Unfortunately, Disneyland was infested with motorcoach lodges in the parks early days. Because of this, to stay in a proper hotel you need to venture out away from the resort with a few exceptions. I lucked out with this hotel as my 3 star pick on hotwire. I paid $80 inclusive of taxes which was a bargain considering the run down motor inns accross the street from Disneyland were charging $129 base rate.

This is the resort leg of the brand, which really is not a true resort but still very nice. Upon check in I was greeted by a cheerful front desk agent who allowed us to check in at 1PM. Our room was right outside the elevator so I was a bit worried, but this did not end up a problem. I opened the door and before me was a suprisingly large room. My room had a large King bed with a chair and ottoman. The bathroom was large and spacious. The shower head was of the upgraded variety and water pressure was good. The bathroom amenities were bath and body works which was a nice touch. The TV was the old box tube, but really did not care as I was not there to watch TV. I did not try the restaurant, but kids did eat free there.

The real only con was that you had to pay to use the city bus rather than the hotel provided shuttle many properties have. This con was negated a bit as the hotel had a nice stop within the resort. I saw other hotels have their guests wait on the street. The cost was $4 per person per day.

I would more than likely stay here again if the price was right and I was unable to find a comparable hotel with a free shuttle.

I read some of the other reviews and was worried about this hotel. I have to tell you that everything was really good staying at this Holiday Inn. The rooms were clean and comfortable. However it would have been nice to having a Queen bed as we have King bed at home ,so having a double bed was a little small. Especially we had both of our boys in bed (2 and 5) with us one night as our five year old fell out of the bunk and got hurt and woke everyone up. We then also used the ironing board to build up the safety rail to ensure he does not fall out again.

The kids bunks are located in the same room. We thought (from the pictures) the kids bunks were in a separate room; they are not. They are in the same room, without a door, but blocked off from the main area.

Housekeeping did a good job of cleaning our room and found it to be tidy on our return from Disney.

We drove to Disney the first day so we did not need to worry about the walk. However the following days we walked. I read some reviews, which said it was a little far to walk, but we had no problems with the walk and really enjoyed it.

We had plenty of HOT water and pressure for showers or baths. We utilized the fridge and stocked it from Target! We also picked up a $7 dollar toaster which we just left behind. It was great to toast our bagels in the morning. They did also include a coffee maker in the room.

Make sure you let them know you are a priority club member and they give you a different set of room keys which offer 10% off at the restaurant.

We utilized the hot tub almost everything night but we were never around the hotel during the day to use the pool as I don’t think it was heated.

We had no issue finding this hotel from the LAX airport and this was our first time driving here.

We would stay here again.

I'm currently staying at this hotel, this is our fifth night of a 6 night stay here. My wife and I are experienced travellers in the Orange County area, and have been fortunate to visit annually for the last 6 years. We have stayed at many of the resorts, including all of the Disney hotels. Obviously when we booked a Holiday Inn we were not expecting a Disney resort - we went on a budget this year, and are not hotel snobs. We booked this trip through Westjet and the price was right, we figured that we could live without the convenience of being right on the Disney property - here are my thoughts:

Location: Brutal. You are sandwiched between the interstate highway (LOUD) and a lovely little trailer park. To be fair, the trailer park is fine and was not loud at all. I wish I could say the same for the ridiculous construction outside. They are currently building a road about 50 feet from the hotel, and last night they decided to work right through the night. I honestly haven't slept more than a couple of hours since we arrived. It's just about 1am as I write this, and if you scroll down to see how long this review is, it's that way because I can't sleep!!! Now I realize that this isn't entirely the hotel's fault - but it sure isn't mine. Between both Westjet and the hotel there was absolutely no warning about this construction, and it's a real pain. Beyond this, the other thing to note is that you are a LONG distance from the park. We are both avid hikers in good shape, it was our intention to walk back and forth to the park - if that's your plan, forget it now. If you're looking for a reasonably priced property close to the hotel, look at the Howard Johnson or either of the Best Westerns that are directly across the street from the park. It's worth the extra dough. There is a reasonably priced shuttle back and forth to the park, but it's a pain and you're on someone else's schedule. Parking at the park is a rip off of epic proportions and you'll still end up with a shuttle ride or a long walk - please don't make that mistake (we did this time).

Service: Staff seem generally pleasant. The lady running the gift shop has a great sense of humour and personality. Check in was quick, housekeeping is adequate at best - we asked for a couple of flat pillows and that the batteries be changed in the thermostat as they are dead and we can't adjust the temp. Neither of these happened, though they obviously got the notes as we received a bunch of extra pillows (just not the flat ones we asked for - read on if you care). We did not eat at the restaurant but spoke with a couple at the resort transit pickup that said the service was really good but the food was awful. Take that with a grain of salt.

