Best Anaheim Hotels

For the complete Disneyland experience, book a room at this three-tower, 988-room complex. Disney characters are on hand to greet guests and, everywhere you turn, there seem to be little touches of the Magic Kingdom. Standard rooms are spacious and tastefully done in a traditional style with pastel pinks and blues. There’s a pricier Club Level, where guests have access to complimentary snacks throughout the day, as well as wine and cheese each evening. The hotel’s famous monorail connects to the parks via Downtown Disney, so you can return any time during the day for a nap, or to cool off in one of the hotel’s pools. The pool areas are currently being renovated, and the Peter Pan-inspired Never Land Pool Complex will soon be replaced with a complex including three waterslides. The hotel’s aquatic facelift will include an all-new immersion water play area and a new Tahitian-themed restaurant and Jungle Cruise-themed bar. On Magic Morning Early Entry days, hotel guests are invited to enter Disneyland before the park opens to the general public, in order to enjoy select rides before the crowds arrive.

Disney dug deep into its wallet to create this Arts and Crafts-style resort, throwing down some serious cash to include original tiles, furniture, sculpture and artwork throughout the AAA Four Diamond Hotel. Visitors enter through subtle stained-glass sliding panels leading to an awesome six-story lobby living room with exposed wood support beams, display cases of Craftsman vases and early Roycroft metalworks, and a three-story fireplace hearth. Guest rooms continue the Arts and Crafts theme, though bathrooms are small and generic. To avoid the weekend noise from Downtown Disney, you may want to request a view room not over the District. Two pools (one with a waterslide) are shaded by trees, and there’s a well-equipped fitness room, as well as a Mandara Spa. There’s also a fun game room/video arcade to ensure you won’t be bored during your downtime at the hotel. Every day at 4PM, the hotel hosts a scavenger hunt for hotel guests. On Magic Morning Early Entry days, hotel guests are invited to enter Disneyland before the park opens to the general public, in order to enjoy select rides before the crowds arrive.

On the same block as the Anaheim Convention Center, this 360-room wannabe Mission-style hotel was once a series of low-rise motels that have been remodeled and converted into one nine-building complex with a wide variety of room sizes and styles. Spend some time looking at the website (or call the hotel for room descriptions) before you choose the room that’s right for you. Families may want to check into the Kids Suite, which features bunk beds and a separate bedroom for parents. Most rooms have a spacious desk area and granite bathrooms with tubs and separate showers. While the hotel is close to the park gates, it’s a more than 10-minute walk, so you may want to take the ART shuttle. Two swimming pools surrounded by gardens—one for adults only—provide a nice place to relax and cool off. The hotel’s Tangerine Grill and Patio provides breakfast, lunch and dinner in a lovely al fresco setting, serving California and Southwestern cuisine—from burgers and chicken tacos to Grand Marnier chile-lime jumbo shrimp and prime rib with spinach.

This former Holiday Inn is one of the most stylish lodgings you’ll find in Anaheim today, perfect for traveling businessmen or Disney visitors without kids. Created by the owners of La Casa Del Camino and Laguna Beach Inn in Laguna Beach, the five-story, 248-room hotel has been beautifully renovated, with design elements including leather-wrapped headboards, sealed concrete floors, loft ceilings and sunflower showerheads. All rooms feature such modern amenities as 42-inch plasma TVs, oversized custom desks and free Wi-Fi. The outdoor pool is shaded by palm fronds, and cabanas are available for lazing about after a day at Disneyland. Or, to really take the edge off, sip cocktails at the hotel’s Mist Pool Bar, which features great views of the park’s nightly fireworks display.

Not as upscale as the other two Disney Resorts hotels, this 15-story, 489-room hotel is decorated in a whimsical boardwalk theme to go with its namesake area at Disney’s California Adventure. Guest rooms feature nautical and beach décor, and many offer great views of the park. Options include suites, some of which can sleep six or more, and Concierge Level rooms with access to a lounge, complimentary snacks throughout the day, and evening wine and cheese. The rooftop pool is jazzed up with a waterslide for kids and kids at heart. On Magic Morning Early Entry days, hotel guests are invited to enter Disneyland before the park opens to the general public, in order to enjoy select rides before the crowds.

Located across the street from the Disneyland Resort’s main gate, this two-story, 300-room hotel isn’t going to win any design awards, but it offers basic, clean rooms in a variety of sizes. For example, two-room suites can accommodate a family of eight. Made up of seven buildings surrounded by palm trees, the hotel has a friendly staff and the added bonus of a heated Olympic-sized pool and a whirlpool. The hotel’s Mi Casita Bar and Grill is open for breakfast, and then at dinner serves a wicked margarita and tasty sangria with its Mexican fare. The hotel also allows pets, so you can bring Fido on your family trip.

This two-story, U-shaped, 171-room motel has been jazzed up with cobblestone walkways, a three-tiered fountain and flowering vines to create a pleasing oasis, just steps from the parks. Refreshed rooms feature a floral motif, with queen-sized beds and a separate dressing and vanity area. Mornings start with complimentary continental breakfast in the courtyard. Between visits to Disneyland, you can relax around the heated pool and whirlpool, while keeping an eye on the kids frolicking in the wading pool. If you have any energy left after a day at the park, there’s also a sparse exercise room.