Best Family Friendly Hotels Near Disneyland
Extensive planning is key to all successful family travel. Not the least of which is choosing accommodations to fit your family's specific needs, likes and creature comforts. Especially when visiting a magical place like Disneyland.
So what are some of the checklist items that you should look for in accommodations near Disneyland?
Proximity to parks
It does not always make sense to drive to the parks. Parking will cost you upwards of $30, unless you have a Magic Key pass, and walking, especially on a hot summer day, or even a cold rainy day, will take a lot out of you and your littlest family members. So proximity is key!
Amenities
Amenities are extremely important in cases where you may want to relax at your hotel for a bit. While most hotels provide the usual set of amenities, and most hotels near the Disney Parks have pools, some go above and beyond with have fun water playgrounds, some boast fun activities for the kids, and include breakfasts and more. Depending on what your family is looking for, amenities may be a selling point for your particular needs.
Accommodations
Depending on the size of your family, sleeping arrangements can become very tricky. A perfect example; while some families of four do perfectly well with two queen beds, other families of the same size, cannot make that work and need additional beds. Some hotels offer sleeping cots, others offer bunk beds for the children, while others offer adjoining rooms.
Continue reading to find the best family friendly hotels near Disneyland and what each has to offer.
Disneyland Hotel
Disneyland Hotel is the ultimate Disney experience. From the decor to the cast members, the experience is pure Disney magic.
Proximity
It's a quick 7 minute walk from the hotel to the park via Downtown Disney. This walk is almost as much fun as it is being inside the park.
Amenities
The water play area, slide and pool are second to none. Truly, one can spend an entire day just splashing around and dining around the pool. *We do recommend reserving a cabana to call home while enjoying water play. Cabana's come equipped with beverages, sun blocks, and a few snacks. The best part is never having to leave to place or pick up food orders. Oh and the TV. A TV and shade are always nice when wilding out with the kids.
Disneyland Hotel has its own special concierge lounge. The E-Ticket Club Concierge Lounge is one of our favorite features provided by the hotel.
With stunning views of the entire resort, the E-Ticket Club is located on the eleventh floor of the Adventure Tower at the Disneyland Hotel. It is absolutely perfect for enjoying light snacks, wine and beer, and relax during the day. Yes, all of the above are included in the price of admission.
We love the couch area which is home to the only TV in the club, giving our kiddos a little something extra to do when they are done enjoying the gorgeous view of Downtown Disney, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
In the evening, the club is perfect for viewing the fireworks spectacular with music playing throughout the club.
Watch our E-Ticket Lounge Reel HERE
The E-Ticket Club Concierge Lounge is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and provides guests with the following complimentary offerings:
✨Magical Beginnings (7:00 a.m. - 10 a.m.) – Continental breakfast bar with an assortment of fresh pastries, fruit, cereal and morning beverages. Also seen, two different types of deviled eggs and bagels with lox.
✨Intermission (11 a.m. – 4 p.m.) – Light refreshments, snacks and beverages. Chips and dips, veggies and cheeses, assortment of uncrustables for the kids, and more.
✨Magic Hours (5-7 p.m.) – Hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, as well as wine and beer.
✨Sweet Dreams (8-10 p.m.) – Delicious desserts and after-dinner beverages.
✨Wine and beer, as well as mimosas are available to order all day.
Access to the E-ticket Club is available through a club level upgrade with a stay in one of Disneyland Hotel’s suites.
Accommodations
As with all hotels, accommodations range greatly at the Disneyland Hotel. From the Double Queen rooms, to the Family Suites, the experience is magical. Our favorite suites have unbelievable balconies and view of the parks, two bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a large living area.
Check out the Disneyland Hotel Family Suites Reel HERE
Grand Californian
The Grand Californian is truly a grand hotel. We love exploring the enormous lobby. There is a beautiful fireplace with child size and adult size cozy chairs set around it, which is lovely during the colder months. Plenty of dining options and shops, as well as beautiful displays during the holidays.
Proximity
As far as proximity goes, you could not get any closer than The Grand Californian. The Grand California literally has a direct entrance into the Disney California Adventure park. Hotel to park! Can't beat that.
Amenities
We love Storytellers Cafe on the ground level of the Grand Californian. It's a character buffet and so much fun for for the kids. The pools have several slides for families to enjoy, and there are always fun activities planned for kids inside the hotel.
