1st time guest - Is on site worth $2,000 more?

[PacNWTigger]

We stayed at Hotel Indigo on our last trip. Wonderful customer service, clean rooms, and a small cafe/bar to grab a quick bite. It's on Katella...I would say about a 10-15 minute walk to the front gate depending on the time of day.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Howard Johnson is about the same distance as the PPH. Sheraton Park's is very nice, though about a mile's walk, instead of the 2/3'rd of a mile from HoJo's.

HoJo's Playground

And HoJo's separate pool area

Sheraton Park's Pool

SpringHill Suites Anaheim Resort Pool

And the best thing about SpringHill's pool.

 

[captainkidd]

How far is Springhill Suites from the entrance?

I read some very meh reviews about HoJo, so I'm a bit hesitant.

 

[Professortango1]

Staying onsite is not essential to the experience at Disneyland in the way that it is at WDW.

I wouldn't even call it essential at WDW. We saved over $1,000 using a hotel right by Universal. The hotel had shuttle service to both resorts and it was only about 10-15 minutes away from WDW. After staying off property, I don't know if I can ever fork over the crazy amount of extra money to stay 10 minutes closer.

 

[Darkbeer1]

I am a fan of HoJo's and have stayed there many times.

TripAdvisor has it ranked 19th of 119 Hotels in Anaheim.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R..._and_Water_Playground-Anaheim_California.html

I would opt to stay in Building 2 or 1 (The large towers) and not the small center buildings.

SpringHill Suites is on the corner of Harbor and Katella, right above the CVS Pharmacy.

The walk is right at 2/3'rds of a mile, so like HoJo's, the same distance as the PPH to the center of the Main Entrance Plaza.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7172915

 

[captainkidd]

I've just about given up. I know you can't go by reviews alone, but all of the places I've looked at within walking distance are rather dumpy. The whole area just looks rather bleh. My kids like to go back to the room and go swimming and are used to the hotels at WDW and Universal. I really want to go to Disneyland, but for the price of airfare, park tickets and lack of decent places to stay, I think we're best holding off. I'd love to see the original park and ride all the classics, but I'm too picky about the entire experience, and I feel as though I would be disappointed not staying at DLH or GC.

 

[jbradway]

I see it's not the closest, but from the pics and vids I've seen, the Fairfield Inn looks like the best choice. Any other opinions?

I thought the same about the Fairfield Inn back about 15 years ago when it was newer. So I booked there. I wish I hadn't. The beds were terrible and the rooms were not nice at all. It's basically a Motel 6 with a lot of floors. The place has not gotten any better.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

I highly recommend the DLH and Grand Californian over anything currently available off-site in Anaheim. The local non-Disney properties are pretty mediocre, and that's being kind. There's a considerable reduction in ambiance, service, and amenities at the properties on Harbor, especially if you're looking for a vacation getaway experience.

That said, there is no arguing that DLR's 3 hotels are ridiculously overpriced, the Paradise Pier Hotel in particular. In fact don't even think about staying there. Since this is your first visit my recommendation is to splurge on DLH or GCH if you can afford to.

 

[captainkidd]

After reading a bunch of reviews and watching a lot of videos, we narrowed it down to 3.

Sheraton Park Hotel
Howard Johnson
Courtyard Marriott

Courtyard wins for best room, but the pool itself is very small. Hojo's wins for price, but some of the rooms don't look very nice. Sheraton wins best overall as the rooms are nice, best pool, bar by the pool, and restaurant choices. However, it seems like it's the furthest away, and we can't tell how bad the street is to cross, or what dining options outside the hotel are and how far away they are.

 

[Darkbeer1]

OK, it sounds like HoJo's is the best fit.

You will want to get a room in Building 2, overlooking the pool, some have outdoor balconies.

I prefer Tower 1, the closest to Manchester, except the top floor. The Top Floor has SkyLights on the ceiling, and some fplks love them.

HoJo's and the Courtyard are owned by the same company, and I happen to know the Director of Marketing, William Simpson.

Send him an e-mail with your dates and what you are looking for, and he will place you in a room that matches (if available). Feel free to say that I (David Michael/Darkbeer) referred you.

william.simpson@hojoanaheim.com

You can drink next to the HoJo's pools, they sell beer and wine in the gift shop, or you can bring your own (No Glass containers).

As for crossing the streets, for HoJo and Courtyard, just cross at the light at Harbor and Manchester, no other crossing is needed.

For the Sheraton Park, you have two crosswalks, both with traffic lights, not bad at all.

Off property places to eat, starting at Hojo's and going down Harbor two blocks.

I love Mimi's Café, Panera Bread, McDonald's, The Pizza Press (Anaheim Hotel) at Disney Way, and the Subway near Katella.

Then you have the Anaheim GardenWalk options, just one block east on Harbor.

https://anaheimgardenwalk.com/

My favorites include Fire + Ice, Johnny Rockets, Cheesecake Factory, CPK, PF Changes, McCormick & Schmidts, Roy's and Bubba Gump's.

All easy walking distance if staying at any of the three mentioned.Hotels.

 

[Phroobar]

I like the HoJos too. We only live about a half hour away from Disneyland but sometimes we like to do something special for the kids. They love pools and the pirate water park was fun for them. It's all about the pool to them. I don't think we even went into Disneyland that day. It was fun to watch the monorail go by. I also liked the look of the property. It had a classic Tomorrowland look to it. Nice tall ceilings in the lower bungalow buildings. However the towers are newer and nicer.

 

[Monty]

Six nights is quite a long time. You can see all the parks in 2 to 3 days. I still and always recommend the Grand California.

I've never understood this thinking. My son and I have done two two-week trips to DL, attending the D23 Expo in the middle, and have spent every non-Expo day in the parks [11 out of 15 days]. We've never been bored and always seem to find little things we haven't noticed before pretty much every day.

 

[captainkidd]

I spoke to a TA the other day who strongly recommended I not spend more than 2 days at Disneyland. I didn't understand this either. When we go to WDW, we always spend at least 3 days at the Magic Kingdom. Given there are more attractions at Disneyland, I don't see doing 3 or 4 days there being an issue at all.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I spoke to a TA the other day who strongly recommended I not spend more than 2 days at Disneyland. I didn't understand this either. When we go to WDW, we always spend at least 3 days at the Magic Kingdom. Given there are more attractions at Disneyland, I don't see doing 3 or 4 days there being an issue at all.

I never recommend 2-3 days for newbies. In saying that, I never suggest two weeks either. There are too many other signature attractions to do in Southern California.

My recommendation is 4-5 days.

 

[flynnibus]

I spoke to a TA the other day who strongly recommended I not spend more than 2 days at Disneyland. I didn't understand this either. When we go to WDW, we always spend at least 3 days at the Magic Kingdom. Given there are more attractions at Disneyland, I don't see doing 3 or 4 days there being an issue at all.

Then don't talk to that TA again 2 days is not enough... especially with kids. I would say 3 days is min for the DLR resort, but not more than 5 unless you are the type that wants to go in small doses or tons of repeats. Both parks

The thing that the hotel situation brings is about the 'trip home' after the day at the resort. You could use the ART buses... we would walk. The area is perfectly fine to walk, but that can seem off putting compared to the classic WDW experience for WDW-only vets. But the bus drama of WDW is not missed at all.

The Disney hotels are nice, but not worth it. The Anaheim hotels _seem_ dumpy compared to the marketing of the WDW on-site hotels.. but really most are not. They are your typical hotels.. and you frequently are picking based on location, age, and any amenities.

The Disneyland experience is worth the 'difference' of dealing with the off-property hotels.