Great value
Written: Dec 16 '02 (Updated Dec 17 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great price, close to Disneyland (with free shuttle service)
Cons: Noisy (right on highway); top floor rooms have skylights
The Bottom Line: It's nothing fancy, but the rooms are clean and a great price. Just make sure to ask for a courtyard view (noisy streets!) NOT on the top floor.
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| msmarques's Full Review: Howard Johnson Hotel-Anaheim |
Even if you can't get an AAA discount, these rooms are a great value. Howard Johnson is a long walk (about 10 - 15 minutes) or a short shuttle ride (about 5 minutes) away from Disneyland. Customer service at the check-in desk is friendly and will provide you with passes to use the free shuttle.
This is probably not a hotel you will stay at just for the atmosphere, but is a reasonable place to stay near Disneyland, and offers a few other amenities to help keep kids and other family members entertained.
Rooms:
The rooms are simply furnished and have a slightly dated look to the decor, but they are large, clean, and comfortable. Our room was facing the very noisy highway, and another part of the hotel is along a busy street, so I recommend asking for a courtyard view.
Also, for some weird reason, there was a skylight in our top floor room. Because the light was not blocked by any curtains, this meant that the drapes didn't help keep the room dark, and we woke up when it was light. This shouldn't be a problem on lower floors.
There is no safe in the room. There is a coffee/tea maker, but only coffee is provided (i.e., no tea). The tv gets a large number of stations compared to other hotels, including the Disney station. A Sony playstation is hooked up, with games available on a pay-per-use basis. Internet access is available in the room. The room includes a mini-refrigerator. There is an AM/FM clock radio by the bed.
Other amenities:
There is an arcade room and a heated outdoor pool. The second pools and whirlpool are closed for renovations should reopen in June 2003.
On the first floor of the building where we stayed (and possibly each building) is a convenience store (open early, and closing at midnight), selling refreshments, postcards, stamps, Disney memorabilia, etc. Also available in the building is a laundromat.
There are several buildings to this Howard Johnsons, with free parking available near entrances to each building. Note: the hotel provided a warning that Chevrolet Suburbans seem to be especially targetted for break-ins; I don't know if this is an Anaheim phenomenon or just the car model targetted at this particular hotel.
The "Mimi's Cafe" chain is across the street and serves a great breakfast. It's open for all meals, but we ate our other meals at Disneyland. There is no restaurant in the hotel itself.
Rates and reservations:
With the AAA rate, as of December 2002, a room for two with a king size bed is $58. The standard rate for the same room is $64, but check for other discounts.
I placed my reservation through a travel agent, but only because she was taking care of the rest of my trip -most people will probably use the 1-800 number (1-800-446-4656) or the web site (http://www.hojo.com). The web site advertises current promotions. For example, at the time I am writing this review, there is a "Spirit America" promotional rate, bringing the rate within a dollar of the AAA discount rate.
For further details:
In addition to the general Howard Johnson web site, you can get additional information, including Disneyland news, from the location-specific web site of http://www.hojoanaheim.com/
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
msmarques
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Member: Michele Marques
Location: Toronto, Canada
Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 10 members
About Me:
I love books, movies, and languages.
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