Where to stay at Disneyland

Updated 10/05/2022

Growing up, the only hotel I ever stayed in was the Disneyland Hotel. Now having recently remarried and inherited 4 girls in addition to my 4 kids, I've had to make some adjustments. Due to budgetary limitations now, from 2011-2013 and in 2016 we stayed at the Tropicana Inn, right across the street. From 2014-2015 and again from 2018-2019, we stayed at the Del Sol Inn, also right across the street. I'll summarize some advantages and disadvantages of each.

The Disneyland Hotel

The Disneyland Hotel in 1987. It looks a lot different today!

Here's the same view in 2017.

Nothing is more magical then staying at the Disneyland Hotel in addition to spending a week at the park. The Disneyland Hotel went through some MAJOR renovations in 1999 and again in 2009.  I used to love exploring the Disneyland Hotel grounds. The Hotel grounds used to have a little trail that wound through waterfalls, around a koi pond and, quite a few years ago, there was even a remote control boat course and race car track that I used to enjoy, along with the swimming pools, of course. A couple of years ago, they took all of that out and turned the whole area into a water park type area with monorail themed water slides and an extra pool. The rooms were also renovated and add a nice extra bit of magic to your stay, even while not physically in the Disneyland Park.  Although it would seem that the theme park would only be a short stroll from the Hotel, it's at least a 10 minute walk. There is also the option of taking the monorail to make the walk shorter, but after waiting in line to get on the monorail at the station, you would probably get there faster by just walking. It should also be noted that the monorail station is still a little walk from the hotel and if you haven't timed the Monorail right, you might actually spend more time waiting for it to arrive than you would walking to the Park.  The walk to Disneyland from the Hotel requires you to pass through the Downtown Disney District which is full of cool shops and places to eat, and is a fun place to explore even if you stay elsewhere. Visit the Disneyland Hotel website here or you can read my in-depth review of the Disneyland Hotel from my stay in March 2017 here or my review of our stay at the Disneyland Hotel in July 2022 here.

The Del Sol Inn

In 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019 my family stayed at the Del Sol Inn. It is closer to the Disney Parks than the Disneyland Hotel and just about the same proximity as the Tropicana. The Del Sol is South of the main crosswalk across Harbor Blvd to get to Disneyland, whereas the Tropicana is just north of the crosswalk. The Del Sol's rooms are small, but perfect for what my family needs since we spend very little time at the hotel. They offer a good continental breakfast in a small eating area which saves our family of 8 a lot of money we would otherwise have to spend on breakfast. The parking fees are a couple of dollars less that those of the Tropicana and the staff is very friendly. This past year, we requested late checkout and they allowed us to check out at 12:00pm instead of 11:00am. The extra hour allowed us to get some souvenirs before we left. You can check out a blog post which contains a more in depth view look at the Del Sol Inn with pictures, here. Visit the Del Sol website here.

Our route from the Del Sol to Disneyland

The breakfast room at the Del Sol Inn

The Tropicana Inn

The Tropicana Inn may not be much to look at and the rooms might not be as fancy as the rooms at the Disneyland Hotel, but the price is right and the location can't be beat. It is actually a little closer to the theme park than the Disneyland Hotel is. There is a crosswalk just a few yards away from the hotel with a stop light to help you get across the busy Harbor Blvd, which is important to me especially since I have young children that have to cross the street. It has a decent pool which was kept pretty cold the one time I swam in it. It no longer offers a continental breakfast as of July 2016.  They do charge for parking your car there - if I remember right, $14 per day per car - which seems kind of funny to me since it's not like you're going to walk to a hotel...but from what I understand, most of the hotels if not all that are in close proximity to the park, charge for parking. I have been pleased both times with my stay at the Tropicana Inn.

For an in-depth detailed review of my stay at the Tropicana, check out my blog post here: Also, visit the Tropicana website here.

The Camelot Inn and Suites

My family of five stayed at the Camelot Inn and Suites in August of 2016. The Camelot Inn and Suites is located just across Harbor Blvd from Disneyland and just north of the Tropicana and Del Sol hotels. In fact, it is located immediately north of where the pedestrian walk way, which will be built over Harbor Blvd, will be.

It has great curb appeal and, with 5 stories, will usually have some vacancy. The prices are slightly higher than the Del Sol in general and the room is comparable.

Although there is no continental breakfast, there is a mini-fridge, microwave, and coffee maker which can all aid in preparing food brought that you bring from home.

Parking is $14 per car per day here and we found it much easier to find a parking spot here than we have at other hotels that we have stayed at. There were also a limited number of covered parking spots and there was much more shade in the parking area in general than at the Tropicana and Del Sol.

You can visit my blog post titled Anaheim Camelot Inn Review for a more in-depth review of the Camelot Inn and Suites, including pictures.

To visit their official website, click here:

Anaheim Portofino Inn and Suites

In December 2018 all of the normal hotels we stay in directly across the street from Disneyland were booked by October, when we started our last minute planning so we were forced to stay a little further south along Harbor Blvd. The Portofino Inn and Suites is located on the South -West corner of Harbor and Katella and is .6 miles from Disneyland. 

