Due to budget concerns, I'm never sure if we'll be able to take our kids to Disneyland more than once in their childhood. So, we waited until our youngest was old enough to remember the experience. Also, I decided that I wanted to give them as much of the experience in one trip, just in case it was the only one.
So, I originally assumed that we were going to spend a bit extra and stay in one of the Disneyland Hotels. I knew it would be a bit more, but I thought it would be more convenient and "magical" for the little ones. Then, when I tried to price the rooms I found out the deal breaker... you can only have 5 people in a room. Bummer. Since we have four kids, plus my husband and I, that creates a big problem.
The suggestion from Disney? Book two rooms or a suite.
Not happening.
So, we went to Plan B. I looked for Hotels that would accept 6 people but were still very close to Disneyland. I didn't want to deal with the cost of a shuttle or the hassle of loading four little kids in and out of shuttles twice a day.
I was happy to find the Good Neighbor Hotels. I specifically found a number of them that had "Kid Suites". They often have bunk beds, etc. and provide a kid friendly room. So, I refined my search to only Good Neighbor Hotels with Kid Suites and walking distance to Disneyland. Also, it was a big deal to me whether there was a breakfast provided by the Hotel. Both for convenience and cost (okay... mainly cost), I wanted to have breakfast taken care of at the Hotel. I mainly looked at the Anaheim Portofino Inn and Suites and Desert Palm Inn and Suites. I read the reviews for both and overall they were good. I liked that the Portofino had reviews that said they offered great viewing on the roof for fireworks. However, I had a friend that took her family to Disneyland a few months ago and she really liked the Desert Palm Inn and Suites overall and liked their provided Hot Breakfast. That sealed the deal for me. It will be nice to not have to worry if the kids are still hungry after just a bowl of cereal and some toast.
So, our choice ended up being the Desert Palm Inn and Suites. I like the cost, the reviews from previous guests, the Hot Breakfast and the location to Disneyland.
