Unlike Disney World, which has about a million resort hotels to choose from, Disneyland is fairly limited in their hotel offerings. Disney owns a rather limited amount of space in the Disneyland and Downtown Disney area, so they only have room for so many resort hotels. There are three Disney-owned hotels at Disneyland:
There are also Good Neighbor Hotels, which aren't owned by Disney but have partnerships in place to be named Disney-approved hotels. These are generally within walking distance of the park and are good quality, though most aren't five-star hotels. You can book these through Disneyland as part of a vacation package.
There are a couple of things to consider when picking a hotel, in order of importance (in our opinion). I'll explain why below.
- Distance from Disneyland
- Price
- Quality
- Amenities
Distance from Disneyland
Yes, I believe the distance from Disneyland is the most important factor, especially when you're traveling with small children. Keep in mind that you will be on your feet literally all day long at Disneyland, walking from place to place, pushing a stroller. The last thing you want at the end of a long day in the parks is a 25-minute walk back to your hotel. I also can't imagine it would be fun to fight traffic out of the parking lot at the end of the day when you're already exhausted. It also costs money every day you park at Disneyland, so that's just another item to add to your vacation budget.
Many people assume that since they're Disney-owned, the resort hotels are the closest to the parks. This is only true for the Grand Californian, which has an entrance directly into California Adventure. But it's deep into California Adventure (across from the entrance to Grizzly River Run), so if you were to use that entrance and head to Disneyland, you'd have to walk all the way through California Adventure, through the Esplanade, and then enter Disneyland. The other Grand Californian entrance is in Downtown Disney, as are the entrances to both Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier. Paradise Pier is the furthest away.
On the other hand, there are hotels directly across the street from the entrance to Disneyland. Desert Inn & Suites and the Park Vue Inn are pretty much tied for the closest hotels to the parks. You exit your hotel room, cross the street, and walk past where the trams drop passengers off, and then you're at security. It's literally a five-minute walk from these hotels to security, which is so nice at the end of a long day. I'd much prefer a 15-minute walk back to the hotel, at the longest (that obviously depends on where you are in the park). The walk from the Disneyland Hotel, for example, is about 10 minutes from the entrance to Disneyland, so you're looking at 20 to 25 minutes from the back of the parks. That extra 10 minutes can be a big difference when you've already walked 10 miles that day.
There are also many other hotels, mostly along Harbor Blvd, that are within easy walking distance of the parks.
Price
When it comes to price, Disney-owned hotels are by far the most expensive. They are anywhere from two to three times more expensive than the off-property hotels. There are a couple of benefits. You get an extra hour in the parks when you stay on-site. You can get into California Adventure early on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays and Disneyland on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Keep in mind, though, that anyone who has a 3-day or longer ticket also has access to Disneyland early on those days, so it won't just be hotel guests. Another benefit is the quality of the hotel; they are super nice and keep you wrapped in the Disney bubble for the duration of your trip.
Off-site hotels are much more affordable, especially if you're going during the slower season. There are far more off-site hotels, so the competition helps keep prices down a bit. In general, you'll pay less the further away the hotel is; the really close ones can charge a premium for location, though it's still far less than you'd pay for a resort hotel.
Quality
As I mentioned already, Disney-owned properties are far higher quality than the off-site hotels, and they usually boast fun Disney magic throughout. They also have really nice pools, if that's important to you. Off-site hotels are pretty basic hotels. Some have nice pools, some have basic pools, some have no pools. But basic usually suits our needs just fine. We spend very little time in the hotel because we do our best to maximize our time in the parks.
Amenities
Another thing to look at is what the hotels offer. Disney-owned hotels don't offer any free breakfasts, so you'll have to bring your own or buy breakfast every day. Many of the off-site hotels offer continental breakfasts, and there are a couple that offer hot breakfasts as well. If you're bringing a baby or toddler who still sleeps in a crib, you'll also want to look into what the hotel offers. Some charge for a crib, others don't. If you're driving, you'll also want to pay attention to parking fees.
There are also houses available for rent. When we went with Andrew's whole family, his parents rented a house a few blocks from Disneyland. It was a nice house, and it was nice to have a full fridge and kitchen. It also had a pool, though I don't think anyone used it. However, it was at least a 25-minute walk to the parks. Sure, we could have driven. Everyone but Andrew and I tried driving on our first day into the parks. Andrew and I opted to walk. We got into the parks at least an hour before everyone else did. We hit four rides before the rest of the family joined us. Needless to say, no one tried driving after that. But let me tell you, never has 25 minutes of walking seemed so long as at the end of day four at Disneyland.
Our favorite hotel is probably the Park Vue Inn. I believe it's the nicest off-site hotel as well as the closest. Parking is free, and they offer a complimentary hot breakfast. It's not the most amazing breakfast in the world, but they have some combination of eggs, sausage, and bacon every morning, as well as biscuits and gravy. They also have a waffle station. It's nice to have some substance in your belly before hitting the parks. And if you're not traveling with kids, the Park Vue Inn also has a room with a king size bed and an in-room jacuzzi, which is a fabulous way to rest your feet at night. It's not great for kids, though; we stayed in that room with Goober last May, and she would not stay out of the tub. Which was especially frustrating because she could turn on the water.
Our second favorite is the Desert Inn & Suites. It's a bare-bones hotel, but it's incredibly close to the parks (as close as the Park Vue Inn), and they have suites, which are great for traveling with multiple families. We stayed in a suite with Andrew's parents in February, and it worked great. We'll also be staying in a suite there with some friends in January.
We have also stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, which was super nice, but did have some drawbacks. Stay tuned for more detailed reviews about the hotels we've stayed in.
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