Originally Posted By Splashgirl We are going to Disneyland 6/30-7/5/07. I'm looking for a hotel that is a very close walk to the gate and affordable. Last time we stayed at the HOJO. I liked that hotel, but I'm hoping to be even closer since we won't be bringing a stroller for my 4 year old. We will rent one in the parks. Thanks in advance for your advice.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ Closest you can get is Best Western Park Place Inn. It's right at the crosswalk.
Originally Posted By DoomBugger I like the Desert Inn and Suites. It is close and cheap. I always reserve my room on their website and request a room on the ground floor. They are in the middle of a little courtyard. I have stayed there 8-10 times and have never had a problem. Except, the parking can be a challenge at times.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ Ick, ick, ick. We had blood on pillows, dirty rooms and the stink of hair rotting in the sink drains amongst other problems (credit card fraud).
Originally Posted By mickeynewe I wouldn't stay there either. We booked there once a long time ago and requested and were guaranteed a non-smoking room. When we checked in the room smelled so heavily of smoke we asked for a new room. They could not accomodate us so at 1:00 a.m. in the morning (we drive from the Bay Area at night and always arrive late) we were stuck driving around looking for a room. Not that it turned out badly mind you, we actually ended up at the Disneyland Hotel so I was even happier!
Originally Posted By Splashgirl SuziQ and Mickeynewe, are you referring to the Desert Inn or Best Western? Thanks.
Originally Posted By MOLLYSMOM They mean that the Desert Inn is gross, and the Best Western Park Place Inn is good. We stay at the BWPPI, and it really IS the closest to the gates...the crosswalk is RIGHT outside the hotel doors.
Originally Posted By dan1964 I stayed at the Anaheim Plaza not to long ago (beginning of October) and gave this review of the place: =================================== This motel is exactly as you would expect a motel for $60 a night, close to the park, to be. The place was resonably clean. Beds were comfy. Air conditioning units could be loud if turned up all the way. Hot water in showers was fine, pressure a little low, but not a problem. Shower nozzle a bit low for me (I'm 6' and I think the nozzle are at 5'6") Hot water to the sinks did take a bit of time to warm up, but were fine once the hot water got there. Staff was friendly. Check in was listed at 3:00 PM, but was able to check in when we got there at 2:00PM. Walk to the gates at the park - Approx 7 minutes. I would recommend this motel to anyone looking for somewhere close, clean and not very expensive. Oh yeah ... I did have a "family suite" ... basically two rooms with a connector door. One room had a Refrig and Microwave oven. The other room did not. The refrigerator and microwave were clean, and worked very well!! If you are getting a regular room, I think you may have to request a Refrig and/or microwave be put in the room.
Originally Posted By mickeynewe Yep, Mollysmom is correct. I meant the Desert Inn. I personally would never make a reservation there again.
Originally Posted By Lady Yo Ho I have stayed at the Anaheim Plaza hotel many times-most recently two weeks ago. It's clean and quite. The refrigerator is large. It is no frills. They have no ironing boards in the rooms, for example. It's about 10 minutes from the DL entrance. I usually get a rate of $55.
Originally Posted By nemopoppins I've stayed at the Anaheim Plaza and I'd confirm the above reviews. I'd like to add that the grounds are pretty even if the rooms are nothing special (except for the large bathroom/dressing area). Also, although it's probably not important for this time of year, the pool and pool area are very nice, for a cheap place.
Originally Posted By Wendithepooh I stayed at the Desert inn and suites last week.I would like to thank all the bad reviews because I had low expectations.It was a nice stay.It was clean and the location was great.It was noisey,but that is because parents don't teach their kids to be quite. We stayed at the hojo in june and although it was nice it wasn't worth the extra money.And as far as charging your credit card wrong it can happen anywhere.They did it at hojo's to us. It just matters what is important to you.Everyone has different opinions.Go with tour gut feeling.
Originally Posted By atinkfan Splashgirl, I would highly recommend bringing your own stroller. Even though you'll stay at a hotel close to the park, going back to your room at night will be really hard on your 4 yr old (unless you don't mind carrying him/her as you walk back to your room). After a long day going full blast in the parks, my 4 yr old was wiped out and fell asleep in our stroller most nights as we walked back to our room. Ask Joeysmommy about this......she was there when I was and rented a stroller in the park and she said the walk back to the room was loooooooong while you're tired yourself AND carrying a toddler!!
Originally Posted By Pollyana My hubby and I always stay at the Anaheim Plaza. They have always been good to us and we always request the 500 wing, upper floor, facing Harbor Blvd. We have a great view of TOTerror. The room is clean, large, comes with a balcony and is priced right. 49.00 per nite. We will be there again in Jan......I would recomment this hotel. Another one we stayed at was Carousel Inn. It was very clean and very close to the crosswalk into the park.
Originally Posted By liveforvacations I agree with the fact that your credit charge can be charged incorrectly anywhere but I think it is more how it is handled when you bring it to their attention that is the important thing. Mistakes happen everywhere! I do not have any experience with the Desert Inn and Suites so I cannot comment on them. However, I did have an experience at Hojos in which I had paid with traveler's cheques and then received my credit card bill and the charges were on it. I called them and even though I could not locate my receipt, I was assured that the matter would be investigated. I received a call back in a satisfactory amount of time and they assured me that although they were still investigating the discrepancy, my credit card would be credited with the full amount. The one thing everyone consistenly remarks about Hojos is their exceptional customer service and I could not agree more! IMHO, and without any offensce intended, I think if one is going to post that they had a problem with something, it is only fair to also include how it was handled. I do think it is good though that if someone has a different experience than someone else, that they do provide their comments to give a balanced review.
Originally Posted By joeysmommy Splashgirl- I stayed at the Anaheim Plaza about 6 years ago (before DCA was open) and that used to be directly across the street from DL's crosswalk (again, before DCA). It was no frills, but accceptable for $40 per night. They had a continental breakfast that came with your stay, also no frills but free. I'm trying to plan a trip for January and will probably stay at BWPPI based on all of the info I've read here on LP. I went to DL in Sept as Atinkfan mentioned. I would HIGHLY reccommend bringing your own stroller. We flew to Anaheim and I didn't want to schlep a stroller for my 3 yr old. We stayed at the DLH and I planned on renting strollers for my 3 and 5 yr olds at DL with my free stroller rentals on Disney Visa. I had never stayed on site before and had no idea how long of a walk it was thru DTD (which was also new to me). My husband's back was killing him when we got back home. When I complained to the hotel manager about the monorail being down (and not knowing this when I booked my vacation 5 months previously) he mentioned that the monorail is an "attration" not transportation. And that it can be down without notice at any time. So even if you go to DL after the monorail is up that is not reliable transportation. So, staying right across the street is still a great idea especially if you have a stroller. If I could do it over again I would buy a cheap umbrella stroller in Ananheim (maybe at Target) and then give it away before we left. That was also an idea I read here on LP.
