Hotel with monorail view

[jettagirl]

Hi everyone!

We are heading to Disneyland for the first time in February with our 2 kids, aged 7 and 4. This is our first time to Disneyland and we are looking for hotel advice. Both kids are obsessed with the monorail at Disney World so I imagine it will be the same at Disneyland. The Howard Johnson and Courtyard both seem like great options with small kids but, now I am also wondering if it's possible to pick a hotel with a monorail view. Here's our list of wants:

*walking distance to the parks (we won't have a car and will likely need mid-day breaks so this is crucial)
*3 separate sleeping surfaces (we need a bed for DH and I and 2 separate sleeping surfaces for the kids - they will never sleep if they are sharing a bed!)
*nice pool with a slide
*balcony (nice to have, not essential)
*monorail view

Does a hotel like this exist? I am not sure what our budget is at this point so I am open to suggestions!

 

[darph nader]

The Camelot has a 'decent' view from the 3rd floor pool area.

 

[Niltiac]

The hotel you're describing is the Grand Californian. Not all rooms have monorail view but some do. It is very pricey though. The monorail only goes between dtd and disneyland, so generally the off property hotels won't have a close view of it. I imagine a few hotels might provide glimpses from a distance, but I'm not sure.

 

[Love Tink]

The hotel you're describing is the Grand Californian. Not all rooms have monorail view but some do. It is very pricey though. The monorail only goes between dtd and disneyland, so generally the off property hotels won't have a close view of it. I imagine a few hotels might provide glimpses from a distance, but I'm not sure.

Nope. The monorail can be seen from several of the hotels on Harbor, as it runs right along the edge of the park.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

The GCH with a monorail view room would probably be your best choice, if there are no budget constraints. The monorail goes right through the courtyard, so the view is really close. The HoJo might fit the bill, too. You can contact the hotel to find out which rooms have the best monorail views. The HoJo Anaheim is a poster on this forum, so you could send them a PM with your questions. The Courtyard Marriott is a little further back than the HoJo, so I'm not sure how good a view the rooms would have of the monorail. Also, I think I read that there is a height limit for some of the waterpark activities -- so make sure that your youngest is tall enough for everything there.

 

[Nonsuch]

View of monorail from Grand Californian room 5323

The view category is Woods/Courtyard, and most rooms in this category will have a view of the monorail.
If you choose to splurge on GCH, specifically request a view of the monorail (avoid the top floor).

 

[beachdreamr1229]

The Courtyard Waterpark hotel does have views of all of that an multiple beds, all for much cheaper than GCH if cost is a factor. I'm not great with image sharing here, so hopefully this works. The view I'm showing is a waterpark view. You can clearly see the monorail tracks across the street. It's about a 5-7 minute walk to the parks. The room has 2 queen beds and a bunk bed. I believe you can also get 1 king and a bunk. HOJO is good, too, and much less expensive, but someone will have to sleep on a roll-away, which isn't horrible, but if you can afford it, the Courtyard achieves your needs without a roll-away.

https://imgur.com/a/n1ns2PK

 

[lalasmama]

You can see the monorail from the "bridge" rooms at Tropicana on Harbor. I'm not sure what they a really call their rooms in that section. Quite by accident, we ended up in one of their King rooms, and had a Monorail view. If you call, you can ask what room type you would need to have for a balcony; I believe all their balconies face the parks, which would give you a view of the Monorail, and the fireworks

All that being said... Where the Monorail is transportation at WDW, it's an attraction at DL, and requires a park ticket to ride. I've heard WDW'ers talk about riding the Monorail for the fun of it on a non-park day-- that can't be done at DL. Just so you know ahead of time, if that could change your plan.

 

[smartlabelprint]

No e of the pools off site have slides that I’m aware of. Or dies the new courtyard Marriott theme Park entrance? I know they would have 3 real beds.

Others with 3 beds:
Homewood suites
Camelot inn suites
Country inn & suites
Hojo suites
Residence inn
Spring Hill suites
Park vue inn suites

 

[JohnneeO]

The Hojo on Harbour has renovated rooms with a Queen and a Jr. Bunk bed in Building 1, which would meet your three sleeping surfaces requirement. (We will be staying in one of these rooms in two weeks!) It is definitely walking distance, and they have a water playground for the kids.

I am not sure about monorail view, as that was not a factor for us when we booked.

 

[GatorChris]

You just described the HoJo Anaheim. Select a Superior Room in Building 1 and ask for a roll away bed (if they can't sleep together). You'll have a view of part of the park and the monorail goes by every 5 minutes. It's not super close, but they'll see it. Plus, they have a waterslide that's just right for kids that our your ages right now.

 

[crystal1313]

I would say Hojo for sure! My kids LOVE the pool and I remember seeing the monorail go by as well. Plus you can see the fireworks too! (Free parking and easy walk is an added bonus)

 

[ErinF]

Another vote for the HoJo (if you can't afford the GCH). We've stayed at the HoJo twice before and will be staying there again next month. We always get a Superior room Bldg 1, as another poster already mentioned. In those rooms, you are facing Disneyland, you are right across from the Matterhorn. You will have a balcony, you can see the fireworks at night perfectly, and also see the monorail directly across the street. And yes, you can ask for a rollaway, we always need one b/c we have 3 kids.

 

[katyringo]

I agree with Hojo!

