Suggestions for staying at a non-Disney resort at DL....

[kimmar067]

We will be attending a wedding in Carlsbad next April and figured we'd visit [for the first time] DL while there. I need suggestions for a place to stay, based on price, cleanliness, and location to parks.....TIA!

 

[chickapin parterre]

if you are on vacation, then RI maingate would be a great place......for other help, you need to tell us your price, cleanliness and location values to us, because the RI neighbor Motel 6 has clean rooms, not so clean on the outside, price is great if you are not returning daily to afternoon naps...and location....well..it is quiet.

 

[FCDub]

Need more information:

- How many people?
- How many beds?
- Budget?
- Will you have a car?

 

[goooof1]

Here is a good place to start:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-hotel-for-you.3656512​

 

[smartlabelprint]

There are no resorts btw.

 

[ParkHopper1]

What my recommendations are for walkable hotels:

Courtyard Inn the nicest off site property IMO
Holiday Inn Express is a nice new property
Fairfiled Inn is nice and close and refreshed rooms
HoJo is a Dis Board favorite
I have a few friends that are pretty picky and love the Candy Cane inn

Sure you will get plenty of other favs here. All depends on what you are looking for. Cheap, clean, close, space, amenities...

 

[Indiana Scott]

The hotels with the very shortest walks are Park View Inn and Best Western Park place Inn. There are others on either side of them that are only a few minutes farther as you continue down Harbor.
Both of those Hotels are clean, well kept and have good free breakfasts. These are the two we choose when ever we visit.

 

[xlsm]

We liked HoJo on our DLR trip in 2016. We had a rental b/c we did beach and LA days in addition to Disneyland, and parking was free with easy access to the freeways. Not a far walk to the parks and restaurants along the way. Rooms have been renovated recently and the price was reasonable for our week long stay.

 

[cmpeter]

My go to is Best Western Park Place Inn & Suites because it's so darn close (the closest to the main gates of any hotel...Disney or other). Hot breakfast is OK, but included.

If I book using my Hilton points, I like the Homewood Suites Convention Center location. Super close (like a block) to the free Toy Store Parking lot shuttle, so it's easy to get to/from the hotel and park. Free breakfast and Mon-Thu they have free dinner (although we've never eaten it as we like to eat in the parks).

 

[Dismama2boys]

My go to is Best Western Park Place Inn & Suites because it's so darn close (the closest to the main gates of any hotel...Disney or other). Hot breakfast is OK, but included.

If I book using my Hilton points, I like the Homewood Suites Convention Center location. Super close (like a block) to the free Toy Store Parking lot shuttle, so it's easy to get to/from the hotel and park. Free breakfast and Mon-Thu they have free dinner (although we've never eaten it as we like to eat in the parks).

We’re at the Homewood Suites now and are very happy. Rooms are clean, beds are comfy, staff is friendly, food is good, and walking isn’t bad (or the Toy Story bus is super close). Highly recommended.

 

[kimmar067]

if you are on vacation, then RI maingate would be a great place......

...what is RI?

 

[kimmar067]

....we will probably only be staying one day, so I am gathering that we can be a bit more flexible about the price....probably, my priority is proximity to the entrance of the parks[reasonable walking distance], and cleanliness is an important factor [doesn't have to be ultra-modern either, but not shabby/run-down]. Depending upon whether we land/take off at LAX (wedding is in Carlsbad area) we might have a rented car)....BTW, there will be 2 of us, or possibly my youngest DS might accompany us [he's 24].

 

[kimmar067]

....ideally, I would love to stay at the Grand Californian (we both have Disney Visas and totally rack up a lot of Disney points) but I was told that some of the non-Disney hotels area actually CLOSER to the parks in regards to actual walking distance than the 3 Disney resorts. Any truth to that?

 

[Indiana Scott]

....ideally, I would love to stay at the Grand Californian (we both have Disney Visas and totally rack up a lot of Disney points) but I was told that some of the non-Disney hotels area actually CLOSER to the parks in regards to actual walking distance than the 3 Disney resorts. Any truth to that?

Yes, looking at Google Earth I found that a few of the hotels on Harbor are indeed a shorter walk to the actual entrance of DL.
The Grand Californian is of course closer to California Adventure since it has an entrance directly in to it. The difference from The Grand to DL's entrance is not much as it is from the other Disney Hotels.

 

[kimmar067]

Yes, looking at Google Earth I found that a few of the hotels on Harbor are indeed a shorter walk to the actual entrance of DL.
The Grand Californian is of course closer to California Adventure since it has an entrance directly in to it. The difference from The Grand to DL's entrance is not much as it is from the other Disney Hotels.

...would it be worth my while to book a room there then? (we already have accumulated over 900 points, which converts to over $900 dollars)...I have osteoporosis in both knees, so I prefer to do as little walking as possible.

 

[tink89]

....ideally, I would love to stay at the Grand Californian (we both have Disney Visas and totally rack up a lot of Disney points) but I was told that some of the non-Disney hotels area actually CLOSER to the parks in regards to actual walking distance than the 3 Disney resorts. Any truth to that?

Yes that is true some of the off site hotels are closer. GCH is the closet Resort Hotel.

when we stay off site we prefer the Anaheim Marriott or the Hilton Anaheim. the courtyard and Sheraton are also hotels we like. We also go for several days so being super close to the entrance is not important to us. We prefer to splurge a bit when we are on vacation.

 

[Indiana Scott]

...would it be worth my while to book a room there then? (we already have accumulated over 900 points, which converts to over $900 dollars)...I have osteoporosis in both knees, so I prefer to do as little walking as possible.

It's worth it to us! We stay at either the Park View Inn (first choice) or the Best Western plus Park Place Inn. If you book the BW, make sure it's the "Park Place inn". There's another BW just down the road a bit, The Best Western Anaheim Inn.

 

[Catvondita]

We've stayed at the Hilton in the covention center and while it was very pretty that walk nearly killed us lol

I know a lot of people talk about the Best Western Park Place Inn-we haven't stayed there but we've stayed at the Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn which I think is a few doors down. Literally across the street from the park, clean and simple. It's nothing amazing and we were only there to sleep and take a break so it was great for us.

 

[StarlitNight05]

...would it be worth my while to book a room there then? (we already have accumulated over 900 points, which converts to over $900 dollars)...I have osteoporosis in both knees, so I prefer to do as little walking as possible.

Some offsite hotels like Park Vue inn or Best Western Park Place Inn are definitely closer than Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier. The Grand depends on where your room is since it is a large resort, but it does have the dedicated entrance to California Adventure as a PP mentioned. It always seems so much closer to me since you are always in either DtD or the parks.

If you stay onsite you will also have access to EMH which will get you in one hour early (depending on the day it may be Disneyland or California Adventure). I think it's worth it to stay at the Grand, even though it is very pricey. The hotel is stunning and I always take advantage of the EMH, which is particularly nice if it's a California Adventure day since only resort hotel guests have access to it (people with 3+ day hoppers get one early entry to Disneyland during their stay).

However, Best Western Park Place Inn is also a fine choice, and it is also very close. If you don't want to blow through your Visa points this is a solid option. Others seem to also really like Park Vue, so that also seems like a safe bet that is very close.

Whatever you decide I hope you have a great time!

 

[kimmar067]

Whatever you decide I hope you have a great time!

....thanks! Another thing to cross off my bucket list!