Best Hotels Near Disneyland For Families
Disneyland Hotel Guide
A visit to Disneyland in Anaheim, California is a popular bucket list item, and it’s one that usually comes with a hefty price tag. When you factor in airfare or gas, hotels, food, and tickets to the parks, it’s easy to spend thousands of dollars on a trip to see Mickey and friends. However, setting realistic budget expectations and researching where to stay based on location and amenities will help you maximize the value of your trip.
If you’re interested in getting an extra hour at the park in the morning before it’s open to the general public, Disneyland Park hotels are the way to go. The fun kids’ activities outside the park are also a nice touch. Curious about the restaurants and nightlife? Staying close to Downtown Disney might be more your style. (And if so, I’ve got you covered.)
As California residents with an in-house Pixar employee, we’re fortunate to take frequent Disneyland trips and have plenty of experience with area hotels.
Here are some of the best hotels near Disneyland for families and our favorite places to stay in Anaheim:
1. Anaheim Marriott
You might remember my slight Marriott obsession if you read my post on London hotels. So it’ll be no surprise that I have a couple more Marriott favorites to share here. The first is the Anaheim Marriott. Situated steps away from the Anaheim Convention center, this stylish, 4-star hotel is only a half-mile walk to Downtown Disney and the park’s main gates.
If you’re arriving by car, valet parking and garage self-parking are available for your stay. Because the hotel doubles as an event center and frequently hosts events, the lobby is usually busy. During each of our four stays here, we waited in a short line for check-in. However, the wait was no longer than three to five minutes, and the staff here is always pleasant and happy to help.
The hotel’s updated guest rooms feature stylish, modern decor. These spaces are warm and inviting like most of the other Marriotts I’ve visited. (Marriott does a fantastic job of ensuring their properties don’t feel like guest factories that usher people in and out on a conveyer belt. I love this about their brand.) Enjoy the Anaheim skyline from your attached balcony, and if you’re lucky enough to get an eastern-facing room, you’ll be able to enjoy Disney’s nightly fireworks show!
The fitness center here is a fantastic, full-blown gym with three Pelotons bikes, eight treadmills, half a dozen elliptical trainers, a stairmaster, tons of weight machines, free weights, a rack, and a TRX/yoga/stretching/training area. You’ll have everything you need for a great workout.
The main restaurant and bar on-site, nFuse, serves fresh, California-style cuisine. We’ve eaten here several times and have always enjoyed it. The Market Cafe is open from 6am to 3pm and serves Starbucks coffee all day, pastries in the morning, and freshly-made sandwiches at lunch. Slice Pizzeria is a design-your-own pizza place, open from 1pm to 10pm.
View The Anaheim Marriott
2. JW Marriott, Anaheim Resort
When we discovered the Anaheim Garden Walk on a recent trip, we decided we wanted to stay here for our next visit and booked the JW Marriott for a three-day weekend in May 2022. Folks, we found our permanent Disney vacation spot. We only wish we would’ve discovered it sooner!
The location is perfect for us, less than half a mile from Disneyland’s main gates. We love the Garden Walk’s eclectic atmosphere and the gorgeous hotel property. It looks and feels much more expensive than what you pay to stay here!
If you’re driving, you’ll be required to use the hotel’s valet super-efficient valet service. We never waited more than three minutes for our car, but if you call ahead, your vehicle will be waiting for you as you exit the lobby.
The JW’s main floor entrance features a beautiful motif of cascading glass tubes, an industrial sculpture of a gardener, and a playful, cloud-like ceiling. Take the escalator up to the lobby, and you’ll pass an enormous three-story chandelier that changes with each new angle. You’ll find plenty of lounging areas near the check-in desk with comfy, earth-toned seating and full bookshelves.
The lobby also houses the breakfast buffet and Citriculture, one of the hotel’s on-site bars. The buffet has standard breakfast offerings like scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, biscuits and gravy, cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit, and an egg station with fresh, custom-made omelets and scrambles. The pastry selection is outstanding, with an assortment of nearly 20 different types of treats. Citriculture is a typical lobby bar with a good selection of cocktails, beers, and wine. The other dining option at this property is the Parkestry Rooftop Bar. Only open from Wednesday through Saturday, this bar features terrific views of city lights from the hotel’s pinnacle.
Guest rooms have plenty of room for luggage and all the extra stuff you’ll accumulate over your day at Disney. Bathrooms are enormous, with showers big enough to fit the entire family. (I don’t condone this.) So relax with a long, hot shower after spending 837464834939 hours walking 48483746826846 miles at the parks, or enjoy a soak in the bathtub and let Calgon take you away. Did I just date myself?
The Anaheim Garden Walk is the main highlight of this property. With tons of restaurants like the House of Blues, McCormick & Schmick’s, and FiRE + iCe Interactive Grill + Bar, you’ll find options to please even the pickiest of eaters. Additionally, enjoy the on-site movie theater (with reclining seats that go almost entirely flat), the escape room, and a fun cabaret and magic show.
The Garden Walk also has some great, unique shops. If you’re a fan of comics and Star Wars, check out Factory Xtreme. But be warned; it’s easy to get lost in the selection of cool statues and comic memorabilia for hours. They also paint custom 31-inch Stormtrooper and Darth Vader statues in your favorite sports team’s outfit. I got a Vader decked out in 49er’s kit; my son picked a 20-inch Vader in SF Giant’s gear.
View The JW Marriott, Anaheim Resort
3. Disneyland Grand Californian
Modeled in the craftsman style, The Disney Grand Californian is a premium hotel on the California Adventure side of the park. This hotel is how I imagine a luxurious, elegant resort from the early 1900s wild west would have looked. In Disney’s whimsical fashion, the hotel beckons you to come and claim your fortune on the new frontier.
One perk of staying on a Disney property is the magic hour. The magic hour allows guests staying at a Disney property to enter the parks one hour before the general public. This early entry greatly benefits families who want to get a head start on some rides without the wait. For all you aspiring influencers, this is also a great opportunity to take some amazing photos without the large crowds or queues.
Guests and visitors pack the massive lobby, whether checking in, admiring the details of this beautiful hotel, or just passing through to Downtown Disney and the parks. This expansive space features massive columns made from boulders, stunning stained glass chandeliers and lamps, a piano (and usually a pianist), and tons of furniture for lounging. During the winter holidays, hotel staff decorates a floor-to-ceiling tree with thousands of lights and an almost life-size gingerbread house.
Unfortunately, guest rooms are a little underwhelming for the price you pay to stay here. What the hotel boasts in terms of aesthetic theme and allure of staying on Disney property, it lacks in comfort. The rooms are average, but the beds are relatively stiff, and the space somewhat cramped.
While the rooms need updating, the fitness center is state of the art. Find Peloton bikes, treadmills, plenty of machines, and free weights with enough space for at least 10-15 people to work out comfortably. Located just off the lobby, the fitness center is adjacent to the pool. A huge draw for families, the pool is a large, water park-like area with three water features: a large pool with a fantastic treehouse water slide for the kids, a smaller, lounging pool for older clientele, and a hot tub.
Finally, your kids will love the character breakfast at Storytellers Cafe. They’ll enjoy a buffet-style breakfast while mingling with Mickey and some of his closest friends. The restaurant also serves brunch on the weekends and dinner nightly. Other restaurants on the property are Napa Rose, an upscale dining experience, Hearthstone Lounge for cocktails and light snacks, GCH Craftsman Bar for poolside drinks and appetizers, and GCH Craftsman Grill for grab and go items.