After hours of walking, a hotel within walking distance of Disneyland is a must. Looking for a great value hotel within walking distance of Disneyland that can accommodate large families? You will want to check out this review of Desert Palms Hotel and Suites.
We toured this room with our travel partner Get Away Today.
This post contains our personal, unbiased impressions of the Desert Palms Hotel and Suites.
This post contains affiliate links, which provide a small commission on your purchase, at no added cost.
Desert Palms Hotel and Suites Quick Review
WHAT WE LIKED
- One block from Disneyland
- Welcoming, helpful staff
- Great prices + 4th night free
- Large rooms
- Free breakfast
WHAT WE DIDN’T
- Outdated room design with awkward layout
- Limited free wifi access
- Extra charge for early checkin
- Adjacent convenience store has problems with panhandlers and drug dealers
Where can I find the best deals on a room at the Desert Palms?
As out-of-state Disneyland annual passholders, we’ve stayed in more than our fair share of Anaheim-area hotels.
We get asked all of the time how we can possibly afford to hold an annual pass, travel from Utah every six weeks and stay in five star hotels. Well, it’s not exactly a secret. We plan ahead, look for deals and book hotel stays through our travel partner Get Away Today.
Use our partner link with Get Away Today to gain access to a fourth night “on the house” at the Desert Palms Hotel and Suites, as well as free parking. That’s a savings of over $300 on the average stay!
Where is the best value hotel within walking distance of Disneyland located?
Nestled just behind Cars Land in Disney California Adventure, Desert Palms Hotel and Suites offers nearly 200 rooms of every shape and size. The hotel is located just outside our “magic triangle,” but it’s closer than a few of the others on our list of best hotels within walking distance to Disneyland.
The Desert Palms is just a few steps west of Harbor Blvd. on Katella Ave. It’s one of the few hotels that doesn’t require a major street crossing, which is great when you’re walking with littles.
It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the hotel to Disneyland’s main gate on Harbor. If you’re looking for a closer hotel, you might want to check out our post featuring the closest hotel to Disneyland.
Considering other area hotels? Be sure to check out our full list of the
best hotels within walking distance of Disneyland.
What are the rooms like at this value hotel within walking distance of Disneyland?
Desert Palms has One King and Two Queen Standard rooms that sleep four, but the real star of this hotel are the suites that sleep up to six. While other area hotels suited for larger families charge upwards of $500 a night for a room this size, you can find suites at Desert Palms for around $300.
The larger suites have a small galley kitchen and full-sized fridge for families who’d prefer not to eat all of their meals in the park.
Though I love the idea of a kitchen area, it was a little off putting to be standing in the kitchen area looking right into the bathroom (have we talked about our level of design and hotel snobbery?).
The regular rooms have smaller microwave and refrigerator combo areas.
Beyond that the living space, where you might sit and enjoy your meal was through the bedroom space, which was a little awkward.
The Desert Palms Inn was built in 1988 and was last updated in 2011. Though the rooms were clean and well cared for, it’s obvious that style and function were not priorities when changes were made.
The bathroom area is clean, with the vanity separate from the toilet and tub/shower area, which is nice when traveling as a family.
We prefer a walk in, hard surface shower without a curtain, but this bathroom was pretty standard for the Disneyland Resort area.
What amenities are offered at the Desert Palms Hotel and Suites?
It’s rare for a hotel this close to Disneyland to offer a free breakfast. Book through Get Away Today to access the full breakfast buffet.
The breakfast area is very large with both indoor and outdoor dining. The outdoor patio provides some fun views of Disney California Adventure.
There is a small, but functional fitness center with three or four exercise machines and weights.
The pool area is tidy, but small. Other area hotels have invested far more in this feature. And while that may be a deterrent for some, we don’t use the hotel pool as often as we might with smaller children.
We love that this hotel has washers and dryers available. This is a feature we use all the time in Walt Disney World and wish that more hotels had this option for longer stays.
There is no on-site restaurant, but just up the street there are several well-known chains. There is also a well-appointed CVS right across the street.
What is the staffing like at this value hotel?
We loved meeting the staff at the Desert Palms. The welcome the provided was above or on par with any other staff greeting we’ve had.
They were genuinely kind and helpful. They answered our endless questions without hesitation.
Would we stay at the best value hotel within walking distance to Disneyland?
We are, admittedly, giant hotel snobs. While we would stay at this hotel, largely due to the location, price and friendly staff, we’re probably still more likely to pay more for our favorite luxury hotel within walking distance to Disneyland.
Having said that, we would probably book Desert Palms over the other hotel within walking distance to Disneyland for larger families due to the price.
We would happily recommend this option to friends and family.
Tauni Everett
Creative Director at Tauni Everett
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