Good Neighbor Hotels for a Newbie

[librarygeek]

Please bear with me as I'm one of those "been to WDW a thousand times and planning my first trip to DLR" people. I'm sure the topic comes up a lot but I poked around on the boards here a little bit and didn't find too much, so I figured it would be okay if I started a new thread

DH and I are planning to do to DLR for the first time in September 2015. We're probably going to stay somewhere between 7-10 days in the Anaheim area, as there are other things we'd like to see and do besides Disney - and neither of us have been to California before! Now that we know we're planning to go, it seems like the next step is to figure out where we're going to stay. It won't be an official Disney hotel because they're just out of our budget. It will be just the two of us.

So I've been looking at the Good Neighbor Hotels - reading reviews, listening to the DIS podcasts - but I still feel a bit overwhelmed, so I was hoping I could get some feedback here. These are the top things we are looking for:

* Something under $150 a night
* Within walking distance of DLR (we don't mind walking a bit, like 20 minutes or so)
* Good wifi connection
* Preferably something that doesn't give off a big "motel" vibe, if you know what I mean.

Just hoping to narrow down the list a little bit here. If you could let me know which Good Neighbor hotels fit these, and if you have any suggestions or preference, that would be wonderful! Thanks for helping a newbie out!

 

[Diszona]

Please bear with me as I'm one of those "been to WDW a thousand times and planning my first trip to DLR" people. I'm sure the topic comes up a lot but I poked around on the boards here a little bit and didn't find too much, so I figured it would be okay if I started a new thread

DH and I are planning to do to DLR for the first time in September 2015. We're probably going to stay somewhere between 7-10 days in the Anaheim area, as there are other things we'd like to see and do besides Disney - and neither of us have been to California before! Now that we know we're planning to go, it seems like the next step is to figure out where we're going to stay. It won't be an official Disney hotel because they're just out of our budget. It will be just the two of us.

So I've been looking at the Good Neighbor Hotels - reading reviews, listening to the DIS podcasts - but I still feel a bit overwhelmed, so I was hoping I could get some feedback here. These are the top things we are looking for:

* Something under $150 a night
* Within walking distance of DLR (we don't mind walking a bit, like 20 minutes or so)
* Good wifi connection
* Preferably something that doesn't give off a big "motel" vibe, if you know what I mean.

Just hoping to narrow down the list a little bit here. If you could let me know which Good Neighbor hotels fit these, and if you have any suggestions or preference, that would be wonderful! Thanks for helping a newbie out!

Tropicana is good, directly across from the park and not too expensive particularly if you are staying more than 5 days and can get a reduced rate. It may give a bit of a motel vibe (though all of the rooms facing inward toward the pool reduces this some). HOJO is nice but a little farther away (but within your requirements). It has interior room and doesn't give off the motel vibe at all. I am not sure what their rates are so they may be above the $150 limit.

 

[Butterfly123]

I would think Candy Cane Inn might fit what you are looking for. I haven't stayed there but if I was going on a trip with just my husband I would stay there. For a full family trip we stay at Best Western Park Place Inn right across the street.

 

[tarheelalum]

The Hotel Indigo sounds like something you should consider.

 

[cmpeter]

I was thinking Candy Cane Inn when I read your OP too.

For me, it's a bit too far away. I prefer someplace like Best Western Park Place Inn or Tropicana (which are only a 5 minute walk.) But, they do have a hotel vibe.

 

[Dot2Vegas]

Candy Cane Inn meets all of your requirements. Fantastic place!

 

[emacat]

We loved the HOJO. It's about a 10 minute walk, and gives off a nice little homey vibe. They have a little shop with everything from souvenirs to food and sundries, a lovely pool and a separate kids pirate water play area (so if you want a nice quiet area away from lots of kids, you're good).
I have always found that they are very helpful with anything we need, and you can stay in a larger tower or little 2 story buildings. Rooms are very spacy, Keurigs in each room, etc.

I should add that anywhere you pick is all going to be a pretty small walk compared to the distances at WDW. I remember thinking that I would have already been at the turnstiles at DL in the time it took us to walk from our room to the bus stop at Port Orleans Riverside.

 

[librarygeek]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions! I now have a list of places I can look into and that makes the planning seem much less intimidating Some of them I haven't heard mentioned as much, like the Hotel Indigo, so I'm glad I asked!

