where to stay by DLR and USH in california

disneyboundstitchlover

Earning My Ears
Joined
Oct 11, 2020
Hi,
I'm planning a surprise trip for my fiance next year to universal studios Hollywood and Disneyland and I'm having trouble figuring out lodging. I cant budget staying at an onsite hotel for Disneyland, so I was wondering would it be easier to stay at a hotel close to Disneyland and move to one close to universal or if I should just say at one hotel and drive between the two. Any advice is much appreciated. I'm also looking for hotel recommendations and budget tips.
Thank you in advance
 
As someone who doesn’t like the traffic in LA, I would choose to stay near the park I was visiting.

Lots of lodging options - all within a block or two of DL. All levels.

Perhaps Priceline or Booking. Com; any of the travel sites?

Maybe you can snag a good rate now while things are slow. They might go up closer to your trip.

Is there a section of this forum for Universal? They might know about that portion.

Sounds like fun!
 
Hi,
I'm planning a surprise trip for my fiance next year to universal studios Hollywood and Disneyland and I'm having trouble figuring out lodging. I cant budget staying at an onsite hotel for Disneyland, so I was wondering would it be easier to stay at a hotel close to Disneyland and move to one close to universal or if I should just say at one hotel and drive between the two. Any advice is much appreciated. I'm also looking for hotel recommendations and budget tips.
Thank you in advance

You should come over to the Disneyland board on DIS Boards. You'll get lots of great advice over there.

Most DL visitors don't actually stay on site. There are a lot of more affordable hotels along Harbor Blvd. Two of the closest to the crosswalk (< 5 min walk to the Esplanade, which is between the DL and DCA main gates) are the Best Western Park Place Inn and Park Vue Inn. Both usually include a free breakfast.

I'd recommend staying within walking distance of DL and spend a couple of nights first at a hotel near Universal Studios, so you end up completing your trip at DL. The drive in the morning from Anaheim to Universal could be up to 2 hours in rush hour.

And if you end up in town on the 3rd Sunday of the month, Walt's Barn in Griffith Park in LA is open. There's lots of Disney history there. :-) You could also have dinner at the Tam O'Shanter, which is where Walt Disney and his animators went after work.
 
Generally speaking on the DL board, people do NOT recommend booking a hotel through Priceline or a similar service. The best way to get the cheapest price is to book directly with the hotel. Don't bother booking a package through Disneyland Travel, which will offer you the opportunity to include a hotel at one of the Good Neighbor hotels (many of them along Harbor Blvd and Katella Ave). You can get a better rate directly through the hotel. Many of them have AAA discounts if you are a AAA member. Most of them charge for parking, but it's less than the $25/day parking at one of the DL lots (however, all of the hotels will require you to move your car out of the hotel lot when you check out, so keep that in mind if you're going to the parks on your check out day).

MOST of the Harbor Blvd hotels are exterior corridor hotels, with some exceptions.

Candy Cane Inn is a favorite of a lot of DL people. They have a free continental breakfast AND a shuttle that runs every 30 min to/from DL, which is helpful if you're tired and don't want to walk back to your hotel.
 


Thanks VandVsmama. I’m glad somebody who has used different parts of this forum know what’s in it. Usually, I just go to the Disney Cruise Line Section. We have just one option to click to get us into our threads, not all the subsections the Parks have.

I am like one of those never use a booking site people, too. I really meant to say look at them to get an idea of prices and what’s available; I didn’t finish that thought! And also meant to say don’t pay in advance or put down a non-refundable deposit.

I was happily thinking we have a new traveler amongst us, but didn’t want to tell her / him things that seasoned travelers would roll their eyes at, “as if I didn’t know that.” :)

i have my usual chains, so go through them. And yes, look for those AAA discounts.

I figured the drive between parks could be long - didn’t realize 2 hours was realistic. It is so spread out. Seems like a tiring way to start - and end a Park day (time better spent sleeping or playing).

I was trying to think of places I’ve stayed. I did do Candy Cane Inn on one trip; it was a classic, so I had to give it a try. Annabella Hotel near the entrance to Disney Springs. Never repeated hotels; just had fun trying new places over the years.
 
