7 Reasons to Stay at Castle Inn & Suites for Your Disneyland Vacation
My mom turned 70 this year (hope she doesn’t mind me sharing her age). To celebrate her milestone birthday, she wanted to go to Disneyland with all her kids and grandkids. So several months ago we began putting our Disneyland vacation plans together. There are many Good Neighbor Hotels to choose from, but one I’d been eyeing since I toured it with my friends at Get Away Today was the Castle Inn & Suites.
There are a few reasons why some of my family members opted to stay at Castle Inn & Suites. Here are the top five reasons I think it’s a great hotel for your next Disneyland vacation.
1. Walking Distance from Disneyland
Over the years, I’ve stayed at various hotels. When I had younger kids, the closer I could stay to the park entrance, the better. Castle Inn & Suites is on Harbor Boulevard and a mere half mile from the entrances to both Disneyland and California Adventure. We walked back and forth between the park and the hotel about two to four times per day, and never dreaded the walk – except for that last night because we knew we’d be heading home the next morning.
If you have young kids who need those midday naps, the Castle Inn & Suites is a great location. You can spend the morning in the park and make the walk back to the hotel for the nap before heading back over to the parks for the evening shows.
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If walking is challenging for anyone in your group, you can rent scooters at the front desk. My mom rented one and picked it up as early as 7 a.m. When she brought it back at the end of the day, they would charge it overnight so it was ready to go the following morning for rope drop.
BONUS: Not only is the Castle Inn & Suites within walking distance of the park, but there are restaurants within walking distance as well. Some of those include: The Pizza Press, Toni Romas, Denny’s, IHOP, McDonald’s and Panera, to name a few. There are also two convenience stores nearby so you can grab drinks and snacks for the park or hotel room – Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy, with a Target store one mile down the street.
2. Budget Friendly for Families
I’m always surprised at how expensive the Disneyland Resort Hotels cost. There’s definitely a feeling of Disney magic when staying at the hotels, but the price tag keeps me away from them. The Castle Inn & Suites is a very reasonable price for your next family vacation. When you book your Disneyland Vacation Package from my friends at Get Away Today, you can find deals to help you save even more on your hotel and park tickets.
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It’s true… the Castle Inn & Suites is an older hotel, so it may not have all the bells and whistles you’ll find at the Marriotts, Sheratons or Hiltons. But for my family, the Good Neighbor Hotel is mainly a place to rest, relax and sleep. So if we can save a few dollars on the hotel, that means we can spend that money in the parks for food, treats, experience and souvenirs.
3. Great Clean Rooms for the Whole Family – Sleeps Six
We’ve got a family of seven, so finding a single hotel room that will accommodate us is a challenge. But the layout for the family suite at Castle Inn & Suites is great for us. There are three beds – one king and two queen – the family suite, divided up into two different “rooms”.
The first section – closest to the main door – is a room with a king bed, TV, small microwave, fridge and table. There’s a typical bathroom with sink, toilet and shower as well. So pretty standard for a hotel room.
But the back section of the room is what allows the layout to work so well for families. There’s a door that divides the two halves, allowing a little privacy for the parents in the king bed side. While there is a single bathroom for the entire suite, the back section has a counter with a sink, so kids can brush their teeth or grab a quick drink when the main bathroom is occupied.
The back section has two queen beds, a TV and a small table in the corner, so it was perfect for our kids. We put all five kids into this room – since the oldest was 20 and pretty responsible (somewhat). This allowed them to have autonomy from the parents and hang out as siblings. We didn’t get word of any fights, so that’s good.
4. Great Clean Rooms for the Smaller Family – Sleeps Four
While the five kids were hanging out in the family suite, my wife and I stayed in the standard room with my mom. The two queen beds worked great for our little group, but would also work well for a small family of four.
In addition to the two queen beds, there’s a small microwave, fridge, TV, table and vanity with sinks outside of the bathroom (toilet + shower). That allowed one person to shower while the others did hair, teeth and makeup at the vanity. It’s always a challenge when the sink/vanity are inside the toilet/shower area – especially when you have mixed company.
Unfortunately, the family suites don’t have connecting doors to a standard suite. Because our kids were older, we were less concerned about them staying in the family suite while we were in the standard room. We were all on the fourth floor, but were roughly 15 rooms away from each other – which I think the kids enjoyed. 😉
5. Swimming Pool & Hot Tub to End the Day
Regardless of how you “Do Disneyland”, you’re going to get your steps in. So hopefully you have comfortable shoes for the 10,000+ steps you’re going to get for the day. But after walking between the best attractions at Disneyland, or trying to find the best treats in Disneyland, a soak in the hot tub or swimming pool is a welcome moment of relaxation.
The pools are heated or cooled year-round, depending on the season or weather.
Castle Inn & Suites has three different options for you and your family. There’s the larger pool for those who want to do a cannonball, swim around, see how long they can hold their breath or even who can touch the bottom first. But for those looking to relax the muscles, there’s a hot tub available. The other round pool area that looks like a hot tub is more of a kiddie pool area. It’s shallow and allows kids – supervised by a responsible adult – to have some fun if they aren’t capable of swimming in the deep end.
There pool area also offers two different pool decks with plastic chairs and tables, so you can bring some food and setup at the table for a family get together. It’s perfect when you have multiple families enjoying The Happiest Place on Earth.
BONUS: There’s a laundry room near the pool, so if you need to run a few loads, the coin-operated machines are open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the last wash at 9 p.m.
6. Fridge and Microwave in Each Room + Origami Towels
When you first walk into whichever room you book, you’ll immediately notice the origami towels scattered throughout the room. We had two swans greeting us on one of the queen beds. There was also a bird made from one of the hand towels over by the soap dish. It’s one of the more notable ways the staff at Castle Inn & Suites welcomes you to their Good Neighbor Hotel.
One other important thing we look for in a hotel is a complimentary breakfast. While that doesn’t exist at the Castle Inn & Suites, that’s okay. There’s a Target store just down the road where we picked up cereals, milk, bowls, plastic spoons, bananas, snacks, Pop Tarts and other food items. The fridge was essential so we could keep the milk and other drinks cold – thus allowing us to have breakfast at the hotel without having to eat out.
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We didn’t ever use the microwave, but at the end of the day, whipping up a bag of microwavable popcorn could be a great way to conclude. It can also work well for TV dinners/breakfasts, if you’re really trying to avoid eating at the Disneyland Parks.
7. Free Parking for Hotel Guests
One of the most annoying charges at most hotels is a fee to park. The Castle Inn & Suites offers complimentary parking for hotel guests at the property. Essentially, you get free parking near the entrance of Disneyland, since the hotel is only .5 miles from the park entrances.
How to Book Your Stay at Castle Inn & Suites + Disneyland Tickets
One of the best ways to book your Disneyland vacation package with a say at the Castle Inn & Suites is to use my friends at Get Away Today. You can get a quote online to see what your total vacation package – hotel + tickets – would cost. If you use my promo code – Carltonaut10 – you can save a few dollars on your vacation package booking.
DISCLAIMER: I received two complimentary rooms at Castle Inn & Suites (Standard Room & Family Suite) for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own.
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