Hotel Question

[__disneygirl]

Hi everyone, Disney World veteran here finally going to Disneyland. I'm a Marriott member, so looking to stay at one of their properties. I am trying to decide between the Four Points Sheraton Anaheim (down the street) and Fairfield Anaheim Resort (across the street). I might be walking back to the hotel at night alone so I'm just wondering if any other women can let me know if they would feel safe doing that in this area? Is it better to stay on the same side of the street as Disneyland but not as close... or basically right across the street? I don't see anything about shuttles on their websites so I don't think they have them.

'm one of those go-go-go people in the parks so I'm not super concerned with the hotel amenities as long as it's clean & safe, but please let me know if you find one to be more desirable to stay at than the other.

Thank you so much!

 

[pharmama]

I would definitely pick the Fairfield over the Four Points. You will be crossing the street and walking with literally hundreds of other resort guests as there are tons of hotels along Harbor there around the FFI. The Four Points will definitely be a lonelier walk (not to mention QUITE a bit farther) and some people dislike walking on that side of Harbor. There is much less foot traffic and its darker on that side since its just the outside edge of the resort- no hotels etc. Personally I don't mind it but have seen others here say it made them uncomfortable. But both sides of the street are perfectly safe. I think the FFI is also nicer than the Four Points... that property has been a variety of different hotels over the years but somehow it never seems to get very good reviews. It's also very close to the freeway (FFI isn't quite as close and there is another set of hotels between FFI and the freeway to buffer sound).

If you can swing it, the new Westin is my favorite Marriott property in the area though....

 

[SteveH]

Hands down I'd go for the Fairchild. My son and his then fiance stayed there it was fine. I stayed down the street at the Sheraton, but its under construction right now. You have the Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites just down at Harbor & Katella plus the new Westin along Katella near Disneyland Drive.

 

[Cal-Pie]

Fairfield, no question.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Also a Marriott member that almost exclusively uses point for DL stays and Fairfield is my go to every time.

 

[emmybee]

I know you didn't list it as a possibility, but the Westin is the way to go. I would walk down Disneyland Dr and through DTD to get to the parks. I don't find the walk very long at all, nor would I be fearful to walk alone.

 

[lalasmama]

If they don't have a shuttle, Four Points would be a "heck no" for me. Mostly because it's north of I-5. That going to be a heck of a walk at the end of the night, and the crowds will have dissipated, so you'll be by yourself. It looks like it's just "up the street" but it's going to be a hike. As a solo 40-something female, I wouldn't be comfortable walking that far. I suppose you may be able to ride the trams from the parking garages north of the parks, but that still seems like quite a walk to get back after walking 10-14 miles in the parks. And even if you did the trams, you'd still have to get over to Four Points from the parking lot entrance, which would be the same issues-- no crowds and pretty much by yourself.

I'm yet another vote for Fairfield.

 

[bardays]

Marriott Loyalist and between those 2, Fairfield for sure! Easy walk.

 

[bardays]

Hands down I'd go for the Fairchild. My son and his then fiance stayed there it was fine. I stayed down the street at the Sheraton, but its under construction right now. You have the Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites just down at Harbor & Katella plus the new Westin along Katella near Disneyland Drive.

I thought they were done renos? I have never stayed but have it booked for December!

 

[SteveH]

@bardays thanks, you're correct I thought it was through the end of 2022.

 

[PiratesOfTheSea]

I would recommend the Fairfield over the Four Points as well, with the caveat that we've only stayed at the Four Points.

The Four Points was adequate at the price we paid but I do remember the walls there being paper thin. The walk itself wasn't terrible without a child but the most dangerous part would not be so much the people on the street but the cars on the I-5 on/off ramps that you'd have to cross, especially at night. We've stayed at the Courtyard sister property right next to the Fairfield and the walk isn't bad at all. Another bonus of the Fairfield is that you can get a pretty good view of the fireworks from one of the buildings.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I've stayed at most of the Marriott properties in the area and I'd recommend the Fairfield with one caveat. This particular Fairfield does not do free breakfast so if you are Marriott Platinum or higher, you could use your welcome amenity for breakfast at the Four Points but only get bonus points at the Fairfield. If this situation doesn't apply to you, then the Fairfield for sure if it isn't inordinately more expensive.

