30+ Best Affordable Hotels Near Disneyland

So often people just ask me what are my favorite hotels for their Disneyland trip.  So, today I’m compiling ALL my Disneyland hotel posts and I’m going to share the best off-property hotels near Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. I’m going to give you over 25 great options depending on what you’re looking for your family.  Remember, every family has what is important to them, so I hope you’ll find one that is a perfect match for your price, distance and amenities for your family.

Hi, I’m Hilary — I’m what they call a Disneyand planning expert (but my actual job is being a nurse). I’ve stayed at or toured LOTS of hotels in the Disneyland area and I’m excited to share that info with you here today. Let’s get going!

The Best Off-Site Disneyland Hotel

My favorite affordable Disneyland hotel is The Viv.  I absolutely love this hotel, and it currently holds my favorite hotel in Anaheim spot.

The guest rooms are quiet, super clean, the staff is super responsive (without being weird) and it has rooms for larger families (at AMAZING price points — seriously check it out).  It also has great on-site restaurants, and the adults-only rooftop hotel is a favorite of mine, crowning it the best off-property hotel for me.

This also speaks to where I’m at. I go leisurely to Disneyland (because I go a lot), if I’m wanting to GO to Disneyland, I stay across the street. 🙂

The main “con” to this hotel is the distance to the park. However, the shuttle service does pick you up at the front door of the hotel (which is really nice).

Don’t worry, I’m going to review lots of other hotels for you… I know that 30 hotels can feel overwhelming, so I wanted to give you just my top 10 first….

My 10 Favorite Disneyland Hotels

I’ll be honest, it was a pretty difficult list to narrow down my best hotels near Disneyland.  I have a lot of favorites.  Also, as I stay at more off-property hotels this list may change.

1. The Viv – This hotel is bright, clean, and quiet, and the price is nice for such a good hotel.
2. Best Western Plus Park Place Inn – This is the closest hotel to the park, and it is closer than about 90% of the rooms in Disney’s Grand Californian hotel (depending on which park you’re going to and the placement in the hotel), it has free breakfast, and the rooms are fine.
3. The Anaheim Hotel – This hotel has GREAT rates, and I really like the “vibe” of the hotel and their spacious rooms. It is within walking distance of the Disneyland resort and has an on-site pizza restaurant.  This is the one hotel I haven’t personally stayed at but I have toured it several times and love their recent renovation.
4. Castle Inn & Suites – This was our family’s choice hotel when we had small boys.  They LOVED the hotel theming, we loved the price and it is easily within walking distance from Disneyland
5. Camelot Hotel — This one is also VERY close (and very walkable)and has a great family suite which I have used for a girls trip.
6. Tropicana – This hotel is the 2nd most walkable and the rooms are very adequate.  They also sleep 5 due to a sleeper chair in the room.  Price and location is the big win for this hotel.
7. JW Marriott – This hotel is really nice (possibly too nice for a stay with small kids), it’s close to Garden walk restaurants and is walkable to the parks.
8. Cambria Inn And Suites Anaheim – This hotel has a waterpark, is at a great price point, several room times, great for large families.  It is NOT walkable (similar distance as The Viv), but has a great free breakfast!  My only issue is a lack of storage (so if you’re staying here use packing cubes to make it work).
9. Residence Inn Resort Area – I love how large of rooms you can get for their price point.  The Family suite with 2 queens, a living area and 1 king (with 2 bathrooms) is AWESOME for large groups.
10. The Courtyard Anaheim Resort Area – If all things were equal this is a GREAT hotel stay.  It’s very walkable, the rooms are really nice (with bunk beds) and and this hotel also has a water park.  However, the price is the killer for me and I always encourage you to check pricing at the Disneyland hotels with this one before booking it.

Ok, that gives MY favorite hotels near Disneyland. As a note, I have stayed (or toured several times) all of the hotels on this list.  So, I am really speaking from experience with a LOT of the Disneyland area Hotels.

I actually made a graphic that compares them a bit better (click into it, it has 3 pages you can check out and has links to each hotel also).

But, I did want to share….

