about 16 and parked at Venice Beach and left our bikes on our car bike rack while we were gone for a couple hours.....came back and found the bikes in our car (which we left locked) and a note......someone had broken into our car to put our bikes in so that they wouldn't be stolen The bikes weren't worth much so we werent overly concerned about them but it was a nice example of where people who know how to do wrong will 9 times out of 10 do right. The guy even left his phone number for us to call if we wanted to talk to him about what he did

 

[Brer Cameron]

I'm not sure why so many people are so fiercely loyal to HOJOs.

I always prefer to stay closer to the park. I hardly use my hotel for anything other than sleeping, so why not just cut my morning and evening walk to a minimum?

 

[Hojoanaheim]

Personal belongings should never be left in your vehicle (this applies to all hotels, shopping areas and Disneyland parking structures).

We patrol our parking lot and specifically look in every guest vehicle and advise guests of items that should be removed. This "valuables in sight" program has been very successful for HojoAnaheim and has been adopted by other area hotels. If there are no “easy pickings” criminals will go elsewhere. We suggest all belongings (not just valuables) be removed and placed in your guestsroom or in our luggage storage room. Dealing with the frustration of a smash-and-grab vehicle burglary is no way to spend a vacation!

Jonathan - GM

 

[Hummingbird15]

I would recommend the Park Vue Inn. It's right across the street at the crosswalk. She will appreciate the location especially when it's time to go back for a rest. There's no waiting for, or climbing in and out of a shuttle. It was clean, comfortable and convenient when we stayed there.

I wish your mom the very best with her surgery and recovery.

 

[wdwfan22]

I think there are a lot of good choices within walking distance. Everyone has there own opinion. For me price is a big part of my decision. I have found most of the motels right accross from the entrance out of my budget. So I have stayed at Hojo a couple times now. I have been very pleased. Why do I like it? The rooms are large, the beds are amazingly comfortable. My husband, who doesn't like any beds, slept like a baby and wants to get whatever beds they have. The rooms have been amazingly clean. That is the first priority to me.

As far as walking distance, half of the walk is getting to harbor. I hear people talking about loving the Candy Cane's shuttle, but their shuttle is the farthest from the park, and by the time you get to where their shuttle is, you are halfway to Hojo. If you walk on the park side, I would say it takes us about another 3 mins from when we stayed at the Camelot.

People have said their customer service has disappeared. Here is my experience. We had an issue this last stay with the refridgerator not being cold enoough and they reimbursed us for the meat and cheese that spoiled. They did not fix the problem (even though I called twice) during our 4 nt stay, and when I checked out I told the manager on duty and he gave us a free night. That is good customer service to me. I would have liked a cold fridge, but they made it right.

As long as their prices don't get ridiculously high, they have my business. Although, if a property right accross the street has an amazing deal (which I have not seen) I might try one.

 

[rbbs]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g29092-Anaheim_California-Hotels.html

Hojos always ranks high on Trip Advisor and is #5 out of the 100 plus area hotels in Anaheim. That reinforces the personal experiences I have had at my visits in the past. No reason to want to try anywhere else.

Anyone who finds the 8 minute walk long won't really enjoy being at Disney as much of the day is spent walking.....this is a very brief warm up and cool down.....likely 0.5% of the walking you will do in a day.

Our van has tinted windows so it is hard to see into and maybe this is why I don't feel the need to unload all of our gear at every hotel stop that we make. It is nice to hear, however, that if things look like they could draw in undesirables that you would be notified. Also nice that hotel management would weigh in here.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

i suggest checking desert inn out its right across the street.
sorry my loyalty to hojos has gone down way to many complaints an to many slezze bags, so im gona stay way closer from now on. Just cant chance that stuff hppening to me on our trip.

 

[Mabel67]

i suggest checking desert inn out its right across the street.
sorry my loyalty to hojos has gone down way to many complaints an to many slezze bags, so im gona stay way closer from now on. Just cant chance that stuff hppening to me on our trip.

If you're that sensitive to encountering "slezze bags" as you put it, I would suggest you re-think even going to DL at all, after you hear my encounter.
At the crosswalk at Harbor where the buses enter (the main foot entrance as well) I encountered an individual asking for money TWO days IN A ROW. Yup. It's true. I battled through my fears, though, and made it safely to the park both days.

Seriously. The walk to DL to and from HOJO is as safe as anywhere around in that area. The same rules of common sense apply here as anywhere else.

 

[rune_74]

If you're that sensitive to encountering "slezze bags" as you put it, I would suggest you re-think even going to DL at all, after you hear my encounter.
At the crosswalk at Harbor where the buses enter (the main foot entrance as well) I encountered an individual asking for money TWO days IN A ROW. Yup. It's true. I battled through my fears, though, and made it safely to the park both days.

Seriously. The walk to DL to and from HOJO is as safe as anywhere around in that area. The same rules of common sense apply here as anywhere else.

I don't know how you made it by that guy, lucky. I never had an issue with anyone other then aggressive time share people....the streets are crowded enough at night that you are pretty safe. I'm not sure why anyone would feel afraid.

As for the reports of way more car break ins, um, where?

 

[jenpace]

I was there the same time the person that started that thread was and had an entirely different experience. We had a great room and found the staff to be really helpful and friendly. It is NOT a newer hotel so it is showing its age but we really enjoyed it. The beds are great.

We walked that same street the very same nights and felt very safe. Maybe they left the parks at a different time and ran into a different crowd?

I'm the person who wrote the post about Hojo. Just to clarify, the encounter with the horrible man who (in front of my 12 y/o dd) said something super graphic about sexually assaulting my 27 y/o son happened around 1:00 pm, not in the evening at all. I fully anticipate the evening 'ambiance' on Harbor Blvd....the whole shock and awe of it was heightened because it was around lunch time as we were walking back to the hotel.

