We went to Disneyland for a week during Halloween with a toddler and a seven year old. We had originally booked a hotel across from Disneyland. However, a friend suggested the Ayres boutique chain after staying at the Ayres Orange a week prior. We hesitantly cancelled our hotel and decided to stay at the Ayres Anaheim Hotel. The Ayres hotel costs hundreds less, and breakfast was included - which justified the risk.
So here is my impression. The hotel staff was accommodating and friendly right from the moment we walked into the lobby. Our room was very large and clean. During our stay the staff was constantly bustling about cleaning and touching up the hotel to keep it in pristine condition. The lobby had offerings throughout the week that included; cookies, happy hour beverages and ice cold lemon water.
The gentlemen who made our breakfast each morning was very friendly and went out of his way to make Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes for the kids. I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of breakfast options and the coffee was good.
The Disneyland shuttle leaves from the hotel front entrance every forty-minutes and was only a few dollars, we found it easy to take even with a toddler. The shuttle drop off is just outside the Disney security gates, so less walking than if we stayed across from Disneyland at a hotel.
The Ayres Anaheim hotel is directly across from the hockey stadium, which made it convenient to go to a game, although beer is overpriced at the stadium. There is one restaurant directly across the street, otherwise it’s a bit of a walk to other restaurants or to the nearest gas station. The transit hub is right behind the hotel which made it easy for us to catch a bus on our day off from visiting Disneyland. Unfortunately, you would have to either drive or bus to shopping centres. We didn’t have a car, so we found it a bit limiting.
The gym is small, which is to be expected in a boutique style hotel. The kids had a great time at the pool, although it was my least favorite area of the hotel. It was smaller and lacked the quaint charm of the rest of the grounds. It could be because we were there in the off season and nobody uses the outdoor pool this time of year. I would recommend the Ayres hotels and will definitely look at staying at an Ayres in my future travels.
