If you’re looking for a hotel near Disneyland, we’ve seen em’ all! (Well, most of them! We’ve been Disneyland Annual Passholders for 12 years!) Here’s our family’s latest Disneyland hotel review for Best Western Stovall’s Inn.
We usually stay on site or on Harbor Blvd. right across the street from Disneyland so we can walk over to Disneyland quickly and never, ever use the Disneyland parking lots. Now that our kiddos are older (12 and 15), we’re branching out from our tight closest-to-Disneyland hotel circle so we can find out which Disneyland hotels fit our requirements:
- Close,
- Clean, and
- Cheap!
Related: Make the Most of Your Disneyland Day: Stay Close and Nap! 10 Disneyland Tips
We stayed at Best Western Stovall’s Inn for our annual Christmas time Disneyland trip. As we drove into Anaheim, we got cold feet about how far Stovall’s Inn seemed to be from Disneyland. The kids wondered if there would be a bus stop with shady characters lying on the ground like we usually see on Harbor Blvd. Even though I had pored over hundreds of hotel reviews and room photos, I started worrying too! Nothing ruins a Disneyland vacation for Mom like a crappy hotel! (Kids and husbands don’t usually care about the accommodations.) I reminded everyone that the hotel is a Best Western Plus, so it should be at least as nice as the two Best Western Plus hotels we frequent on Harbor Blvd.
[Tweet “Nothing ruins a Disneyland vacation for Mom like a crappy hotel. #disneymom #familytravel”]
As we pulled into the hotel parking lot, we peered through the windows at the clean and modern lobby—and we all breathed a sigh of relief! Best Western Stovall’s Inn definitely has the best looking lobby of all the Best Westerns near Disneyland.
Here’s a photo of the Best Western Stovall’s Inn in Anaheim decorated for Christmas:
The check-in crew was friendly and helpful. They even called up to our room immediately after we opened the door—because they found my husband’s wallet in the parking lot! Thanks to the eagle-eyed Best Western staff, we avoided a lost wallet emergency on our Disneyland vacation!
Read our full review of Best Western Stovall’s Inn across the street from Disneyland here:
Pin this Disneyland hotel review to your Disneyland vacation board:
Best Western Stovall’s Inn Review: Is It Close? Yes!
Stovall’s Inn is on Katella Ave. Most of the hotels on Katella Ave. are too far to walk to Disneyland within a reasonable amount of time and distance. But, Stovall’s Inn is right on the corner of Katella and Disneyland Drive—directly across the street from the Paradise Pier Hotel, one of the 3 on-site Disneyland hotels. (More Disneyland Resort hotels are coming soon!)
To get to Disneyland or California Adventure, you’ll walk up Disneyland Drive, past the Paradise Pier Hotel, past the Disneyland Hotel, and through Downtown Disney.
There is a security checkpoint right at the entrance of the Disneyland Hotel you’ll go through to enter Downtown Disney. This security checkpoint is only used by guests of the Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel, and the few guests staying on Katella Ave. who know how to go this back way!
Therefore, the Disneyland Hotel security checkpoint is much less crowded than the Harbor Blvd. pedestrian entrance security checkpoint. We never waited more than 3 people deep on our December Disneyland trip.
Disneyland Tip:
Since you’re a guest of Best Western Stovall’s, and not staying at one of the on-site Disneyland hotels, you will not be allowed to ride the Monorail until Disneyland opens. So if Disneyland opens at 8:00 a.m. and you get to the Monorail at 7:50 a.m., you won’t be able to enter the Monorail gate until 8:00 a.m. The reason guests at the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier hotels can enter early is the on-site Extra Magic Hour benefit that allows early Park entry. Since the Monorail is a Disneyland gate, off-site Guests can’t go through that gate until Disneyland opens.
If you’re headed into Disneyland, it takes 11 minutes to walk from Best Western Stovall’s Inn to the Monorail. Then it can take a few minutes if you need to wait for a Monorail train. The Monorail ride takes just 5 minutes. We lucked out and caught the Monorail immediately both mornings we rode it, so our total time from Stovall’s into Disneyland was less than 20 minutes. We made fantastic time into Disneyland, especially considering the super-packed Christmas crowds! We could see the lines to get into the main Disneyland gate from the Monorail and it definitely would have taken a lot more time to walk all the way through Downtown Disney and then wait in line to enter the main gate!
Although Best Western Stovall’s Inn is a full 15 minute walk to the main Disneyland or California Adventure gates, we’re pretty sure that “extra” walk saved us time because:
- The Disneyland Hotel security checkpoint is much less crowded than the security checkpoint on Harbor Blvd. (where we’ve gotten stuck for up to 45 minutes before!)
