[amandamarie00]

I will be running in the Disneyland Half-Marathon on Sept. 17. I was wondering what might be the best hotel to stay at. I have absolutely no experience with any of the DL hotels, and I haven't heard much about any of them. It looks like the starting line is on Disneyland Drive, north of ESPN/Downtown Disney. I would like to spend less if possible, but if one hotel is worth an extra expense, I'll consider that too. Oh, and it will be for me & my boyfriend, both mid-20s. Thanks!

[The Goof Father]

That is a pretty good time of year to go to DL! Kids are in school and the weather should be slightly cooler!

If you snoop some of the other threads in this forum you may find some pretty good discussions about the different DL resort hotels.

I personally rate them like this:

#1 The Grand Californian - This hotel is the spendiest, but it is so wonderful. Beautiful rooms, great location, shorter walking distance, private gate into DCA, great shops, great restaurants and the best service await you at the GCH! If you can afford it, this is a very nuce place to stay…

#2 The Disneyland Hotel - This hotel is in the middle price-wise, but it has some of the best pure Disney charm. Nice rooms, decent location, walking distance varies by building, some cool pools, good shops and great restaurants and the great service!

#3 Paradise Pier Hotel - This is the least expensive hotel, but it still is a decent hotel. The rooms do not have as much Disney charm (but they usually have some DCA décor), the walking distance can be okay if you take a shortcut through the GCH, a pretty nice pool, a nice shop, a couple of good restaurants and the service is good (but doesn’t seem to be on par with the other 2 hotels' service).


I stayed at the PPH in December and it was much improved over a trip in 2004 where I actually pretty much fled from it to the GCH. The PPH is the most affordable of the resort hotels and you can still go hang out at the other hotels!

[daisyd]

I always suggest the Candy Cane Inn on Harbor Blvd. It's adjacent to Disney property making for an easy (7 minutes with 3 kids) walk along a nice, well lit sidewalk to the park entrances. They also have a free shuttle that runs every 1/2 hour that only services their property if you do not want to walk.

It is a motel, but a really nice one! Super clean, beautifuly landscaped with a nice (smallish) pool and hot tub area. There is a conti breakfast (fruit, cereal, bagels and cream cheese, muffins, coffee, etc) served poolside or to your room if you have a 'premium' room. They offer a AAA discount if you have the card (you MUST present the card, or they won't give you the rate at check in).

Here is their link!
http://www.candycaneinn.net/

[The Goof Father]

I will add that I have never stayed at the Candy Cane Inn, but I have heard nothing but good about it! Oh, and I have tried to stay there a couple times, but they were all booked up, so there are a lot of fans it would seem...

[Peppertink]

If you can swing it I'd stay at Grand Californian or DLH!! Can't beat that Disney feel:)

[The Goof Father]

Originally Posted by Peppertink

If you can swing it I'd stay at Grand Californian or DLH!! Can't beat that Disney feel:)

I agree!

[daisyd]

Oh amandamarie00, I just realized you were asking about the 3 Disney properties--DOH! Sorry about that I guess I'm not with it today, lol.

*runs to get more coffee*

[Princess Tessa]

I'm with Goof Father.
Disney property is great, but can be pricy...if you're not going to stay on property the only other choice (in my mind) than staying at the Candy Cane Inn

We have stayed there on 5 different trips and LOVE it every time, they have Disney-quality staff who always go above and beyond for us, as well as the FREE (air-conditioned) shuttle every half hour that is only for their property.
Almost all of the other hotel/motels in the area now use the Anaheim Resort Transportation which costs money and stops a million times.

I really can't say enough good about this proterty, we always not stay half our time in Candy Cane Inn and half the time in a Disney resort, we love this combination.

[The Goof Father]

Originally Posted by daisyd

Oh amandamarie00, I just realized you were asking about the 3 Disney properties--DOH! Sorry about that I guess I'm not with it today, lol.

*runs to get more coffee*

I still think you were being helpful! The Candy Cane is good!

Oh, can you get me some java too???

[daisyd]

Originally Posted by The Goof Father

I still think you were being helpful! The Candy Cane is good!

Oh, can you get me some java too???

Thanks GoofDaddy *passes steaming cup of joe* you make me feel better

Amandamarie, are there discounted DLR hotel rates available for the 1/2 marathon runners? You may want to ask as it may help in your decesion. But, I agree with Goof and Peppertink, The Grand Cali is the most new, upscale and best themed of the 3 properties. The DL Hotel is hard to beat for the Magic!!! If I could afford it, I'd stay the the Californian first, but I wouldn't bust my bank roll to do it unless I was planning some serious resort time.

[The Goof Father]

I would also be curious if the Marathon gets any deals like you can find for people attending a conference??? Conference rates for DLR rooms is pretty good!

[Princess Tessa]

OOPS! I also didn't notice you were asking about Disney property! Sorry!

Then let me re-suggest.

If you have the means - then 100% without a doubt Grand Californian, it's the top of the three, amazing lobby, just georgous decor and ambiance.

Second best would be the Disneyland Hotel, because it is a classic and has great hidden mickeys at every stop but also (in my eyes) close behind is the Paradise Pier Hotel. Some people do poo-poo this hotel but I've stayed there twice and have really enjoyed it both times. My last stay we had an amazing view of California Adventure Park and it's a nice walk to get to the parks (short-cut through Grand Californian lobby to soak up some of that magic) PPH is also the most inexpensive of the three Disneyland resort hotels, but honestly you can't go wrong with any of the three

[The Goof Father]

Tessa, like I said to daisyd before ya', you were still helpful! And that is what counts!

[WishUponAStar]

This June will be my first time staying on property at Disneyland. I chose the DL Hotel b/c it's a classic, it is REALLY big, a shoret walk from the monorail. You can have a room with a view of DTD, etc...

I have heard GREAT things about the Candy Cane Inn also but people also tell me it books REALLY fast!!! I can agree with that b/c before we decided to stay in a DL hotel we called Candy Cane, this was in October and they had NOTHING available for our dates in June.

Good luck!! My vote would be the DL Hotel is this is your first visit.

[ddoll]

Hi AmandaMarie!

I'm also signed up to run in the DL half marathon. There's a group of us going. We're hooked now after just completeing the WDW Half Marathon earlier this month.

We're all staying at the Candy Cane Inn. http://www.candycaneinn.net/
It's very nice and very close. I got a rate of $99 with AAA rate. They still had rooms when I booked 2 weeks ago, but they probably won't last too long, as I hear they're very popular.