Best hotels closest to DL?

[loki_d]

Besides actual Disney hotels. We are planning on going for Christmas and I do not want to spend $500 a night on paradise pier. Are there any good alternatives that are within walking distance of the parks?

Thanks!

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

You will find many great alternatives, right across the street along Harbor Blvd. My personal favorites are Camelot Inn, Tropicana, and Desert Inn & Suites. I have also heard great things about Park Vue Inn, but I've not stayed there myself because one of the other hotels that I've mentioned always ends up having a better deal. Pretty much all of the hotels that I have stayed in around Disneyland have been very similar in quality, so location and price are the deciding factors for me.

 

[tarheelalum]

Tons of places to stay within walking distance. The Paradise Pier is not worth half of that in my opinion. What are you looking for in a hotel? How close, parking, pools, adult or family trip, etc. Give us an idea of what your looking for and people here can give you their opinion.

 

[goooof1]

You will want to check out these 2 threads from @HydroGuy . Answers all your questions !! He has lots of great information in the "stickies".

"HydroGuy's Hotel Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862

"Choosing the Right DLR Area Hotel for You" www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-hotel-for-you.3656512/

 

[ParkHopper1]

Within reasonable walking distance Courtyard Inn is the nicest offsite property IMO. Holiday Inn Express and Fairfield are also decent...while there are plenty of other that are DIS Board favorites for various reasons, most are more lackluster motels IMO.

SpringHill Suites and Residence Inn are also nice new properties but closer to a 15 min walk to the gates,

 

[Marshmelo]

After researching myself, I went with Best Western Plus Park Place Inn & Mini Suites for our upcoming October trip. It gets great reviews, is the closest to the parks, mini suite rooms are larger, and has free hot breakfast.

 

[Indiana Scott]

Anything on Harbor is good but we prefer The Best Western Park Place Inn and The Park View Inn.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Within reasonable walking distance Courtyard Inn is the nicest offsite property IMO. Holiday Inn Express and Fairfield are also decent...while there are plenty of other that are DIS Board favorites for various reasons, most are more lackluster motels IMO.

SpringHill Suites and Residence Inn are also nice new properties but closer to a 15 min walk to the gates,

I agree with ParkHopper1. These are the only hotels referred to in the thread, so far. The rest are motels. When I was in the park for the majority of a park day in my 20’s the motels on Harbor were fine. I am not 20 anymore and motels no longer meet my needs. They’re loud because of outdoor walkways, with uncomfortable beds and mediocre food. I stayed at the best western park place place inn last December with my sibling. We’d happily stayed there many times before but I will not do so again.

I’ve stayed at Homewood Suites Convention Center. It’s about a 20 minute walk. I’ll uber if we stay there again. See Hydroguy’s post suggested above for pros/cons to hotels that are not as close to the parks.

The closest hotels are Courtyard by Marriott Theme park entrance (very new) and Howard Johnson.

I’ve heard good things about Springhill Suites convention center, residence inn convention center, hotel indigo, country inn & suites (quite new) and clementine hotel & suites (former residence inn). There is also a new hotel being completed this month; Cambria hotel & suites.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

My favorite is the Howard Johnson Anaheim.

 

[Captainkidd76]

The best reviews I read are for Candy Cane Inn. We're going for our 2nd trip next May and I will only stay at Disneyland Hotel or Grand Californian. Way more than I care to spend, but I'm way too picky about hotels. I'd be too afraid to take a chance on anything else.

 

[ParkHopper1]

The best reviews I read are for Candy Cane Inn.

Have stayed there a few times and was way unimpressed. Fine if you just need a clean shower and bed...but rooms were a bit dated and in need of refurb.

For a budget trip, great option but fails in a lot of areas compared to nicer and newer properties. You likely won't have any regrets but certainly not in the "Best" category that the OP was inquiring about IMO.

 

[Disney_Alli]

For a full hotel I like the Sheraton Park just up Harbor. But any of the motels across the street can work well. We had a great stay at the Tropicana.

 

[tsumgirl]

I've only stayed at 2 hotels (indoor walkways and more amenities) - Hotel Indigo and Residence Inn Convention Center. Between the two, I much preferred the Residence Inn. It's newer, nicer, much more spacious, and has decent free breakfast offerings.

If you're fine with a nicer motel, I loved my stay at the Tropicana. It's had a recent remodel, was very clean, and the staff was very accommodating.

