HoJo's Vs Candy Cane

[RossiP]

First post so be kind !

So bringing the family across from Australia in September for 12 days in Anaheim - 2 girls ( 9 & 11 yrs) and wife .

After weeks of research narrowed it down tot eh above 2 properties and am seeking advice from the locals and experienced amongst you as to which would suit our needs better.

A Couple of points we keep coming up with are

Ho Jo's positives

Castaway Cove
Microwaves in room ( we would use it to prepare meals and save soem $$$)
Location

Negs

Traffic Noise - this could be a biggy !!
No Breakfast included

Candy Cane

Location - even closer than HoJo's ??
Nice Breakfast included
closer to restaraunts - Anaheim garden walk in closer by
own shuttle service

Negs

Motel style
No microwaves
Smaller pool area
smaller rooms I think

So what do you guys think ???

Also what are the crowds like in late September ? I'm told its not too bad is that correct ?

Cheers and thaks - look forward to joinning in the fun

Ross

[bennette]

We are Candy Cane people. It's incredibly clean and well kept with wonderful beds. I think the standard room sizes at the two hotels are about the same (360 sq ft?).

Candy Cane has a premium room that runs a little bigger that comes with some nice amenities and they'll bring your breakfast to your room, which helps with kids.

You'll see lots of rave reviews for Hojo's here and I'm sure you can get a cheaper rate. The only discount I've ever seen for the Candy Cane is AAA and the like.

[Darkbeer]

First off, distance.

If you measure from the Front Deck (Check-IN) to the center of the Main Entrance Plaza, both hotels are basically the SAME distance. Now, HoJo's is a bigger and more spread out property, so if you are staying in building 2 at HoJo's, the walk is slightly longer than the from the back end of the CCI.

Both hotels are older properties.

CCI is a 2 story Motel property. Yes, the current owners have tried to spruce up the property, and has nice landscaping, but the rooms are small.

HoJo's is a limited service Hotel with interior hallways. The rooms are decent sized.

I think you got the rest of it.

HoJo's is a sponsor here at MousePlanet, and also has its own disscussion boards, including a thread where they list the current available discounts. The cheapest rate is the "Entertainment Card" rate, when on selected dates, you can get a room for just $59 plus tax.

http://www.hojoanaheim.com/phpbb/vie...1d3a610e38bd8c

If you are worried about Freeway Noise, you don't want the freeway facing rooms in Tower 1. But just contact HoJo's at stay@hojoanaheim.com and they will be happy to address your issues. I have stayed there many times and never had noise issues. I have stayed on the Disney facing side of Tower 1, and in Tower 2. Never stayed in Buildings 3 through 6, which are the smaller 2 story buildings in the middle of the property, but since they are surrounded by other buildings, should not have the freeway noise issue.

[Malcon10t]

We are Candy Cane people. It's incredibly clean and well kept with wonderful beds. I think the standard room sizes at the two hotels are about the same (360 sq ft?).

I'm not sure how Candy Cane measures their rooms, but the Hojo rooms feel larger. You can easily add a roll away to a Hojo room, but the Candy Cane rooms cannot have a roll away. Many have complained that adding a Pack and Play to the room takes up too much room, whereas we've had no simiar problems at Hojos.

For us, the fact that Mimi's is on the walk to or from is a big one. Or if you want something else, there is Millies, McDonalds, and Quiznos. Going back to Candy Cane there is a Subway and 7-11.

Hojos does have fridges and Microwaves in the rooms. Candy Cane does not.

If you have children, I would suggest Hojos. Romantic getaway, Candy Cane.

[Mickey Mojo]

We stayed at HOJO's for the first time last September. We thought it was great, and I don't think we could've gotten a better price. My kids (8 & 5) loved the pool, in fact my son wanted to stay at the pool and skip Disneyland altogether.

HOJO's also has a little store that sells a whole bunch of food items, personal items, and some souvenirs. It was so convenient when I realized I forgot to pack something. And the walk to the entrance of DL is not bad at all!

[Lehua]

Ho Jo's positives

Castaway Cove
Microwaves in room ( we would use it to prepare meals and save soem $$$)
Location

Welcome!

Just wanted to make sure you knew that not all of HoJo's rooms have microwaves.

The NDD1 rooms (with two double beds) do not have microwaves. You can check out the various room styles and amenities here:

http://www.hojoanaheim.com/rooms/

The NDD1 rooms are located in the four smaller buildings on the property - bldgs 3, 4, 5 & 6 on this map:

http://www.hojoanaheim.com/assets/pdf/propertymap.pdf

Because of their location and low profile (only 2 levels), they aren't exposed to the fwy as much as the two taller buildings (1 & 2). So you're options are a quiet room without a microwave vs a louder (to varying degrees, depending on who you ask) room with a microwave. We prefer the quiet over the microwave, so we stay in bldg 6. But our kids are much younger than yours (4yo and 17 mos), so we don't have as much of a need for a micro as you might.

I've never stayed at the Candy Cane, so I can't weigh in on that. Good luck with your trip planning!

