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Author: Inspire Diva
On the corner of Harbor and Katella, less than a 10 minute walk from Disneyland, you can find a charming little place to stay called the Candy Cane Inn. As you drive up and see the lovely grounds, it seems like a little oasis with the flowering ivy hanging from the second story patios. This hotel is one of Disneyland’s Good Neighbor Hotels and was ranked #2 out of 108 hotels in Anaheim, CA on Trip Advisor. This is the main reason that I booked with them. Plus they had excellent reviews!
I found check-in to be a breeze. The staff was both helpful and accommodating. We found out that they offer a $10 off per night discount for Disneyland Annual Pass Holders. (Can you say score? Man I love a good deal!) Since we arrived in town around 10:00 am and our check-in was at 3:00 pm we were just a little early… but that was no problem. They found a room right away and let us check right in. We also needed to find a grocery store and they were able to give us directions to Vons, which was near by. As much as I love Target they do have a limited grocery selection, which was a bummer!
Diva Tip: Ask the staff for directions and for tips on where to eat. They will know the best places because they live there.
They gave us our parking pass, and guess what… their parking is FREE! Now I don’t know if you know this, but free parking is a rarity in California at any hotel, so this was AWESOME!!! They also let us know about the shuttle service they offer for FREE! Double AWESOME! The pick up at the hotel is on the hour and half hour. The pick up at the park is on the 15 or 45. This is very helpful when you are limping out of the park at the end of the night. However, the walk is not bad at all. It takes less than 10 minutes to get inside the gates. Plus, you don’t have to cross traffic to get to Disneyland because the Inn is located on the same side of the road! We always started our day off walking to the park but only walked ourselves back twice. We REALLY appreciated that shuttle on a few of those nights!
They also offer FREE wireless internet. How handy is that!?
Since we arrived early that day, we went straight to Disneyland and spent the rest of our waking minutes there thinking happy thoughts of climbing into the hot tub when we got back. They keep the pool and hot tub open until 11:00 pm. Sadly on that first night, we got back to the hotel and promptly fell asleep (fully clothed I might add!). The last minute packing we did the night before until 2:00 am and then leaving for the airport at 5:00 am really did us in, along with 10 hours at Disneyland. But, was it worth it? HECK YEAH!!!
On the next night I finally hit the hot tub. Now, I look forward to going to the hot tub almost as much as I look forward to going to Disney, it is a huge part of my vacation daydreaming! This hot tub did not disappoint! It was boiling your bones hot, and you could just feel all of the days aches and pains melt away. I just wish I could have gone more than once (after the second night the park stayed open until midnight, so I couldn’t make it back in time.) Now if you can’t handle the heat, this is not the hot tub for you. My hubby could only handle holding his feet in there, and it took him the entire 30 minutes I was in there to get in up to his calves. If that’s the case they also have a small swimming pool and a kiddie pool. I did not try them, (mostly because I would ALWAYS rather be in the hot tub) but plenty of other guests used it and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.
The hotel also offers a FREE continental breakfast. They offer plenty of choices, but if you’re like me and you’re gluten or dairy free, it definitely makes things hard. They serve pastries (that I drooled over longingly), bagels, toast, muffins, cereal (fruit loops and raisin bran), instant oatmeal packets, hard boiled eggs, cheese cubes, fat free yogurt, and fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges). For beverages they had OJ, apple juice, coffee, and hot chocolate. For the rest of my family this breakfast is pretty much what they eat at home. I, on the other hand, was soooo sick of hard boiled eggs that I ended up buying myself breakfast at the park. Sausage, bacon and eggs, and fresh berries, grapes and pineapple. Yum! (After toughing it out for 3 days this seemed like heaven!)
