Which Room?

[Queen Elisabeth]

I have (almost) decided that Hojo is further away that I want to stay for our upcoming Holiday trip (December 2010). So, I'm trying to decide between the mini-suite at Best Western Park Place Inn, the Parlor Suite A (with Spa) at Desert Inn and Suites, and the 3 bedroom suite at Ramada Inn Maingate. There are 6 of us, 2 adults, 2 teens, and 2 little ones.

We stayed at Portofino Inn on our first and only trip, and taking that walk both ways twice a day for 5 days really sapped our energy in the parks so being very close this time is important to me. Plus if it's raining I don't want to trek super far in the rain.

All 3 hotels under my radar offer a free Continental breakfast and BWPPI and Desert Inn are pretty much the same price. Here are the pros and cons for each:

BWPPI
Pros
-Location! just about as close to the gates as possible without being at the Grand Californian.
Cons
-Parking is terribly cramped and you have to pay extra for it. We have a large SUV and I don't want it hit.
-I'm not in love with the room layout.
-Breakfast is supposedly bad.
-Service is known to be bad/substandard.

Desert Inn and Suites
Pros
-Location! Also super, super close.
-Indoor heated pool (It will be wintertime and if it's really cold outide the kids can still swim if they want)
-Spa tub for weary bodies
Cons
-Beds get mixed reviews
-Breakfast is very minimal.
-Rooms might be a bit noisy (mixed reviews).

Ramada Maingate
Pros
-Gets very good reviews overall for beds, noise, customer service, etc. Most people tend to give them 5 stars in reviews.
-Breakfast is supposed to be decent.
-I really like the room layout (3 separate bedrooms).
Cons
-A little more expensive.
-Further from the park (if it was any further, it would be out of consideration for this trip).


Please vote for which one you would choose, and any additional info on your experience staying at any of them is welcome!

Thanks!

 

[jory29]

Personally, I would choose the Hojo hotel, because we have been there on several occasions and find that the customer service, the amenities, the comfortable beds, the extra perks such as great coffee with cups to go, great gift shop, CLOSE to great restaurants, etc. are more than worth it- we find that the 7 - 8 min. walk is no problem for all of us, and our youngest has stayed there on occasion since she was only 6 years old. It is NOT much further than any other hotel, and we have found that McD's being super close (as in, on the way in and out) is an extra (save money) type of perk.

That being said, it seems you are considering the Ramada Maingate which seems o.k., but doesn't offer pillow top beds in the 3-room suite.

I LOVE the free in-room mini safes at Hojos, I love how clean the rooms are, I LOVE the comfortable beds which are FAR more comfy than our own beds at home, as are the pillows.

We did stay at the BWPPI before and found the lighting to be dim, the rooms to appear ólder', the breakfast to be minimal/stale, so much so that the free breakfast would not be a factor for us anymore, as we would not bother with that one. Many will argue with that I suppose, but we like to eat a large breakfast with fat, proteins, and carbs, and McD's or Mimi's does all that for us.

I didn't vote, since Hojo's wasn't on the list, but you know where my vote stands, LOL! (Especially if there is an entertainment rate, or annual pass rate available at the time for you.)

 

[swamp_mule]

Bump - this poll interests me very much as well ...

 

[tlovesdis]

If HoJo is too far for you (I would choose that though) my next pick would be Park Vue Inn. I haven't yet stayed there (will be in December) but have had several friends stay there and they love it!!!

 

[darph nader]

Went with Ramada pretty much for the 3 rooms. Our next trip will be Ramada or Hojos (cool pool).

 

[PoohBear1988]

I voted for Desert Inn...I stayed there in Dec and loved it. Couldnt beat the location. and honestly I would never stay at the Hojo because of its location and it doesnt offer me anything more than what I could get at a closer hotel.
My whole family thought the beds were really comfy at Desert Inn and the breakfast included toast and juice which is what we have for breakfast anyway...so we were happy!
The only time we had problems with noise was when the child in the room above us seemed to be doing sprint training across his room!! Clearly they werent worn out enough from being at Disneyland all day! But obviously noisy neighbours can be a problem at any hotel.
I also liked that the hotel had free wifi.
Good luck with your decision!

 

[emacat]

Personally, I agree with one of the other posters, that I would choose the Hojo. It's our hotel of choice, and the walk isn't bad at all, 7 minutes at the most. really, all the hotels are very close together. They have exceptional customer service, the rooms are well-maintained and the beds are super comfy. We just grab McD's, or have cereal in our room, which is a relaxing way to start the day. If the walk is an issue, the shuttle is a fantastic way to go.

However, if I'm choosing between the other three, I'd say the Desert Inn and Suites.

 

[Queen Elisabeth]

Thanks everyone so much for your input! I'm still having trouble deciding, though. I think that we'll probably do HoJo for our summer trip next year. The pool area will be more of a plus then and the chances of us taking that walk in heavy rain will be less. I am still holding on to my reservation there, and if the AP/Ent rates come up for my dates I might have to brave the walk, but I'd really like to stay closer, or at least take this winter trip as a chance to check out my best option besides HoJo.

 

[rmom]

"BWPPI
Pros
-Location! just about as close to the gates as possible without being at the Grand Californian.
Cons
-Parking is terribly cramped and you have to pay extra for it. We have a large SUV and I don't want it hit.
-I'm not in love with the room layout.
-Breakfast is supposedly bad.
-Service is known to be bad/substandard."

we have stayed her before and are staying again next month. We did not think the breakfast was bad. Yes, it is from one of the worse places around there but it is not the same food as they serve downstairs.

we have also stayed at the Desert Inn & suites. The parking is tight there also.

I'd go for the 3 bedroom with your family. That was the teens can come in late without the littles ones being worken up. You can have some privacy and it will be more like a vacation.