The Disneyland Resort in California has three hotels: Paradise Pier, Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian.

Paradise Pier

We found the high-rise Paradise Pier Hotel very comfortable, with fabulous views of DCA from many rooms and even from some of the hallways. The building is quite old and used to be a non-Disney hotel, but Disney has done a nice job of keeping it up.

The guest rooms are quite large, very nicely furnished, and well-equipped, with a refrigerator, hair dryer, ironing board and iron. We had two queen beds and an oversized chair that pulled out to a single bed that would have been comfortable for a child. The bathroom was fairly large, with a granite countertop and a single sink.

While Paradise Pier lacks any significant theming, it does offer decent amenities, including a rooftop pool with water slide and a fitness center.

There is a "Lilo & Stitch" buffet character breakfast at PCH Grill. The Yamabuki Japanese Restaurant is quite elegant-looking. I'm told the food is average at both locations, but I haven't tried either one myself.

Disneyland Hotel

The Disneyland Hotel, which originally opened in the 1950s, has rooms in three separate towers: Magic Tower (formerly "Marina Tower"), where the main lobby is located, with two of the shops and many of the services; Dream Tower (formerly "Sierra Tower"), where the concierge lounge is located; and Wonder Tower (formerly "Bonita Tower"). These towers are arranged in a U-shape around the perimeter of the resort grounds, which are extensive and beautifully landscaped.

A new option at the Disneyland Hotel (as of Summer 2008) is “Character Quarters,” 19 themed guest rooms that connect to an adjacent standard guest room. These special rooms – decorated either with a Mickey Mouse or Disney Princess motif – feature two twin beds along with highly-themed furniture, decor, linens, carpets, light fixtures and amenities, and even flat screen televisions. Plus, guests should be sure to keep their eyes open for some extra special sprinkles of Disney magic! These “Character Quarters” are available ONLY when booked with an adjoining standard guest room. They are an excellent option for parties of five or more, especially families traveling with younger children.

The Disneyland Hotel has some of the best kid-oriented amenities I've seen at any Disney resort, including Goofy's Kitchen (daily character buffets), the outstanding Peter Pan-themed Neverland Pool, koi ponds, beautiful waterfall areas and a remote-controlled miniature boat attraction called the Safari Adventure Jungle Cruise Boats.

Ironically, however, since the addition of Disney's California Adventure and Downtown Disney in 2001, Disneyland Hotel has become the least convenient of the Disney resort hotels in terms of getting to the parks. There is no shuttle service, and the monorail no longer runs through the hotel, as it did in the old days. To get to Disneyland Park, you now have to walk a fair distance through part of Downtown Disney to get to the resort monorail station, which only serves Disneyland's Tomorrowland station. If you are going to Disney's California Adventure, which is not served by the monorail, you will be walking a long way to that park's entrance, fighting the crowds in Downtown Disney the entire time. Believe it or not, you will walk a LOT less distance if you stay off-site and park in the Mickey & Friends parking structure -- the shuttle from that structure drops you right at the front gates of the two parks.

The Neverland Pool is wonderful -- the best pool at Disneyland, and one of the best I've seen anywhere. The theming is excellent, with a pirate ship and lots of nice landscaping, and there's a fun water slide. All of the kids seemed to be having a great time (and many of the parents, too). On a hot August afternoon, shady seating is at a premium, though. You may want to use the pool early in the morning or later in the evening, when it's less crowded.

Be sure to walk through the grotto waterfall areas. They really take you into a different world and a simpler time, when such displays were major attractions. The kids really enjoyed the Safari Adventure Jungle Cruise Boat attraction, where you get to control tiny replicas of the Jungle Cruise boats on a little pond. Be prepared -- it will suck the dollar bills out of your pocket because it takes a while to learn how to control the boats, and the tokens don't give you a lot of time. Just when you're getting the hang of things, it's time to put another token in.

The Disneyland Hotel has more dining and lounge options than the other two hotels. For full service dining you can enjoy Steakhouse 55 or Hook's Pointe, which are both very good and quite high-end. (In all honesty I prefer Hook's Pointe to the more pretentious Napa Rose restaurant at the Grand Californian.)

