Residence Inn by Marriott Anaheim Maingate

Great place for large families.

When we arrived the staff were friendly, and our room was clean and a good match for those with a large family. The beds were decent. They were not the best but they did the job, and after long days at disneyland we were asleep as soon as we laid down. The pool, and spa were great. Good temperature, and the kiddie pool was great for my 2 and 3 year old. They also offered a free grocery shopping service, have your list in by 9 am and by noon the groceries would be in your room. The costs were normal, not overpriced. This enabled us to utilize our kitchen, and save money instead of buying food in the parks. They also offered a free hot breakfast buffet. The food was decent, and they had something for just about everyone. The onsite disney rep was great as well. The walk to the park was about 10-15 minutes. If this is too far they also are part of The ART shuttle services. For a fee you can ride the shuttle too the park, but sometimes the shutttle would get uncomfortably full and you might even have to wait for the next one. (it runs every 20 minutes.) Overall the hotel staff were pleasant, and we felt comfortable in our room. Our next trip we will definitely stay again.

We travelled off season. The weather was still warm ,70-80 degrees, during our trip. It wasnt too crowded when we travelled. The only day we really felt the lines was our final night which was Friday. So if you can travel during a weekday, there seems to be less traffic, and the overall cost of your trip will be less.

OK, I guess

Rooms are not big. One mirror. Wireless internet connection is slow. Breakfast did not look appetizing to me, so I skipped it. My wife seemed to think it was OK. Non-rushed walking time to Disney is 15-20 minutes. Room is just fine when you are sleeping :-)

Convenient and Comfortable

We had a great room with windows that faced toward Disneyland, so we were able to see the fireworks at night. However, because it was close to the street, there was loud noise heard during the night. The hotel takes pets, but they have certain sections where no pets are allowed--a convenience for one of us who is allergic to pet hair. The sofabed needed a new mattress, but the hotel replaced it during our stay. Breakfast was pretty good with a decent variety. Hotel personnel were very friendly and helpful.

While walking to Disneyland Resort, we noticed a Metro bus stop to downtown Los Angeles. As frequent visitors to the SoCal area, we are so used to the automobile, so as an adventure, we decided to spend a day and take the bus. Locals at the hotel were not very knowledgable about the buses since they don’t typically used them. While it took about 90 minutes (in non-commute time) to get downtown. The bus travels through Orange county cities like Norwalk and Buena Park, but once it got to the freeway at the county border, it quickly took us right in front of the LA Convention Center and Staples Center, right into downtown. All for $2.45! From there we took the underground Metro Train (we took station at Figueroa and Seventh; there’s an LA information center across the street) to Hollywood and Highland (Kodak Center, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, etc.) for only $1.25! And if you stay around the downtown area (Disney Music Hall, Little Tokyo, etc.), it’s only 25 cents on the DASH buses. What a bargain! And no parking to worry about! Can you imagine? Roundtrip from Anaheim to Hollywood cost less than ten bucks! NOTE: Amtrak was suggested by one hotel personnel; well, that cost $40!