 

[pennym]

I also say Hojo in a fireworks view room. They have a proper little pirate waterpark for kids and the premium rooms in building 1 have monorail/ matterhorn views.

 

[jettagirl]

Thanks so much for all of the responses! I feel reassured that I am on the right track since the Courtyard and the HoJo were already my top picks. The Grand Californian looks beautiful but a courtyard/woods view room would be about $560/night US and I am not sure it's worth the extra $$ (we are staying for 6 nights so the hotel alone would be almost $4000 US/$5200 CDN). I see a standard room at the Courtyard on Expedia for $368/night CDN and a suite (w/ bunk beds) in building 1 at the HoJo for $298/night CDN. The closeness of the monorail view at the GCH is really cool but not sure it's worth double the price.

The GCH with a monorail view room would probably be your best choice, if there are no budget constraints. The monorail goes right through the courtyard, so the view is really close. The HoJo might fit the bill, too. You can contact the hotel to find out which rooms have the best monorail views. The HoJo Anaheim is a poster on this forum, so you could send them a PM with your questions. The Courtyard Marriott is a little further back than the HoJo, so I'm not sure how good a view the rooms would have of the monorail. Also, I think I read that there is a height limit for some of the waterpark activities -- so make sure that your youngest is tall enough for everything there.

I hadn't even thought of the height restriction on those slides so thanks for this. Great idea about sending a PM to HoJo Anaheim regarding room questions!

View of monorail from Grand Californian room 5323

The view category is Woods/Courtyard, and most rooms in this category will have a view of the monorail.
If you choose to splurge on GCH, specifically request a view of the monorail (avoid the top floor).

That's awesome! I can't believe how close of a view you can get. We are used to the Polynesian, Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower where you aren't nearly this close.

The Courtyard Waterpark hotel does have views of all of that an multiple beds, all for much cheaper than GCH if cost is a factor. I'm not great with image sharing here, so hopefully this works. The view I'm showing is a waterpark view. You can clearly see the monorail tracks across the street. It's about a 5-7 minute walk to the parks. The room has 2 queen beds and a bunk bed. I believe you can also get 1 king and a bunk. HOJO is good, too, and much less expensive, but someone will have to sleep on a roll-away, which isn't horrible, but if you can afford it, the Courtyard achieves your needs without a roll-away.

https://imgur.com/a/n1ns2PK

This is a very helpful photo! I was always discounting the waterpark view, not realizing you could also see the monorail from those rooms.

You can see the monorail from the "bridge" rooms at Tropicana on Harbor. I'm not sure what they a really call their rooms in that section. Quite by accident, we ended up in one of their King rooms, and had a Monorail view. If you call, you can ask what room type you would need to have for a balcony; I believe all their balconies face the parks, which would give you a view of the Monorail, and the fireworks

All that being said... Where the Monorail is transportation at WDW, it's an attraction at DL, and requires a park ticket to ride. I've heard WDW'ers talk about riding the Monorail for the fun of it on a non-park day-- that can't be done at DL. Just so you know ahead of time, if that could change your plan.

This is very good to know. I didn't realize you'd need a park ticket to ride the monorail...I will need to take this into consideration for sure.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

If you don't actually stay at the GCH, you can sit in the courtyard and watch the monorail go by. As long as there isn't a private event being held there, anyone can sit in that courtyard. Sometimes we get treats in DTD and enjoy them in the courtyard while watching the monorail. Your kids might enjoy that -- same view, MUCH lower price, and no park ticket required!

 

[kirstie101]

You just described the HoJo Anaheim. Select a Superior Room in Building 1 and ask for a roll away bed (if they can't sleep together). You'll have a view of part of the park and the monorail goes by every 5 minutes. It's not super close, but they'll see it. Plus, they have a waterslide that's just right for kids that our your ages right now.

Exactly this! Love watching the monorail go by from a Hojo superior room!

 

[Hojoanaheim]

The Hojo on Harbour has renovated rooms with a Queen and a Jr. Bunk bed in Building 1, which would meet your three sleeping surfaces requirement. (We will be staying in one of these rooms in two weeks!) It is definitely walking distance, and they have a water playground for the kids.

I am not sure about monorail view, as that was not a factor for us when we booked.

You can actually request for these rooms to be Disney facing. While we cannot guarantee the view, our Front Desk Staff is pretty good about accommodating requests and will do the best they can to accommodate it for you. The reason we cannot guarantee it is because this room type is on the 2nd through 7th floor, and we do not consider the 2nd floor to have a "view."

As other posters have mentioned, our Superior rooms are the only rooms that are guaranteed to have a view towards Disney, these rooms are on the 3rd through 7th floor. We will be happy to add a rollaway bed into the room if you need it, and we can add the request to for a higher floor too if you like.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to DM me if you have any questions, I am always happy to help.

Kriss

 

[youngdeb12]

We stayed at the Courtyard in late Jan 2017 with our two kids, almost 5 & 2. We loved the bunk beds in the room - they were full sized and could easily fit an adult. We had two queen beds as well as a fridge, microwave & keurig. We had a water park view which was great, and we could still see the monorail from there, although not as close as a theme park view would be. The water park was perfect for my 5 year old and all my 2 year old wanted to do was run around anyway. There were several small slides in the splash park area that would be perfect for young children, and my almost 5 year old (who is average height for his age) was able to go down the two big slides with no issues and was not too small. We are planning another trip there for Feb 2019!