If the OP is at all concerned about possible encounters with disturbing people then yeah, avoiding that walk is the best idea

And FWIW, we come from Santa Cruz where we have more than our share of creepy people lurking around. I'm never afraid of our local hardcore weirdos but the ones on Harbor seriously freaked me out!

 

[jenpace]

If you're that sensitive to encountering "slezze bags" as you put it, I would suggest you re-think even going to DL at all, after you hear my encounter.
At the crosswalk at Harbor where the buses enter (the main foot entrance as well) I encountered an individual asking for money TWO days IN A ROW. Yup. It's true. I battled through my fears, though, and made it safely to the park both days.

I'm guessing that you're trying to poke fun by calling attention to Jadedarkstar's typos and minimizing the fact that there are some creepy and sometimes frightening people on Harbor Blvd.

I'd like to hope that you weren't intending to be offensive but as someone who just recently had a really disturbing experience there with my family I don't appreciate it.

 

[Mabel67]

I'm guessing that you're trying to poke fun by calling attention to Jadedarkstar's typos and minimizing the fact that there are some creepy and sometimes frightening people on Harbor Blvd.

I'd like to hope that you weren't intending to be offensive but as someone who just recently had a really disturbing experience there with my family I don't appreciate it.

Actually, I was pointing out that unusual, non-mainstream people can be found anywhere. See: "Seriously. The walk to DL to and from HOJO is as safe as anywhere around in that area. The same rules of common sense apply here as anywhere else."

And, as someone with a mentally ill individual in MY family, we find your reference to such an individual as "horrible", "weirdos" and "creepy" as intolerant and hurtful. I try very hard not to judge these individuals when I see them because it is not my place to do so.

Further, my quoting of "slezze bags" was to highlight the intolerance and labeling of another human being referrenced in the statement, not to draw attention to a petty spelling error. If i wanted to correct her spelling, I had many an opportunity to do so in previous posts. She has indicated that she has issues with spelling - why would I choose to mock her for that?

I'm sorry you had an unpleasant encounter. Be thankful that you survived and be thankful that mental illness has not touched your family such that you now feel it is ok to judge others.

<gets off soapbox>

 

[nana50]

O.K. guys time to settle down. I myself don't like staying offsite because I don't like all the "ickiness" of Harbor boulevard. Hell I don't even like seeing it from the shuttle bus. I'm lucky that I can time my visit to coincide with the cheaper rates at the onsite hotels. I would NEVER want to walk back at night. When I went with my kids when they were teens we always stayed at the Hilton which had it's own deicated shuttle and you were required to show your room key to get on. I would flake out early and go back before them. I couldn't even imagine doing that at a hotel where they had to walk back by themselves. Even now you can get a room at the Hilton when they have their deals for under $120.00 You can also take the ART in the evening. I just would never walk it at night. In the morning with all the others heading over to the parks I've always felt VERY safe. Just don't like the view.

 

[jenpace]

Actually, I was pointing out that unusual, non-mainstream people can be found anywhere. See: "Seriously. The walk to DL to and from HOJO is as safe as anywhere around in that area. The same rules of common sense apply here as anywhere else."

And, as someone with a mentally ill individual in MY family, we find your reference to such an individual as "horrible", "weirdos" and "creepy" as intolerant and hurtful. I try very hard not to judge these individuals when I see them because it is not my place to do so.

Further, my quoting of "slezze bags" was to highlight the intolerance and labeling of another human being referrenced in the statement, not to draw attention to a petty spelling error. If i wanted to correct her spelling, I had many an opportunity to do so in previous posts. She has indicated that she has issues with spelling - why would I choose to mock her for that?

I'm sorry you had an unpleasant encounter. Be thankful that you survived and be thankful that mental illness has not touched your family such that you now feel it is ok to judge others.

<gets off soapbox>

Calling someone who was threatening to rape my son (with graphic details) "horrible", "weirdo" and "creepy" isn't intolerant, it's accurate and I will judge whenever I want to.

I'm glad you are getting off your soapbox. I'm done with this thread.

 

[Mabel67]

Calling someone who was threatening to rape my son (with graphic details) "horrible", "weirdo" and "creepy" isn't intolerant, it's accurate and I will judge whenever I want to.

I'm glad you are getting off your soapbox. I'm done with this thread.

I feel very sad for you.
I hope your 27 year old son is ok.

 

[emacat]

We've stayed at the Hojo several times, and never had any trouble, either walking or taking ART. As a matter of fact, we plan to stay there again, and the staff I've spoken with planning for this trip have all been wonderful.

As another poster said, you can have odd people pop up all over. While neither we nor our friends that live out there have had any trouble walking back, I have had issues at my local Target and even the mall the other day. My point being that it can happen anywhere. As for the condom on the shoe, I can only add that on our walks I'm always super impressed by how nice the whole walk is, from freshly painted lightposts to clean sidewalks and grassy areas.

We've never had any difficulty with the pools either. Sure, they get busy sometimes, and if there are parents that are a bit lazy there can be annoying kids. But there have always been plenty of towels, a stern lifeguard, etc. Hojo cannot be responsible for kids going up a slide that is supposed to be closed for lifeguard break. As for the towels being out, it certainly wouldn't have ruined my trip or left us stuck in the pool. I simply would have had the kids dry off on a chair for a few minutes or towel off in the room, and called housekeeping to bring up more. Part of enjoying a vacation is learning how to handle the small, unimportant issues.

No place is perfect all the time. But, I truly think the Hojo can't be beat for a good, affordable, nicely located DL trip.