The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (242 page)
Authors: Leslie Le Mon
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Then, a list of recommended
Harbor Boulevard
hotels, including thumbnail sketches of what they offer (and don’t offer), and contact information so you can find out more. Note that the author is not affiliated with any of these hotels. They’re recommended because they’re close to the park entrances, are a good value, and are welcoming to families, couples, and solitary travelers. There are other great hotels in
Anaheim
, but they aren’t as close to the park entrances.
My favorite
Harbor Boulevard
hotel is
still
the Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites. I’ve spent so much time there over the years, working on these guide books. It isn’t the fanciest, it doesn’t have the biggest pool, but it’s comfortable, really friendly, literally right across the street from the resort, and it almost always offers the best rates.
Here’s hoping
you
find a favorite place to stay during your
Disneyland
trips!
Bon voyage
!
Disneyland Hotel Hunting Tips
Be Skeptical.
Hotels are businesses. They want to fill their rooms. So their website and brochure descriptions are glowing, their photos beautiful. But guess what? That giant pool in the photo could be as small as a bathtub, just photographed from the right angle using a special lense! “Cozy” probably means “small”. “Quaint” probably means “outdated”. “Gift shop” could be a broom closet selling sodas and
Disney
keychains. “WiFi” sounds great–but is it
free
? Some hotels charge $10 per day for WiFi, and their rooms are shielded, so your own wireless devices won’t work. The devil is in the details. My advice is to believe virtually nothing in the hotels’ advertisements. If a hotel appeals to you, map it (one of the most outrageous claims is usually about how close hotels are to
Disneyland
!), price it, and check a spectrum of online reviews. Be sure the hotel will live up to
most
of its claims, if not all of them.
Map It.
“One block from
Disneyland
!” Ha! If only I had a nickel for every time I read
that
description of an
Anaheim
hotel and quickly debunked it by Googling and/or Mapquesting the hotel’s address. Before you book anywhere, type the address at
www.google.com
or
www.mapquest.com
and see how close the hotel
really
is to
Disneyland
’s main entrances. Because that’s what matters–proximity to the entrances.
Disneyland Resort
is a huge property bordered by
Ball Road
to the north,
Katella Avenue
to the south,
Harbor Boulevard
to the east, and
Walnut Street
to the west.
Disneyland Resort
’s border is lined with dense shrubbery, fences, and tall walls and is
off-limits
to Guests, who
must
enter the parks via the main entrance at
1313 S. Harbor Boulevard
(or take the
Monorail
from
Downtown Disney
). Even if a hotel is located,
technically
, one block from resort property, you still might need to cross broad intersections and walk for 20 minutes to half an hour
before you can enter the parks
. If anyone in your party is elderly, mobility-impaired, or very young, it’s a really big deal how close you are to the park entrances. You’ll be walking all day in the parks and
Downtown Disney
–do you want a long walk just getting to and from your hotel? Taxis aren’t a real answer, as they can be difficult to find, and the log-jammed
Anaheim
traffic means you could pay $10 - $15 just to travel a few blocks. Think how fast taxi costs could add up. Hotel shuttles are usually free but can have long lines or run infrequently. Before you book your hotel, make sure you know exactly how far you are from the park entrances, and have a budget-savvy plan for traveling to and from the parks. Think it’s no big deal to carry an exhausted kid a few blocks to your hotel? Consider how exhausted
you’ll
be at the end of the day. And if it’s your elderly parent who’s exhausted, you can’t exactly pick them up and carry them, can you? When it comes to booking a
Disneyland
hotel, closer is
always
better.
Price It.
We are lucky to live during a
n age when we have so many resources at our fingertips for finding the best value for our money. Before you book your hotel, do your due diligence. Check online booking sites like
www.booking.com
, consult
a travel agent, visit hotel websites, call the hotels, and read online reviews. (Why check reviews? To be sure the hotel is good–not just cheap!) Consider possible hidden costs (is the WiFi free?) and hidden savings (free continental breakfasts and coffee can save your family a bundle). If the rates you’re finding online aren’t quite low enough, call the hotel, ask about special deals, mention any special information (e.g., you’re a
Disneyland Annual Passholder
; you’re a veteran; you’re a senior citizen; you have AAA) and see if you can work out a better rate one-to-one. Technology is great, but sometimes the personal touch is the best way to negotiate and close a deal.
Put Safety First.
Before you finalize your booking, make sure the hotel is safe. Ask about their security
and safety features. Will the rooms have the features necessary for any disabled or mobility-impaired members of your party? Does the hotel issue electronic key cards for the rooms? Are the premises well-lit? Is the front desk open 24 hours per day? Does the hotel have security guards on duty 24/7? Do they have fire/earthquake evacuation plans in place? A quick call to the hotel or search of their website should answer these questions, and you’ll also want to do a Google or hotel review website search to see if the hotel that interests you has had any safety or security issues.
Shop Ahead.
