The Candy Cane Inn

 

http://www.candycaneinn.net/

We made three trips to Disneyland when I was a kid, and then we were always driving down and staying in campgrounds. Our first time back as adults (spring vacation, 1996), our brother and his wife recommended the Candy Cane Inn, and that's where we went, and that's where we have stayed every time we have gone back.

People ask about where to stay a lot, and this is the place I always recommend. A lot of people think we are crazy, and that you are missing out if you are not staying at one of the resort hotels. I admit, the Grand Californian looks amazing, and has a great location, and I get the appeal. It would also add at least another $1000 to our trip. The Disneyland and Paradise Pier hotels are not quite as expensive, but they are still pretty spendy. We're not willing to spend that much extra money.

At the same time, we do sometimes look at possibly finding a cheaper place, and there are some, but we always decide against it, and go back to Candy Cane. So, what I am going to do in this post is talk about what we like about it. Even if that does not convince you, it covers a lot of the issues that you should think about when picking a place to stay.

Standard Amenities: It is not unusual to have a continental breakfast, but it is handy to have, and theirs is good. It gets us started on the day, and means we only have to worry about lunch and dinner. Pools and hot tubs are common, but theirs is nice, and they do have a regular pool as well as a smaller one for children, which I think some parents find comforting. There are definitely children around, but I have never found it to be noisy. Also, they have a laundry room, and I really appreciate that, as it means we can pack less. Their is WiFi, as provided by iBahn. It had a few snags on our first two days, but they worked it out.

Price/Quality balance: They are not the least expensive place in town, but there are others that are much more expensive, and for the less expensive ones, the money that you save probably does not adequately compensate for the drop in quality. We have always found the Candy Cane to be clean and comfortable.

Location: They are really close to Disneyland. You can see the back of Ornament Valley in Cars Land rising up behind the hotel. They are easily within walking distance, in fact. We rarely do walk, because you do so much walking within the park, and because they have such a good alternative to walking (which we will get to in the next item), but it's nice to be close.

Also, for other convenience, there is a combination convenience store/souvenir shop, the ABC Store, right next door. We usually get our bottled water here. Right next to it is a 7-11. Across the street there are some convenient fast food places, including a Subway and a Chinese place similar to Panda Express, and just a little beyond that is the Garden Walk, which is basically a mall, but you have more restaurants and shopping.


Transportation: A lot of hotels mention being close to Disneyland, but they mean driving yourself. We were talking to another family on our way to the airport (Supershuttle), and she said that between hotel parking and Disneyland parking, having a car there would have cost $25 per day.

The Candy Cane Inn has it's own shuttle that goes back and forth every half hour. It is not the only one that does. I remember seeing two other hotels that did (yes, it would be helpful if a remembered which; maybe Sheraton and Hyatt), but that is rare. There is a shuttle bus that goes around to different resorts, but that takes a lot longer, and is not as nice. Our ride was very short, due to the convenient location, and our shuttle was always clean and comfortable, and rotating among the same drivers.

Consistency: Speaking of the same drivers, we are always recognizing people there. This is most obvious with the hotel manager, James, but he is not the familiar face. That consistency tells me that they are good to their employees, and I feel good about that. The staff has always been helpful and responsive. They also tend to be enthusiastic about Disney, so you can ask them questions and they will know.

Oh, one thing that has not helped us is that they always give us a certificate for a discount if we come back within a year. We have longer than that between trips, but if you manage to go yearly, you may find that helpful as well.