Last month, we stayed at Hilton’s Home2 Suites in Anaheim right near Disneyland Resort. Today, we are sharing five things we liked about our stay. Plus, some insights on whether this might be the right hotel for you (or not). This is our quick review of our stay plus some tips for your visit.
What is the Home2 Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort?
The Home2 Suites Anaheim is a Hilton brand hotel designed with extended stays in mind. There are two-bedroom suites or studio lay-outs.
We stayed in a standard studio room with two queen beds and a sofa sleeper. Our bathroom had a standard toilet, tub-shower combo and a single sink inside the bathroom itself. We also had ample storage space, various tables (more on that later) and a curtained closet with a full-size ironing board and a safe.
Each Home2 Suites Anaheim room has a kitchen with full size refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher and sink, plus plates, bowls, mugs, glasses, flatware, kitchen knives, a cutting board, a colander, a toaster and baking dishes. The hotel informed us that an induction cooktop and cookware were also available upon request.
The hotel’s first floor consists mostly of a check-in area and lobby with varied seating (plus a TV playing Disney movies) and a restaurant and bar that opens into the lobby. There is also a kind of hybrid convenience store and coffee shop. Outside the lobby is a very pleasant pool, hot tub and fenced splash pad surrounded by nice landscaping and varied seating options.
On the second floor, the hotel offers free hot breakfast each morning in a dedicated space. Also on the second floor is a fitness center. Other hotel amenities include guest laundry, free wi-fi and EV charging.
All parking is valet parking at Home2 Suites Anaheim. Check the website for current rates. We found the parking rates to be higher than hotels closer to Disneyland Resort with self parking.
Where is the Home2 Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort?
1441 S Manchester Ave in Anaheim, CA 92802
Home2 Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort is within walking distance of Disneyland Resort. Home2 Suites is not quite on Harbor Boulevard—which is the road that runs down the east side of Disneyland Resort—the hotel’s address is on Manchester Avenue, which intersects with Harbor Boulevard and curves back around by I-5.
To walk to Disneyland Resort from Home2 Suites, you will walk northwest and then west on Manchester Avenue and then turn left to walk along Harbor Boulevard and reach the east-side pedestrian entrance to the resort. The only shortcut is to cut through the adjacent Marriott Courtyard parking lot, which shaves a couple minutes off of the walk. This information is according to hotel staff and our own experience: when we tried heading the other direction from the hotel on Manchester Avenue (which would seem to be the more direct route) we encountered a wall across the sidewalk and a sign instructing us to turn around. There are a lot of walls and fences between this hotel and Disneyland.
How Long Does It Take to Walk From Home2 Suites to Disneyland (and the Anaheim Convention Center)?
When walking as a solo adult, I made the walk from Home2 Suites Anaheim to the Disneyland Resort security area in ten minutes, with moderate foot traffic on the way. When I took the shortcut, I could get the walk down to eight minutes. With kids and a stroller, the whole thing took about twenty minutes (depending on lights and traffic). I timed my solo walk to the Anaheim Convention Center at 20 minutes, and with kids it took thirty minutes to get from Home2 Suites Anaheim to the Anaheim Convention Center.
Shortcuts from Disneyland to the Home2 Suites
We decided to forgo the shortcut through the Marriott Courtyard parking lot when we were walking with young kids, because we preferred to keep them on the sidewalk rather than winding through a parking lot. If you do the same, we also recommend crossing Harbor Boulevard at the light at Manchester Avenue and walking to Disneyland along the west side of Harbor Boulevard (that’s the side closest to Disneyland). We encountered less busy driveways on this side and less foot traffic, and we found the walk to be overall more pleasant.
Plus, there is an entrance to the bus pick-up for the resort area that provides an alternative to the busy main pedestrian entrance. This entrance is just north of the main arched pedestrian entrance, so you will encounter it before the main entrance. Turning into this entrance almost felt like cheating, because it was so much less congested than the main walkway, but it was clearly labeled (though not with big signs) and open to guests. Keep in mind that you will still need to funnel through the same security area, and that you will need to cross the bus area if you choose to go this way.