For character meals, Disneyland Hotel has Goofy's Kitchen. The buffet was excellent, and I'm not usually a buffet fan. Everything was fresh and tasty, and there was an outstanding selection of items. The kids enjoyed visits from many characters, including Goofy (of course), Baloo from Jungle Book and a princess or two. By the way, when I called for reservations the day before, I was told they were booked solid for the next week, but we could try walking in. We decided to try, and arrived at 8:30 am. We were seated within just a few minutes, and the restaurant didn't get really busy until at least 9:00. By the time we left, there was a crowd waiting to get in. So if you want to try Goofy's Kitchen on a walk-in basis, just get there as early as possible.

The hotel also offers two snack/light meal outlets near the pool (Captain's Galley and Croc's Bits and Bites), a wine cellar, a traditional bar and a coffee bar.

Suite vs. Two Rooms

We were taking our niece and nephew to Disneyland, so we booked a 1-bedroom suite. Our suite, which was located in Wonder Tower on the 12th floor, was very spacious. It was attractively furnished, clean and well-maintained. The theming isn't overwhelming -- tasteful old sepia-toned maps of the original Disneyland on the TV armoires, and some nice Disney artwork from early animated features on the walls. There were two equal-sized rooms, a living room and a bedroom, with a connecting door between them. Both rooms had narrow walk-out balconies with a nice view of the resort pools.

Entry to the suite was through the living room, which had a large wet bar area at the front containing a long bar counter with two tall stools, a coffee maker and a sink, plus a huge closet. This area had no refrigerator or microwave, so it was better equipped for making drinks than for making a family breakfast. (In hindsight, I suspect these units are primarily used by corporate groups as hospitality suites.) Beyond the wet bar area was a spacious living room with a pull-out sofa, two overstuffed chairs, a desk and an armoire containing a television and mini-fridge.

The bedroom was pretty standard, with two double beds, a TV armoire, a small table and an overstuffed chair. The bathroom area had two sinks, one in the standard-sized but well-appointed bathroom, and one in a vanity area just outside the bath. Some of the best Disney touches were in the bathroom -- the wall light fixtures were held up by big Mickey hands and the vanities were extremely nice, with Disney elements tastefully incorporated. The bathroom area also had another huge closet. I have never seen so much storage space in a hotel room! (The bathroom area was a mirror image of the wet bar area in the adjoining living room, so I think these suites have been created by knocking two rooms together and replacing one of the bathrooms with the wet bar area.) The bedroom could be closed off from the bathroom area, so anyone coming from the living room could use the bath without disturbing someone in the bedroom.

However, knowing what I know now, next time I want extra space I'll choose two connecting rooms instead of a 1-bedroom suite. The wet bar/kitchenette area was useless to us -- two bathrooms would have been better. Also, with two rooms we'd have had "real" beds for everyone, as opposed to a pull-out sofa bed. Plus, regular rooms are usually discounted much more than suites. Booking two theme park view rooms instead of a suite would have saved us over a substantial amount and given us a better view and more comfortable accommodations.

Wonder Tower is located beyond the waterfall area and the koi ponds at the extreme southern edge of the hotel property. While the surroundings are just as attractive as those at the other towers, I learned from this visit that there are some significant downsides to staying in Wonder Tower. For one thing, that tower has the longest walk to the parks of any building at any of the Disneyland resorts (yes, including the less-expensive Paradise Pier hotel!) Staying in Magic Tower or Dream Tower will save you quite a few steps. Wonder Tower is also furthest from all of the major resort amenities, including the restaurants, the main lobby services, and the pool.

Concierge Level at the Disneyland Hotel

Be aware that suites do not automatically include access to the concierge lounge. You have to specifically request and pay for concierge service.

We arrived in the lobby and found a huge line for regular check-in and almost no line for concierge check-in. Concierge check-in was swift and friendly. The experience was not extremely different from the "regular" service I've had when staying in a standard Disney resort room, but I would describe the attitude of the Cast Members at the concierge desk as sort of "Disney plus" -- they made inquiries into any extra services we might require, asked if we needed any dining reservations, and that sort of thing.

The concierge lounge is located in Dream Tower. Since we were in Wonder Tower, it was very inconvenient for us to use the lounge, because to do so would involve taking the elevator downstairs, walking a good distance to Dream Tower, and then taking another elevator up to the lounge. Consequently I was the only one who used the lounge at all, and that was just to take a quick look and grab a bottle of water. If you choose to stay in concierge accommodations at the Disneyland Hotel, I strongly recommend requesting Dream Tower, with second choice Magic Tower.