Being so close to the freeway, some people have a hard time sleeping at the Four Points and the rooms can be a bit dark.

And the ART shuttle actually does stop right in front of the Four Points. But you'll waste a lot of time waiting for the shuttle compared to walking so I wouldn't recommend it unless that difference in walking actually matters a lot to you.

 

[marsh0013]

Sorry to piggy back on your thread, but I’m deciding between the Westin and the Fairfield for a trip in November. We stayed at the Westin in July on points and it was phenomenal. My husband is Titanium this year, and we used suite night upgrades and got a 1-bedroom with a balcony partial park view. Can’t guarantee we’d get that great upgrade again but I’d assume we’d get some sort of upgrade.

The thing I’m struggling with is the price difference. We have 2 free night certs and added a couple thousand points to book 2 nights basically “free” at the Fairfield so over 4 nights, it’s about $900 more for the Westin.

Can anyone who loves the Westin give me an opinion on the Fairfield if you’ve stayed there too? I know it’s a significant downgrade and I’m afraid we’ve gotten used to upgraded accommodations. I don’t want to be miserable. The shorter walk would be nice but we didn’t mind the Westin walk. And $900 over 4 nights is significant. Worth it I know is hard and different for everyone. We can afford it but just because we can doesn’t mean we should.

Sounds like I’ve convinced myself to spend the money but I’d love opinions from people who’ve stayed at both and might understand where I’m coming from.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Sorry to piggy back on your thread, but I’m deciding between the Westin and the Fairfield for a trip in November. We stayed at the Westin in July on points and it was phenomenal. My husband is Titanium this year, and we used suite night upgrades and got a 1-bedroom with a balcony partial park view. Can’t guarantee we’d get that great upgrade again but I’d assume we’d get some sort of upgrade.

The thing I’m struggling with is the price difference. We have 2 free night certs and added a couple thousand points to book 2 nights basically “free” at the Fairfield so over 4 nights, it’s about $900 more for the Westin.

Can anyone who loves the Westin give me an opinion on the Fairfield if you’ve stayed there too? I know it’s a significant downgrade and I’m afraid we’ve gotten used to upgraded accommodations. I don’t want to be miserable. The shorter walk would be nice but we didn’t mind the Westin walk. And $900 over 4 nights is significant. Worth it I know is hard and different for everyone. We can afford it but just because we can doesn’t mean we should.

Sounds like I’ve convinced myself to spend the money but I’d love opinions from people who’ve stayed at both and might understand where I’m coming from.

If you're Titanium, don't do the Fairfield because you'll get basically no benefits. Are you planning to use the lounge at the Westin or will you be in the parks in the afternoon? That would be a factor in my opinion given that the evening spread in the lounge is very good.

If you're concerned about price, look into either the Marriott or the Sheraton near the Convention Center with the caveat that I haven't stayed at the Sheraton post-renovation and the lounge pre-renovation was not that good. In both hotels, you can use your husband's welcome amenity for breakfast in the hotel restaurant which is more substantial than the continental breakfast in the Westin lounge or just go for their lounge breakfast. I've always gotten upgraded at the Marriott to at least a club room with a balcony.

With points, you could also look into the Element. It's not as close to the parks as the Fairfield but I think the rooms feel nicer and you'd get a good complimentary breakfast.

While the rooms at the Fairfield are fine, I would never recommend the Fairfield to someone with Marriott Titanium unless they have zero plans to eat at the hotel and really prioritize proximity.

 

[marsh0013]

If you're Titanium, don't do the Fairfield because you'll get basically no benefits. Are you planning to use the lounge at the Westin or will you be in the parks in the afternoon? That would be a factor in my opinion given that the evening spread in the lounge is very good.