Top 10 hotels Booked by Pulling Curls Readers:

1. Clarion Hotel – guessing this is the sweet price point
2. Fairfield Inn – rooms are well kept and it’s close!
3. Cambria Hotel & Suites – love this hotel, I think it’s one of the most-booked rooms with Get Away Today, a VERY family-friendly hotel! This hotel has basic rooms and suites.
4. Element by Westin – I love this hotel (but I haven’t stayed there)
5. Tropicana Inn & Suites – It’s adequate and close.  Can’t beat that!
6. Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance – The price point hurts sometimes, but it is a GREAT stay!
7. Delta Hotels – I have heard SO much good stuff about this hotel!
8. Residence Inn at Anaheim Resort Convention Center – I loved my stay at this hotel.  It’s nice as nice as some of the others, but their family suite is a favorite!
9. The Viv – I bet if this one was closer it would do better…. 
10. The last spot was a tie between The Disneyland Hotel, Homewood Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort Convention Center, Sonesta Anaheim Resort Area and Stanford Inn & Suites

And, before we get going, there are perks to staying at on-property hotel.  There are three Disneyland hotels (these are the hotels IN Disneyland resort area):

• Disneyland Grand Californian
• The Disneyland Hotel (the original)
• Paradise Pier Hotel (soon to be Pixar-themed).

Don’t ignore the Disney hotels (especially when you get to the higher price points).  But, for my family the cost just hasn’t outweighed staying at one of the official Disneyland hotels (we’ve never stayed on-property).

Tips for Choosing a Disneyland Hotel

I have my best tips for Disneyland hotels but I think it’s really important to ask yourself what is important to you. for your Disneyland vacation.  Is it….

{click on the link for what you prefer and I’ll take you to that section of this post, or just keep scrolling to read about my top hotels for each of these categories}

1. Location to the park.  Do you want a hotel within walking distance to Disneyland park? Do you want just a short drive, or take an Uber or the shuttle (I got you shuttle peeps, stay tuned)
2. Price.  Are you on a limited budget and really need to make use of every dollar? 
3. Free breakfast.  Do you need a free breakfast with your stay?  Do you want it to be good, or is just the basics fine?
4. Room Space.  Are you traveling with a larger party, or do you need some extra space for crazy kids or a playpen (or feel claustrophobic otherwise)
5. Separation from Kids.  Do you desperately want a door to separate you and your kids for a few minutes after the parks (I know this feeling).
6. Kitchen. Maybe you want a full kitchen in your hotel room?
7. Niceness.  Do you just prefer nicer hotels, and other hotels make your skin crawl — I’ve got you there too!
8. Pool Area.  A lot of people come to Southern California for GREAT time at the pools and hot tubs, so which ones are the best?

There are other things like, if the hotel offers fridges or microwaves (most do), flat screen TV’s, if there are dining options nearby, free wi-fi (most do), or if they have free parking (I have a big tip for this, so stay tuned) or a fitness center.  But those seven tend to be the ones people care most about.

And, before I get started with all of this, you’ll notice that most of the hotel links open up to my favorite Disneyland hotel site, Get Away Today.  I check pricing pretty frequently between them and other sites and Get Away Today comes out ahead almost every time.  So, why do I recommend them (beyond having used them since 1998 – long before I had a website).

• They have great customer service (like probably the best customer service of any company I’ve ever worked with)
• They have a best-price guarantee, so even if you see the price somewhere else they will match it!
• They allow trip layaway for just $200 — $100 of that goes to the layaway cost, and $100 towards the trip.  Then, you can make payments on it up til’ 8 days before your trip.  This allows you to lock in just the right location and paying it off as you go (which can save you a lot if you get the right hotel).
• Many of the hotels offer extra perks when you book with them like free (or reduced fee) parking, extra pool perks and more — which is amazing!
• They offer many of the hotels standard rooms and other types (but if the room type you want isn’t listed you can call them and they can often book it for you at a great rate)

I really like their Peace of Mind Plan.  It seems like all the cheap hotel room rates are non refundable anymore.  With the Peace of Mind Plan you can move, shift, adjust your hotel room (as long as rooms are available) as many times as you need, for just $99.  I’ve used it several times, and they were always so great for each adjustment.

They also have the best prices (especially if you use my special link) on Disneyland tickets (which makes for GREAT Disneyland packages).

Be sure to check out hotel prices with Get Away Today and use code CURLS10 to save $10 on a hotel/ticket package.

Closest Hotels to Disneyland

The Disneyland resort is VERY different than Walt Disney World in that the actual Disneyland Resort hotels can NOT hold all their guests (or even close to it) and they rely on Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotels to give their guests a magical stay.  This post is referring to Disneyland, California

In fact many of the hotels on S Harbor Boulevard are closer to Disneyland than either The Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier hotel.  FYI, The Grand Californian hotel does have an entrance directly into Disney California Adventure (but it’s the on-property luxury hotel at Disneyland) — but the walk from your room to Disneyland park from that hotel may be further than it is for some of the hotels I’m listing.

