Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel And Water Playground- Full Review

I absolutely love visiting Disneyland! There’s something pure magic about the place. Guess what else I love? An amazing hotel room within walking distance of Disneyland! That’s where the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel and Water Playground comes in! This property is affectionately referred to as the HoJo and is one of my favorite hotels to stay at when I’m visiting the Disneyland Resort. I stay here several times each year. I know you’re going to love it too!

I’ve got a great deal for you at the HoJo! Use code corp code: 1000022077 for a 15% discount!

The Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel is a six-time winner of TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Hotels for Families in the United States! Their beautiful 7-acre property is so close to Disneyland! They have comfy beds and amazing customer service! They even have a 24-hour live webcam going that has views of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. Check it out here! This will give you an idea of how close they are to the parks!

Let’s chat about what makes this one of my favorite hotels and see if it might be a good fit for you! In this article, I’ll talk about the location, rooms, the outdoor pools and water park, and other amenities so you can decide if this is the property for you.

Discount Disneyland Tickets

Keep in mind that park tickets and park reservations are required to enter the Disneyland resort. Please don’t pay full price for your park tickets! One of the best ways to save money on your trip is to book your tickets and hotel at a discount! I always get my park tickets from my partners at Get Away Today. Their park tickets are always discounted off the gate price! They even have layaway plans and their customer service is amazing! You can book with them online or call them at 1-855-GET-AWAY . Make sure you tell them Mix In Some Magic sent you for the very best deal!

Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel

Location

The Howard Johnson Anaheim hotel is located at 1380 S. Harbor Blvd. It’s an 8-minute walk from the entrance to Disneyland. I’ve actually done it in 7 minutes, but I’m a fast walker. The walk is easy and very convenient. It’s a straight shot right into Disneyland! I also feel very safe on the walk to and from the Howard Johnson. I often travel alone and I’ve never felt nervous on my walk back to the hotel late at night. It’s on a well-traveled, main road the there are always plenty of other hotel guests and people out and about.

I love being close enough that I can pop back over to the hotel to swim mid-day if it gets too hot or to take a quick power nap before heading back to Disneyland to shut the parks down. I love being able to walk back to my hotel at the end of a long day. I can be back to the Howard Johnson and in my bed while other people are still waiting for their shuttle to pick them up!

There is no shuttle service to Disneyland, but you could always take an Uber/Lyft if you wanted to. It’s such a short walk though, I don’t think you’ll need to!

The location is not only convenient to the Disneyland theme parks, but it’s also very close to lots of restaurants like McDonald’s and Panera bread company, Mimi’s Cafe is right next door and makes delicious bran muffins. I like to buy some to go and eat them on my walk to Disneyland! Target is also very close. The nearby Target has a really fun Disney section that’s full of hats, shirts, and other fun Disney souvenirs.

Rooms and suites at the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel

There are so many different room/bed options at the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel! You are sure to find the perfect room for you. They have 4 types of rooms. Standard rooms, Deluxe rooms, Premium rooms, and suites. Here are the options for the different room types.

Standard Rooms:

1 King Bed(ADA)

2 Double Beds

Deluxe Rooms:

2 Queen beds(ADA)

1 King Bed

1 Queen Bed/Jr. Bunk bed

2 Queen Beds Building 1

2 Queen Beds Building 2

Premium Rooms:

1 Queen Bed/Bunk Bed(ADA)

2 Queen Beds

2 Queen Beds/2 room bundle

Suites:

King Suite

Queen Suite

Kids Suite

Retro Suite-I was lucky enough to be invited to stay in the Retro Suite! It was pretty amazing. Check out my video here.

So, you can see there are tons of different options. I love a room with bunk beds for my kids! Speaking of beds, the beds at the Howard Johnson Anaheim are amazing! They are so comfortable and when I stay there I know I’m going to get a good night’s sleep.

The rooms are also very clean. As I mentioned, I stay at the Howard Johnson Hotel several times a year and I’ve always been very impressed by how clean and well-maintained their rooms are. I love the spacious rooms, that have space to spread out. You’ll have plenty of room for a stroller and your luggage. Rollaway beds are available upon request. Each room has:

• Comfortable beds and pillows
• HBO, Disney Channel, Nick Jr, ESPN & Golf Channel
• Nick Jr
• Keurig coffee maker /tea maker
• Free Wi-Fi internet
• Free laptop safe
• Hair dryer
• Mini-fridge & microwave
• Iron & board
• Hulu & Pandora
• ESPN & Golf Channel”
• Disney Channel
• Netflix

Castaway Cove

Your kids are going to love Castaway cove! This pirate-themed water playground features slides, water cannons, and a pirate ship with a water dumping bucket! This little water park also has splash fountains and a toddler pool with a beach entry. Make sure you block out some time to enjoy this fun amenity! Once your kids see it, they might not want to leave! Here’s some additional info:

• Hours: 10 am to 10 pm
• Toddler water slide and big kid S-curvy water slide
• 200-gallon drench bucket
• 4 mini water cannons
• Water curtain
• 2 water umbrellas
• Toddler wading pool with beach-style entry
• Speedy, the friendly turtle, and 13 water fountains
• Bubbling whirlpool spa with foot and back jets
• Complimentary swim pants are offered at the front desk upon request for those little ones who are not yet potty trained.

