What is your favorite hotel to stay in?

[princessjv]

I assisting a friend in booking a trip in April. What is the best places to stay for 3 nights at DL and why? (They will be traveling with a 5 yr old)

 

[crazymomof 4]

I have been to all three and for us it is the PP. It is the most reasonable and biggest. The rooms have been refurbished and are very comfortable. My older 2 kids 9 and 10 like the pool better because it is a little deeper. The walk is not bad and you can get in right through the CAP entrance at the GC. If money is not an issue than the GC is right there. When we stayed it was cheaper and only had 2 kids at the time. It is smaller but comfortable enough. I didn't like the fridge being loaded with expensive treats. The one at the Pier was empty so you could put food in it. I liked the DLH least. Probably because I worked myself up into the whole it will be more Magical thing and it really wasn't for us. The rooms were big and the beds were comfy. The pool is cute but very shallow. For me the walk seemed ten times longer than at the Pier. We liked the PP so much we are going back in about 5 weeks.

 

[ZeusNike]

Onsite we like all three for different reasons. Offsite we would choose the Candy Cane Inn...

 

[spazzyjazzy]

HOward JOhnson

 

[LucyKate]

Howard Johnson.

It's the only one I've stayed in but we thought it superb value. It's clean, close to DL, has good beds, good staff is safe and has a nice heated pool.

 

[abby]

My dd 5 loves the DLH.

 

[ltleelim]

My wife and I have been to Disneyland 4 times in the past year or so.

We kind of like the Park Vue Inn. We like it mainly because it is the absolute closest of all the off-site hotels. It's right next to the crosswalk across Harbor Blvd. It's fairly inexpensive and has a free continental breakfast. It's not fancy. It's slightly nicer than a Motel 6.

The Best Western Park Place Inn is a close second in terms of distance. (It's a few feet farther from the crosswalk. ) We haven't stayed there because it's a little more expensive.

The Howard Johnson is about a 5 minute walk farther. It's a little more expensive and the rooms are a bit nicer than the Park Vue. It has free Internet access in the rooms. But it's a lot noisier because it's next to the freeway. We probably won't stay there again.

All of the Disney hotels are at least twice as expensive (usually 3-4 times more expensive). We have walked around in them and eaten in them, but we haven't stayed there yet. The Disneyland Hotel and the Paradise Pier are quite a bit farther away than the motels on Harbor Blvd. The Grand Californian is the only one that is closer than the Park Vue.

Please note that we spend almost all of our time in the parks. We almost never use the hotel swimming pools, if you care about stuff like that.

Lloyd Lee-Lim

 

[thelionqueen]

The Disneyland Hotel and the Paradise Pier are quite a bit farther away than the motels on Harbor Blvd. The Grand Californian is the only one that is closer than the Park Vue.

Lloyd Lee-Lim

I have to respectfully disagree with this comment. For those who have never stayed onsite it might seem that the hotel is further than the Harbor motels, this is not true. If you are talking walking from hotel room to front gate with no monorail or tram the distance is probably the same. BUT, when you figure in that the monorail is just a few hundred feet from the guest rooms @ the DLH you've got a whole different point of view.

If I had to choose any hotel anywhere in the world (not just CA) I would pick the Disneyland Hotel hands down. It has the most magic of any Disney resort anywhere, impeccable service, convenience, grounds are AMAZING (spent 2 whole days just swimming and exploring the caves, waterfalls, boat races, entertainment, etc).

As far as the PP, this is a decent value for the money, however I think lacks the real Disney Magic. The Grand Californian would be perfect for a couple over 35 without kids with money to spare. Nice accomodations, no Disney feel at all (nice spa though).

I personally have been to Disneyland well over 100 times in my lifetime and as an adult I stayed off site for a couple of years due to finances. If I could have known then what I know now, I would never stay off site again. The difference cannot be explained in any words. The trips were COMPLETELY different from the ones when we stayed onsite and frankly quite forgettable.

Spend the extra $$ on the DLH, it's worth every penny, and then some. Just my .02

 

[ltleelim]

For those who have never stayed onsite it might seem that the hotel is further than the Harbor motels, this is not true. If you are talking walking from hotel room to front gate with no monorail or tram the distance is probably the same. BUT, when you figure in that the monorail is just a few hundred feet from the guest rooms @ the DLH you've got a whole different point of view.

Yes, you are correct that the monorail station is much closer. I forgot about that. That would be logical way to enter the park.