Accommodations
What we love about this hotel are the extra, hidden fold-out beds in the rooms. We recently stayed in a two queen bed room with a twin size bed that unfolded from the couch. Not a sofa bed, this one has an actual mattress. The kids actually fought over who got to sleep in that bed and had to come up with a deal to take turns.
The Howard Johnson Hotel & Water Playground
The Howard Johnson or the Hojo as we have come to call it, is a newly renovated, Disney themed hotel, located just across the street from Disneyland Park.
Proximity
The Howard Johnson Hotel and Water Playground is conveniently located across the street from Disneyland, and just an eight (8) minute walk from the park entrance. This is a walk we really enjoy as it's lined with restaurants and convenient stores where you can stop to get a snack along the way.
An Uber is a wonderful option in the late evenings if you prefer not to walk at night.
Amenities
The Hojo rooms are equipped with all of the necessities, Keurig coffee machine, mini refrigerators and even microwaves, which are a hot commodity at hotels these days, and usually have to be requested at a nominal fee.
Our favorite feature, however, is The Cove Water Playground. It's a mini waterpark right in their own backyard. The Cove is a fantastic way to spend a few hours splashing around. Parents, there are plenty of places to sit and relax, while still keeping an eye on your kids as they play. There are 3 water slides, a jacuzzi and a kiddie pool at The Cove.
Check out The Cove HERE
The Hojo also has a large, gated pool in a different area of the hotel. Both water features are great fun. Oh, did I mention that you can watch the Disneyland Fireworks show from The Cove Water Playground at the Howard Johnson Hotel & Water Playground in Anaheim? Well, you can, so enjoy!
Accomodations
Like the other hotels, Hojo has an array of rooms suitable for families. Our favorite, however, are the Kids Suites. Located in Building 1, the Kids Suites are essentially two adjoining rooms turned into one large suite. A king bed and private restroom in one room, and a bunk bed with its own restroom and living area in the other. It is a wonderful layout for families and ensures
that parents can stay up a little after putting the kids down for the night without disturbing them.
Check out the Kid's Suite HERE
Anaheim Marriott
The Anaheim Marriott is centrally located, giving its guests so many fun options for entertainment. But in all honesty, the property has everything one would need to relax and never leave.
Proximity
The Marriott is located just across the street from the Anaheim Convention Center. We truly enjoyed our stay there during VidCon and KidzCon. The balconies look right over the Convention Center, so we had a great time watching fun outdoor exhibits going up. Exhibits like the infamous, Mr. Beast's Gumball Machine.
This hotel is a five minute drive to the Great Wolf Lodge, a fun indoor water park.
As for proximity to Disneyland, we suggest you Uber. While it's only about a 5 minute drive, this walk might take more out of your little family members who will need their strength to walk the parks.
Amenities
Much like the Disneyland Hotel, the Anaheim Marriott has its own Concierge Lounge on the 18th floor. Breakfast, snacks and evening appetizers are available to guests in qualifying rooms.
See the Concierge Lounge HERE
Now I have to tell you about the M Passport for kids up to 12 years of age. The M Passport is a fun experience for the kids. It includes a free breakfast for the kids at nFuse Restaurant, and a ton of fun activities and a scavenger hunt that takes the kids all around the lovely property, with prizes for every activity that's checked off the list.
Watch M Passport fun HERE
We love the various dining options inside the Anaheim Marriott. From a pizza parlor, to The Market, to an upscale restaurant, bar and lounge. This hotel checks all the boxes.
We love the L shaped pool. With plenty of shade as well as sun, this pool is a blast for everyone.
Accommodations
While the hotel does have family suites, on our last stay we enjoyed two adjoining rooms. Hubby and I had the King bedroom and the boy had two Full beds in their room. Both rooms with large balconies and plenty of space for all of our needs.
See accommodations HERE
AirBNB
There are plenty of gorgeous AirBNB properties in close proximity to the Disneyland Parks. Properties that, accomodation wise, are a perfect fit. I'm talking, plenty of bedrooms and beds, great kitchens, pools and game rooms. Properties that fit every need.
However when renting an AirBNB, do make sure to check proximity because proximity from residential neighborhoods may be a little tricky.
We recently stayed at the perfect AirBNB property. According to my maps, it was right across the street from the parks and should have been about a 5 minute walk. The problem with my calculations was, I was not aware that there was no way to get onto park property from the tiny residential street. We would have had to walk about 10 large blocks to finally get to a park entrance. Because there was a large group of us, we ended up having to drive and pay for parking, then catch a tram to the actual park. It was a bigger headache then it should have been, so do your research.
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