Where to stay off-site for a romantic trip? About This Page:

[TheTravelMama]

We (or I should say I) am thinking of doing an overnight trip to Disneyland to celebrate my husband and my 8th wedding anniversary. We have 2 little kids (4, 1) and as annual passholders, we do a day-trip to Disneyland about once every other month or so. We've stayed at the Grand Californian & Disneyland Hotel in the past with the kids. We'd be going SANS KIDS! We are looking for something less expensive but still very nice within walking distance of the parks & DT Disney. (Is that all?!)

Any suggestions?

[tkm1005]

Unfortunately I can't really help with anything off site. We only stayed off site one time and found the Anaheim area nearby Disney a little too touristy and crowded for our taste. We really enjoyed staying at Paradise Pier on site and being within walking distance to the Downtown Disney area and the parks so that would get my vote Where ever you stay you will be without kids so its sure to be more relaxing!!

[HeatherD]

I'm thinking you want to go with the "name brand" hotels, rather than one of the motels. Places like Holiday Inn, Wyndham, etc. There's a Portofino there (just east of the convention center, I think) that looks nice from the outside.

Previously, we really liked the Anabella, which is right on the corner of Katella and Disneyland Dr (next to Tiffy's). It's a "motel" but was very nicely appointed with some interesting room configurations. We stopped using them because of customer service (and walking distance - especially now with the parking lot closed off), but I understand they got new management a while back and things have improved.

Looking at this map, I see a few things:
- Most of the "front" places on Harbor are motels and not conducive to a romantic evening.
- Fairfield Inn might be a good compromise between price and atmosphere.
- I see a Holiday Inn Express and a Residence Inn.

The more I look at it, the more I think that Paradise Pier might be a good choice...but that's for you to decide if the price just isn't right for you for this trip.

[TheTravelMama]

Thanks for the suggestions! I decided to go ahead & book at Disney's Paradise Pier since we've never stayed there & with our Annual Passholder discount, the price wasn't too much higher than other off-site hotels.

Now, all I have to do is find a babysitter willing to stay the night & convince my husband that Disneyland can be romantic!

[Two4Disney]

I think you did well booking Paradise Pier just for the access to everything. We just did an offsite and it was painful not having the access we're used to.

But should you still be wondering where to book something offsite, you might try Embassy Suites just because of the awesome atmosphere and 2 rooms - very romantic - good place to stay with the kids, too, because of that. But difficult getting to Disneyland property.

[zacksmom_1993]

I was going to recommend Embassy Suites as well, but I also think the Candy Cane Inn is incredibly sweet and romantic. Lots of flowers and twinkling lights, and I'm pretty sure they have nicely appointed king bed rooms. It's also an easy walk to the parks, and they have a free shuttle for tired feet at the end of the day. You might want to take a look at it, though an AP rate at Paradise Pier might be comparably priced. Happy Anniversary!