- The Monorail gate to Disneyland bypasses the line at Disneyland’s main gate, and you exit the Monorail right into Tomorrowland!
- As soon as you scan your ticket at the Monorail gate, you can start booking Fastpasses if you have MaxPass!
Related: Is Disneyland’s MaxPass worth it? 9 People Who Shouldn’t Buy MaxPass!
- It took 20 minutes each morning to get into Tomorrowland from Stovall’s Inn—and we already had a Fastpass when we got off the Monorail train!
- With best-case scenario entering from a super-close hotel on Harbor Blvd. it takes at least 30 minutes from the hotel room to a ride line in Disneyland:
- 5 minutes to walk to the security checkpoint near the pedestrian entrance on Harbor Blvd.
- Minimum 10 minutes to go through that security checkpoint in the morning.
- Minimum 10 minutes to wait in line to enter the Disneyland or DCA main gate.
- Only then can you book a Fastpass with MaxPass.
- And you still have to walk down Main Street (about 5 minutes) to get to a Land to ride rides.
- With best-case scenario entering from a super-close hotel on Harbor Blvd. it takes at least 30 minutes from the hotel room to a ride line in Disneyland:
Disneyland Tip:
When you go INTO Disneyland from Katella Ave., you CAN’T cut through the Grand Californian Hotel anymore.
When you LEAVE Disneyland or California Adventure, you CAN cut through the Grand Californian on your way back to Best Western Stovall’s!
It just takes 10 minutes to walk from DCA to Best Western Stovall’s, because you can cut through the Grand Californian, and you don’t have a security checkpoint on the way out!
Make sure to cut through the Grand Californian when you return to Stovall’s (10 minutes), unless you ride the Monorail from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney (12 minutes plus Monorail wait and ride time).
When you cut through the Grand Californian, you get to walk through a well-lit garden and that gorgeous front entrance:
There is a landscaped walkway with lighted trees all the way up Disneyland drive—no bus stop, no people lying on the ground! The walk from Katella to Downtown Disney is much more pleasant than the walk from Harbor Blvd. to the Disneyland pedestrian entrance.
Yes! We say Stovall’s Inn is a hotel CLOSE to Disneyland!
Best Western Stovall’s Inn Review: Is it Clean? Yes!
One thing you have to be careful of when you book a room at Best Western Stovall’s Inn is that THEY OFFER SMOKING ROOMS! Be very careful NOT to accidentally choose a smoking room for your family’s Disneyland vacation!
The smoking rooms must be all on the opposite side of the hotel from the regular rooms, because I didn’t notice even a hint of smoke smell in the room—and I have a nose like a blood hound. UPDATE: Smoking rooms are NOT contained to one side of Stovall’s hotel. On our last visit to Stovall’s they gave us a room that had obviously been used as a smoking room. We called the front desk immediately and the clerk moved us to a room that did not smell like smoke at all.
At check-in, I asked if the rollaway bed we needed could have been used in a smoking room, and the front desk clerk assured me that they keep the smoking and non-smoking rollaway beds separated. I buried my face in the bed when it was delivered to our room and did not smell smoke in the mattress or the bedding.
The rooms at Stovall’s have modern furniture and linens, and the bathrooms have been updated with the usual granite and tile. The bathroom and room were very clean, as were the fridge and microwave. The coffee pot was clean, but the contraption that held the coffee and tea selection was very dusty; a little more attention to detail from the housekeeping department would really make these rooms look fantastic.
We didn’t return to the room for a break on any of our Disneyland days like we usually do, so I’m not sure how quickly the room was serviced each day. We arrived each night to a clean room stocked with four of everything: towels, hand towels, wash cloths, water cups, and coffee cups. I love not having to call housekeeping for additional basic supplies!
Our room had 2 queen beds and it was huge! The rollaway bed fit easily without blocking any walkway, and we still had plenty of room to spare. The kids fought over the rollaway bed, and Jefferson put a cot on his Christmas list! You’ve never seen kids so excited to sleep in a tiny bed—the one who got the queen bed all to himself thought the other kid had it better!
There are some rooms with a view of California Adventure at Stovall’s, but you’ll probably need to step outside your room to get a good look. Here is the view of Paradise Pier in California Adventure from our room on the 3rd floor:
The most interesting feature at Best Western Stovall’s is the pool area. There are 2 pools, 3 spas, and a topiary garden with topiaries shaped into animals!
We tried packing light for this trip, so I didn’t take my own coffeepot. I did take Cafe Bustelo instant coffee sticks. They’re 6 for $1, and cheap compared to the Starbucks instant coffee sticks that cost $1 each! With a little Bailey’s for extra holiday cheer, the instant coffee tasted just fine.
