Just got back from the Embassy Suites Anaheim North for a one night stay with the family (kids ages 2 & 4). We originally planned a stay in San Diego to go to the zoo, but with the thunderstorms here in California, we decided to cancel and stay closer to home.

I wanted my kids to go swimming and this Embassy Suites had an indoor pool so I booked it on the hotel's website using AAA. It cost $170 + tax for a large room with 2 double beds. We were pleasantly surprised at how large the rooms were. Free parking in a pretty nice sized lot.

We live literally 10 minutes down the road, but decided to make it a mini-vacation since it is a 3 day weekend. As we are Disneyland season pass holders, we thought MAYBE we could go to the Magic Kingdom, but the weather was too chilly. Instead, after checking in to the hotel, we drove 10 minutes to the new Anaheim Garden Walk. The outdoor shopping mall was not yet open and a security guard prohibited us from walking around so we just went straight to the restaurant area which was open. Bubba Gump's, CPK, PF Chang's - we decided on Cheesecake Factory and was shocked that there was NO wait on a Friday night at 6 pm. Maybe it's too new and people don't know these restaurants are open yet. We had a nice dinner then headed back to the hotel to go swimming.

This is my only complaint about the stay - the pool was cold. I'm sure it was heated, but it wasn't heated enough. We stayed in the pool about 45 minutes because my kids LOVE swimming, but I had goosebumps the entire time and by the time we left, my son's lips were blue.

The breakfast in the morning was great. I love hotel breakfasts and I was very happy with the selection and service. Every single employee I came across in the dining area was so kind and seemed happy to be there. I was surprised to see that no one left a tip for the bus boys on their tables. I thought that was rude.

After breakfast we stopped by the indoor pool again to see if we could get one more swim in. I dipped my toe in and it was again cold. There were some kids in the pool and I asked them how the water was. "It's cold," was the response. I had to tell my kids that we could not go swimming.

Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at this hotel. I would definitely recommend it for families.

This was a fantastic place to stay with an excellent value and very friendly staff. It had a little bit of everything. The free full cooked to order breakfast (eggs, omlettes, pancakes, french toast) was great and unheard of. The bacon, sausage, and potatoes were in a warmer.

The parking was free with no surprise charges on the bill. It is 5 miles away from Disneyland in which they offer a free shuttle to and from that the Embassy South does not offer and they drop you off almost at the front gates. Check out time is noon not 11 like most places. The room is clean and updated with granite countertops. The fridge and microwave come in very handy.

It was quiet at night and with the curtains closed, room was pitch dark so easy to fall asleep. However, if you sleep in the sofa room it is nearby the front door and you will hear the morning breakfast crowd come out.

Oh this place has a pool, spa, workout center, and Arcade. All small but is clean, safe, and sufficient.

The hotel locks at 1130pm and requires room key to get in so that was a nice safety feature.

I will have to say that the only downside is that there are not many nearby eateries (i saw only one cafe within walking distance) so you will need a car if you want eat outside the parks.

This stay was a highlight of our trip and will stay again. If you want to stay at an Embassy Suite, book it directly through their site because they guarentee the lowest price (granted by a dollar but still it adds up).

They had great customer service. We got there a little after 1:00pm, a little earlier than check in. They did check us into an available room which was very nice. Just so you know it IS near a scrap yard. We didn’t hear it, of course we were gone all day at Disneyland, and we were so exhausted when we did get back to our room that we could have slept through anything. They do have a free shuttle to Disneyland. It's about a 15 minute drive to Disneyland. There are no convenient stores, or restaurants near by or within walking distance, only one sports bar at the end of the parking lot. So if you want to be closer to Disneyland or near stores I would not recommend this hotel. Or you could purchase the ART (Anaheim Resort Transit) tickets which will pick you up at the entrance of Disneyland and take you to other hotel drop offs. You can get a map from any of the Art’s which has a schedule of pick up and drop off times. They will take you to a hotel near Target but you will have to walk their. But if you’re going to Disneyland anyway you should be used to the walking. They also had a drop off near or at the block at the orange which is a mall from what we were told. But we didn’t make it there because the pick up locations are different from the drop off locations. Definitely ask questions if using the ART. The rooms were clean; I do think they open the sliding glass doors when cleaning, because when we came back to our room one of the nights we had tiny bugs in our room gravitating towards the light. We had spent all day at Disneyland and were too tired to complain to the front desk. The walls are a little thin, and although our room was non-smoking the room next to our's was, so you could smell the smoke from the next room, so if you are sensitive make sure you get a non-smoking room away from the smoking rooms. They had a free breakfast which was nice because it saved us a lot of money. It was busy but the help kept the lines going. The breakfast sausage and bacon were greasy but it was free and they had other things to eat so you don’t just have to eat the bacon and sausage. They had omelets, pancakes, French toast, eggs, potatoes, cereal, hard boiled eggs w/the shell, fruit, and yogurt, a wide variety of foods. They also have a washer and dryer on every floor which was very nice. They have a pop machine, but my husband had to go up 3 flights to find one with pop in it, and then the pop was expired. They didn’t give us our money back but did give us warm pop from their bar. The beds were not that comfortable but it could have been much worse. And it was clean; we always had fresh towels and a new supply of shampoo, soap and conditioner. Also if you’re flying in from Orange County/John Wayne, it’s about a 15 minute drive from the airport.

My family and I just returned from an overnight stay at this hotel. Given what was noted by others, I was somewhat concerned but figured that for a short stay, it would be no big deal...I was pleasantly surprised by what we found but must say that this hotel is not exactly the Garden of Eden...

The Good:
The service was markedly better than I expected. Everyone was welcoming and kind. The front desk staff was very helpful with regard to directions and our needs. The room service staff was lovely and the folks providing the made to order breakfasts in the morning were really first rate. The staff really seemed to want to make sure we were comfortable. This was by far the best feature of the hotel.

The soundproofing on our window (which faced the freeway!!) was better than I expected. I actually fell asleep at 8:30 pm and didn't hear anything other than the faintest white noice from the freeway.

The breakfast itself was outstanding and really helped as we were able to go to Disneyland with full bellies!

Cute bar downstairs--not that I was drinking as I was with my folks and kids, but under other circumstances, I would have really enjoyed a pint or two in a nice setting.

The physical plant of the hotel is nice--large open courtyard, nice enclosed pool for the kids, pond in the center with fish, ducks, and turtles that the kids loved!

The Bad:
The hotel is not near much of anything except a sports pub in the parking lot. There is no way to get toothpaste, contact lens cleaner, etc. without getting in the car. The hotel shop closed months ago and it sounded like there were no plans to reopen it. This is a bit of a bummer!

The Ugly:
Did I mention that the hotel is not near much of anything? Actually, it is right next to the freeway and a recycling plant. ICK. When I say ICK, I really mean ICK. I have had the pleasure of staying in some yucky locations before, but this one really takes the cake. Granted, it was reasonably close to Disneyland (the ONLY reason to stay here) but we probably could have done better in terms of being close for a similar price. A family literally could not go anywhere without getting in the car. Even the nearest fast food place was a 5-10 minute car ride. (Granted, it takes us a little longer to go anywhere as we have two young kids, but it is a pain to have to use the car to get a quick bite.) There were a bunch of business people staying here and I honestly can't imagine why they would given the other options in Anaheim...