where to stay

[monami7]

OK So we have played around with the Cali trip a ton and have decided that staying in Anaheim the whole 7 days is a better idea than going to San Diego for the weekend. We have a few people who live in the area that want to come visit with us and it seems easier to stay in the LA area. So we are wanting a place that has a resort feel seeing as how we will be there 7 days and nights. I need a nice relaxing pool area. Something fun for the kids as well. My girls are 3, 4 and 13. The 13 yr old just needs a place to swim a bit and read her book, kind of like me!
We plan on spending an entire day just at the pool and at the hotel. Also daily afternoon reststops there.
I had originally booked at DLH an was very excited. However I just found out that the pool will be closed when we are there and that isn't gonna work. I am not thrilled with the look of PPH. It looks boring to me, especially the pool area.
I would love staying at GC but I am having issues paying $303 a night to do so. DH said it would be fine if we did this though. I just get to the payment page and freeze! LOL
I guess we could be ok staying off property at a good neighbor but where? They all look like places that would be fine for a few days that are mostly in the park but nothing looks very relaxing.
I did look at a kids suite at Portofino inn. It would save about $1000
Any help would be great.
Oh we do have a car but I was hoping to be able to walk easily to the hotel whenever we wanted.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

We stay at the Howard Johnson's all the time. Our longest stay was 11 nights, and we felt fine there. You might want to look into the kids' suite (going to try it soon ourselves) if some freeway noise isn't going to bother you because that will get you two rooms and two bathrooms at cheaper than the Disney hotels for a standard room. You can get a discount with an entertainment card, Disney AP, or even just the Disney fan code from Disney message boards.

What we like about HOJOs is the interior corridors that give the place a more "hotel" instead of "motel" feel. The pool is nice, and your 13 year old should enjoy that. The water play area is a ton of fun for younger kids, so that should be a hit with the younger DDs. There's plenty of parking, and they don't charge extra for it. As for the rest of the amenities...There's no breakfast, but we always bring our own. The grounds are attractive, but that's not a big deal to us. Their gift shop is really well stocked if you don't want to be bothered to take a trip to Target. The place has always been clean in my experience and responses to the minor issues we have occasionally had during our 10 or so stays have always been prompt and satisfactory. The walk is a little longer than some of the other Harbor motels, no worse than the DLH really, just not as fun an atmosphere. There is a Mimi's restaurant right across the street.

 

[monami7]

I did look into hojo's but the family suites there were all booked. Thanks though. I saw pics of them and they looked really nice.

 

[erinbharris]

We're staying at the Hyatt Regency Orange County. I can't tell you if it's nice or not based on personal experience (we leave in 2 weeks). But...the Trip Advisor reviews are good, they just did a huge renovation, they have a shuttle to the park, the pools look nice, and we're staying in a kids suite which gives us the room we need.

Everyone on here seems to recommend Hojo (Howard Johnson) but we weren't sold based on the rate (we couldn't get the Entertainment Rate for the days we were going to be there) and I wanted a shuttle for the end of the night when nobody wants to walk back!

 

[goldies 5]

I would definetely consider the GC if you can budget it. You will be right in the middle of everything. You don't have to cross any busy streets to get to DTD. It does have that relaxing feel. The grounds are beautiful. The lobby is a relaxing place to read and people watch. The pool area is wonderful too.
You will also have the advantage of early entry everyday that it is available.

 

[monami7]

how far is the hyatt?

 

[monami7]

They have the kids suite for $888. thats really cheap

 

[darph nader]

how far is the hyatt?

I'd 'rough' quess,about 3/4 of a mile. Hydroguy has a listing of distances somewhere.

 

[erinbharris]

According to a map it's 3.4 miles. It's about a ten minute drive. Did you check out the pictures? I think it looks nice. We got the kids suite with our 4 park passes for $1352 for 5 nights...that was a Costco package so there are a few perks in there too.

 

[erinbharris]

I'd 'rough' quess,about 3/4 of a mile. Hydroguy has a listing of distances somewhere.

I wonder why google maps puts it at 3.4 miles?

 

[monami7]

OK I can't beat the price for the kids suite. Its half that of the GC. I think I am gonna book the Hyatt.
Please LMK how it is when you get back.
Now I need transportation from the Airport....

 

[erinbharris]

You said that you'll have a car, but not right when you get there? Just note that the Hyatt charges for parking. I think it's $15 or $19/day.

 

[monami7]

I did ask about that. I think we are canceling the car and getting a shuttle or something.

 

[Tommy_B]

Well I would say look at the Residence Inn, but I can't imagine going from the GC to the Residence Inn and I really can see going down to HoJo's.

I also can not imagine coming to southern California and spending all seven days in Anaheim. Why not look at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach or a hotel in Laguna Beach for the weekend?

 

[monami7]

We have been to Anaheim before and the reason we are staying there is because we have a few different sets of people who want to visit with us.
I am still thinking of GC. I really don't want to deal with shuttles and whatnot.
I did look into the beach for a few days but we would still be sitting by the pool so it doesn't seem worth it to get a car for that.

 

[erinbharris]

I did ask about that. I think we are canceling the car and getting a shuttle or something.

I would say that you're better off with a car if you're going to be there for the full week. Also, because you have 5 people you'll be paying a fairly large amount of $$$ to get from the airport and back to the airport again. But...some people don't like going anywhere and therefore don't need a car!

 

[monami7]

OK I have decided to stay at the CCI (We have stayed there before) for the first 4 nights. They gave me a military discount too! Then we will move to the GC for 3 nights. That will give me the experience there that I want and save about $600 from staying the whole trip.
Also no shuttles and we can have a car with the free parking we get at both hotels.

 

[Dalhop]

We just spent a week at the Hyatt Orange County. It was wonderful. We had a two bedroom Queen Suite: 1 King in Bedroom 1, 2 Queen in Bedroom 2, Sleeper Sofa common room, Mini fridge, Coffee Maker, Microwave, 2 baths, 3 TVs. Disney shuttle (2 trips per hour) was great and always on time (Does get a little crowded at closing time, crush loads, standing). Coco's restaurant across the street had great muffins for breakfast.

 

[erinbharris]

We just spent a week at the Hyatt Orange County. It was wonderful. We had a two bedroom Queen Suite: 1 King in Bedroom 1, 2 Queen in Bedroom 2, Sleeper Sofa common room, Mini fridge, Coffee Maker, Microwave, 2 baths, 3 TVs. Disney shuttle (2 trips per hour) was great and always on time (Does get a little crowded at closing time, crush loads, standing). Coco's restaurant across the street had great muffins for breakfast.

Thanks for sharing, that makes me happy! We leave in 2 weeks (tomorrow) and I can't wait!!

 

[LisainCalifornia]

I would say that you're better off with a car if you're going to be there for the full week. Also, because you have 5 people you'll be paying a fairly large amount of $$$ to get from the airport and back to the airport again. But...some people don't like going anywhere and therefore don't need a car!

Actually, we have a family of 5 and whenever we fly in to SNA (orange county airport) we just take a taxi to the hotel. You just walk outside, and the taxi's are all lined up, and there are vans as well. If there isn't a minivan taxi there, they just call for one, and it comes in under 5 mins. It usually costs around 40ish dollars, so not too expensive.

I find that when we stay on property we never need a car. We just walk everywhere, and find it is easier to do that. When are you planning on going--I didn't hear that the pool was going to be closed at the DLH.