With those basics out of the way, let’s get to five things we really liked about the Home2 Suites near Disneyland.
1- Home2 Suites Rooms Are Open and Bright
We had a standard studio room, and we were surprised by how bright and spacious it felt. The decor felt light and fresh, and our window provided lots of natural light. For this visit, we stayed at Home2 Suites Anaheim for a whole week. Because our stay was so lengthy, we traded a slightly longer walk for a more spacious room (versus many of similarly priced Harbor Boulevard hotels), and we were glad that we did.
Our standard studio room had two queen beds and a sleeper sofa. There was lots of room to move around the beds, and we easily fit a double stroller in the room. In fact, we were able to tuck it into the open closet and avoid tripping over it during our stay.
The best part was that our room had high ceilings, and we found that this made a huge difference. Those high ceilings made the room feel really airy. Now, our room was on the second floor—which is the same floor as the fitness center and breakfast room—so, I am actually not completely certain whether all floors had the same high ceilings we enjoyed, but they sure did make a big difference!
2- The Kitchen Really Was (Almost) Fully Stocked
We were pleasantly surprised at just how well-equipped we found the in-room kitchen. As I mentioned earlier, the kitchen had a full size refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher and sink, plus plates, bowls, mugs, glasses, flatware, kitchen knives, a cutting board, a colander, salt and pepper shakers, a toaster and baking dishes. The hotel informed us that an induction cooktop and cookware were also available upon request.
The refrigerator was nice and had ample freezer space. (Imagine an efficiently sized fridge like you might find in an apartment, not the huge french-door ones you see in some homes.) We were able to get a variety of freezer meals from Trader Joe’s and cook them in the microwave, and we also used the microwave for steaming vegetables. We really like saving money on our Disneyland trips by buying plenty of food from the grocery store. When you combine this nice kitchen set-up with free hot breakfast, we were able to save a lot of money and make healthy food choices.
So What’s With The “Almost?”… or… Washing Dishes at the Home2 Suites Anaheim
One disappointment with the kitchen was the poorly functioning dishwasher: we gave up on using it, because it did not work well at all. It actually left the dishes dirtier with much of the dish detergent left behind on the machine or the dishes themselves. We opted to hand clean our dishes instead, which worked out okay, because housekeeping never did replenish the one provided dishwashing tablet until we asked.
We also never (over the course of a week-long stay) got a fresh dishtowel after the one we were given at the start. Because housekeeping was so very diligent with replenishing our other towels, this made us think these kitchens may not be regularly used by most guests. Perhaps the hotel is used to guests primarily using them for leftovers and beverage storage: otherwise, it did seem an odd policy not to replenish the dishwashing supplies.
We would advise future guests to be proactive about asking for fresh dish towels, dish soap and dishwasher detergent over the course of your stay. We were also not provided with a sponge, but we had actually brought our own, so we did not ask if they could find one for us.
3- The Pool Area Is a Stand-out for Disneyland Area Hotels
We thought the pool area for Home2 Suites was one of its best features! Now, if you are used to staying at Disneyland Resort Hotels or have stayed at the Marriott Courtyard on Harbor Boulevard, do not get your hopes up for this pool deck. But, if you are used to the small pool-in-the-parking-lot you find at most Disneyland-area hotels, we think you will find this pool area to be a welcome oasis.
For one thing, the pool is pleasantly surrounded with some nice planters, trees and climbing vines. I think it is hard to overstate what a big difference some live plants make in a pool environment. These is also a nice variety of seating with shade in the form of both umbrellas and cabana tents. We saw plenty of people hanging-out and relaxing here in a way we do not at other bare bones pools nearby. Some folks grabbed food at the hotel restaurant just inside the doors and took it out to the shaded tables by the pool.
In addition to the rectangular pool, there is also a nice hot tub and a good-sized splash pad. The splash pad is in a separately fenced-area that adjoins the main pool. The splash pad had a variety of water features, and our kids made a game out of turning the area into a kind of obstacle course. We think this area should appeal to families with young kids, and we really appreciated that the doors to the restrooms were right beside the splash pad: something parents of newly potty trained toddlers are sure to appreciate!