Rooms: Adequate. Lower your expectations now and you'll be okay here. It's your run of the mill 2 star room. I'll admit right off the bat that I'm bitter about our room because it's located right across from the elevator and right next to the construction - noise noise noise. Tube TV? Yep... didn't even think they still made these! AC is cold and works, though our thermostat ran out of juice and housekeeping didn't replace despite the request. I didn't bother to call the front desk about it, so I guess I'm as much to blame. I felt that the rooms were not very clean, and while it's certainly a matter of personal opinion I do expect that my room is vacuumed all around, not just the main traffic areas. I also expect that bathrooms are properly maintained. The showerhead leaks quite badly which leads to water all over the bathroom floor, the caulking around the tub has a huge gap in it which had obviously had mould cleaned out of it on multiple occasions (why not just fix it the first time?). Towels were good the first few days but I think today someone's gum ended up in the wash load. There are a bunch of little blue chunks that are intertwined with hair ground into the towels - GROSS. Our room did not have any bugs (I checked in great detail) despite others claiming bed bugs. I'd suggest that the hotel give their rooms a hard look. An inexpensive minor renovation would do these rooms a world of good and likely avoid negative reviews.

The bottom line: If you are planning to stay here, then you are probably looking at value for money. The price is definitely right, but before you make the decision to stay here consider that there are SO many options in the area for just slightly more money that offer substantially more value. If you stay here, plan to deal with the noise. If you're a little less like me (I have no desire to deal with confrontational issues when I'm on vacation - I don't complain) then you can probably argue your way into a better room. The family we're here with are staying at the "Homewood Suites by Hilton", which is pretty middle of the road but includes both breakfast and dinner (a rarity around here). We wish we would have stayed here instead.

Here's some parting advice from our years of experience in the area:

If you can swing the extra cash, staying at a Disney Resort is worth it. Consider the cost of your time taking shuttles back and forth, the convenience of being able to return to your room whenever you want quickly (wet clothes after splash mountain, tired kiddies, lunch that doesn't cost a limb, etc.) and suddenly the Walt Disney tax doesn't seem quite as hard to swallow. We recommend the Paradise Pier hotel, it's just a quick walk through the Grand Californian to use the private guest entrance, and while the hotel is pretty average it does have that extra Disney touch and level of service. We spent a few nights at the Grand Californian during our Honeymoon - it was great, super comfy beds, fantastic view and service, but the bill was tough to swallow and I don't think I'd recommend it over Paradise Pier. If this is going to be a one time thing for your family, wait a little longer and save a little extra to stay on property.

If you can't swing the extra cash (who can right now!?) then consider properties like the Howard Johnson or Best Western main gate, they are just as close as paradise pier. I haven't personally stayed at either, but the reviews on here seem positive and I can confirm the location is excellent. Avoid the Hotel Menage, especially if you have kids - it's party central and the rooms are a joke. If you are looking to do things other than Disney and want a reasonably priced hotel that has a shuttle and fantastic service consider the Double Tree hotel next to "The Block" at Orange. We've stayed there twice and both times we were treated like royalty, as were the kids travelling with us. These guys know what service is all about. The rooms are nothing special (or weren't at last visit) but they know what counts - good quality beds and bedding and very clean. Room service was deadly good as well.

With regards to food: Eating at the park is expensive and the food sucks. Carrying a backpack with a picnic is your best bet, but that's a pain when you're already on your feet all day (we logged over 30000 steps at the park yesterday). Downtown Disney presents some good options that are still expensive but miles apart from the crap they serve in the park. Naples (Pizza, Pasta, and "Authentic" Italian) is seriously excellent and our waiter was a wealth of information. Rainforest cafe is fun, and if you have kids (or just want to get really drunk on free poured rum drinks in flashy glasses) it's probably worth a stop. Don't expect to get out of there for under $200 with drinks for a family of four. We prefer to leave the park and get away from the tourist traps - everything at Disney, the Garden Walk, or right near the park is overpriced and mass produced. Anaheim has a plethora of excellent restaurants if you are willing to leave the resort area and think outside of the box. They've got some of the best Mexican food in the country here and I haven't found a bad meal yet at any hole in the wall place around OC. Careful, some areas look a bit sketchy. There's also several great Thai and Peruvian joints as well as great local fresh seafood in the area should your body get tired of greasy grub.

In the park we love the Dole Pineapple Whips and the Dill Pickles. The turkey legs look tempting but are disgusting (IMHO). If you're into Mint (and I am!) the Juleps are good and the Beignets while nothing like the real deal are still really good. I've avoided most of the sweets on main street, but if you've got a sweet tooth then they've got you covered and it all looks really good. The coffee shop on main also has free refills all day.

Finally, if shopping is your thing I'd suggest "The Block" at Orange and "South Coast Plaza" in Costa Mesa (15 minute drive). The Block has loads of outlet stores in a nice outdoor atmosphere, as well as a bunch of good eats and entertainment. South Coast Plaza is a bit of a hike (you'll need a car) but they have great stores and restaurants.

Enjoy your time here and consider taking some time away from the parks to enjoy some of the other things in the area. I highly recommend a trip to Santa Monica pier. Walk the beach, enjoy lunch on the promenade, etc. You and your family will love it here, and hopefully some of these tips will help you out. OH! Go see "World of Color" and get your fastpass as early as possible. As many others have said, it's like the Bellagio fountains on Acid. It totally blew my mind.

Rooms are nice. Queen size beds would have been nice though when having 3 in a room. Not comfortable sharing a double bed with teenaged kids. Didn't want to squeeze in a cot for $15/ night for a week. Great access to Disney transit system. Breaks at buffet was unimpressive. Wished we figured out that breakfast at Disney was better and cheaper earlier on before dropping $35 every morning ordering off the menu. Good size bathrooms. Would have liked to been able to open the room windows to let in fresh air.