The hotels on Harbor are the most walkable for me — let me show you a map of what I find to actually walkable in both the morning and the evenings when you’re tired.

** Remember that even when you’re “on property” you have to get to the actual main entrance to Disneyland (going through security on your way) so all hotels are 5+ minute walk from the main entrance no matter where you stay.  Also, when hotels put their “walking time” think of it as a very fast water, not a typical family walking time.  I often double their time to get to the actual entrance for my family.  Many say a “short walk” (and in real life it probably is, but when you add walking in the parks all day it’s a lot). Security can also have long lines at peak times, and you can’t avoid that.

I have a post all about my favorite hotels that are walkable to Disneyland, but my 3 best hotels within walking distance are:

• Best Western Park Place – With free breakfast, family suites and the CLOSEST hotel to the park this one fills quickly (and the price point speaks to that). Your walk to Disneyland security is probably 5 minutes (fast walkers can probably get to security in 2 minutes if they time the lights right).  This hotel located directly across the street from the Disneyland entrance on Harbor (you can see it above).
• Camelot Inn – At a lower price point, no breakfast, but also VERY close, it doesn’t fill as fast.
• Tropicana – This hotel is “adequate”.  i stayed here with 4 adults and 1 child and it was TIGHT but man that quick walk back from the park was worth it (and it fit our budget).

Bonus Budget Option: The Anaheim Hotel – best price for a very walkable hotel room.

** I want to be really clear that the most walkable hotels are usually more expensive.  But, you have to factor in the price of parking/Uber/Shuttle into your other costs to make sure the savings is worth it.  As you get further away from Disneyland the prices normally decrease quite a bit.

There are a good number of hotels that are close to the parks that I might walk to the parks in the morning, but will be desperate to take the shuttle (just $4/one-way trip) or Uber home from — it’s just too far to walk back to — FOR ME.  But I do see lots of families walking back to those hotels in the evenings.  They just don’t look happy. 🙂

You could stay at some of the hotels on Katella and it’s not a horrible walk (but you do have to go through Downtown Disney which I find somewhat annoying).  I know a lot of people walk from those hotels and enjoy it.

The hotels you can see on this map are The Westin and Best Western Stovall’s. Those are both close to the Anaheim Convention Center too!

Also, check out my option further down below that talks about the best hotels with a shuttle to the parks.

Pro tip:  Although Disneyland is in Anaheim there are other cities outside the Anaheim Area like Buena Park, Orange or Garden Grove that offer hotels in close proximity.

Cheapest Disneyland Hotels

I have a whole post on the best cheap hotels near Disneyland, in that post I give LOTS of options for you to pick between around Disneyland. Don’t forget that there are cheaper times of the year to go to Disneyland.

Keep in mind that I wouldn’t call any of these cheap hotels in Anaheim (or near Anaheim) walkable, but they are close enough for the parks for a quick drive, uber or shuttle ride.

The Clarion Hotel – This is a HUGE seller with Get Away Today and when you see the price you’ll know why.  It’s also close to the Toy Story Parking lot which means you can use that shuttle for free if you want.  It’s adequate, but not fancy.

The Eden Roc Inn comes in just a few dollars more than that Clarion.  I haven’t personally stayed here, but another friend said it is also very adequate.  She did feel like the area wasn’t as good, but the hotel itself was good.

The Stanford – This one doesn’t get amazing reviews, but I have had a friend stay here and say it was fine.  Most people say it and Eden Roc are pretty similar.

Bonus Further Out Option:  The Best Western PLUS in Placentia gets great reviews (I haven’t stayed there), it has a free breakfast and people in the reviews say it only took about 15 minutes to drive to the park. The ART Shuttle would not pick you up from this hotel.

Bonus Walkable Options:  If staying walkable is important, you could try the Anaheim Hotel (cheapest hotels close to Disneyland), or Castle Inn and Suites is just a bit more. In most cases the closer you stay near Disneyland the more expensive it is (but there are great budget options like those two).

Pro Tip: Remember to look at your total Disneyland budget when picking a hotel, and how much money you’ll need for your Disneyland trip.  If you’re adding parking, Uber or a shuttle that can be $20-$40 more/day.  So, for $50’ish more/night you can stay at the Anaheim Hotel that is walkable, and not have to pay those fees.  Something to consider when you’re planning Disneyland on a budget.

