Our Favorite Family-Friendly Disneyland Hotel: The Howard Johnson Anaheim

February 14, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure policy here

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

The first time I heard about the Howard Johnson Anaheim was over a year ago on the Instagram feed of Carly at Lipgloss and Crayons. She’s a California local who visits Disneyland a lot! Her family did a Disney trip that involved spending a couple nights at HoJo. As soon as I saw her pictures, I knew this was the place I wanted to stay at for our next visit to the Happiest Place on Earth . . . and it did not disappoint!

I received a discounted rate for our stay at the HoJo Anaheim. All opinions are my own.

Located across the street from Disneyland, it’s a quick 8-minute walk from HoJo to the parks. The close proximity was super convenient to just pop back over to the hotel for rest/nap times in the afternoons. On our last trip we stayed at somewhere much farther away (and not as fun), and let me tell you, after spending a long day on your feet, the last thing you wanted to do was walk so far back to your hotel (especially if you didn’t bring a stroller *face palm*).

The HoJo Anaheim has been around for decades but has recently undergone massive renovations. We had the opportunity to stay in one of their newly-renovated buildings and it was hit! Our room came with bunk beds. BUNK BEDS! It was basically Emma’s dream come true (she’s been begging for bunk beds for years). They also offer Disney-facing rooms which provide a great view of the fireworks display at night.

(Use the corp. code "1000022077" and you can get 15% off your stay.)

At check-in, HoJo offers a treasure chest of gold coins (chocolate, of course) as well as complementary “If I’m Lost” temporary tattoos for the kids (such a great idea for parental peace of mind!). The room was clean, modern, and had everything a busy family could need on a Disney vacation – including a mini fridge, microwave, Keurig, free WiFi, and even a step stool for kiddies in the bathroom!

Already sounds great, right? But that’s not all! What really made me want to book a stay there was the WATER PARK. Yup! You read that right! The HoJo has a water park on premises! Castaway Cove is a pirate-themed water playground with a 30-foot pirate ship, slides, water cannons, a hot tub, and a wading pool. We all had the best time splashing around there. It was an especially great way to wind down from our 7-hour road trip to Anaheim. (There’s also another pool on premises, separate from the water park, if you want something a little less kid-centic)

For dining, there is a Mimi’s Cafe on the grounds (which we never had occasion to visit). The hotel does not offer a continental breakfast, but that wasn’t a problem for us because there are several other dining options (like Panera and McDonald’s) just a few minute walk down the street (and on the way to the parks). There’s also a gift shop where you can purchase drinks, snacks, toys, and other random necessities, like band-aids and pain meds.

When I say that we loved our stay at the HoJo I’m not exaggerating. I lost track of how many times Emma asked if we could go back to the hotel . . . or just stay there all day (only slightly annoying since Disney tickets aren’t cheap!) Our whole family had a great time that our girls are still talking about.

The HoJo Anaheim is the perfect place to stay for your next Disneyland trip! And if you use corp. code “1000022077” at checkout, you can save 15% off your stay

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