By Tinker Belle Diva
View of Disneyland from our 5th-floor room
I was itching to have some Disney magic so when a good friend of mine suggested she’d travel with us for a shopping trip to Downtown Disney District, I took her up on it. We decided to leave early on a Saturday morning, stay the night, and drive back home the next day. She had hotel points so we looked for a place to stay near the east entrance to Disneyland. Very few hotels in the area along Harbor Boulevard are open at this time, so we settled on the Fairfield Anaheim Resort. Need tips for visiting Downtown Disney District? Read this article on how to plan your trip.
Check-in time was 4:00 pm, but we pulled into the hotel around 2:00 and were able to check-in. I’m guessing this may not always be the case when the hotel is much busier when Disneyland is open. We were on the 5th floor and were upgraded to a park view at no extra charge. I’m assuming again this was due to the lack of guests in the hotel, but we did see about 20 cars in the parking lot. Face coverings/masks are required in all common areas in the hotel.
Exterior of hotel
Location
The Fairfield is located about an 8-minute walk to the security checkpoint at the east entrance to Disneyland It is situated behind a McDonald’s and Panera, both of which were closed during our visit. This is easy walking distance for most and one of the reasons to stay at this hotel.
Hotel Layout
Unlike most of the hotels along Harbor Blvd, this hotel is not long and narrow but is L-shaped with parking and the pool in the front of the hotel. Rooms face all directions, including towards Interstate 5 in the back. There are places with landscaping, but it is not excessive. There is an area to rest in chairs at the front if you are waiting for a taxi or ride-share service. There are 9 floors accessed by elevators or stairways. No pets are allowed.
Rooms
This hotel has six choices of rooms:
- one King bed and a sleeper sofa
- one King bed
- two queen beds and a sleeper sofa
- themed room with two queen beds and a sleeper sofa
- themed room with one king bed and sleeper sofa
- junior suite with two queen beds with a sleeper sofa.
Double queen with sofa sleeper
We stayed in the regular two queen beds with the sleeper sofa. We found each of the room to be spacious and I like that the bathroom sink is separate from the toilet/shower, which helps get us all ready for our day. The room has one sink and a long counter that has a sliding door to the beds so it can be closed. The sleeper sofa is small. It is not very wide, and I would estimate is about 3/4 smaller than a regular twin-sized bed. It will easily fit children, but my teenage daughter (5′-2″tall) found it a little bit too short in width but long enough. Our room also has a microwave and dorm-sized refrigerator, which are two more musts for me on our vacations, as well as a single cup coffee maker, a small desk, a closet open to the bathroom sink. The floors are a solid surface, not carpets. The rooms are clean, the decor is updated, and the bedding is comfortable. The room has an air conditioning unit below the window that is also a heater/fan. We also found the rooms very quiet and didn’t hear noise from the parking lot outside or anyone else that might have been on our floor. There are connecting rooms available. DIVA TIP – call the front desk when you book if you need connecting room to make sure you will have this feature.
You can use your Netflix account on this TV
Amenities
Most of the amenities this hotel has to offer were closed due to Covid-19. This included the fitness center, game room, Pizza Hut Express, Seattle’s Best Coffee & The Market, all on the 3rd Floor. We did not look for the laundry room, but it is stated that they have one and it is coin-operated. We did use the WiFi and it worked very well in our room. There are a pool and hot tub at the front of the hotel, but we did not use it. This hotel does not have a complimentary breakfast, even before Covid-19, but in the past, you could purchase breakfast at The Market on the 3rd Floor.
Rooftop view towards the pool.
Fees
The good news for those that do not drive, there is no resort fee. But if you do drive, there is a $24 per night parking fee, so make sure you add that parking fee into the pricing structure when comparing this to other hotels as it is taxed at the 17% Anaheim hotel tax rate.
Staff
We had very little interaction with the staff, but the ones we did encounter were very nice. The front desk staff is behind plexiglass and was helpful.
Hotel lobby
Summary
I can recommend staying here for vacation, especially if you are using points. We felt very comfortable at this hotel. But I think you will find a better nightly rate once other hotels open in the future than you can get at the Fairfield. I don’t think you are getting a good bang for you buck here since other hotels are located closer and include complimentary breakfast. But if the price is right, go for it!
Since this is a Good Neighbor Hotel, they have partnered with Disney to allow you to book a Disney travel package that will include this hotel and tickets. If you are looking for a review of this hotel pre-COVID, check out Passholder Diva’s review here.
Looking for other hotel reviews? In December 2018, I gave a review of the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel and Water Playground, or HoJo Anaheim, which is one of my favorites, the Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites in April 2019, the Best Western Plus Stovall’s Inn in May 2019, the Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn in February 2020, and the Best Western Park Place Inn and Suites in April 2020. My fellow Diva’s have also reviewed Camelot Inn & Suites, Tropicana Inn & Suites, and Candy Cane Inn. If you are looking to stay in one of the Disney-owned hotels, you can read my review of Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel.
If you want help booking at one of these hotels or planning your Disneyland Resort vacation, be sure to contact Patricia at All For Dreams Travel for a free vacation quote.
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