One of the things that I love about Disney World, that Disneyland does not have, is the vast amount of options for their resort hotels. At Disneyland, you only have 3 resort hotel options compared to Disney World’s 25. With having that many options, Disney World has the opportunity to offer a wide variety of budget options for hotels, where as at Disneyland there are only the 3 higher price point hotels. Therefore, I’ve put together a list of my top five favorite Good Neighbor Hotels at the Disneyland resort, for those of us that cannot always afford to stay at the resort hotel properties.

1. Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel and Water Playground: The reason I pick this as my first choice is because of their recent updates to the hotel and because I am thinking from a family minded standpoint. The pirate themed water playground here is a very fun add-on to the vacation if you have children (Ed. note: or if you act like children). Even though it’s a little far, you can walk to the Disneyland’s Main Gate in about 15 minutes or they do have a shuttle to take you to the Main Gate parking lot. Also, they have Mimi’s Kitchen right across the parking lot, so that is a convenient stop for breakfast.

2. Best Western Plus Park Place Inn and Mini Suites: Located right across from the park, this hotel is a pleasant place to stay. Also, they have a complimentary breakfast. Location is the main driving point for this hotel as well as friendly service. This hotel is ideal for larger families due to their mini suites that can accommodate more people.

3. Desert Palms Hotel and Suites: Just like the Howard Johnson, this hotel is a little further of a walk but worth it. It also has complimentary breakfast and parking which is more than the previous 2 hotels have to offer for add ons. This is another very family friendly option due to the various activities they have for kids that go above the normal hotel requirements. This is my second favorite family friendly hotel behind the Howard Johnson.

4. Candy Cane Inn: This hotel has been around since Walt started it all in 1955. There are a lot of very loyal customers that still come back, and for a good reason. The same family that owned it in when it opened, still own it today. You can upgrade to a premium suite for not very much more and get fun perks that don’t cost an arm and a leg. They also have a shuttle specifically for their guests, even though it’s not a very far walk from the main gate. This is the most nostalgic hotel out of all the good neighbor hotels and you get a feeling of the quality of service that has been around since the mid-50’s.

5. Hilton Anaheim: This hotel is the farthest away on my list. This is more of a Anaheim convention center hotel, however the distance is worth the upgrades. It is about a 20-25 minute walk to the parks from the hotel, but there is a Starbucks in the lobby for boosts of energy you’d need on the walk (yay coffee!). Since this hotel rings in at bigger price range, I’d probably pick one of the previous hotels on this list just because of its location. However, if you are in town for more than just a Disney trip, this is nice location to get your money’s worth and enjoy various amenities.

All of these hotels are on my list for different reasons, but all of them good quality hotels. In a perfect world, I’d love to have the same options as Disneyworld for resort hotels, but that does not look like a possibility. Despite these hotels not being official Disneyland resort hotels, they still do a great job and throw in some Disney magic when they can.

– Kelsee