"Apartment-like" Lodging near Disneyland

[xanman2112]

Hello All,

After over 10 visits to WDW, we are planning our first family visit to SoCal to visit Disneyland! While we would love to stay at one of the Disneyland resorts, we think we will be more comfortable staying in one of the many independent "apartment-like" accommodations close to the park since they offer full kitchens and sometimes their own hot tub. We've found that many them are Disney themed which is really cool.

I wanted to ask for recommendations for companies renting these type of lodging accommodations. We are planning our vacation for the last full week in Feb 2020.

Thanks!

 

[DizMe]

I can't really help you with specific companies, but just wanted to make sure you know that very few of them are in easy walking distance of the parks. That can take a lot of time away from your park visits, though you can use Uber or Lyft to take you back and forth. There are many people on the boards who do that rather than drive and park and find it works for them. Depends on the makeup of your group.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I believe the city of Anaheim (where Disneyland is located) banned short term rentals. The surrounding areas might still have them available. Garden Grove is about a mile away. There are some hotel chains with full kitchens within a mile of the parks. They don't have private jacuzzis, but they often give a full hot breakfast every day and some have snacks and drinks in the evenings on weeknights.

My daughter uses Airbnb to book rentals all the time. She is going to stay in one for an Anaheim convention soon, but she did say that wasn't in Anaheim.

 

[mcm574]

I don’t think Anaheim banned short term rentals entirely, but they did jack up the regulations and taxes on them, which may have driven many out of the market. That said, a few years back, we rented through Mrs. Mouse Townhouse, which seems to still be a going concern. We had a good experience - the place we rented wasn’t luxurious, but it was spacious, clean, comfortable, and within walking distance. No private hot tub, but there was a community pool - we didn’t use it, so can’t comment on that facility. Good luck finding the right spot for you and your family!

 

[BadPinkTink]

Short term lets like AirBnB and VRBO are very much discouraged and banned by Anaheim City. Many still operate HOWEVER it is very risky to try this route. I have read trip reports where people have been told to say they are just visiting and are friends of the owner and even reports of people turning up in Anaheim and not having anywhere to stay.

There are a good few motels and hotels within a 20 minute walk of Disneyland which have suites. This would be a much better option for you.

Holiday Inn Express and Suites Anaheim Resort Area
Camelot Inn and Suites
Tropicana Inn and Suites
Best Western Plus Park Place Inn - Mini Suites
Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites
Castle Inn and Suites
La Quinta Inn and Suites By Wyndham
Extended Stay America Orange County Anaheim Convention Center
Candlewood Suites Anaheim
Peacock Suites
Clementine Hotel and Suites
Springhill Suites Anaheim Resort
Anaheim Portofino Inn and Suites
Homewood Suites By Hilton Anaheim
Doubletree Suites By Hilton Anaheim

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Some threads with good information for you:
A DLR Guide for WDW Vets -- a classic thread!
"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/ -- very helpful info here -- ask any questions! At DLR, it's not about on site or off site -- it's all about location, location, location! What you invest in location/hotel, you will save in sanity, peace of mind, physical wear and tear, major convenience, commute/parking time and money, etc.

As pp have noted, there are many hotels/time shares/suite hotels that offer kitchens/kitchenettes/hot tubs/etc. within close walking distance or very close driving distance (i.e. shuttles or ride share) to the parks. At DLR, this is very important. Even though a STR may advertise as being "right next to DLR," that can mean a long walk (30 minutes or more?) because there is no direct access or crosswalk to get to the parks, so you have to walk the long way all the way around a large block to get to the street that leads to the parks, etc. -- you see what I mean? (And as pp have noted, there are STRs operating illegally in Anaheim, maybe many, so there is that to be considered, too.) And using a car at DLR can be a total time suck when it comes to parking ($25/day) and traffic. If you can get to the parks from your hotel in 5-10 minutes just by walking, that can make your day so much easier.