Hi
I normally stay at Best Western Park Place with AAA discount. That location has become very popular and prices will rise . Book early, you can always cancel. Their front desk is wonderful!
I admit I walked a few doors down from BWPP last visit and discovered the Grand Legacy at the Park . They are on Harbor Blvd. and are the only location with rooftop bar and view of fireworks. I have registered with their website and frequently get great discount notices to stay but they also have AAAdiscounts. I usually eat at the IHOP located on Harbor Blvd for late night pancakes . BWPP has free continental breakfast that is Basic but excellent & gets busy in morn.
I think a fun way to travel would be on the Train from Anaheim /Fullerton to Burbank Airport. I usually take a taxi both stops would require a taxi . I am seeing a metro link option but not familiar. Maybe a local Californian can assist.
The traffic in California is terrible so be prepared.
If you can find AAA discount I recommend the Hilton Universal Hollywood location or the Marriott Hollywood which is the Sheraton, I have stayed at both locations because they offer direct shuttles from hotel to Universal but you can also walk. Unfortunately they are not cheap But they are safe. Do you have credit card rewards you could use?
It has been too many years since my last visit. I loved to stay and plan the Disney weekend at the Hollywood Bowlin UNIVERSAL Hollywood area for their special schedules dedicated to Disney music.
They actually broadcast their Coco Performance at the Bowl recently and is probably still available to stream!
 


...
I figured the drive between parks could be long - didn’t realize 2 hours was realistic. It is so spread out. Seems like a tiring way to start - and end a Park day (time better spent sleeping or playing).

I was trying to think of places I’ve stayed. I did do Candy Cane Inn on one trip; it was a classic, so I had to give it a try. Annabella Hotel near the entrance to Disney Springs. Never repeated hotels; just had fun trying new places over the years.
CCI is a big favorite on this board -- great customer service, clean, private shuttle that runs on time, free breakfast (generous continental). That said, COVID changes everything, right? So, OP, please call any hotel to find out what the new rules and offerings are once the parks reopen.
The Annabella no longer exists. It was torn down to make way for the new Westin (opening by the end of this year, we hope). The Annabella folks took over The Anaheim Hotel (used to be the Anaheim Plaza), which gets very mixed reviews here. The Pizza Press restaurant is on that property -- that gets good reviews all around here. They are not owned by that hotel.
Disney Springs (WDW) is called Downtown Disney (DTD) at DLR. Just in case you ever try to do a search here -- otherwise all the threads you pull up will be for WDW!
USH has 2 hotels "on site" -- the Hilton and the Sheraton. Not far away and a favorite with many DISers here is the Beverly Garland hotel. The Loews Hotel (on Highland at Hollywood Blvd.) isn't far from USH either -- that is where ABD tours stay for the Hollywood portion of their tours. OP, I agree with the pp to do USH and Hollywood/L.A. first, then move down to Anaheim/DLR to end your trip. The commuting between Anaheim and L.A. gets old really fast.
OP, do you mind visiting DLR with the reservation system and safety protocols in place? We have no idea right now when the parks will reopen and how long it will be before things return to "normal," so if you don't want to wear a mask all day and want parades, fireworks, M&Gs, etc., you might want to keep that in mind when planning your trip dates.
 
I highly recommend staying next to Universal at Sheraton or Hilton for that part of your visit. The hotels are expensive, the parking is expensive, but it's a lifesaver as far as location goes. You'll also have access to Universal City Walk for plenty of places to eat.

For Disneyland, no reason to stay onsite and pay those ridiculous prices. You can still eat at their restaurants and walk around the hotels if you want to. There are lots of nice chain hotels within a mile and lots of less expensive places that are fine if you are just using them to shower and sleep.
 
Candy Cane Inn is a favorite of a lot of DL people. They have a free continental breakfast AND a shuttle that runs every 30 min to/from DL, which is helpful if you're tired and don't want to walk back to your hotel.
This is my favorite place to stay close to Disneyland.
 
The DISTANCE between Hollywood and Anaheim isn’t very far but it can take awhile to get there because of all the traffic.

Taking something like Metrolink will take forever. Rent a car for the Hollywood portion of your trip or just use Uber/Lyft to get between the 2.
 