I definitely like the nicer hotels, but for Disneyland trips, I tend to book the motels, because the walk to/from the parks can't be beat. Many of the nicer hotels are cheaper than the Harbor motels for this reason.

 

[loki_d]

e Paradise Pier is not worth half of that in my opinion. What are you looking for in a hotel? How close, parking, p

Would love to walk if possible. We will have a rental car but do not want to pay the car fees for DL parking. I was also looking at Hotel Indigo, is that a good place? Not interested in motels. Would like a regular hotel type feel. I'm also booking with JB vacations and we are doing our airfare with points so i'm a little limited in options.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Would love to walk if possible. We will have a rental car but do not want to pay the car fees for DL parking. I was also looking at Hotel Indigo, is that a good place? Not interested in motels. Would like a regular hotel type feel. I'm also booking with JB vacations and we are doing our airfare with points so i'm a little limited in options.

Hotel Indigo gets good reviews on this board. It is across the street from a Starbucks, a Blaze Pizza, and a 24 hour Walgreens. The walk to the parks isn't bad -- about 15 minutes, depending on the signal at Harbor.

 

[crystal1313]

Hojo is a nice option. Free parking. It's a hotel, not a motel. Great kids pool. And yes, my kids have swam there in Dec (it was 90 degrees) If you get a room facing the parks, they have a great view. Next to a lot of food options (Mimis, Panera, McDonalds) They have amazing customer service too! Not a bad walk either. Would be closer than Hotel Indigo I believe. Have a great trip!

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

I do feel the need to point out that the "motels" along Harbor are not like motels in other places. Typically I think of motels as being of lower quality and kind of sketchy compared to regular hotels, and on trips to other destinations I always choose hotels over motels. But I hardly think of the ones across the street from DLR as motels at all. Everyone staying there is going to the same place, I've never felt unsafe or like they were dirty or disappointing. If you want to spend part of your trip hanging by the pool then I can see the allure of a nicer resort-like hotel, but for a Disney trip where you're in the parks all day, I really have no complaints about the Harbor motels. I've found the beds to be comfortable, rooms clean, and service met my expectations.

 

[midnight star]

I have heard great things about the Candy Cane Inn. I hope to try one day.

Back in April my friends and I stayed at the Delta Marriott on Harbor. Although farther than I wanted, the hotel was very nice! You're right across the street from Target, Joe's crab shack, and another restaurant I can't remember. The surrounding area is nice and quiet. Those beds were soo comfy, and we all slept great in them after a long Disney day. They have a shuttle, but you have to pay. If you are Marriott members, they have good deals you can use with your points.

 

[tarheelalum]

Would love to walk if possible. We will have a rental car but do not want to pay the car fees for DL parking. I was also looking at Hotel Indigo, is that a good place? Not interested in motels. Would like a regular hotel type feel. I'm also booking with JB vacations and we are doing our airfare with points so i'm a little limited in options.

Yes the Hotel Indigo is a great place. We will be staying there at the end of next month for a few days to use some ihg points. We have stayed there many times. If we are not staying at the Disneyland hotel we pretty much only stay at the Indigo. It takes us 10 minutes to walk to Disneyland in the morning and 15 minutes to walk back at night because the sidewalk is usually pretty crowded at night. Its a nicer hotel than most in the area at that price point but its not really geared for families though. They don't have a big pool although they do have a pool and hot tub. When we are there I usually don't see a lot of kids. Its more geared towards adults in my opinion but we like it that way. For the price you pay there the rooms are a lot nicer than most of the close hotels in my experience. Also they have free parking underneath the hotel and its gated with an elevator. They have a lot restaurants near the hotel and a Starbucks straight across from the front door in the hotel across the street. It opens early so I always go there in the morning to get our food and bring it back to our room to eat before we walk to Disneyland. Also a 24 hour drug store across the street that has a lot of food as well. We like it a lot.

 

[tsumgirl]

I stayed at Hotel Indigo for 5 nights in June. The beds were comfortable. The room has laminate floors with a rug and nice modern bathroom. Most of the parking spaces are underground with a few spots at street level for large vehicles. They ran out of parking a few nights we were there, but have an agreement with the Wyndham next door to allow guest overflow parking. I didn't use the pool or eat at their lounge, so I can't comment on that. The walk is a bit longer than I prefer, but it's safe with many families walking to nearby hotels. I'd stay there again for the right price.