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Entrance to the Disneyland Hotel from Downtown Disney. | Want to get married at the Disneyland Hotel Gazebo? |
We had stayed at this hotel many years ago, and were in love with it, mainly because of its proximity to Disneyland. The rooms are good size, so we did not feel like we were living in a box for a few days. The décor in the rooms has subtle and not so subtle hints of Disney. Tinkerbell can be seen in the bedspread, and Pixie Dust lines the walls at the ceiling, for glow in the dark fun. The elevators are fast, which is also nice in a hotel this large. The Neverland Pool is one of the high points of the Disneyland Hotel. A wonderful heated pool, with slides for the youngsters, is well loved. In addition to that pool, there is the Cove Pool, a no frills area, for quiet swimming. Next to this area is a sand volleyball court. The Fantasy Water Show is a guest favorite for evening entertainment without leaving the hotel grounds. Granville's Steakhouse, a fine dining, yet no suit and tie required because of the park atmosphere, is located at the Disneyland Hotel. Another well-known restaurant, Goofy's Kitchen is located at this hotel. This is a character restaurant that is great for children and adults alike. Several other restaurants and bars are at the Disneyland Hotel, including Hook's Pointe, but Granville's and Goofy's are two of our favorites. This hotel is great if you have children. Mickey and Minnie sculptures abound in this hotel. It is very child friendly. The Disneyland Hotel also has just a short walk to the Monorail Station. We have always found such long waits there that we have passed it, and simply walked to the Disneyland Gates.
We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel on our most recent trip to Disneyland, in November 2003. We thought the more Disney-like atmosphere would be better since we now have a child. We found that the rooms were still great, the atmosphere wonderful, and the grounds relaxing. But we had a big problem. The Disneyland Hotel is a long walk to the parks with a toddler! Oh, granted it is no farther than it used to be on our last visit to the hotel, but since then we have stayed at other hotels, and had become spoiled.
We found the grounds at the Disneyland Hotel even more impressive with our young son, because there are so many areas we could wander to let him walk around in a quiet atmosphere. He really liked the waterfall area, but this is a place that can become very slick and dangerous for a young child, so please take care here. The views are beautiful, and our son, being fascinated with water, was in heaven near the waterfall. The sand volleyball court was another great spot for play when not in use for a game, with a play set specifically for children akin to what you would see in a park, at one end of the sand pit. Our son really enjoyed just simply walking in the grass surrounding the Disneyland Hotel. We found it a wonderfully relaxing, yet safe place to let our son out of the stroller to walk around with a non hurried pace, and hardly any people.
Now, knowing that the monorail has not moved with the addition of Downtown Disney, I feel obligated to tell you that with a child, the monorail station seems like a very far walk. With this being said though, on all but one morning we just kept walking to the Disneyland gates. The reason? Because the one time we rode the monorail, we did not get on the first one, which did not pick up until the park opened. The next monorail arrived 10 minutes later, putting us into Tomorrowland 15 minutes after the park had already opened. It simply became easier for us to walk to the gates, be let in before opening, and spend time in the hub with the characters, which of course was also more fun for our son.