Hotel advice: Desert Inn & Suites vs Hilton Anaheim

[winklet]

Hi all,
Can anyone offer advice for which one we should stay at? We'll be at DL mid-Dec for 3-4 days. We have Hilton for $99/night and DI&S for $119/night. It looks like Hilton is nicer, but DI&S is so much closer for the walk. Also I guess DI&S includes breakfast whereas Hilton does not. What do you suggest? We are traveling with DD8 and DD5 so the shorter the walks the better, but we're on a tight budget too...
We've never stayed at either place so any advice is much appreciated!

 

[Kauai4life]

We always stay at the Hilton, on our upcoming trip in December we are staying at DI&S. The Hilton is a lot nicer room and hotel what we did not like the walk back though on our last trip many homeless and panhandlers on the corner of harbor and Katella, we felt guilty that we are coming from Disneyland and these poor people are sleeping at a bus stop.
We will appreciate the short walk this trip, we do not spend any time in the room we hit the park from opening to close. The Breakfast at DI&S is nothing to write home about. We always order a few items from Vons no matter where we stay,

 

[bumbershoot]

Hilton is a proper hotel, if that makes a difference. I don't find the walk to be horrid; plus, there's a beverage store, a 7-11, and two Walgreens/CVS-type places where you can get water, snacks, sunglasses, etc along the way.

Parking is high at Hilton, though, so if you have a car keep that in mind.

 

[tink89]

Hilton is our go to offsite hotel. Starbucks will do for us and I really do not like the free breakfast hotels offer. We have only walked once from the hotel it took about 20 min with kids walking very relaxed. We usually take ART or use the Toy story lot that is across the street. Hilton also has a nice pool area for kids. Small but nice. we have stayed with DD there when she was 5 and 8.

 

[winklet]

Thanks all! This is very helpful advice. Hilton rate we have is $99/night and just found out I could get BWPPI for $159/night (and as mentioned about DI&S for $119/night). Is it worth extra $60 to be that much closer at PPI...? I'm now leaning Hilton

 

[rainyday77]

We stay at DIS or Tropicana when we visit the park. The shorter walk is a huge difference when you have been walking and standing all day and you just want to get to the hotel and off your feet. I believe BWPPI is nice but I would stay at DIS and put the money you saved towards a character breakfast. My 2 cents

 

[az4boys]

I have not stayed at the Hilton, but I have stayed near it at the Homewood Suites, at DI&S, and BWPPI. Disregarding proximity and cost, my favorite by far is HW Suites, followed distantly by BWPPI and DI&S. However, after staying at HW Suites several times it got really tiresome going back and forth to the hotel. (We took the Toy Story shuttle to cut down on the walking.) If you plan to walk to the parks with 2 kids and you are on a budget, I would do DI&S. It is an old motel, nothing special, but it is so close and relatively cheap. BWPPI is slightly closer, a slightly better motel, with a better breakfast. I wouldn't pay a lot more for it. My opinion comes down to one basic thing: I would not walk to the Hilton with kids for more than one day. By day 2 it would be torture for my family. If you have a plan for alternate transportation then it may be just fine. Also, make sure to factor in all fees when comparing costs. The base rate doesn't mean much anymore.

 

[Geemo]

Hi all,
Can anyone offer advice for which one we should stay at? We'll be at DL mid-Dec for 3-4 days. We have Hilton for $99/night and DI&S for $119/night. It looks like Hilton is nicer, but DI&S is so much closer for the walk. Also I guess DI&S includes breakfast whereas Hilton does not. What do you suggest? We are traveling with DD8 and DD5 so the shorter the walks the better, but we're on a tight budget too...
We've never stayed at either place so any advice is much appreciated!

I like being close for the walk to and from the parks.
For us our off-site locations are DI&S or the Tropicana.
The way I decide between those two is if we will use the pool during the trip.
We don't like the indoor pool at the DI&S.
The Tropicana pool and hot tub are just fine for us.

Geemo

 

[gillep]

We have stayed at the Hilton many times due to a wealth of Hilton points, but recently switched to DI&S for our last two trips. We do parks open to close and I wanted a closer walk. If we were planning on spending any amount of time actually at the hotel we would not choose the DI&S and would absolutely go back to the Hilton, but we only use the hotel for a bed to sleep, so we will continue to book the DI&S for the close walk, we love the convenience of the location.

 

[shooting4life]

I’m at the DIS right now. BEd is comfortable. Not much else to say. Location is great. Rooms aren’t going to be winning any awards or anything. I don’t come to Disneyland to hang out in the room. So location and a good night sleep is all I worry about.

 

[cmpeter]

I haven’t stayed at DIS, but I have stayed at the Hilton. I think the rooms are great. But it’s huge and I think it’s way to far of a walk, especially with little ones and at the end of the day. It can be exhausting to walk from Toy Story to your room.

When we use Hilton Points, I prefer Homewood. When we pay cash, I pick a place on Harbor (BWPPI or Tropicana).

 

[tarheelalum]

After the daily parking fee the Hilton will probably cost more. Plus its a farther walk. I'd stay with the DIS.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I’d stay at bwppi.

I stayed at dis...once.

 

[CO2CA]

I’m at the DIS right now. BEd is comfortable. Not much else to say. Location is great. Rooms aren’t going to be winning any awards or anything. I don’t come to Disneyland to hang out in the room. So location and a good night sleep is all I worry about.

Good to hear! We're staying in one of the larger suites, since we'll be having a couple members of our extended family this trip.

 

[lalasmama]

I’d stay at bwppi.

I stayed at dis...once.

That's exactly how many times we stayed as well! ... We had planned to stay more, but after having several unfortunate run-ins, the cheap prices didn't cancel out the worry and annoyances of staying there.... But I understand it seems to be an all-or-nothing kind of place--either its your forever favorite, or its a "never again," with not much middle ground.