Haven't stayed at the Candy Cane, but have heard only great things about it.
I did stay at the Anabella, and while I like the rooms and the grounds, it is just too far away for my taste. I prefer to be on Harbor Bl. The Anabella is on the ART (Anaheim Resort Transportation system) but we chose to walk rather than rely on someone else's schedule. We tried walking down towards Downtown Disney, through the Grand Californian, then into the parks. And we also tried walking towards the convention center, into the back DL parking lot, catching the tram to the front. Each walk was very long and neither was better than the other.
Also, I prefer a hotel that has a breakfast, even if it is a very limited continental breakfast, it still helps start out the day. The Anabella does not have any breakfast, although they do have a restaurant on site.