The Hotels of Disneyland

The Hotels of Disneyland

There are three hotels on the Disneyland Resort property. They are the Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier and the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.

There is the original Disneyland Hotel that has been rebuilt. This hotel is the mid-priced hotel of DLR. One wing of the Disneyland hotel is what is left of the original hotel. The Monorail use to run through the lobby of the Disneyland Hotel when it was first built. That area of the hotel no longer exists and the Monorail station is still in its original location but is not in Downtown Disney.

Each of the three wings of the Disneyland Hotel is themed on a land in the Disneyland Park. There is Fantasyland, Adventureland and Frontierland. The pool has a fantastic Monorail theme and kids can slide out of Monorail Red or Blue into splash pools. There are cabanas to rent and lots of deck chairs to relax in.

It is just a short walk to Downtown Disney where you can hop the Monorail to get into Disneyland. You can also walk through DTD and enter the Esplanade and head into either park or go through the Grand Californian to enter Disney California Adventure Park.

Paradise Pier is located across the street from DCA. It is behind and across the street from the park. Paradise Pier has a California beach theme with a Disney touch. This is the least expensive of the 3 DLR Hotels. Overall simple in design and theme with lots of Disney touches.

Paradise Pier has a pool on the roof of the hotel. In keeping with the general design of the hotel it is simple with a fun waterslide for the kids. You can also sit on the roof and watch the Disneyland fireworks. The music is piped into the area so you can enjoy it. Just ask where to go if you wish to see the fireworks.

To get to the parks you can either walk past the Disneyland Hotel to DTD and hop the Monorail or walk to the Esplanade or you can walk across the street to the Grand Californian and enter DCA through there or continue through to DTD and the Esplanade.

The most expensive of the hotels is the Grand Californian. It is done in 1920’s artesian design with lots of beautiful woodwork. Wood statues adorn the entire lobby and in truth while walking around the hotel I feel as if I am in the Eastern High Sierra’s around or in Yosemite.

The pools of the Grand are themed to look like mountain ponds or parts of rivers. Overall the feel is being up in the mountains playing in the water round the trees.

You can enter DCA through a special gate for guests of the Grand. Only hotel guests can enter this gate early in the mornings. In the afternoon any guest with a pass/ticket can enter through the Grand gate to DCA. On busy days this gate may not be open to all guests, only those staying at the hotel may use it. You may enter this gate on busy days if you are a not a hotel guest if made a purchase at the hotel gift shop or you have eaten in one of the hotel restaurants.

The hotel you pick is up to you and your finances. Another good option is to stay at a non-Disney hotel in the area. Check the Disneyland.com website for Good Neighbor Hotels. These can be a significant savings over the DLR hotels. Look at a map before booking to see where they are located. The off property hotels can save you money and unlike WDW are close enough that you can walk from many of them to the hotel.