The concierge lounge is very nice and has a lovely view of Downtown Disney and the parks, including a great view of the fireworks. It serves Continental breakfast and various snacks during the day and evening. There is also a desk where they will arrange dining reservations and accommodate other requests.

Concierge service at Disneyland Hotel was pretty minimal. The first afternoon I pressed the concierge button to have some dining reservations made, and was told I needed to call Dining Reservations, though they did connect me. Normally a concierge does this sort of thing for you.

History of the Disneyland Hotel

If you are interested in learning more about the fascinating history of the Disneyland Hotel, be sure to check out Disneyland Hotel: The Early Years 1954-1988. It has fantastic photos that will take you down memory lane!

Grand Californian

I can still remember my first visit to the Grand Californian. One look at the lobby and I was in love! "Stunning" is the only word for this hotel. Gorgeous woodwork, inlaid stone floors, a huge fireplace... a visit to the Grand Californian should be part of every trip to Disneyland!

The Grand Californian is by far the newest and of the Disneyland Resort hotels. While the rooms are not huge, they are comfortable, with gorgeous furnishings in an early 1900s Arts & Crafts/Frank Lloyd Wright design. We had two queen beds -- some rooms have a king bed. There are many lovely details, including wallpaper with a ceiling border that looks like stenciling.

The bathroom goodies are upgraded (no Mickey soaps -- instead you receive herbal soaps, shampoo and conditioner, lotion, etc.). In the closet you'll find bathrobes for your use while at the hotel. Our "theme park view" of DCA and the pool was pretty nice, and we had a spacious balcony.

There are two full-sized pools, plus a kiddie pool and a spa. Other than the beautiful ironwork on the fence around the pools and a pool slide made to look like the stump of a sequoia tree, there is no major theming. The hotel has a Mandara spa.

A unique feature of the Grand Californian is its private entrance into Disney's California Adventure, through a gate near the pool area. This entrance is reserved only for the use of hotel guests during peak periods (i.e., first thing in the morning). It saves you some walking and waiting in line.

We have almost always paid for valet parking because the self-parking is inconveniently far away. You have to cross a busy street to get back to the hotel from the self-parking.

The Grand Californian has two restaurants (Storyteller Cafe and Napa Rose), two bars and a snack bar/small food court, White Water Snacks. White Water Snacks is near the pool and offers some hot food items as well as cold snacks and sandwiches.

The very pretty Storyteller Cafe offers a character breakfast with Chip and Dale. You have a choice of a buffet or a la carte items. The food is best described as "glorified coffee shop" fare. You pay a premium for the character interaction.

The food at the elegant, award-winning Napa Rose restaurant is usually very good and attractively presented. Prices are very high (the wine markups are an outrage, even compared with other high-end restaurants) and service can be somewhat sketchy. I think the open kitchen at Napa Rose was an unfortunate choice for this restaurant, as it creates a very noisy environment, which clashes with the soothing decor. Overall, I hesitate to recommend Napa Rose as a good value for the money.

Concierge Level at the Grand Californian

I have stayed on the concierge level at the Grand Californian a couple of times. It is quite expensive and frankly I think it's questionable whether it's worth the money. If you feel like a big splurge, go for it.

Ostensibly you are supposed to be met in the lobby when you arrive for expedited concierge check-in. On both of my stays this didn't actually happen, and I waited in line with everyone else. So don't expect this service, but you might be pleasantly surprised.

Concierge level rooms are a deluxe version of the already very nice standard rooms. I would estimate that they are about four feet wider than a standard room, which gives them a more spacious feeling. Some rooms have a king bed plus a pull-out sofa, while others have two double beds.

The only significant amenity that is different in a concierge room is a DVD player in the television armoire. You can borrow DVDs (all Disney titles, and not much that's new) at the concierge desk. The concierge desk can also arrange dining reservations and accommodate other requests.

The concierge lounge is pretty big (though not as big as the one at Disneyland Hotel) and attractively furnished in keeping with the hotel's Craftsman theming. Apparently you can see the Disneyland fireworks from the lounge, though the view is of a courtyard and the fireworks would be seen over a rooftop.

A basic Continental breakfast (hot beverages, juice, pastries, bagels, yogurt, cereal and fresh fruit) is offered in the lounge each morning and various snacks are offered throughout the day. For instance, during certain hours you can enjoy "afternoon tea" with urns of hot beverages, tiny sandwiches and a few sweets. A list of the current offerings is provided at check-in.

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