Anaheim, California
We were looking to try a Good Neighbor Hotel at the Disneyland Resort. We wanted something with the convenience of walking to the entrances to the parks but also wanted a hotel that came with good reviews. I had stayed at two Disneyland Good Neighbor hotels before, the Candy Cane Inn and the Best Western Anaheim Inn and both were really nice so this was a great chance to try a new option. The Tropicana Inn and Suites came recommended by agents at The Magic For Less Travel so we booked our standard room there for five nights.
It turned out to be a great choice. We arrived on Sunday afternoon and while the area around the hotel was busy, we were greeted cordially by the parking attendant who asked us about our stay. We were planning to return our rental car so we were not going to need a parking space and were given time to park at the front of the resort to unload our bags to a luggage cart. There is a daily parking fee if you will be traveling around the area to see other sights. The rental car return on Katella Avenue was less than a mile walk back and we were able to stop at a convenience store along the way to pick up a few items we needed. There are also several national chain restaurants like Denny’s and iHop conveniently located near the hotel for budget-friendly meals.
The lobby staff was just as nice as many of the Disney Cast Members. They work hard to keep their Good Neighbor Hotel status and were ready to answer many of our questions and even had tear-off maps of the parks for me when I asked. We were checked in quickly and given our room assignment. I had faxed a request to the hotel a few days prior after reading that quieter rooms are toward the back of the resort but rooms upfront and on the top floor may have a view of the fireworks over Disneyland. My fax was received and the front desk even called me personally to tell me that they had received it and noted it in our file. I know that requests are never guaranteed but our room, 375 had an amazing view of the Matterhorn coaster and I knew we’d be able to see the fireworks from there as well.
We had booked our hotel package with Disneyland and booked a standard queen room. There are other room types available and once your vacation package is booked, you can call the hotel to upgrade to a deluxe queen bedroom or even a suite. For our family of four, we are still okay with a standard hotel room and the amenities in this room included a microwave and refrigerator which made it easy for us to return from meals with leftovers and keep them for times when we were relaxing in the room.
The hotels’ other amenities include a nice pool for hotter weather as well as a laundry room with coin-operated machines if you are staying for an extended vacation. There is also an elevator if you need it for a room on the third floor. Our room was also near to the complimentary breakfast room but far enough away that it wasn’t a disturbance in the morning. We tend to grab and go with breakfast so the pastries and light breakfast items are enough for us on the days that we took advantage of it.
The best feature by far though is the location. This hotel is a short walk from the entrances to both Disneyland and California Adventure which made it so easy to get back and forth each morning and each evening and even during the day if one or more of us wanted a break from the parks. Unlike Walt Disney World, we didn’t have to pay deluxe resort prices for this convenience. We watched the fireworks from our balcony on two separate nights and loved the fact that when they were over, we weren’t fighting the crowds to exit the park.
We did miss the Disney themed elements to the room that we always get at Walt Disney World or if we had stayed at one of the three Disneyland Resorts but for this vacation, we thought the Tropicana Inn and Suites was a great choice.
We think that this is a great place to stay for Disneyland visits too.