I have a Disneyland Cost Calculator that can help with all of that:

Disneyland Hotels with Free Breakfast

Having a free breakfast can be really important to families, and I agree that it can save you good money (if your kids will actually eat it).

My one caveat here is that MOST hotels offer a fridge and microwave (or have one available) and my kids are always SO excited to go to Disneyland we rarely get much “Free breakfast” down them.  I found I preferred to just hand them gogurts to slurp on the way to the parks and then snack during the day.

Best Free Breakfasts at Disneyland Hotels:

If you’re looking for the best free breakfasts I’d recommend:

The Element — AMAZING breakfast with lots of options (including breakfast tacos)

The Cambria – GREAT free breakfast and they have a TON of Mickey Waffle irons. The waffles taste just like they do in the parks (that could easily save you a LOT).  Their complimentary breakfast area also has a TON of room, which is nice on busy park mornings.

Embassy Suites – This one has made-to-order omlets.  I haven’t actually stayed here, but I hope to soon as it’s a favorite of Pulling Curls Readers.

All of those hotels are CLOSE but not really walkable.  If you’re looking for CLOSE there is the Best Western Park Place.  It is the closest hotel with a free breakfast, the next one out is Desert Palms Hotel (wasn’t my favorite for my stay but it gets OK reviews and is very walkable located just behind Disney California Adventure Park at the corner of Katella and Harbor).

Many of those hotels have a great price point, but if you’re looking for the cheaper hotel with free breakfast check out the Best Western Hotel in Placentia (a bit further out), or The Hampton Inn Convention Center.

Disneyland Hotel Rooms with Plenty of Space

I have a whole post on the best hotels with bunk beds close to Disneyland.  These are a great option if your kids don’t want to sleep together (aka, mine) but you have a few of them.

My favorite hotels with bunk beds:

The Viv – I know, you’ve heard it before.  So many good things!

The Courtyard – I love their rooms. They’re nice and compact, and these bunk beds are a game-changer for larger families!

If you’re just looking for large rooms (like a lot of space)…. may I recommend:

• The Anaheim Hotel
• The SunCoast has really big rooms
• The Anaheim Majestic has nice large rooms
• The Castle Inn Family suites are also REALLY big.

Note: I haven’t included rooms with a door between you and the space or bunk beds… those go in the next category….

Disneyland Family Suite Hotels

There used to just be a lot of queen beds (sometimes even doubles, yuck) near to Disneyland, but hotels have gotten smarter with lots of hotels great for families. Remember if you have 5 people there are a lot of hotels that have an extra “chair-bed” that sleeps your 5th person. But, once you get to six people it gets a bit more complicated…

These hotels will also be ones with doors you can shut to separate you and kids (although sometimes they will sleep in the same room as you).

I have a whole post on the BEST family suites, but here are my top three:

The Camelot – their family suite is HUGE, I’ve stayed there twice. It has a king, a sofa bed (wouldn’t recommend for adults) and 2 queen beds plus a TON of storage and floor space. The only downside is just one bathroom (but the counterspace is outside the toilet/shower area).

Cambria – they have a LOT of room types which makes it easier to fit what your family needs (aka, put the snorer in another room than you)

The Element – They also have a lot of nice room types (and could be walkable if you are up for a 10-15 minute walk – I’d walk in the AM and uber home at night there)

Bonus Budget Options: Sonesta Suites – we stayed here a LOT when my kids were little and I loved it for this very reason that I could put a baby in a playpen somewhere else to sleep and we could watch TV before bed.  IT’s price point is usually a bit less.

2 Bathroom Bonus: Residence Inn Resort Area. I LOVE that their family suite comes with two bathrooms, a BIG win!

Disneyland Area Hotels with Kitchens:

Many of these are also suites, but my favorites are:

• Sonesta suites – great price point, also has free breakfast (but is a bit further out)
• Residence Inn Resort Area – I think all their rooms have kitchens.
• The Element – only some rooms have kitchens, so be mindful of checking before you buy.
• Hyatt House — I’ve never stayed here, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it!

Check out my full post on Disneyland Hotels with Kitchens for more on pricing and individual hotels that have them.

Nicest Disneyland Hotels

I’ll be honest.  You don’t think of hotels near theme parks as “nice” normally.  For a long time I just felt like most of the hotel rooms near Disneyland were “fine” but nothing to write home about, but in the past few years it’s really upp’d it’s “game”.  If you like nicer hotels and are planning a Disneyland vacation these are the hotels for you!

