Anaheim Suites

We had a great family stay here last year, so return guests should know there are new owners and new rules. We brought a Jersey Mikes sandwich from their parking-lot partner restaurants to the pool and were turned away at the gate. Nobody had warned us about the food rule. As of today, new management also won't let you bring drinks to the pool, even if you bought them at the hotel's own bar. There were kids running around, toddlers jumping into the hot tub, and guests playing loud music, but I got called a bother for moving a lounge chair one section over so I could sit in the shade beside my husband. Front desk service has also gone downhill since last year. We arrived at 2:00pm and were told we'd get a call when our room was ready. When we checked back at 4:30, they said the room had been ready and they'd simply forgotten to call. We called the desk later and the phone rang several times or went unanswered. The Cambria team had set a high bar, and new management is nowhere near meeting it. We thought our annual trips were settled, but next year we may look at other properties.

The pool was a hit with the kids, and the room layout worked okay for our big group. There were decent food options nearby, and Disneyland is fairly close, about a 25-minute walk or a $10 Uber/Lyft. The pool itself was oddly warm, about as warm as the hot tub. The water was scheduled to be shut off from 10 am to 6 pm one day, which seemed fine since we'd be at the parks. But when we got back around 7 or 8, there was still no water, and nobody had contacted guests. The pool bathrooms were overflowing with waste. Staff basically told us to use the bathroom at Starbucks. After pushing Expedia, I got a refund for the night. Given they hadn't arranged portable toilets or anything, I wondered whether they could handle a real emergency. It was such a pain. There was traffic noise, nightly parking fees, and annoying wristbands for breakfast and the pool.

The suite was honestly great, especially the doors separating the bedroom from the living room, which gave us more privacy. Sliding doors also separate the bedroom from the bathroom, though that one doesn't lock. Another sliding door between the toilet and shower area and the sink and bathtub does lock. The housekeepers did a great job making the beds and cleaning while we were out. The breakfast buffet is the main reason I'm giving four stars. It starts at 8:30am and gets packed with people rushing to Disneyland, so you have to be pretty assertive to get the Mickey-shaped waffles without worrying about others' feelings. Wristbands are required for both breakfast and the pool. They're like the kind from the ER, locked in place so you have to break them to remove them. I'd leave enough wiggle room to slide one up and down while showering. The hotel has shuttles, but we were told they're sometimes unreliable and an Uber may be cheaper, so that might be the better choice. Disneyland is a good 30-minute walk away or less.

The two-room family suite worked great, and breakfast was good. My only room complaint was that there were no dressers, so our clothes ended up in piles. With a stroller and two little kids, we walked to Disney in 23 minutes. Getting to the Toy Story lot took about 5-8 minutes on foot, then the free shuttle made it 25 minutes total once we'd loaded up. We mostly walked and used the shuttle a bit.