4- We Could “Customize” Our Room
In addition to the large size of our standard room, we appreciated how well it met our needs as a family all staying in one room for a week. Much of the design seemed to be intentionally flexible to fit various needs.
For example, there was lots of open shelving and a surprising amount of counter space (not in the kitchen but in the rest of the room). The closet space also closed with a curtain instead of door. This meant all this storage space could accommodate items of all sizes. We like to keep our space feeling uncluttered, so we were also happy to find lots of drawers and cabinets for our use.
We also really liked the options for moveable furniture. There was a desk and office chair both on caster wheels that tucked into a portion of the countertop. We like that we could move these around to fit our needs, and the larger size of the room made it fairly easy to rearrange them.
We do wish there was a set of table and chairs, but we were able to make-do, because we could move this desk/table around. Plus, there was a set of nesting end tables by the sofa bed and an ottoman/coffee table. We like that all of this furniture was so versatile, and it could meet different needs throughout the week.
Just a Few Cons to Go With Those Pros…
Unfortunately, the smart design choices did not seem to extend to the bathroom. The bathroom has one of those barn doors that seem so (disappointingly) common in hotel room design right now. We found the door made unnecessary noise, but more than that, it was rather heavy and hard for our younger kids to move.
The other inconvenient design choice in the bathroom was a lack of towel rods or towels hooks. In a room meant to sleep up to six adults, there was not enough space to hang towels for all of those six people, or even four or five. As a result, we unfortunately ended up going through far more towels than we would have liked, because there was simply not a clean place to hang them to dry.
Still, we found the room to be smartly designed overall and would stay in a room with this kind of set-up again.
5- We Appreciated the Relaxed and Spacious Common Areas
In addition to our room feeling spacious, we found the same bright and airy feel in the hotel common spaces. The lobby had a surprising variety of seating options and was a relaxed and pleasant place to be. The fitness center was fairly large and well-equipped for a Disneyland area hotel, and it had lots of natural light. We never had trouble finding a seat in the breakfast room where the free breakfast was served each morning. And, though we have already featured the pool and how much we enjoyed that area, it is worth mentioning again how much we appreciated that pool space.
One common area that did not match-up to the others was the laundry room. We do not expect much from hotel laundry rooms, but the machines really did not work well in this one. This was not a little-used amenity—we actually encountered three different people over the course of doing one load—so we would have hoped the machines would be better maintained. (They agreed the machines were subpar.) We also were surprised that there was no detergent for sale in the laundry room. We always bring our own, but had we not, it seems we would have had to visit the lobby convenience store (on a different floor) to purchase some.
A Brief Aside on Extended Stays…
The laundry room was yet another area where it seems like the services that are generally part of an extended stay hotel were lacking. We already mentioned the basically useless dishwasher in our guest room and the lack of other dishwashing supplies. So, it is also interesting that the laundry room seems like a bit of an after-thought or forgotten space.
The other piece that made us curious about whether this hotel truly functions as an extended stay hotel is that there was very little variety in the free breakfast offerings from day to day. The food was delicious, and we were happy with it and impressed by the cleanliness and diligent staff. For the first couple of days, we found plenty of food we wanted to try.
We were just surprised that the offerings stayed basically the same from day to day, with the changes mostly being seen in alternating breakfast meats. The offerings were fairly straightforward and narrow to begin with (one kind of yogurt, apples or bananas, no pastries), so we expected to see more changes from day to day. This is probably not something you would notice at all during a weekend stay, but we were surprised that an extended-stay hotel did not choose to switch things up.
The Home2 Suites and Disneyland Trade-off: More Space versus Shorter Walks
Perhaps none of these common spaces would be worth remarking on if we found them outside the Disneyland Resort area. However, space is at such a premium anywhere within walking distance of Disneyland, that we find that most hotels will not “waste” that space on things like relaxed lobby seating or nice fitness centers. Now of course you can find hotels with those amenities close to Disneyland—the most obvious of these would be the Disneyland Resort Hotels—but you are typically paying a premium for those.
