Red Lion Hotel Anaheim Resort is a Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotel that is roughly a 15 minute walk to the Disneyland Esplanade. Sitting along Harbor Boulevard , this hotel is in a convenient location while offering basic needs. In this review, we’ll cover the rooms, amenities and location of the hotel, as well as our thoughts on the value that Red Lion offers.

There’s a broad amount of hotels that fall under the ‘Disneyland Good Neighbor’ moniker. From chain hotels to locally owned, from trendy to run-down, there is a hotel at nearly every price point for guests’ needs. There’s a lot to look for in a hotel but, generally, one factor at Disneyland is above all for me – location. Unless there’s bed bugs or it looks like I’m going to get murdered at the place. Then that comes first. Anyway, let’s check out the Red Lion location.

As you can see, Red Lion is a simple and average distanced walk from Disneyland. Relative to most Good Neighbor Hotels, I would put a 15 minute walk as about the norm. This walk doesn’t require much outside of a crossing of the street. The hotel is close to a CVS and 7-11, along with a few other eateries. Red Lion is among a hub of hotels, across the street from the Convention Center hotels.

Moving on, here’s a look at a standard room with two queen beds.

The room is umm… not my style. Between the red carpet, tiled walls and burn orange color scheme, there wasn’t much that I liked about the design. It all felt fairly old. I don’t really know what the texture was on the headboard but I do not like it. That said, the bed was comfortable enough and the room was cleaner than some other Good Neighbors that I’ve stayed in.

Please excuse the not-so-great photo here. This side of the room looks quite a bit better. The desk was nice and the TV was a decent size. Again, not too sure about the color scheme here but it’s just fine.

The bathroom continues with those tiled walls but the rest of it is just fine. There is no separate room for the sink and it’s a shower/tub combo, both negatives in my eyes. That said, I’ve been in much worse hotel bathrooms. At least it was clean! That may not be a high bar but important nonetheless.

Moving on to the amenities, Red Lion has a couple of restaurants including a snack shop which can be vital on those late Disneyland nights. The lobby here is nothing to write home about but is comfortable and has some seating for guests. There’s also a business center, free wi-fi throughout the hotel and a fitness center.

Perhaps the nicest part of the Anaheim Red Lion is the pool area. There are some nice couches and padded chairs to sit in, along with a fireplace. The pool itself is a decent size and offers a fun place for kids while adults relax close by. Overall, it’s definitely the prettiest area in the hotel and a good spot to take an afternoon break from a long day in the parks.

As you can tell, I’m lukewarm at best on the Red Lion overall. The location is average, the amenities are fine and the room is dated. There is one spot that the hotel stands out in though and that’s the price. As far as hotels in this area, Red Lion is among the cheapest and can be found, depending on the time of year, for less than $100.

Finding a Good Neighbor Hotel is generally about compromise. Would you rather pay a little less and be farther away from the parks? Willing to sacrifice a nicer room for a better price? All of these things factor in. Speaking for myself, I look for the closest possible stay at the cheapest price. This fits my touring schedule since we stay in the parks all day long. The room is just a bed to sleep in for a few hours. If your vacation looks different then you might factor in the quality of the room or amenities more.

Overall, I’m not sure the Red Lion Hotel Anaheim Resort offers enough in the way of value or location to be worth a stay. While the hotel is clean and fairly cheap, the rooms were far from my favorite and the amenities were lacking. I think guests could get a better deal at a hotel that’s nicer and an equal distance from Disneyland Resort.

Overall Rating – 6/10

Have you stayed at the Anaheim Red Lion? Let us know your thoughts or any questions you might have in the comments below. Planning a trip to Disneyland Resort? Check out our Disneyland Trip Planning Guide to help you out. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends and like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!