Be sure your hotel room will have a microwave and fridge (most do, even at value hotels) and pack plenty of
cereal, chips, crackers, etc. as well as paper plates and plastic cups and utensils, and toiletries like soap, shampoo, and floss. Resort-area convenience stores typically charge high prices, since tourists are a captive customer base. So use your hotel as home base while you’re in town; bring plenty of supplies with you, keep them in your room, and you’ll hardly have to buy anything extra.
Save Through Togetherness.
Most
Anaheim
hotels and motels offer suites as well as rooms, and if you travel with your family or a group of friends, you can really stretch your travel budget by renting one or more suites and splitting the cost. If you each pay a percentage of the total bill–especially if you get a special deal on the suite(s)–you can enjoy some quite roomy, comfortable accommodations for a price none of you would want to pay on your own. One caveat: When booking suites, make sure everyone in the group will get along. If kids drive Aunt Lupe nuts, maybe renting a suite with her and your four toddlers isn’t the best plan (!) If Grampa and Uncle Cho always argue, they need separate suites (maybe even separate hotels?) to avoid turning your dream vacation into a nightmare. Does someone in the family snore like a hibernating bear? Will the 20-somethings be stumbling in at 3 am, waking up the baby? These are all things to consider when you book rooms and plan suite assignments. Have candid but diplomatic discussions. Be realistic. You all might be able to share space if you set up ground rules in advance. It will save a lot of headache and heartache later on. Remember, visits to
Disneyland
tend to surface, rather than magically erase, any issues you bring into the parks. Hopefully, you’re a reasonably close-knit family or group of friends, and if so, book those suites–and save some coin!
Harbor Boulevard
Hotels At-A-Glance
Anaheim Camelot Inn & Suites
1520 S. Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 635-7275
(800) 828-4898 (Toll Free)
Group Rates Available.
Outdoor pool. Mini gift shop. Small game room. Business center. Laundry room. Cable. No free WiFi. Complimentary continental breakfast. No room service except from local restaurants (café, pasta, pizza, Chinese). Five-minute walk to
Disneyland
main entrance. Next door to McDonald’s, near IHOP. Lovely “castle” theme and décor; comfortable rooms. (Sister Hotel is the Anaheim Tropicana Inn & Suites.)
Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites
1600 S. Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 772-5050
(800) 433-5270 (Toll Free)
Group Rates Available. Indoor pool. Mini gift shop. Small game room. Business center. Laundry room. Cable. WiFi. Complimentary continental breakfast. No room service except for local restaurants (pasta, pizza, Chinese). Directly across the street from
Disneyland
main entrance. Next door to IHOP, Cold Stone Creamery, Denny’s. Friendly desk staff. Great rates. Rooms range from compact king rooms to big family suites. $1 coin-operated lockers hold your luggage before check-in or after check-out so you can enjoy the parks without paying $7-$15 resort locker fees.
Anaheim Tropicana Inn & Suites
1540 S. Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 635-4082
(800) 828-4898
Group Rates Available. Outdoor pool. Gift & convenience shop. Coffee shop on-site. Laundry room. Cable. No free WiFi. Complimentary continental breakfast. No room service except for local restaurants (pasta, pizza, Chinese). Five-minute walk to
Disneyland
main entrance. Near McDonald’s and IHOP. Pretty, comfortable accommodations with Mediterranean theme (
Disney
theme available upon request). (Sister Hotel is the Anaheim Camelot Inn & Suites.)
Carousel Inn & Suites
1530 S. Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 758-0444
(800) 854-6767 (Toll Free)
Group Rates, Seasonal Rates &
Disneyland AP
Discounts Available. Rooftop pool. Micro gift shop. Fitness center. Business center. Laundry room. Cable. No free WiFi. Complimentary continental breakfast. No room service except for local restaurants (pasta, pizza, Chinese). Five-minute walk to
Disneyland
main entrance. Near McDonald’s and IHOP. Pretty, comfortable accommodations. Concierge and Club rooms. Excellent rates for suites. Tower suites with great views of Harbor Boulevard and
Disneyland Park
.
Fairfield Inn – Anaheim (Marriott)
1460 S. Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, CA 92802
(800) 228-2800 (Toll Free)
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxoc-fairfield-inn-anaheim-disneyland-resort/
Marriott Rewards Accepted.
Outside pool. Mini gift shop. On-site restaurants (coffee, pastries, pizza). Fun game room. Business services. Laundry rooms. Cable. WiFi. No complimentary breakfast. No room service except for local restaurants (café, pasta, pizza, Chinese). Five-minute walk to
Disneyland
main entrance. Next door to McDonald’s and Mimi’s Café. A lot of hotel for the value. Great views of Matterhorn from west-facing rooms.
Disney
-themed rooms available upon request.
Park Vue Inn
1570 S. Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 772-3691
(800) 334-7021 (Toll Free)
Group Rates Available. Outside pool. Gift shop. Laundry room. Cable. WiFi. Complimentary breakfast. No room service except for local restaurants (pasta, pizza, Chinese). Directly across the street from
Disneyland
main entrance. Adjacent to Cold Stone Creamery, next door to IHOP, near Denny’s.