I should add that anywhere you pick is all going to be a pretty small walk compared to the distances at WDW. I remember thinking that I would have already been at the turnstiles at DL in the time it took us to walk from our room to the bus stop at Port Orleans Riverside.

That's what I was thinking - we are so used to walking so much at WDW just to get to the parks that I think anything will seem short!

 

[pennyring]

The Candy Cane is a NICE motel, but it's still a motel.

If you're looking for more of a hotel feel, in additional to those that have been listed, the Fairfield on Harbor is also nice.

 

[supergoofy]

We always stay at Ramada Inn Maingate. Well all but 1 time when we stayed at Carousel and we wished we had stayed at Ramada on that trip.


I don't see Ramada on the list now but it was a good neighbor hotel at one time.

 

[hjgaus]

The Hotel Indigo sounds like something you should consider.

I AGREE 100% !!! Our go to place when off site!!
Check out tripadvisor for more reviews - #2 for list of Anaheim hotels!!

 

[Fantaluminishes]

The Hotel Indigo sounds like something you should consider.

I love Hotel Indigo. I believe it meets all if your requirements:
15 minute walk
Nice, updated rooms
No "motel" feel
Rooms as low as $120 per night.

Plus, it's an IHG hotel, with a great rewards club.
Parking is FREE
Great pool and spa
Wifi is good
On-site restaurant and bar
5-minute walk to Anaheim Gardenwalk with great restaurants and shops.

I highly recommend Hotel Indigo.

 

[MillauFr]

We always stay at the Candy Cane. Free breakfast, free parking, free wifi, no resort fees, very clean, and only a 10 minute walk to the front gate at Disneyland.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I'm just starting to plan our first trip to DL and have tons of questions myself. I've been looking at hotels, I've seen pics of the candy cane inn but it looked kind of outdated, is that just me?

 

[zanzibar138]

We really enjoyed our stay at Portofino Inn & Suites. We had a lovely spacious, light and bright suite with separate sitting area for $120 per night (inc taxes). We could even see some of the WOC fountains from our window! There are two buildings, both with internal corridors. Pool and spa were pleasant to sit around, there were some comfy outdoor couches as well as loungers. Staff were great. Overall very comfortable for a week's stay. Free wifi connection was great!

It was about a 15 minute walk to the park gates, which was absolutely fine for active adults. We had no problem making the trip several times a day, coming back for a break in the afternoon etc.

There is no on site restaurant or included breakfast. There was a fridge in the room though, so we just bought some breakfast supplies from the 7-Eleven (just across the road, literally on the way to/from DL) and had our own breakfast in our room. There's also GardenWalk only a 5 minute walk away. Plus, you pass 2 iHops and a Denny's (among other places) on your way to DL (you'd just need to cross the road).

There was a bit of construction going on while we were there, which was kind of annoying, but I imagine would be finished by September next year.

Candy Cane Inn and Hotel Indigo do look lovely as well, but were out of my budget.

 

[librarygeek]

We really enjoyed our stay at Portofino Inn & Suites. We had a lovely spacious, light and bright suite with separate sitting area for $120 per night (inc taxes). We could even see some of the WOC fountains from our window! There are two buildings, both with internal corridors. Pool and spa were pleasant to sit around, there were some comfy outdoor couches as well as loungers. Staff were great. Overall very comfortable for a week's stay. Free wifi connection was great!

It was about a 15 minute walk to the park gates, which was absolutely fine for active adults. We had no problem making the trip several times a day, coming back for a break in the afternoon etc.

There is no on site restaurant or included breakfast. There was a fridge in the room though, so we just bought some breakfast supplies from the 7-Eleven (just across the road, literally on the way to/from DL) and had our own breakfast in our room. There's also GardenWalk only a 5 minute walk away. Plus, you pass 2 iHops and a Denny's (among other places) on your way to DL (you'd just need to cross the road).

There was a bit of construction going on while we were there, which was kind of annoying, but I imagine would be finished by September next year.

Candy Cane Inn and Hotel Indigo do look lovely as well, but were out of my budget.

Another one to look into, thank you! It sounds like it meets a lot of our needs. We are not big breakfast eaters (at home I usually have a piece of toast, and on vacation it's a granola bar) so I'm not too concerned about that.