Tempting, very tempting...HOJO's vs PPH

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I am currently booked at HOJO's for my November Birthday Trip. I used the mousesavers code and got the room for $70 per night.

Now Expedia has PPH for $100, with the resort fee it comes out to $200 more total for our 4 nights.

I'm soooo tempted to switch.

 

[bardays]

I am in the same position!! But October......I was pretty excited about Hojo, but like you are saying sooooo tempted!
Advice please...

 

[bumbershoot]

Do you need any help in making your decision? Any thoughts? Questions?



PPH and HoJo are probably about the same distance, if you're walking through GCH from PPH. If your stay is, say, early Thursday morning through Sunday, you could, if you checked in early enough, get THREE Magic Mornings (Thurs morn, Sat, and Sun as well), which brings up the value of PPH.

If you buy tons of souvenirs and want to have them sent back to the hotel (ready for pickup the *following* morning, NOT delivered to your room), PPH is good.

The swimming pool at hojo is pretty and feels secluded, the pool at PPH is right out there in the open with just concrete around. If you have kids, the pools are the pools, but PPH has the slide (that is NOT connected to the pool, ends in a small thing of water), and HoJo has the water-play area with toddler pool and hot tub.

Pros and cons, just depends on what you want!

 

[bardays]

It just seems that PPH has less favorable reviews than HoJo. Not concerned with the walk, but really freaked out by all the people that say the PPH is dirty!

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Well I went ahead and booked it. I figure that good of a rate wont last long and Expedia says they will refund the full amount as long as I cancel by November 1st.

I will keep both reservations for now, giving me time to figure out which one I really want to do.

The MMs are what is really swaying me toward PPH. My friend got me convention tickets and they do not come with the MM option. This way we would get two MMs.

 

[bumbershoot]

The MMs are what is really swaying me toward PPH. My friend got me convention tickets and they do not come with the MM option. This way we would get two MMs.

So then you can figure in the money you saved on tickets, and lower the incremental cost (am I using that phrase right?) of the hotel.



bardays, we've stayed there 3 times now and it hasn't been dirty at all. I don't know who is saying that, but it surely is not me.

 

[aussiegirls]

I was considering the same change but agree with bardays about the reviews. There are lots of reviews that mention that it is dirty. If it were just 1 or 2 I wouldn't worry about it but the number that I read did concern me. Also most of the reviews if they weren't negative were very so-so, mentioned that it was good but not worth the extra $$$$$. There were only a few that said it was great etc. So I think that I am going to stick with HoJo, overall the reviews are much better so I feel better about going there

 

[QueenDoOver]

I would have to agree with Bumbershoot. I have never experienced dirty at the Paradise Pier. We stayed twice two different years. I like it, and find the walk to not feel too far, and I like staying on property. That being said, my dates are $245, unless we could stay one more night, then it drops down to $100 a night. For that price, I would stay there in a heartbeat. I also have stayed at HOJO and love it there too. For the price. But I don't really like the walk past the taxi stand and the bus stop.

 

[Sherry E]

I am going to jump in on the defense of the PPH too, being a seasoned PPH guest myself. It has never been dirty, and I am not quite sure where that came from. I have never seen a review like that. We had one room with a plumbing problem one time only, but every other time has been fine - and the rooms have NEVER been dirty at all. Chances are, if the "dirty" reviews are coming from a site like Trip Advisor or whatever, folks who feel they spent too much money would be more inclined to complain about PPH than to praise it. People generally take the time to post the bad reviews more often than good ones. Or possibly, people who are used to staying at the Four Seasons might be disappointed with PPH, but you now have at least 3 people on this thread who are all telling you PPH was fine!

I thnk HoJos is a great deal, but for those prices at the PPH you should take the PPH, OP! I don't think PPH is going to get any cheaper - not even for AP holders - and that is a pretty good deal/price to get the MM use, having your packages sent back to the hotel, using the GCH entry into DCA first thing in the morning, getting a Key to the Magic with charging capabilities and getting the fun Mickey 'ears' bath products.