For me, the nicest off-site hotels are:

The Westin Anaheim Resort – I have only toured this hotel, but my expert friends have LOVED their stay here.  Just say everything is perfect and lovely.  It is sort of walkable (but longer than I’d like — I’d probably walk in the AM and Uber home at night).  This is one of the newest hotels in the Disneyland area.

The JW Marriot – I have stayed here.  It’s just lovely.  So quiet and upscale.  I LOVED the soaking tub after a day at the parks.  But, I would not feel comfortable here with loud small kids, but that’s just me.  I’m sure they have a ton of families with those.  The walk to the Disneyland resort isn’t bad either — maybe 15-20 minutes if you go through the Garden walk.

The Viv – This one will surprise you because the price point is a lot less, but I am telling you.  I love it!  Just as quiet.  The rooms aren’t quite as nice, but they’re so clean and well done I just love it.

Disneyland Hotels with the Best Pools

I want to be really clear that many of the hotels that are walkable have pretty small pools (although I think they all have one).  I believe all of them have an outdoor pool and a hot tub though.  If you’re looking for JUST a pool (nothing fancy) you’re good with any of them (Get Away Today will show if they have a pool).

But, my favorite pool areas:

Cambria – This one has the best price point (but isn’t walkable).  They have a great pool, splash pad and water slide.  The best part is that when you book with Get Away Today you get access to all of that no matter which room type you choose (not true for booking elsewhere).

Courtyard – This has a great water park area on top of the parking structure., across the street from Disneyland, My only tip is to check to see if an on-property hotel is cheaper (they also have great pools on property).

Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel – This one has a great Pirate-themed splash pad area for littles, and a nice large pool area for swimming (they are separate).  It is also within walking distance of Disneyland (takes me about 15 minutes). I also think they have some of the most comfortable beds!

I also like the Anaheim Hotel pool, it’s Olympic-sized which is great if you want to do laps (they also show movies and sometimes have a DJ that makes it kind of fun). They also have a lot of really nice outdoor space (and outdoor games for families).

Disneyland Hotels with a Shuttle

Most of the hotels here (unless they are walkable) are serviced by the ART shuttle (or have a stop nearby).  I have a whole post that outlines the hotels with a Disneyland shuttle.

Honesty time about the ART Shuttle:  

It’s not my favorite.  I’ve had some bad experiences with it like I have with all types of public transportation.  I prefer using an Uber.  HOWEVER if you are a family with many people or need carseats the shuttle is by FAR your best option (and I used it a LOT when I had little kids and liked it just fine).

It’s just now that I can Uber or take a Lyft it’s really nice. The drop-off/pickup area is annoying, but it works.

ANYWAY, there are some hotels with a free shuttle:

The Anaheim Majestic has a converted school bus that shuttles guests for FREE (I believe it’s every 30 minutes on the hour).  This is a big win in my book, and the price is right (makes it almost as good as the walkable ones).  I’ve only heard good things about this shuttle option.  The hotel is (again) “fine” but not walkable without the shuttle.

The Candy Cane Inn has a cult following and offers a free shuttle to the parks.

There is also this option:

The Hyatt Orange has a paid dedicated shuttle ($6/person at this writing), which means it just does your hotel, which is really nice (not to have to wait for all the other people to get on/off).

Honestly, that Anaheim Majestic shuttle makes it a winner in my book. considering the price point and that shuttle.  I need to stay there.

Disneyland Hotels For Other Parks

Maybe you’re wanting to visit some other attractions while you’re here?

If you’re going to Knotts Berry Farms it is NOT far from Disneyland. You can stay at these same hotels, or go really close with the Knotts Berry Hotel.

If you’re going to Universal Studios that can be a DRIVE to the Hollywood area with LA traffic. Personally, I recommend staying there when you’re going to visit that park (or just get up early and head to Universal). I have head good things about The Garland, or we’ve stayed (and loved) the Magic Castle before.

Ok, I believe that does it — that’s over 30 hotels to consider!

Am I missing a category you’d like to know more about? Tell me in the comments!

I hope this post helps you pick the best hotel for your visit to the Happiest Place on Earth, and I hope you’ll book it with Get Away Today (they book both Disney-owned hotels and off-property Disneyland hotels).

Avoid all the time I’ve spent checking to see if they’re the cheapest and just book with them.  Be sure to use my coupon code CURLS10 to save $10 on your hotel/ticket package, or if you call them (they can answer SO many questions over the phone) be sure to mention you heard about them from Pulling Curls. 🙂