Originally Posted By GCBAM Which one is the better hotel - Anaheim or Buena Park? Has anyone stayed there recently? We are looking to stay there in January for 5 nights. Do they still have the evening reception on the weeknights? How is the breakfast? Thanks for all of your help!
Originally Posted By xrayvision Well, there are two Residence Inns (RI) in the Disneyland Resort area, including Anaheim Maingate and the new S. Harbor Blvd. property in Garden Grove. And, there is the Buena Park RI property as you mentioned. All three Marriott properties are nice and each has its' own unique character and features. If I remember correctly, RI Buena Park is more of a old Spanish style hotel with nice tiered water fountains and spanish tiles. It's very different from the other RIs' more cookie-cutter, campus design/layout. It is an older property, but the property's age kinda fits with the old spanish motif. RI Bunea Park is very close to the Knott's and the Buena Park Entertainment district's dinner theater attractions. Parking is free. In walking distance to Disneyland Resort, the Anaheim Maingate is also an older property, which features RI's more traditional design of separate apartment module buildings that are set on a grassy campus with several outdoor sporting activities and BBQ pits. While I believe the property has been renovated a few years ago, some of the rooms can still show some wear/tear. But, many people like the property due to its close proximity to DLR. And, although the property is within easy walking distance to Disney, RI Anaheim Maingate is on the ART shuttle route, There is ample free hotel parking. In close driving distance to Disneyland, and also located the ART shuttle route, the new Garden Grove RI features Residence Inn's newer urban hotel tower design (no relation to TOT), where all the suite rooms are contained inside one upscale high rise structure. Furniture and everything is new and sofisticated, with a brightly sunsplashed color palette of sunshine yellows and sky blues. There is a very nice upscale lobby, game area and nice sized outdoor pool. But, some of the outdoor feauters (volleyball/tennis/basketball) located in the older, more campus style RIs do not seem to be present at the Garden Grove property. <<Correct me I'm wrong on the outdoor sports>> Their free parking is pretty limited and tight. If you arrive in the evening when parking is full, you may be given a voucher to park at the neighoring Hyatt Alicante parking lot. With more people becoming familiar with this newer property, room rates at Garden Grove RI have been running higher than rates at Buena Park and Anaheim Maingate. But, it's worth the time to bargain shop among the three properties as occupany rate at each of the hotels will dictate which property has the higher/lower room rates. OK, that's all I know as I prefer the new Doubletree Suites and the Candy Cane Hotel.