For this trip, we paid a lower rate for our room at Home2 Suites Anaheim than we would have paid at the motel-style accomodations across the street from Disneyland (we checked many times), and we got more space. Of course, the trade-off was a longer walk to Disneyland. For this longer trip, we felt that trade-off was worth it, but for shorter visits we still like the convenience of a clean room right across the street from the pedestrian entrance.
It is worth noting that some of these amenities are shared with the adjoining Hilton Garden Inn. These two hotels essentially exist as separate wings in one building, with each wing having the room types for the designated hotel. For our stay, it was cheaper to say in the Home2 Suites side. This was unexpected, because the Home2 Suites rooms are bigger and feature kitchens, plus our stay included daily free breakfast not offered at the Hilton Garden Inn. We think this lower rate was based on our stay matching that of an extended stay (the stated audience for this hotel), so that is another clue in the mystery of whether this hotel fits the profile of an extended stay hotel.
Tips for Guests at Home2 Suites Near Disneyland
Well… let us see if we can wrap this up before we hit 3000 word on the Home2 Suites Anaheim. Here are a few of the tips we mentioned in this silly-long article reiterated, plus a few other pieces of advice:
- Before booking the Home2 Suites Anaheim, map your actual walking route to Disneyland Resort. The hotel appears to be fairly close to the east pedestrian entrance for Disneyland. However, the reality is that there is not a direct route to the entrance on foot, and you will need to walk around other hotels. Google Maps estimates the walking distance from the entrance of Home2 Suites Anaheim to the center of the Esplanade at 0.6 miles. There is a little shortcut that chops just a minute or two off the walk.
- If you are bringing a car to this hotel, be sure to factor in the parking cost. Parking at Home2 Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort is higher than other area hotels. Because this hotel is within walking distance of Disneyland, you may be able to forgo a car altogether.
- Bring your own sponge and laundry detergent (if you plan on using either), or ask the front desk for help finding these items. If you plan to wash dishes, proactively ask housekeeping to replenish those supplies. For our more extensive tips on what to pack, see Disneyland Travel Essentials: What You Need to Pack.
- Ask for a room on the west side of the hotel away from I-5. This hotel backs-up to the freeway, which did not bother us, but we were still happy to have a room on the opposite side of the building. The west-side rooms will not give you a view of Disneyland Resort—mostly you will be looking at other hotel buildings and infrastructure—but we still think they are probably nicer.
- If you plan on taking advantage of the in-room kitchen, brainstorm meals you can prepare with a microwave, a toaster and (possibly) an induction burner. We opted for meals from Trader Joe’s that came in smaller quantities and were easy to heat in the microwave. We also brought plain vegetables we could steam in the microwave.
- For a taste of California hacked to work in your hotel room: buy a fresh whole artichoke at the grocery store. Fill one of the mugs about a quarter full of water. Trim the stem flat on the artichoke and place the artichoke upside-down in the mug. Place the mug and artichoke in the microwave and cook on high for 8 to 10 minutes. Let the artichoke cool and then eat it by pulling off individuals leaves and scraping the “meat” off with your teeth. Do not forget to clean and eat the heart once the leaves are gone!
- Book the Home2 Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort if:
- Are planning a long(ish) stay in Anaheim.
- You want a nicer-than-average hotel pool for a low nightly rate.
- You are ready to trade a shorter walk for more space.
- You have Hilton points to spend!
- You want to save money by preparing your own food in your room (and enjoying a free hot breakfast).
Thanks for reading our review of the Home2 Suites by Hilton at Anaheim Resort, near Disneyland.
We hope you have found this article helpful. For other advice on hotels around Disneyland, see Staying Near Disneyland: Book the Best Hotel for You. That article is part of our free and complete Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. And to catch future advice, please consider subscribing to our free newsletter below. Thanks again for reading!
