Tips for staying at HOJO

[chaysmom]

We are seasoned park visitors...both DL and WDW. Getting excited for our upcoming trip!

Have never stayed at the Howard Johnson though before. We got a great rate on an airfare/hotel package, and have considered it before based on reviews. Love that it is roughly an 8-10 minute walk to the parks which we will utilize. My kids are 8 and 6, and we will probably hit the parks in the morning, spend some time back at the hotel in afternoon when crowds are at their peak (and also to give them some "down" time) then return at night.

I have our days planned out pretty much for in the park as far as what we want to do, but what background info can you give me of the hotel to help prepare us? Kind of put this one off...does anyone know if they provide a shuttle to and from the airport or do we need to reserve our own transportation? I am looking into delivering some food from Vons - is there a fridge in the rooms? And can a grocery delivery be made and left if we haven't arrived yet? (Looking to have it delivered the afternoon that we arrive) Are there some restaurant locations close by that people recommend for days we want to save a little and eat off property?

Thanks!

 

[prestoncaldwell]

No shuttle, you will have to get an independent airport shuttle.

 

[xlsm]

We stayed there in June and really enjoyed it. It was our first Disneyland experience, and HoJo was perfect for our needs. We rented a car because we did some beach and LA days as well as 5 park days at Disneyland/CA.

There are a lot of food options on Harbour. Mimi's Cafe is right across the street. We have one locally and it's pretty good. There's also Panera and McDonalds, a pizza place, and a buffet place.

We had a deluxe queen room, and there was a mini fridge. Enough for keeping bottles of water and leftovers inside.

Since we had a rental car, I'm not familiar with all the options for airport transport. I know you can buy an ART pass, but for access to the Disney parks, walking is easier and faster.

I think you chose a great place to stay...we'd return to HoJo if we did a Disneyland/SoCal trip again.

Have fun!!

 

[Angrose]

Yes, all rooms have refrigerators. I can't remember if they all have microwaves. You should call the hotel directly about the grocery delivery. They are very friendly there. Enjoy!

 

[Nevada Jen]

Two additional tips. Cross the street (I think it is harbor) by the hotel (which means you essentially wait for two cross walk lights right away). It makes the walk seem a zillion times faster. We just stayed there last weekend in what I suspect was a standard bunk bed room. It was supposed to be a queen and a set of bunk beds. Fair warning. The queen is really a full (as far as I could tell, no way was I sharing that bed with hubby) and the bunk beds are really small. It says in small print they fit kids 10 and under and they are not lying. My 11 year old didn't fit lengthwise and they were also not normal twin width. Plan accordingly!

 

[Hojoanaheim]

Hi Chaysmom,
So great to hear that you will be staying with us! It looks like most your questions have been answered

To give you a little more information. Many of our guests use Supper Shuttle or Disneyland Resort Express Bus for airport transfers from LAX or SNA. If you wanted a private transport, we do have a town car service that we offer to our guest for a little charge.

If you have groceries delivered to our hotel, we are happy to keep it for you until you arrive! We have a refrigerator for perishable items but no freezer.

There are refrigerators in all rooms; queen rooms and up have a microwave in them as well.

Other DisBoarders have mentions places to eat around our hotel, when you arrive, our Front Desk can give you a map of other places to eat in the area. If you wanted the Front Desk also has a lot of menus for places that deliver; Chinese, Italian, Mexican, India, etc.

Hope this helps! If you have any other questions, please feel free ask or email our hotel directly at stay@hojoanaheim.com.

See you soon!
Kriss

 

[crystal1313]

We just stayed at Hojo again about two weeks ago. I also have a 6 and 8 year old. The walk was great even with tired feet after being at the parks ALL day. We had a queen room in building one facing Disneyland. We had a small fridge and microwave. We brought water and beer from home and stocked up the fridge. You might want to bring some zip locks for leftovers, as we had a difficult time fitting our pizza press box in the fridge. I normally bring bags and totally forgot this trip! We love eating at Pizza Press (a couple hotels down from HOjo), Panera, kids like McDonalds, and DH and I ate at the new Jimboys Tacos. We also sometimes walk to garden walk and get take out from PF Changs. Lots of food for a reasonable price. My DH is super picky and he loves Hojo's. The beds and pillows are VERY comfortable and we like that it is a hotel and not a motel. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Darkbeer1]

As for food place, WARNING, DO NOT EAT at Captain's Kidd's Buffet, it gets the WORST review of any place around. If it wasn't right at the crosswalk, it would be out of business. Next to it is an IHOP and Denny's, but I prefer Mimi's Cafe out of the three.

Love the Pizza Press, gets great reviews.

HoJo's has a Keurig Coffee Maker in the rooms, so if you have a favorite, you can bring your pods with you. Basic Pods are in the room, and the HoJo gift shop has a selection of other pods for sale.

VONS is the main Grocery delivery service (owned by Albertsons/Safeway), and as Kriss stated, you can stay in the park, as HoJo's will sign and place it in storage. and the refrigerated items in a fridge until you return from the parks.

 

[kirstie101]

You have a lot of good info on this thread! I just wanted to add that for the coffee, in room they have packets of powdered creamer but at their store they sell the single serve mini creamers!

 

[Stefne]

Thank you for all of the great info here. This thread has been a wonderful read. Our family will be staying in July!

 

[avalon451]

They have a little store that has quite a bit of convenience stuff; of course, at the expected higher prices for convenience stores. Von's grocery delivery is a good option.

I'd check into Uber depending on what airport you're flying into. We usually fly into SNA, and this last time I downloaded the Uber app and got the first ride free ($22 off). It worked great, our driver was very pleasant.

When we stayed in Building 1, we came out the door, and crossed Manchester (the cross street at Harbor). We may or may not have jaywalked; there was little or no traffic in the morning. Then we crossed Harbor there at the light and walked down the opposite side of Harbor from the rest of the hotels. You walk past the bus stop where many Disney employees are waiting for a bus, and sometimes a homeless individual or two-- but it never feels unsafe. You can enter the drive on the opposite side of all the other pedestrians. It feels shorter and certainly less congested.

 

[mgmgbook]

We have stayed at HOJO's several times and have enjoyed our stay. With regards to the refrigerators, we never manage to get the control setting correct and end up with frozen milk. I hope you have better luck.

 

[chaysmom]

Thanks all for the advice! It was a great trip and all your advice helped make it perfect. We used Von's for grocery delivery, and that was perfect. We took little baggies and did sandwiches for one of our meals and then ate out for the others. Utilized the WOC and PTN meal packages which were great, and I don't think we ever waited longer then 15 minutes for the rides despite being busy season. Loved the location and would stay there again!