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year at Disneyland!
Scroll down to find out if Stovall’s is cheap—here are just a few photos from our Christmas time Disneyland trip!
Best Western Stovall’s Inn Review: Is It Cheap? Yes!
I hesitate to put this out there because I want to be able to get a room when we plan a last minute Disneyland trip…but I can’t keep it to myself. You can get a room at Best Western Stovall’s for AT LEAST $50 per night cheaper than at either of the 2 Best Westerns on Harbor Blvd. (Best Western Park Place Inn & Mini Suites and Best Western Anaheim Inn).
We reserved a 2-Queens room at Best Western Stovall’s Inn for just $120 a night during the super busy Christmas season at Disneyland!
I’ve seen $89 rates at Stovall’s—in fact, that’s the rate we have for our Disneyland trip in February for Jefferson’s birthday!
Disneyland Tip:
Make sure you are signed up for Best Western Rewards (free) and start at Ebates to get cash back on your stay! Ebates usually offers 2.5% cash back.
Get $10 when you make your first Ebates purchase with my link.
We book on the Best Western site instead of through Orbitz et al, because
- the Best Western site (usually) has the best rates,
- we can call in to the hotel if we need to change anything, and
- we can book, change, and cancel for free—that option is so important when traveling with kids!
Rates start at $143 at the Best Western Anaheim Inn on Harbor Blvd., and we haven’t seen a rate under $169 at Best Western Park Place Inn on Harbor Blvd. for several months. Even a $50 rate difference between hotels really adds up! On a 3-night stay, a $50 rate difference adds up to $175! That’s because you’ll pay a total of 17% hotel tax at Anaheim hotels.
We were so happy with our stay at Best Western Stovall’s Inn, we’ll happily pay the cheaper rate and take the quicker walk for the win on future Disneyland trips!
Extra fees and charges at Best Western Stovall’s Inn:
The Disneyland hotel rate game is kind of complicated. Some hotels offer free parking and charge for breakfast. Some do the opposite. Some charge for everything. We recommend adding up all charges including tax to compare the true cost per night of each hotel. Here’s everything you’ll need to know about the extra fees and benefits at Best Western Stovall’s Inn:
- Free hot breakfast.
- $10 parking fee per night. If you’ve squeezed into hotel parking spaces on Harbor Blvd., you’ll understand what I mean when I say the parking lot at Stovall’s is amazing. There is ample parking.
- $17.50 rollaway bed fee ($20.50 after that pesky 17% Anaheim hotel tax).
Free breakfast at Stovall’s
The free breakfast is the best we’ve had at the hotels near Disneyland. While the ingredients are low-end (spongy sausage and the apple juice isn’t really juice), the variety is outstanding so no matter what diet you follow (even Paleo), you’ll find something tasty to eat. UPDATE: On our last several stays at Stovall’s, nobody in our family has felt like eating the free breakfast—the poor quality ingredients just make everyone feel gross, which isn’t a way to start a Disneyland morning! I recommend the coffee, pastries, and hard boiled eggs as the most tasty options.
Now, eating breakfast doesn’t require much thought, but we found it super helpful on groggy, early Disneyland mornings to use the Build Your Own Breakfast Sandwich signs as a guide. We slapped together English muffins, cheese, eggs, and sausage as directed, poured cups of steaming hot coffee, and scarfed it all up on the short walk to Disneyland!
No Suites at Stovall’s
Stovall’s has tons of rooms, but no suites. They do offer adjoining rooms. Since we have a boy and a girl who have reached the stage that they don’t want to share a bed, we look for suites with 3 beds, or rooms with 2 beds and a sleeper sofa when we travel. Jefferson is over 6 ft. tall, so bunk beds don’t work anymore!
We had never tried using a rollaway bed before because I thought it would make the hotel room feel cramped. But, the Stovall’s rooms are so big, we had plenty of room for the rollaway—and saved plenty of money not having to pay for a suite!
You can see California Adventure from Best Western Stovall’s Inn—and you can spot the hotel from the top of California Screamin’! K.C. realized that if you could simply walk through the DCA wall next to California Screamin’, Stovall’s is the very closest hotel to Disneyland! Since we can’t walk as the crow flies, we’ll satisfy ourselves with that 20 minute TOTAL walk and Monorail ride right into Tomorrowland, with a Fastpass ready on our MaxPass!
Best Western Stovall’s Inn Review—The Bottom Line:
Our family was pleasantly surprised with how Close, Clean, and Cheap this Disneyland hotel is! We’ll stay at Best Western Stovall’s Inn on future Disneyland vacations for sure!
Read more of our Disneyland hotel reviews:
More family travel tips:
When are you going to Disneyland?