ETA: To add to the list in the previous post, there are suite hotels near DLR that have full/half kitchens, e.g. Residence Inn, Clementine (used to be a RI), Springhill Suites, Homewood Suites, Embassy Suites Garden Grove (1 mile south of the parks on Harbor -- easy shuttle ride or ride share), etc.

 

[Plip]

In 2016, the city of Anaheim banned short-term rentals. However, in June of 2019, they passed a new ordinance that reversed the ban. This is what the city of Anaheim says now:

https://www.anaheim.net/574/Short-Term-Rental-Program
There were 277 permitted rentals at that point (perhaps there are more now?). But I wouldn't necessarily assume that every rental you find on AirBnB or VRBO is permitted. I doubt that AirBnB or VRBO vets them for local compliance.

Anyway, we considered doing something like this recently. We eventually decided that for us, the convenience of staying on Harbor and being able to easily walk outweighed the advantages of condo or small house. But one of the companies I began to explore was Funtierland Vacation Rentals:

https://www.funtierlandvacationrentals.com/
They have several rentals in the area. Many of them would be a long walk (probably not something most would want to do twice a day), and others are beyond walking distance. They present themselves as being in compliance with Anaheim's regulations, but I didn't verify that beyond what they say. They seem to be well reviewed. But I don't have any personal experience with them beyond that initial exploration.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...They have several rentals in the area. Many of them would be a long walk (probably not something most would want to do twice a day), and others are beyond walking distance...

This is probably one of the most common complaints I hear about the STRs that advertise about being "Disney adjacent" or "close to DLR." Yes, if you look on Google Maps, the lodgings look close, sometimes very close. But that doesn't really tell the whole story. Some of the STRs are on the next block over from the Pixar Pals parking structure -- looks super close! But there is a solid wall all along that street and no way to get around it and no convenient crosswalk to get to the Disney property. So what looks like a 5 minute walk may actually require a car or Uber to safely and quickly get to the parks. Other posters have stayed in houses that were "just off Harbor" -- well, yes, if you want to commute 20+ minutes each way, plus pay for parking, plus add on time for any traffic in the parking lot/structure, plus add on time for the tram or shuttle, etc. When you compare all that headache to being able to walk across the street from your hotel to the parks, it makes so much more sense to stay within walking distance.

 

[VandVsmama]

Honestly, given the city of Anaheim restrictions with Airbnb style of accommodations, I think that you might want to consider a hotel/motel that has a kitchen/kitchenette, which would allow you to do some cooking or light meal preparation for yourself. If you're considering Airbnb sort of options, count on there being either a LONG walk to the park entrance, having to take a Lyft or Uber, having to walk to an ART bus stop, or having to drive to the Disney parking lot & pay $25/day for parking.

 

[smartlabelprint]

STR aren’t banned anymore, as article above states. But they all seem farther than we like to stay. We stay at homewood suites convention center.
Many like residence inn and Springhill suites, clementine (?) suites, there are more. I can’t think of all the names.

 

[starry_solo]

That Mrs. Mouse Townhouse looks interesting (the website). The Mr. Mouse one (cheapest) seems to be the closest (across the street?)

 

[DizMe]

That Mrs. Mouse Townhouse looks interesting (the website). The Mr. Mouse one (cheapest) seems to be the closest (across the street?)

I am almost certain from the description that this is the large condo complex across the street from Magic Way, across Walnut. As theluckyrabbit mentioned, it's not as easy to get to Disneyland as it would appear on a map unless you cross illegally across the 4 lanes of traffic, as there is not signal/crosswalk at that point. It's an older complex and a little dingy looking. My daughter almost rented there but got an offer from someone else to share a house; I wouldn't have minded if she'd rented there but as a parent I was slightly nervous about her living in a large, ungated complex that offers short-term rentals (she's 19). Parking is not secure, but I've not heard of issues with that. The rooms are small but it's a decent complex. However, for the money I would much rather stay in a hotel/motel.

ETA: I'm adding this map of where I think the condo is located. I circled it in purple with a star in the middle. You can see that Magic Way is right across the street, but you can't legally cross there.

