please help Howard Johnson or BestWestern Park Place Inn

[foreveradisneykid]

Hello all micechatters,

I am trying to plan a trip to Disneyland for the first week of June. I have always stayed on property at either the Disneyland or Grand Californian, but unfortunately I cannot afford to do so anymore. I'm sad to not be able to stay on property so I would greatly appreciate any advice on either of these hotels. I want a hotel that is close enough to walk to and from the park. My Husband and I usually head into the parks first thing in the morning, take a short break in the afternoon and then head back at night, so proximentity is high on the list. But I also want a hotel room that is nice and I won't mind spending some down time in. If anyone has stayed at both of these hotels I would love to hear which one you prefer and why. I have heard good things about the howard johnson, is the walk to the parks far. When my husband and I stay at the Disneyland Hotel we generally walk to and from the parks through downtown disney, so we don't mind a short walk. How are the pools at these hotels? My husband likes to swim, but the pools at disney were generally always too crowded or we spent to much times in the parks to really take advantage of them. This is also the first time we will have a car, as we are driving instead of flying. How is parking at either of these hotels? Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[aashee]

I've always liked HoJos. Easy walk, right by Mimi's Cafe which is a solid affordable place to eat and McDonalds is right there too if you need something quick. I remember the kid's pool there is nice but don't know about the one for adults.

Hope this helps!

[stephanieboyd]

We've stayed at both and prefer the Best Western. For us it's about how close it is to the parks. At the end of the day the walk seems long and you would be doing it twice if you go back to take a break in the afternoon. Never used the pool at Howard Johnson but the pool at Best Western is just a no frills pool. Nothing special. The parking at Best Western can be tight at Best Western, but seems plentiful at Howard Johnson. Best Western also has a $10.00 a night car charge. Not sure about Howard Johnson. Hope that helps a little bit.

[sbk1234]

I've stayed at the Camelot Inn, which is right across the street on Harbor Blvd. Really nice, nothing too fancy. We really enjoyed it. Parking wasn't a problem there, and I don't recall a parking charge for hotel guests.

[Trav1Disney]

Hojo is awesome and micechaters get discount

[BC_DisneyGeek]

I like the HoJo because you're walking in an area that isn't as congested people-wise. It's like having a back/provate entrance to the Esplanade in a way. The distance is quite reasonable, and not too long as you only have to wait for the one crosswalk. The hotel was quite nice for the price as well.

I can't speak to the other one.

[smartlabelprint]

Friends of mine stay at the Fairmont (I think?) which is between the two motels you're talking about. He's a millionaire if that puts it in perspective for you.I'll be at best western the 8th. I'll write a report in that section of this site.

[TTFN92]

Never stayed at Hojo because the walk is just a bit too far for us. At the end of a long day it seems very far away. We have stayed at BWPPI and liked it. Nothing fancy, but clean. My favorite is Carousel because their beds are awesome but it's a little too expensive for us. We stayed at Del Sol during the summer and liked it. It's one that usually gets bad feedback but it's been renovated and I think a great value. The room was big and clean and beds were decent. I thought the pool area was nice. It's small but was also recently renovated and is nice. I think the deck was done in pavers so it looked classy. We usually don't use the pools at the hotels but we did this last time. It was June and warm but it wasn't busy. We are going back in a week. My sister was staying at Desert Inn and we went to their room and it looked like they were owned by the same people. The rooms were decorated nearly identical.

[smartlabelprint]

Fairfield Inn

[MasterElwood]

Stayed at both in the last 2 years.

Hojo:

- no wifi in room last time I was there (2010)
+ pool better
+ with the right room in the right building you can see the fireworks from your balcony


Video i made here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuVdgMZnyzE&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Best Western:

+ Distance
+ basic breakfast buffet included
+ free WiFI


Both are great. And parking is fine at both.

[Coolwowzer]

I've stayed a Fairfield by Marriott which is right across the street from Tomorrowland, and I love it because the hotel offers many rooms with park views. The breakfast isn't great, the pool is a little plain, but for a Disney fan who only wants a clean bed and doesn't mind walking cross the street with an apple for breakfast, Fairfield is great. Not sure about the price though, my family is a Marriott rewards bunch and usually use our points to our advantage. I was there for thanksgiving and my family had a hood time in the parks. Another cool place is the candy cane inn, which is right behind Cars Land and has free complementary shuttle ( or the last time I checked they did). It's a cute place, its not too far (but still a walk) and its been a while since I visited. Hope this helps. Have a wonderful trip

[Tinkbelle]

I would say Best Western. I haven't stayed there in many years but when I did I loved the proximity and the rooms were decent.

Nowadays we usually use Priceline when we go to DL and have recently stayed at the Doubletree on Chapman/City Drive, the Red Lion, the Crowne Plaza, and the huge Hilton next to the convention center. Our favorite place to stay is the Doubletree because the rooms are very nice and it has a free shuttle to and from Disneyland (so it is an even shorter walk than staying at Best Western) that it doesn't share with any other hotel and the employees are the most friendly and helpful of just about any hotel we've ever stayed in.

[smartlabelprint]

Last trip (November) we stayed at the Doubletree. We've stayed there at least 3 other times before that as well. Mostly from Priceline. I'm going to try Best Western this time. It'll be 2 minutes more of a walk. We usually were waiting for the shuttle to leave and come home, not prompt. The shuttle is only hourly. If you're really concerned with price go ahead and try for Doubletree on priceline (using betterbidding.com or other site) but I'm going to try to find a balance of location/cost at Best Western.

[foreveradisneykid]

Thanks for all the advice! After reading everyone's comments and doing some more research I made a reservation at the Fairfield inn. I may be a sucker, but the Disney themed rooms definitely won me over and maybe it will still seem like some of the magic of staying at the disneyland hotel(I know it's a stretch). If anyone has more tips on the Fairfield I would love to hear them. I'm starting to get very excited for our upcoming June trip! Thanks again for the advice.

[stephanieboyd]

We've stayed at the Fairfield Inn several times too. Millies in front of the hotel serves awesome breakfasts at a decent price. Mc Donalds is right there too. Never had a problem parking there. Have fun.