Garden Pool

The Garden Pool is a secluded pool surrounded by shady trees. It’s the perfect place to relax and unwind! I love hanging out here during the hottest hours of the day. This swimming pool is a great place to take a break from the parks when it’s hot! It’s one of my favorite place on the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel property. This pool area is located next to Building #2 and is separate from the Castaway Cove Water Playground. The pool is heated year-round. There is no hot tub. Here’s some more info:

• Pool Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm
• Complimentary pool towels
• Comfortable lounge chairs
• Umbrella-covered tables
• Depth of Pool: 5 foot
• Complimentary swim pants are offered at the front desk upon request for those little ones who are not yet potty trained.

Amenities

Here are a few of the amenities you can expect from the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel.

• Complimentary iMac internet stations with printing
• Complimentary Wi-Fi access in all rooms and public areas
• Parking surrounding the entire property, and each room is allowed one car (20 +tax nightly charge). A valid parking permit will be issued at check-in. A second car is may be parked off-site at the Garden Walk. You may leave your vehicle in the parking lot until Noon on your departure day, after which it will be flagged for towing. You should move your vehicle to a Disney parking location if you intend on staying at the park past Noon. RV and oversized vehicles which cannot fit in one parking space are not permitted. Parking is for hotel guests ONLY.
• 24-hour front desk
• Games room, featuring electronic games as well as some classics like Air Hockey!
• Two coin-operated Laundromats
• Water & soft drink vending machines throughout the property
• Convenient shuttle stop & waiting area for all airport, tour, and resort trolley busses

Main St Market

The Main Street Market is a little convenience store located on the property. It’s open daily from 7 am- 11 pm and is the perfect place to pick up anything you may have forgotten, grab some snacks or buy a cute souvenir! Here’s what you kind find in the shop.

• Breakfast items such as milk, juice, cereals, oatmeal, fresh fruit, pastries, & meal bars
• Lunch items such as bread, cheese, lunch meat, peanut butter & jelly
• Snacks galore, like crackers, candies, popcorn, gum, mints, nuts, trail mix & much more
• Ice cream
• Beer & wine, sodas, bottled water, bottled coffee drinks, energy drinks
• Disney gifts & souvenirs including shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and collectibles
• Anaheim and California gifts & souvenirs
• Phone cards
• Postcards and postage
• Laundry detergent and dryer sheets
• Sunglasses, suntan lotions, hats, and raingear
• Pool toys and floats
• Stationery items, pens, and pencils
• Sundries including face/hair/dental/body products, sewing kits
• Over-the-counter pharmaceutical products
• Magazines, puzzle books & free USA Today daily newspaper

Dining options

Although there is no on-site restaurant at the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel, but there’s plenty of dining nearby! Mimi’s Cafe is the closet. This is a sit-down restaurant that’s quite delicious! It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Mimi’s Cafe serves all kinds of different options like burgers, salads, sandwiches, and wraps. They’ve also got a great kids’ menu!

Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel is within walking distance of Mcdonalds, Panera Bread, IHOP, Dennys, and The Pizza Press.

Guest Laundry Facilities

There are two laundry rooms at the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel. One is located near the lobby in the main tower (Building 1). The second is located at the rear of the property in Building 2, near the Garden Pool. Coins are available in the game room with the coin machine, and the cost to wash is $1.25 and the cost to dry is $1.25. You can buy washing detergent from the gift shop.

Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel Discount

As you can see, there are lots of reasons to love the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel! The best time to visit this hotel is anytime! I have enjoyed all of my visits with them. Their great location is hard to beat! It’s such an easy walk to the parks. It’s a great pick for your vacation! For the best rates, book the HoJo with this link and use Corp Code 1000022077 for a 15% discount!

Thanks for touring the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel with me! You can find more of my hotel reviews here.

Need more help with your Disney planning? I’ve got a complete guide to planning for Disneyland that will be helpful for you. I’ve also got a podcast full of helpful Disneyland planning info and tips. You can check out the Apple podcast player here or Spotify here. You can also find it wherever you listen to Podcasts. Just search for “Mix In Some Magic”.

I offer a planning phone call that’s really popular and might be helpful to you! If you have questions or worries about your trip, let’s chat and I can help you out! Find more info and book your call here. Make sure you’re following along on my Instagram for lots of Disney fun!