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Video: Desert Inn & Suites Hotel Overview and Room Tour

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Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites SignI recently stayed at Desert Inn & Suites. which is located on Harbor Boulevard across the street from Disneyland. The hotel, itself, is no-frills; the main advantage is the extremely close proximity to the main entrance of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. I clocked my walking time from my room to the front gate at several different times of day, and at no point did it exceed 6 minutes. That’s impressive for a budget hotel that I paid less than $70 a night for, and less walking time than any of the Disney-owned hotels.

Another feature I enjoyed was access to storage lockers to keep my luggage in until my room was ready. Sure, almost every hotel ever lets you check you luggage at the front desk for a later pickup. But the lockers are great if you’re like me and you travel with various expensive electronics and have trust issues with anyone taking possession of your bags.

My only complaint is that the walls seemed paper thin. This was especially noticeable at night, when I constantly heard people talking and walking through the hallways as if they were right next to me. Also, as you will see in the video, the “continental breakfast” was laughably bad. But I never hold that against a budget hotel, especially considering it’s free.

Other amenities include an indoor pool, a hot tub, and underground parking that costs $8 a day. The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland rates the Desert Inn & Suites 3-1/2 out of 5 stars with a room rating of 81 out of 100. You can visit the Desert Inn & Suites website for more information.

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Guy Selga Jr.

Disneyland writer for TouringPlans.com and co-author of the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. Also a Disneyland local and appreciator of Disney theme park history. Twitter and Instagram: @guyselga

10 thoughts on “Video: Desert Inn & Suites Hotel Overview and Room Tour

  • We stayed at the Desert Inn this past spring. It is actually closer to the front gate of DL/DCA than some parts of the Disneyland Hotel! Easy, easy walk. And easy, easy access for an afternoon nap.

    The actual suite-with-a-door setup was great for us and our pre-K kid on his first ever trip to Disney. We put him in the room nearest the walkway, and then we could go in to the main room and watch TV without disturbing him. Between the two rooms, there is a pass-through fan – the front area does not have AC – but with Southern California temperatures, at night, there’s really not need for it.

    As far as square-foot-per-dollar goes, the Desert Inn gets high marks. I agree with the reviewer. We have stayed here, at the Del Sol, and at the Best Western Park Place. BWPP only inches out Desert Inn by a slim margin, although we haven’t stayed there post-refurbishment. The Del Sol was a little cramped in room size, and they don’t have enough parking for their guests… but their valet is very responsive, even at 4:30 in the morning.

    Whenever we return, I think Desert Inn will be our first call.

    Oh, and paying for parking, par for the course in So Cal – the price of doing business.

    Reply
    • Right, I have no problem with paying for parking. And it’s cheaper than Disney’s hotels charge ($15 a night). Thanks for the great reply, it had lots of useful info.

      Reply
  • This is our go to place when the whole family travels. Hate the parking fee but the flip side is that the rates haven gone up recently. Most Harbor places have minimal breakfast, but got an Email from Park Vue touting hot breakfast so maybe that will change. Rooms are recently refurbbed. Finally, the spa often gets really foamy at times; I’ve actually brought a bottle os spa Foam Down with me. Also, the suites are in the front with standard rooms in the back.

    Reply
    • Yeah the parking fee is a pain but at least it is still cheaper than parking at a Disney hotel ($15 a night). Thanks for the information!

      Reply
  • Thanks for this video tour! I’m planning a trip in May and am deciding between this hotel and the Del Sol. Any chance for a more reviews?

    Reply
    • Hi Heather, I will being doing more of these style of reviews at some point in the next few months. But to help you out right now we rate the Del Sol hotel 60 out of 100 with a room rating of 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. The price and walking time to Disneyland look similar to Desert Inn.

      Reply
      • Decision made, then! Thanks Guy. I’ve really been digging’ all your videos. Ww visited DLR for the first time in 2012 and can’t wait to get back. We slummed it with friends last time. This time I plan to stay three nights on Harbor Blvd. then finish up at Disneyland Hotel for our 25th anniversary. 🙂

      • Thanks! Congratulations on your 25th anniversary!

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