We haven’t stayed at VDH (will be using VGF points to do it in the next few months) but I have stayed at DLH and PPH. I don’t think you can
objectively say that those hotels are better than the JW Marriott or even the Westin or Courtyard Marriott with its own water park, even at comparable pricing. I assume most people considering owning
DVC really love DVC theming (and have convinced themselves that DTD is a part of a special bubble), but some of us also like luxury and convenience— two of the hotels I mentioned have soaking tubs and higher quality service across the board and one has bigger rooms with bunk beds and extremely convenient location. For the same price (which it never is) I would assume most of the DVC board would prefer a Disney hotel, but at least a few of us occasionally prefer a luxury hotel (and simply pay for Uber black to drop us off at the esplanade). VDH is a good purchase for some, but I think it is less special if you don’t enjoy walking through DTD.
All that aside, if you value location or your time more than your money, there is NO comparison with VGC, which saves you at least 15-20m round trip compared with basically every other option. There’s a reason nobody is selling resale VGC contracts for less than the cost of direct DLH points.