Main thing is dont try to stay somewhere halfway between the 2 as that will just be inconvenient for both. Staying offsite for Disneyland is fine, most do and there are offsite hotels closer to the parks than the onsite ones. There are probably 30-40 hotels within 20 mins walking distance, only one I’ve stayed at that I would not recommend is the Clarion. All others have been fine to great.
As for staying near Universal, there is really nothing else close by. So it makes a good base for seeing Universal but not sightseeing LA itself. If you only wanted a day at Universal, it may be worthwhile just staying in Anaheim near Disneyland and using a rideshare to get to Universal. Just leave early that day (6am-7am or so) and have breakfast at Citywalk. Otherwise if you are spending a few days in LA, staying somewhere like Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverley Grove, Beverley Hills or Santa Monica makes sense depending on budget and what else you’d like to see.
 
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I prefer to stay on Harbor Blvd between Hojo's (Howard Johnson's) and Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn. Hojo's historically has let you stay parked in their lot for free until 3:00 pm. They have great customer service and if you have younger children, the splash pad is a big hit.

On Katella Ave, we've stayed before at Best Western Stovall's and Best Western Plus Pavilions. The walk there is LONG (~ 1 mile to the Esplanade), which makes it harder if you want to easily take an afternoon break. However, if all you need is a place to sleep and you won't be taking hotel breaks, then it's worth considering because they're usually less expensive than the places on Harbor Blvd.

Tropicana is also well liked by folks here on DIS Boards. I believe that the Camelot Inn & Suites is owned by the same parent company.
 
For Disneyland, any hotel on Harbor Blvd will do. I've personally only stayed at the Hilton Anaheim, Sheraton, and Park Vue Inn. The Park Vue Inn is right across the street, and the Hilton/Sheraton is a little far of a walk, but we got around that by crossing the street into the Toy Story Parking Lot and using Disney's free bus transportation. I enjoyed all 3 of them, but if you are looking for a budget option, there are probably over 50 hotels in walking distance of Disneyland that you could choose from.

We used to stay at Disneyland and drive to Universal for a long time, but on the last trip we stayed at The Garland and we really enjoyed it and really recommend staying near Universal! It's a 30-minute walk from the park, but they have a free trolley to take you from the hotel to the nearest train station (one stop away from Hollywood Boulevard) and the theme park/City Walk. We loved the hotel grounds, the rooms, the restaurant, and the pool! Plus it's within walking distance of a Starbucks and Rite Aid! We really loved this hotel and stayed for 4 days, going to the park once and sightseeing for the rest of the time.

If you aren't planning on seeing LA during your trip, I recommend staying near Disneyland and renting a car.
 
Local here and I hate driving into LA ... Metrolink is a good option if you're planning just a one day trip to Universal. You take Metrolink from the Anaheim station to LA's Union Station and then take the Metro Red Line from to the Universal station. Train time is about 45 minutes, subway about 30 minutes. The Metrolink round trip fare includes the subway fare. Metrolink is a commuter line so runs early and may not run as late as you need so you may need Amtrak for the return trip.
 
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For an inexpensive hotel near USH its hard to find as most hotels in that area are pretty pricey. I did find a Hampton inn somewhat nearby thats pretty nice. They have free breakfast which saves some money on meals depending on how many are in your party. They offer a AAA discount as well.
Here's their link: https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/laxbkhx-hampton-suites-los-angeles-burbank-airport/

I like staying at Embassy suites anaheim south which has a free breakfast and a shuttle to the parks for a low fee but is nice after walking all day.

I also like Delta hotel by Marriott. Newly renovated. They also have a shuttle for a low fee and getawaytoday I believe may offer free breakfast or atleast they used to offer free shuttle and breakfast.

HOJO is within walking distance and offers AAA discounts and AP discounts and has Keurig coffee makers in the room.

All my suggestions have AAA discounts and have comfy pillow top beds as I need a hotel with a very comfy bed after a long day at the parks. Good luck planning.
 
For Universal, we have stayed at The Garland (free universal shuttle, expensive but sometimes runs specials, beautiful grounds) and Nite Inn (walking distance, cheap, small rooms but clean). My son and his wife stayed at the Coast Annabelle, which is further out but has a free shuttle. For budget friendly near Disneyland, we stay at Stovalls on Katella (walking distance, but we took the ART shuttle, free breakfast, clean rooms, nice pool area). We used to stay on Harbor (even closer to the entrance) at Tropicana, Candy cane inn, but their prices has gone way up and I never seem to hit the sales.
 

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