Now I will get down to the nitty gritty of the room. We stayed in the Standard Room so we had 2 queen beds and a bathroom. First and most importantly it was CLEAN! It had a TV with cable. We never even turned it on so I’m not sure how the programming is. There was a mini fridge (and I mean mini), don’t plan a huge shopping trip or bring a case of water it just won’t fit. It held the necessities for us, a few water bottles, some yogurt and some fresh fruit. It was really cold it actually turned our water to slush. I ate the fruit quickly so it never froze. But by happy accident (don’t you love those) I found a new favorite treat frozen Müller FrutUp yogurt in Lemon flavor. OMG it was so good!
Even though I’m generally lactose intolerant I can totally eat this. Anyways back on subject…
As for the bathroom the shower was a little hard to figure out at first but we got it after a minute. The water pressure was great though. My husband said that it must have been made for short people and that he felt like Buddy the Elf when he was showering. I’m only 5′ tall so I didn’t notice. There was a limited amount of storage space if you like to unpack. About 6 small drawers and maybe 12 hangers. For 4 people and 6 days this wasn’t really enough for us. We made due and lived half way out of our suitcases. The beds were very comfortable we slept like babies. The one complaint I have would be the street noise, our room was right near the front and you could hear the traffic outside. We just used the A/C to drown it out. But if that sort of thing bothers you, you may want to request a room further back in the complex. On the plus side, if you are at the front of the complex, you are just that much closer to Disneyland! Whether you’re heading out or coming in that is ALWAYS a good thing!
Can I just say YAY for House Keeping!? There is nothing better than coming back from a long day at Disney and finding a fresh clean room with the beds made, oh and the folded over toilet paper and fresh towels. It is heavenly! For all of us moms who do this kind of stuff everyday, it seems like a dream come true! Isn’t that what a trip to Disneyland is about? It’s making your dreams come true. Even the small everyday kind.
Check-out was just as easy as check-in, the staff was just as awesome! Since we checked out early around 9 am we again went to Disney for the day. We had an evening flight, so we asked if we could leave the car parked there until we needed to leave later. They said no problem again and let us keep the parking pass. That was awesome because parking at Disneyland is now $16 a day.
Overall, we were very happy with our stay here and will be staying again (hopefully in April… fingers crossed). At check out they gave us a voucher for $10 off per night for your next stay as long as you book within a year. This voucher can be combined with your annual pass discount so you can save up to $20 off per night! How awesome is that!?
Diva Tip: Always ask about discounts the worst answer you will get is no they don’t offer them, but you could be pleasantly surprised.
So in short or long…
The Perks Are:
FREE Parking
FREE Shuttle
FREE Continental Breakfast
FREE Wireless Internet
Great Staff
Great House/ Mouse Keeping
CLEAN Rooms
Comfy Beds
Shower with Great Water Pressure
Mini Refrigerator
TV w/Cable
Excellent Hot Tub+ Pool & Kiddie Pool
Walking Distance to Disneyland (less than 10 minutes)
Annual Pass and Return Customer Discounts
They offer a Handicap Accessible room (I just found this out.) Info on website.
The Quirks Are:
You Can Hear the Street Noise (Traffic)
Complicated and Small Shower
Low on Storage Space
Small Mini Refrigerator
Breakfast not really Gluten and Dairy Free friendly
Hot Tub Very HOT (possibly too hot for some people ie: my husband)
So if you have been daydreaming about your next trip to Disneyland you can start by booking a room. How fun does it sound to stay at the Candy Cane Inn? It could be the start of your magical stay. If this sounds like something you would be interested in click here to find out more on rooms and pricing.
we have stayed at the Candy Cane Inn many, many times. I’m guessing 15-20 in the past 10 years. We love the shuttle, free parking, and breakfast. Breakfast has become more challenging lately due to my daughter’s severe milk allergy, but she has found things to eat.
We have stayed in all of their room types and feel that the deluxe rooms are the best value. They are bigger than the standard rooms, which our family of four needs. The premium rooms are considerably larger, have a microwave, and come with a DVD player, and you can order your breakfast the evening before and they will deliver it in the morning.
Hope to run into you there soon.