 

[pixiewings71]

Well, I've stayed at the PPH one time only, but our room was not dirty at all, in fact it was very nice and huge!!! It felt so big, we loved the surf decorations too, it was a great hotel. We didn't do the pool area so I can't say anything about that but the rooms and staff were great.
We've stayed at the HoJo so many times, in the past 2.5 years we probably stayed there 15 times, if not more. It's great also but I have had dirty rooms there, not horribly dirty and nothing I couldn't handle myself but yes, not so clean. Of course given that we've done HoJo so much it makes sense we'd have some kind of issues with a room or two. Overall I think they are very similar, and if I can't get HoJo at the Ent Rate I do think about booking at the PPH, I haven't done it yet, I always manage to get a great discount at the HoJo.

 

[pixiewings71]

double post....weird....strange things are afoot at the Dis....LOL

 

[bumbershoot]

Wanted to add....if people are using TripAdvisor...well, I never trust it. Because I don't trust it, I don't use it, and because I don't use it, that's 3 separate stays at PPH that haven't gotten a good review from me b/c I don't use it.

I think that, when we review here, we give good and bad. For instance, Sherry had a negative experience there, but other than the possessed drawer that both she and I experienced (different rooms! a drawer that slowly came back out causing shin injuries in the middle of the night when you weren't expecting a drawer you closed to be open), hers seems to have been a one-off experience. But if you read about her whole stay, that was one aspect of it, not the whole thing.

Would love to know where the "dirty" reviews are!

 

[Sherry E]

Wanted to add....if people are using TripAdvisor...well, I never trust it. Because I don't trust it, I don't use it, and because I don't use it, that's 3 separate stays at PPH that haven't gotten a good review from me b/c I don't use it.

I think that, when we review here, we give good and bad. For instance, Sherry had a negative experience there, but other than the possessed drawer that both she and I experienced (different rooms! a drawer that slowly came back out causing shin injuries in the middle of the night when you weren't expecting a drawer you closed to be open), hers seems to have been a one-off experience. But if you read about her whole stay, that was one aspect of it, not the whole thing.

Would love to know where the "dirty" reviews are!

Thanks, Molly! I needed a good laugh today, and your comment about the possessed drawer brought it out of me! It was most certainly possessed, and was definitely shin-injury inducing. And you are right - the possessed drawer and the plumbing issue (poopy water) were both the same trip, same room for me. I was inclined to think it was just a 'bad room' in general (Room #513, folks - watch out for it!!), until you reminded me you had a possessed drawer in a totally different room (I bet they just take that same haunted armoire and move it around the hotel!!). I any case, other than those two fluke issues on that one October trip, everything else was clean and perfectly okay, and every other stay I have had there at PPH has been fine. No dirt anywhere! Last December's stay was great, and it was a great 'bargain' at a nifty AP rate in the peak of holiday season in December.

And the infamous walk to and from the PPH? Well, the 'short cut' helps tremendously with that. Before the short cut, we were following the signs on the property to get to the gates, and that was just unnecessary. My friend was ready to kill me for staying there, and she would want to retire early at the hotel and not go back out again because the walk was too daunting for her. Once we followed the sage advice of Molly about the short cut, things seemed rosier and not nearly as far. It is really just across the street (Disneyland Drive) from the GCH. No big deal once you get the lay of the land.

 

[bumbershoot]

...and the plumbing issue (poopy water)

....(I bet they just take that same haunted armoire and move it around the hotel!!)

And the infamous walk to and from the PPH? Well, the 'short cut' helps tremendously with that. Before the short cut, we were following the signs on the property to get to the gates, and that was just unnecessary. My friend was ready to kill me for staying there, and she would want to retire early at the hotel and not go back out again because the walk was too daunting for her. Once we followed the sage advice of Molly about the short cut, things seemed rosier and not nearly as far. It is really just across the street (Disneyland Drive) from the GCH. No big deal once you get the lay of the land.

