Which is nicest Downtown Disney (non-Disney) hotel?

[DisneyJanFeb2008]

Which is the nicest Downtown Disney (non-Disney) hotel would you say and why? Buena Vista Palace, Wyndham, or Hilton?

 

[DisneyJanFeb2008]

From photos and Trip Advisor reviews, the Hilton looks the nicest (?)

 

[spiceycat]

probably hilton - just because it is a hilton.

it is also the only DD hotel that has EMH

 

[GATORinaZ28]

We are going on a cruise in March and are staying at Downtown Disney for 1 night. I researched them and just reserved a night at the Hilton since it seems to be the best one. Plus, they had a special offer on their site (still might be there) that knocked $50 off the room.

 

[kapoof]

we stayed at the hilton a while back..it was o.k.

pros: close to dtd, very nice quiet pool, comfy beds, cheaper than disney resorts..for us it was free due to dh points.

cons: needs a major refurb, very dated rooms, non disney feel is that matters to you, to us it did we ended up moving to the poly.

 

[staugielady]

We have always loved the Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort. It isn't as fancy as the others, but it is nice and at a really good price.

 

[Bob NC]

cons: non disney feel is that matters to you, to us it did we ended up moving to the poly.

Seems a little unfair to list a con of a non-Disney hotel as not having a Disney feel.

 

[beccasmom]

I have heard it is the Hilton. I can't endorse it personally; we've never stayed there.

Hilton's are normally pretty good bets, but we stayed in a Savannah property that had just so-so service. So I tend to delve a bit deeper into reviews when checking out even the major chains.

 

[HWKI2]

Count us as loving the Lake Buena Vista Best Western too!!

 

[spiceycat]

We have always loved the Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort. It isn't as fancy as the others, but it is nice and at a really good price.

definitely agree with that - stayed there too and no complaints.

 

[jessic2422]

I have only stayed at the Hilton and palace. I liked the Hilton much better

 

[heartse]

We are huge fans of the DoubleTree. We like having the extra space, and especially love the fact that we can put her to bed in the living room and then have the bedroom available for us so that we stay up, watch tv, and read without it being a problem. As she gets easier we will consider going to the Hilton, but for the time being we love the DoubleTree. The service there is generally fantastic!

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

Does the Hilton have bus service to the parks like the Disney resorts do?

 

[Sue M]

We came in a day early during one visit, so stayed 1 night at the DTD Doubletree pre package. They are all 1 or 2? bedroom suites, and we thought it was very nice. No complaints on our suite. It was very spacious, and well maintained. Toiletries were very nice too, Crabtree & Evelyn. Starbucks coffee in room.

If you go on mousesavers.com they have discounts on their preferred hotels. Doubletree was one of them. I booked with their discount code and got a great room rate and breakfast incl.
They have several preferred hotels in DTD. The Royal Plaza and Hilton are too.

All the DTD hotels have a shared bus transportation system and run every 30 min. They use the off site bus areas. They are not on WDW transportation.

 

[Kae]

We have stayed at Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort 3 times, Buena Vista Palace, Double Tree & Royal Plaza. And the holiday Inn when it was a Courtyard.

Out of those Royal Plaza is on the bottom of the list we just didn't care for it. Palace & BW both had wonderful customer service. Doubletree the suites are great.

We have used priceline & gotten these hotels. Most have been one night stays.

Kae

 

[Trek Girl]

Does the Hilton have bus service to the parks like the Disney resorts do?

Yes, all the DTD area hotels provide bus service to the parks. There are two buses, one for each side of the street. They're supposed to run every thirty minutes, and I've never had any serious problems with them. I will say that if your hotel is the last stop on the route, it may be a bit crowded for you in the mornings.

Now on to the initial question posed by the OP. I've stayed at the Hilton twice and at the Best Western once. Both are nice, and they both have their pros and cons. The Hilton was definitely more expensive, and you also have to pay a daily parking rate ($14/day, I believe). On the plus side, it's literally right across the street from DTD, and they have the EMH perk, if you're interested in it. The Best Western is further down the street from the Hilton and is on the opposite side of the street. You can still walk to DTD from there, but it's a bit more of a hike, especially if you're going in the summer. There's no fee to self-park, IIRC, and the overall price of staying there was definitely easier on the budget. Plus, I could see DTD from our room, which was pretty cool. I would definitely consider staying there again.

Since the OP asked for the nicest hotel, I have to say I think the Hilton is a nicer hotel, but I wouldn't hesitate to stay at the Best Western again, especially if budget was a concern. I haven't stayed at any of the other DTD hotels, so I can't comment on them.