If you're concerned about price, look into either the Marriott or the Sheraton near the Convention Center with the caveat that I haven't stayed at the Sheraton post-renovation and the lounge pre-renovation was not that good. In both hotels, you can use your husband's welcome amenity for breakfast in the hotel restaurant which is more substantial than the continental breakfast in the Westin lounge or just go for their lounge breakfast. I've always gotten upgraded at the Marriott to at least a club room with a balcony.

With points, you could also look into the Element. It's not as close to the parks as the Fairfield but I think the rooms feel nicer and you'd get a good complimentary breakfast.

While the rooms at the Fairfield are fine, I would never recommend the Fairfield to someone with Marriott Titanium unless they have zero plans to eat at the hotel and really prioritize proximity.

Thank you so much for the detailed response! We did use the club lounge at the Westin for that 4pm appetizer time in the afternoon all but 1 day on our trip. And every morning for the continental breakfast. We would likely use it almost every day again. We do not go all day in the parks, we like our afternoon breaks.

I was thinking about switching from the Fairfield to the Marriott, keeping the Westin booked too. Making the final decision later. We did have the Marriott booked as a backup on our last trip and had gotten upgraded before the cancellation deadline. Like you, it was a balcony club level. I believe we’d have access to the club lounge either way with his status, but a nice upgrade before checkin.

I think I looked at the Element and since we’d have to pay for 2 nights, it was higher than the other options on the paid nights. I’ll take a look again.

We also really enjoyed going in the dtd side of security. We never even saw the Harbor side which I’ve heard gets nuts in the AM. I was thinking if we do the Marriott, we could always Lyft/uber if necessary, dropping off at DTD for the easier security.

 

[Bluewild79]

Definitely stay at the Fairfield instead the four points. Fairfield is so convenient! We just stayed there again last month and it was perfect. We like to stay on the first floor and there's a great fireworks view from just beyond the pool. My teenager said it was her new favorite place to watch fireworks since she got to sit down.

We stayed at the Element for a week in March and it was fantastic. We loved the big rooms but the walk was kinda long. We have a big family so the Element works well for us. We need two rooms at Fairfield and only one at element.

I'd totally stay at the Westin if we were upper level members!

 

[gelatoni fan]

Thank you so much for the detailed response! We did use the club lounge at the Westin for that 4pm appetizer time in the afternoon all but 1 day on our trip. And every morning for the continental breakfast. We would likely use it almost every day again. We do not go all day in the parks, we like our afternoon breaks.

I was thinking about switching from the Fairfield to the Marriott, keeping the Westin booked too. Making the final decision later. We did have the Marriott booked as a backup on our last trip and had gotten upgraded before the cancellation deadline. Like you, it was a balcony club level. I believe we’d have access to the club lounge either way with his status, but a nice upgrade before checkin.

I think I looked at the Element and since we’d have to pay for 2 nights, it was higher than the other options on the paid nights. I’ll take a look again.

We also really enjoyed going in the dtd side of security. We never even saw the Harbor side which I’ve heard gets nuts in the AM. I was thinking if we do the Marriott, we could always Lyft/uber if necessary, dropping off at DTD for the easier security.

Just to add a bit of info:

The food quality in the lounge at the Marriott is OK but nowhere near as good as at the Westin.

The rooms at the Marriott are a bit older than those at the Element but having a balcony can be nice. The Westin rooms are obviously way better.

I think the Element is good value for points but not worth spending too much extra cash at. You'll have to decide what is worth it to you.

 

[Gladys Belcher]

I've defaulted to the Tropicana as a bolt hole if I travel alone (stay top level). The Best Western Park Vue is also right across Harbor and the BW Plus Anaheim Inn is also close.

Now I'm looking at the Fairfield, and think that may be our next place to try out. It is always nice to refreshen before diving back into he fun.

Thanks everyone for giving us options!