[mommy-san]

We have stayed at both hotels, and we are going back to CCI next fall. I like the beds at CCI better (more like mine at home) and the shuttle is very, very nice after a long day. The breakfast is great for us with kids, and because we go at a time of year when the parks open at 10:00 every day, we have lots of time to eat and get to the park for opening. At HOJO we spent a lot of mornings eating at McD's, which I don't love at any time- but after 3 days in a row I'd had enough. I like the staff at HOJO- and some of the rooms we stayed in were okay for size. The walk was hard on my kids and I didn't love crossing the busy street with them, tired and dragging their feet.
Ultimately-
I think until CCI gives us a reason to NOT stay there, we'll be back.

[adriennek]

We're Hojos people. I like the size of the rooms. I like the interior corridors/hotel feel. I like the two pools. We have stayed at Hojos twice a year for the past few years and freeway noise has never been a problem for us. (We've stayed in buildings 1, 2 & 3. Two is my favorite but I can't complain about either of the others - we've been away from the freeway in 1.)

Adrienne

[Tinkermommy]

I have no HoJo experience, but we did stay at CCI for the first time a few weeks ago. I know some people love it, but I doubt we'll stay there again. It was clean and the people were nice; the continental breakfast was convenient and I LOVED the easy walk.

My issues -- first, noise. We were on the north side, across from the pool, and we could hear traffic noise all night. I'm guessing it was Harbor Blvd. Also, somebody in a nearby room had a very unhappy toddler who woke up to do some long-term crying in the middle of the night, and it was so loud that I couldn't go back to sleep until the baby did. (I felt SO sorry for those parents!)

The other was privacy. It's motel style, so people walk right in front of the window, which is covered by wooden blinds. When we went to get breakfast, I realized passers-by could see right into our room even when the blinds were closed. Don't think THAT didn't freak me out, since I sleep with a light on...

[Bird&Belle]

Never been to HoJo's, but can give info on our stay at the CCI. We stayed in a Premium Room at the CCI during our Dec. 07 trip to Disneyland. It had a microwave and refrigerator. Our room was set back from the street and we had no road noise problems. Every day they left an order form for the following morning's breakfast. We would specify what we wanted and the time we wanted it delivered. We loved waking up to our goodie basket full of muffins, toast, bagels, cereal, drinks, and fruit in the morning. It's not a fancy breakfast, but definitely enough to get the day started. The staff was wonderful. The pool is smallish, but clean and well cared for. The hot tub was clean and a good temperature. We were traveling with my parents who especially liked the shuttle. The room seemed standard size to me. There were lots of drawers to store clothing in, so it was easy to keep it tidy. I thought the room was nicely decorated and the exterior reminded me of New Orleans Square in the park. We had a great time and would definitely stay there again.

[IdahoMike]

We have stayed at both, and we prefer the Hojos, simply because A: we can stay many more days due to the price. Candy Cane almost never offers discounts, so Hojos is half the price. B: Mimi's is right there, and we love Mimi's!

The pools are great, and the service is great at the Hojos as well.

We did like the CCI, just not quite as much considering the price, and the room size.

[daisydog]

Hojos is the better choice.

I've stayed at CCI once and will be staying at Hojos for the third time this spring.

The rooms are bigger at Hojos and the layout better for a party of 4. At CCI you will be climbing over each to move around.

The breakfast at CCI is nothing special -- you would be better off buying food and eating in your room at Hojos. I believe all the rooms have a fridge and only some rooms have microwaves.

I've always stayed in bldg. 2 at Hojos and have found that to be quieter than my stay at CCI which was rather noisy with traffic, pool noise late into the evening, and other guest walking down the hallways.

Hojos is a hotel, not a motel like CCI. In bldg. 2 you can open your curtains and sliding door without having people stare into your room as they walk by. You will really appreciate the privacy.

The room photos on Hojos website are accurate -- that is exactly what you are getting. The photos for CCI rooms are nicer than the actual room.

Hojos has discounts, especially great is the ET rate if you can get it.

[GrumpyGoofyGuy]

We've only stayed at CCI one other time a few years ago. I thought the rooms had microwaves and compact refrigerators. No? We made reservations there for May because we are getting burnt out on the Desert Inn and Suites having stayed there the last 10 or so trips and thought we needed a change. Now I'm wondering if the extra money will not be well spent.

[MouseyEars]

We stay at CCI every time. Small Fridge in every room, microwave in room behind Guest check-in if that helps. Pretty sure Premium room had one as well. Coffeemaker for heating up water, but 2 convenience stores within steps of CCI for all of your Coffee/snacking needs. Premium room same size as Deluxe as I recall (the one with 2 queen beds) nice amenities but not important to us as we maximize time in ParkBreakfast is good and plentiful with pastries, bagels, cereal, and fruit.
Beds are very comfy, MIL RAVED about them. Staff nice and helpful. Sometimes hear other guests, but I guess that can happen whenever you are next door to someone who is still loud after hours. I didn't call office, but was tempted......

[nursemelis374]

I have stayed at both and think that both are good hotels.

I personally prefer Candy Cane Inn though. I think it is MUCH nicer and a better quality than HoJo's. HoJo's just seemed more ghetto to me.

I think that if I was going with kids I would stay at HoJo's and if I had none I would pick Candy Cane Inn.

[Darkbeer]

Funny, to me, Candy Cane Inn is more "Ghetto", but is still a very nice Motel with Landscaping, as compared to HoJo's.

About to throw the luggage in the car and check in at HoJo's.