Here's a look at the walk from the Portofino to Disneyland as highlighted in orange.

We ended up getting a Kid's Suite for our family of 7 which included a bunk bed, pullout queen size sofa bed, and a king bed. The room was very nice, a little bit nicer than the hotels we typically stay in, across the street.

There was no continental breakfast but each room has a mini fridge and microwave which was perfect for us since we precook our meals before leaving and reheat them everyday for lunch. 

For a more in-depth look at the Portofino Inn and Suites, you can check out my blog post here which contains pictures of our room. Also, you can visit the Portofino website here.  

Kings Inn Anaheim

In December 2019 we had a quick trip scheduled to southern California and wanted to stay close to Disneyland so we could spend the nights pin trading at Downtown Disney. The Kings Inn Anaheim was a good fit for what we needed since most of the hotels right across the street were already booked. 

The Kings Inn Anaheim is located on Katella Ave, a few hundred yards to the east of Harbor Blvd, within walking distance to Disneyland. It was about a 10 minute walk for our family with a 5 year old. 

There was plenty of parking and there was a nice breakfast in the morning featuring waffles, cereal, pastries, and fruit. I have a more in depth look, including pictures of the room, in my Kings Inn Anaheim blog post here. You can also visit the Kings Inn Anaheim Website here.

Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate

Located at 100 West Disney Way, the Motel 6 is a bit further of a walk than some of the other hotels we have stayed at in the past. In February 2021 we chose to stay here because it was significantly less expensive than the hotels we usually stay at. Also since we were only staying 2 days to visit the shops of Downtown Disney and California Adventure, we knew that our feet wouldn't mind the extra walk since we wouldn't be doing the typical 10 mile days when we visit the Parks to enjoy the attractions. 

It took my wife, daughter who is 7 years old, and myself 17 minutes to walk from our room to the security checkpoint. Had this been a normal year (covid had closed the parks at this time) it probably wouldn't have been a good choice for us with the extra mile walk each way. But for this abbreviated trip, it was just fine. 

When we stayed, there was no continental breakfast (although this could have been due to the California dining restrictions) but there was a pin board to trade pins behind the registration desk. We loved this as our family loves to trade pins. The staff was also extremely friendly. I have pictures of our room in my Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate blogpost, and you can also visit the Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate website.  

Abby's Annaheimer Inn

Located at the corner of Katella and Walnut Streets, Abby's Annaheimer Inn is located on the West side of the resort. We decided to stay here because it was one of the less expensive options within walking to Downtown Disney. 

The walk from our room to Downtown Disney took us about 15 minutes - North on Walnut, East on Magic Way, South on Disneyland Drive, back west through the Paradise Pier parking lot, and back north to get to the security check point. I'm not sure if there will be an easier route or not once California is allowed to get back to more normal operating procedures following the Coronavirus. 

The location was extremely rough and a little scary when we visited. During the recent Coronavirus panic, the motel had (understandably) been used more as an apartment complex with people living there that were slightly scary to have my wife and young daughter around. I imagine (and hope) that when tourists return, the atmosphere would change significantly but when we were there, we considered finding somewhere else to stay.

The room was adequate. The walls had received a new, fresh coat of paint and the bathroom sink was very nice. The beds were extremely hard - and I usually like hard beds - and the carpet was extremely dirty. Also when we arrived, our shower was missing a shower curtain which was remedied later that night. 

I would say that I'd like to give this motel another try after conditions in California return to normal, but if I'm being honest, I don't think I will. A link to my in depth report and pictures of the room can be found here: and while I was unable to find an official website, here's a link to a booking site for Abby's Annaheimer Inn.

Other nearby Hotels

The two closest hotels to the park (by mere feet over the Tropicana) are the Best Western Park Place Inn and the Park View Inn. They are also usually slightly more expensive than the Tropicana, although not by a significant amount. The Best Western Anaheim Inn is also about as close as the Tropicana but is usually a bit more pricey. All of these hotels are located across the street (Harbour Blvd) from the park. The only others that are within reasonable walking distance for a family of 3 kids under 6 would be the Grand Legacy At The Park (Formerly Ramada Main Gate), and the Fairfield Inn Anaheim Resort. They are all a slightly longer walk then the Tropicana and usually a little more expensive as well. They are all located across the street from Disneyland. To learn more about each of these hotels, click on the links below to visit their websites:
Best Western Park Place Inn
Park Vue Inn
Best Western Anaheim Inn
Grand Legacy At The Park
Fairfield Inn Anaheim Resort


Summary

I guess the way my thinking goes is that I don't spend a lot of time at the hotel when I go to Disneyland so I don't need to pay extra to stay at the Disneyland Hotel. With that said, if I had unlimited funds, I'd stay at the Disneyland Hotel in a heartbeat - partly because of the sentimental value it has with my mom taking me there as a child and partly because of the extra "magic" you feel from staying there. But the Tropicana and Del Sol hotels have been perfect places for us to stay over the past few years because of their low cost and close proximity to the park. If you have a large family as we do, you can request adjoining rooms or a room with a bunk bed when you book and, so far, we have been accommodated by each hotel every time.