However, the walking distance from the Disneyland Hotel to the main entrance is not the same as from Harbor. It's twice the distance. I just measured it.

As I hinted at earlier, a big factor is how much time you like to spend in the parks, at the hotel, and at the pool. We have stayed at several Disney World hotels so we know what you're talking about. It's a different kind of trip.

It would be a lot nicer if the Disneyland hotels offered early entry to all guests, just like the Disney World hotels.

Lloyd Lee-Lim

 

[munchkinsmom]

Disney's Grand Californian as a couple.
The Disneyland Hotel as a family.
Howard Johnson's if staying offsite (we stay here most of the time).

HTH!

 

[Shelebeen]

We have stayed at the Grand, the PPH and Howard Johnsons. All were good for their own reasons... My choice? I would def stay at the Grand again... love the location and the little things like the lobby and room service, the pool, etc. We stayed in June and had an adjoining room with my parents... it was awesome. We spent one night at the PPH in Dec and it was fine as well... a bit more of a walk - but no more then the HoJo was. We did like watching the fireworks from the pool deck with the music piped in.. that was a treat! But the room service was nothing like at the GC. We also stayed 4 nights at HoJO's in Jan - again a nice hotel, the walk was fine and we had a disney view room so the highway noise was minimal. We could see the fireworks from our balcony and the heated pool was nice as well.

One thing we found about the monorail - it is almost always a longer wait then if you walk to the main gates. Last trip we waited for 2 monorails and then ended up deciding to walk instead... it really isn't that far and walking through downtown disney is great fun!

 

[AFMom]

Any of the 3 on-site
For offsite - we LOVE the Candy Cane Inn!

 

[PattiPB]

If you want to spring for onsite, DLH or GC.

Offsite, I'd vote for Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites Parlor suite. It's as inexpensive as a regular hotel room, but has a separate living room with a second TV. Nice when traveling with kids you nap or go to bed early!

 

[huskyncoug]

We've stayed at DLH and GC. DLH was ok, but our "non-smoking room" smelled like smoke, couldn't change rooms b/c they were all booked...GC was the best...perfect rooms, proximity to DTD and DL, ez entrance to DLCA...We'll be staying there again in August.

 

[Amy&Dan]

It would be a lot nicer if the Disneyland hotels offered early entry to all guests, just like the Disney World hotels.

Lloyd Lee-Lim

Actually the Disneyland Resort oniste hotels do offer early entry each day it is offered to their guests. For example, in September we could have gotten EE once from our park hoppers but were able to go an additional two times that trip as hotel guests. You have to show your room id cards to get in for that once you have used it up on your park hopper. It is just one hour in the morning and not the late night EMH's that WDW resorts offer but its something.

To answer the original question, The Disneyland Hotel is my hands down favorite but the cost is prohibitive at times. The service we have received on our five stays over the past two and half years has been exceptional, ther rooms are large sized, the pool is incredible and it is just so magical to be right there. Lots of little touches that add a big plus for my family. I wish we could always afford it but no such luck! For example we have planned a last minute trip the weekend of the 10th of February and even if the onsite hotels hadn't been sold out wouldn't have considered it. I got a package on Expedia staying at the Tropicana (never stayed there so I can't comment) so we will enjoy that location and be happy. We do prefer onsite but didn't find the two times (soon to be three) to be horribly diminshed by staying offsite. Yes, it was different but we still had fun. I can recommend the HoJo for clean, large rooms, nice grounds and a nice pool area but frankly when I am going to stay offsite I would rather just stay directly across the street and forgo the walk to the HoJo which feels like torture at the end of the day as you trudge up Harbor. No pretty Downtown Disney to distract my tired feet I guess! The Park Inn was fine, nothing fancy but such a short distance and plenty clean so we were fine. If price is not an option than go onsite and enjoy the magic. If price is an important check out tripadvisor for reviews of the many motels on Harbor. And know that they are motels, not hotels so you won't be disappointed at check in! The Candy Cane gets the highest reviews of any property right now, on or offsite at Disneyland, has a free breakfast, and a free, dedicated shuttle to the parks. Too bad I couldn't get in for our offsite cheap-o trip!

P.S. Paradise Pier has also been great the two times we stayed there but for me just not as magical as the Disneyland Hotel. I would still stay there again, especially if I could get a $129 rate like I did last time. The walk is not that much further than the Disneyland Hotel, nice large rooms and more of a beach theme with Disney touches as opposed to the all out Disney theme of the Disneyland Hotel. And I have always found the best deals at both PP and DLH on Expedia.