Okay let me tell you….we had such an amazing stay at the Howard Johnson Ahaheim Hotel & Water Playground! My kids are STILL talking about it! This was our first time visiting Disneyland and staying in a neighboring property (aka not a Disney owned hotel). And it was FANTASTIC! We had such an enjoyable time staying at the Howard Johnson….and it was a less than a 10 minute walk to Disneyland, California Adventure, and Downtown Disney! It actually took me 8 minutes one day (yes, I timed it!). Keep reading for a great discount code below!
1. The location can’t be beat. The Howard Johnson, aka the “HOJO” is located on Harbor Boulevard, across the street from Disneyland. Since our hotel was so close to the Disney parks, I loved that we had the option to walk back to our hotel to rest. My plan was to do this every park day, but thanks to unpredictable nap schedules, we only ended up walking back one day. But just the fact that we could go back if needed was wonderful.
2. Castaway Cove Water Playground. My kids LOVED this pirate themed water playground at the Howard Johnson. There were water slides, water cannons, a pirate ship complete with a big surprise splash, several water fountains, and a zero entry toddler pool (Belle’s favorite!).
All three of my kids could have stayed there ALL DAY. They loved it so much….and it had me kicking myself for not planning a “rest day” during our Disney trip….just so the kids could enjoy the water park even more. Hudson has already said that we have to have a water park “rest day” next year because he just loved it so much! Castaway Cove is open year round so be sure to factor in a visit! I also loved that although there were so many things to do, it was all set up so that I could keep an eye on all three of my kids at the same time while they played.
Since the Howard Johnson is so close to the Disney parks, you could also just walk back to your hotel in the afternoon to play at the water park for a little bit and then head back to Disney in the evening. This would be a great way to beat the heat on a hot day!
And I loved the toddler pool so much. It was perfect for Belle who was about a month shy of turning 3 when we visited.
And Sadie shocked me by how brave she was with the waterslides! She couldn’t get enough! She was even willing to mess up her pretty face paint from earlier in the day!
They even have a hot tub that Hudson enjoyed! Next time I’m hoping in too!
3. Family Friendly Rooms. We stayed in Building 1, which was recently renovated. This month Building 2 will be open with brand new renovated rooms too! Yay! When you call to make your reservation, make sure you ask to stay in one of the renovated buildings! We stayed in the Kids Suite and I HIGHLY recommend it! It was SO amazing! One room featured a king sized bed and it’s own bathroom, and then we had a separate (but connected) room for the kids!
The kid’s room had a twin sized bunk bed and full sized pull out couch bed. The girls slept in the bunk bed and Hudson had the pull out couch. I loved that everyone had their own bed and that we had so much space! Traveling with 5 people is usually hard because we feel so cramped into one hotel room. But we LOVED the Kids Suite!
The Howard Johnson offers several types of rooms that feature bunk beds, so be sure to check out their website to see which would work best for your family.
Having two bathrooms was such a huge bonus too! The kind folks at the Howard Johnson included a cute rubber duckie in our room too that the kids loved! Rubber duckies are in suites and Disney view rooms. We also had a fridge, microwave, and Keurig in our room. So awesome!
4. Complementary WiFi and parking. This is a HUGE bonus! It was so nice not to have to pay an extra fee for these items.
Want to book your visit to the Howard Johnson? I’ve got a deal for you! Visit their website here and use the codes below to save on your next stay!
20% off Disneyland Annual Passholder Discount – Corp code: 1000025935
15% off Discount for everyone! Corp code: 1000022077
The HOJO was so awesome and we can’t wait to visit again next year!
*Our stay at the Howard Johnson was paid for in exchange for this review, but all opinions here are truthful and my own.
The separate bedroom and bathroom for the kids was great and the location so close to Disneyland was perfect!
What a fun place to stay! I love all the space and the water park!
That looks like SO much fun! I’ll keep this place in mind when we go to Disneyland next year!