Poopy SMELLING water! Not actually poopy. Right???? Or did I totally mis-read your justified tale of woe?

I bet they do too.

Yes, once I finally figured out what the actual shortcut was, things were much better. I too was just following the signs on our first trip there. Ugh. The shortcut makes it a totally pleasant .44 miles to the center of the esplanade.

 

[Sherry E]

Yes, very poopy-smelling, but no actual poo in the water! (Ick!) It smelled like a LOT of sulfur made its way into the water somehow, and it just screamed 'bad plumbing.' But I am sure they eventually fixed it for the next guests, and we haven't encountered that problem at the PPH any other time.

 

[disney-super-mom]

We were in the same position for our trip coming up in September. The deal at the PPH was only going to be approx. $200 more than our stay at the HOJO. We LOVE both hotels, but we ended up staying with the HOJO this time because we thought our boys would really enjoy having their own room and sleeping in bunk beds in the HOJO's new pirate kid suites......and of course hubby and I would have our own room too with a nice new big king bed.

But in defense of the PPH and the "dirty" reviews, we've NEVER had a dirty room issue of any kind at the PPH. We love the PPH. We've always had very clean rooms, the hotel itself has always been very clean, the rooms are large, the beach/surf theme is cute, and the staff has always been very nice and accomodating. We wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

We LOVE both hotels, but we ended up staying with the HOJO this time because we thought our boys would really enjoy having their own room and sleeping in bunk beds in the HOJO's new pirate kid suites......and of course hubby and I would have our own room too with a nice new big king bed.

Would you make the choice to stay at the HOJO again in their Kid's Suites vs. staying at PPH or DLH single room if the prices were fairly comparable?

 

[disney-super-mom]

Would you make the choice to stay at the HOJO again in their Kid's Suites vs. staying at PPH or DLH single room if the prices were fairly comparable?

I'll let you know the answer to that in about 3.5 weeks.

Our trip is in 2.5 weeks, and this will be our first time in one of the new HOJO kid suites. We may find that having the extra space, having two seperate rooms (for more privacy), two bathrooms, a microwave, and having that king bed, could indeed trump the PPH if the prices were close. We shall see, and I'm looking forward to it.

If prices were comparable between a HOJO premium or deluxe room and a standard room at the PPH (any of which have two queen beds) we would choose the PPH simply because the PPH has nicer rooms/decor/theming, and it's always nice to stay onsite with that little bit of extra Disney magic around you. Plus, the walk is prettier (through DTD and the GCH) and you can send items you buy in the parks back to your hotel so you don't have to carry them around with you all day.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

I'll let you know the answer to that in about 3.5 weeks.

Can I hold you to that? Seriously, I'd really love to hear what you think about the Kid Suites, the walk (we will be trying to do afternoon breaks every day), the decor, the noise...everything!

 

[disney-super-mom]

Can I hold you to that? Seriously, I'd really love to hear what you think about the Kid Suites, the walk (we will be trying to do afternoon breaks every day), the decor, the noise...everything!

Of course. I'll be happy to report back, with pictures and everything.

I'm really curious about the noise factor as well and if I'll be able to hear noise from the highway in the room. I plan to take some pictures of the view as well, so people can get an idea of what they will be looking at on the highway side of the building.

The walk.....well, I've stayed at the HOJO many many times. It's about a 10 minute walk, although after a full day at the parks, at the end of the day it can feel like a death march.

We usually go during slower times in the year when Disneyland has shorter hours, so we've never taken mid-day breaks. I know that many people who have stayed at the HOJO do walk back for mid-day breaks, so it must not be too bad considering all the walking a person does in the parks anyway. I guess what I'm saying is, what's an additional 20 minutes of walking when you've been walking all day anyway, if that makes sense.