 

[smartlabelprint]

That Mrs. Mouse Townhouse looks interesting (the website). The Mr. Mouse one (cheapest) seems to be the closest (across the street?)

There are no short term rentals “across the street”. They are on the back side of the park. But as described above you can’t access them that way.

 

[Absinthe]

I am almost certain from the description that this is the large condo complex across the street from Magic Way, across Walnut. As theluckyrabbit mentioned, it's not as easy to get to Disneyland as it would appear on a map unless you cross illegally across the 4 lanes of traffic, as there is not signal/crosswalk at that point. It's an older complex and a little dingy looking. My daughter almost rented there but got an offer from someone else to share a house; I wouldn't have minded if she'd rented there but as a parent I was slightly nervous about her living in a large, ungated complex that offers short-term rentals (she's 19). Parking is not secure, but I've not heard of issues with that. The rooms are small but it's a decent complex. However, for the money I would much rather stay in a hotel/motel.

ETA: I'm adding this map of where I think the condo is located. I circled it in purple with a star in the middle. You can see that Magic Way is right across the street, but you can't legally cross there.View attachment 439808

This is correct (we had some family members stay there a few times).

That being said, you can walk from there to the parking structures and get on the tram for DTD and they do have condo’s with multiple rooms/floors and a full kitchen etc. so it’s really about the walk to/from the park.

One item we noticed is that the VRBO and AirBNB taxes/fees seem abnormally high in this area.

 

[ShoeCello]

The other thing to consider in regards to STR like Airbnbs are that many of the listings are not actually approved Airbnbs by Anaheim. I've seen listings in apartment complexes where the apartment does not allow STRs, meaning that there is no way the owner received city permission (the city would check with the owner of the property). There was another thread where one Airbnb host asked that guests not enter through the lobby or leasing office, likely to avoid being detected for the illegal STR. By taking an Airbnb, you risk taking one that is not approved by Anaheim, meaning that if found out you might be out of a place to stay during your visit.

 

[Plip]

By taking an Airbnb, you risk taking one that is not approved by Anaheim, meaning that if found out you might be out of a place to stay during your visit.

That's true if you don't do your due diligence. But you can check an AirBnB property against the list of permitted rentals at this site:

https://anaheim.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=4cd7f1bb62e0468f8a6eb567f1d36c95

 

[ShoeCello]

That's true if you don't do your due diligence. But you can check an AirBnB property against the list of permitted rentals at this site:

https://anaheim.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=4cd7f1bb62e0468f8a6eb567f1d36c95

Good to know! I'm a local so have never had to do a STR but encourage everyone else on the boards to avoid any Airbnbs or other STR not officially approved!

 

[ZCarroll]

Is there no place to enter the downtown disney parking from the Walnut side (besides Magic Way)? Can you access the DTD entrance coming up Disneyland Drive from Katella?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Is there no place to enter the downtown disney parking from the Walnut side (besides Magic Way)? Can you access the DTD entrance coming up Disneyland Drive from Katella?

If you walk up Disneyland Dr. from Katella. turn left (either go into the PPH or turn left at the PPH parking lot) and follow the sidewalk paths toward the DLH. From there you'll see signs pointing you to the DLH bag check (just across from the Sorcerer's Hat), next to EOS. Enter DTD there, after you go through bag check.
From Walnut, there is only one entrance for DTD on Magic Way. And the parking for DTD is no longer in the Lilo and Stitch lots. Guest parking for DTD is now in the Simba lot behind the PPH on Disneyland Dr.

 

[ZCarroll]

Yes, I meant the simba lot by dtd parking (I actually don't even know what/where the Lilo and Stitch lots were)... I couldn't tell for certain if it's completely walled all the way from katella up to Magic Way, which sounds like it is? Ugh, that definitely puts a damper on staying places on the other side of walnut, thank you for the information. I was even there in September and still wasn't certain, although I was coming down Walnut from the Ball side then.