I was a little apprehensive about this place due to the price of our 2-room family suite. Some of the negative reviews also had me worried, but after our 2 night stay, I feel we got a good deal; the room was clean and quiet, we slept well, and it is indeed within reasonable walking distance of Disneyland. Yes, it's about a 15-minute walk, but if you look at other hotels with "maingate" in their names, then look at just how close they actually are to the entrance, you'll see that this is closer than many of them. Also, the #10 shuttle stops right outside the hotel and takes you right to the park entrance for a small fee; I see someone complained that there is a fee, but it's cheap, and an option if you're too tired or out of shape to walk the short distance. I've used the "free" shuttles before, and this is much better. With very young kids, take the shuttle, but our grandkids ages 7&9 did fine, even returning after a long day when we didn't want to wait for the shuttle.
The room was a decent size, the second bedroom had a TV and its own air conditioner...the kids were thrilled with having their own room, and we enjoyed them having it. It's an older hotel, but not dingy or smelly like many older places, the TV's are old style CRT but large, the wireless internet works well, the continental "breakfast" is what I expected at the price...donuts, rolls, and juice/coffee. There's a refrigerator, microwave, and coffeemaker, the shower was hot and put out a good amount of water, there were enough towels, and overall it was a good place to stay. The office staff wasn't particularly friendly or helpful, but not bad...they were there to answer questions when needed. We didn't try the pool or hot tub, that's not what we were there for.
If you're looking for something fancy, mints on the bed, gourmet breakfast, and plush furnishings with a limo driver to take you to the park...or you step out your door and are right there in Fantasyland, keep on looking, but this is a very decent place that is close to Disneyland and at a good price. Having a Starbuck's right next door, and a convenience store right next to it made everything handy, but while there's a Taco bell on the corner, there's not much else around for food unless you get down nearer the park.
- Americas Best Value Astoria Hotel
