Hilton Anaheim, walk or a shuttle?

[CinderellaDreamer]

We have stayed at the Desert Inn and Suites before, and loved the location (the motel was tolerable). But we do have a lot of Hilton points. I was wondering if we should consider staying at the Hilton, but it doesn't look like a great walk. (Its me staying alone with the three kids, no husband.) Am I being too nervous about a night-time walk back alone? Harbor Blvd. isn't that nice in the daylight!

I went to their website and saw nothing about a shuttle. Is there one? Is it free or expensive?

It sounds like a nice hotel too, with several eating options.

I wish we could afford to stay at one of the Disney hotels again (loved the DLH), but I will be lucky to 'stop by Disney' on this trip to California (going to Yosemite primarily, with a visit to L.A.). How can I resist with all the new things opening when we are going the last two weeks of June?

Anyone stayed at the Hilton and have a good review?

 

[helenb]

I haven't stayed there, but I had been planning to, so I did some research on the hotel. There is no hotel shuttle, but there is a dedicated ART shuttle between the Hilton's front door and the parks. I believe it is $4 pp per day, with unlimited rides. However the hotel is far enough away that you will have some difficulty 'hopping back' for a swim and a nap, if that was your plan.

It definitely looks far to walk (maybe 20-25 minute walk, depending how fast you walk). As for the area being safe, the walk is straight down Harbor Blvd., so I don't think it would be any less safe than walking to other Good Neighbor hotels.

 

[Huff]

We've stayed several times at the Hilton. Its a very nice resort. It's the largest hotel in southern California. We always request a room near the elevators so as not to have to walk a long ways down hallways.

The walk from the Hilton down Harbor to Disney front gates is about 1 mile. Too far for us to walk after a long day at the parks. You have two choices I know of.

You can use the ART shuttle buses which run about every 15-20 minutes. It costs $4/day per person but kids are much cheaper than that. It will take you from Hilton to Disneyland and back with a stop at GardenWalk shops and restaurants.

The 2nd option is to walk from the Hilton down Convention way and across Harbor and into Disney's Toy Story parking lot. There is a light and cross walk at Harbor/Convention Way. From there they have free Disney buses that will take you directly to Disneyland. I've not done this myself as we've had a car but have used that lot and buses and its quick and easy.

 

[ddwlms]

We have stayed at the Desert Inn and Suites before, and loved the location (the motel was tolerable). But we do have a lot of Hilton points. I was wondering if we should consider staying at the Hilton, but it doesn't look like a great walk. (Its me staying alone with the three kids, no husband.) Am I being too nervous about a night-time walk back alone? Harbor Blvd. isn't that nice in the daylight!


Anyone stayed at the Hilton and have a good review?

I've stayed there twice. First time we had an executive suite, and it was really nice. Really nice! Second time we had a regular room with a discounted price due to the conference we were attending. (I've actually recently seen the cost on Expedia at less than half of what we paid.) I don't know if we had bad luck in getting the room that was most in need of refurbishment, but even with the discounted rate, I was very unsatisfied. -I'm not a hotel snob. I do like staying at the GCH, however, when we're trying to go economical, we also stay at the DI&S. I just thought that the room was no way worth what we paid. If you're not out any cash, than it is definitely better rooms than the DI&S.

We walked about 50% of the time and never felt unsafe at any time of the day (or late evening.) My podometer (sp?) said it was .85 miles (or maybe .87, ?) from entrance to entrance, walking Harbor.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

I think since you will be own your own with your kids, you should consider just staying closer to the parks. There are many motels across the street other than the Desert Inn and Suites--maybe check into the prices of those? There are online codes for several of the hotels to make the price cheaper. If you need help, just let me know. I am a fan of googling for coupon codes!

I often go with just my girls too--so I know how difficult it can be to manage a long walk or bus ride. I think if you are going to go the shuttle route, then stay at a hotel with a dedicated hotel shuttle.

We stayed at the Hilton Double Tree last summer and it was pretty good. It is in Orange (not Anaheim), but has a free hotel shuttle to Disneyland. Have you looked into that one? The hotel itself was standard Hilton (perfectly fine). The only thing I didn't like about the hotel was that it had double beds rather than queens, and this made it hard to share with my kids. We were really squished in those beds!

 

[marciemouse]

We stayed at the Hilton once last year and really liked it. We did walk it once or twice, just for exercise with our DD in a stroller. But for going to and from the parks, use ART. You can take bus 4 to the Hilton or bus 5 which drops off directly across the driveway at the Marriott. Ask for a fireworks view room for sure!

 

[rella's fan]

Me and DD(8) stayed at the Hilton last year and really liked it. We got a great deal that included the breakfast buffet - so we loaded up every morning before going to the parks. We walked to and from each day, it wasn't too bad of a walk, we didn't mind. Also, there were no issues regarding safety, we stayed @ the parks really late each night and there were always lots of people around when walking back (lots of families)One of the nights we got back to the room and ordered room service and it was so good, DD still talks about it.

 

[taaren]

Hilton is pretty nice ... I've walked it with 3 adults, and with 2 adults + an infant. With three kids though, I'd plan on perhaps walking/ARTing on the way in then take a taxi on the way back. Probably $8 with tip ...

Use the points, take the money you save on hotel and use a fraction of it on taking a cheap taxi.

 

[dznybound]

Wow! It's been several years since we stayed at the Anaheim Hilton. We use to stay there all the time and back then, they use to have their own shuttle to DL. I agree with the other poster, you may want to try the Doubletree in Orange (The City). We stayed here many times using our HHonors points. It is a little further but it does provide a free shuttle to DL. It is also adjacent to an entertainment center/outlet mall. I do like the feel of this hotel better as it is smaller than the Anaheim Hilton. The Anaheim Hilton is so large (lots of conventioners) that sometimes it takes forever to get an elevator. Also, there are so many halls and corridors due to largeness of the hotel, it is easy to get lost in that hotel. With kids, I definately would choose the Doubletree. Don't forget the free chocolate chip cookies at check-in at the Doubletree

 

[mousireid]

A couple of years ago we got a bargain deal for Hilton. The rooms were 'fine' but the walk to the parks wasn't too bad (it felt longer though especially when you are excited to get there!) However it was miserable for the kids at the end of the day and I vowed to stay closer no matter what next time because it was $16 a day for our family to use the shuttle and we were there four days. I think there are better options either closer or with a FREE shuttle IMHO.

 

[Malcon10t]

We like the Hilton. We usually get an upgrade on the room so we have a suite, it usually isn't much more ($49 last time). My kids usually hop over to the Toy Story lot, simply because they don't want to wait on ART. ART is dedicate route, but can get crowded. The 4 pikcs up at Marriott so you can grab either one. Adult fares are $4 each, kids 3-9 are $1 for all day. If you are there 3 days or more, you can get a 3 day ticket for $10 for adults and $2 for 3-9.