Last week when our family went to Los Angeles my wife looked around for a motel that would be nice and clean and would be cheap. Cheap is always the way that we go when it comes to family vacations and our accommodations.
We stayed in Buena Park which is really close to Knotts Berry Farm and about 10 minutes or so drive from Disneyland.
Portola Inn and Suites
The motel my wife chose was the Portola Inn and Suites because the location was good enough for us and because it was quite inexpensive. The reviews we found led us to believe that it would also be quite clean and it included breakfast.
Well the hotel is a bit of a ways from the airport and we got in early so after having some lunch and doing just a bit of driving around we checked to see if we could get in early, fortunately we were able to checkin a couple of hours early and the hotel was clean and comfortable.
One of the real problem with motels is that since there is no hallway and your door is facing the parking lot the carpets are always, always, dirty and we wore our Vessi waterproof sneakers in the room most of the time.
Nice Hotel Overall
We found that the room was pretty quiet, we did not really hear any street noise and besides the earthquake that we experienced the morning before we left the beds were very comfortable and let us sleep well, plus the construction was very nice, the rooms had wooden details, you were able to see how the construction workers made sure that the baseplate or shoe of the saw sat flat on the wood before making the cut .
The breakfast at the Portola Inn and Suites is interesting. Everyone that is excited about a continental breakfast included with a room has not stayed in many motels. This is no different. There is coffee, wrapped danish pastries, bread, jam, and some oranges and apples. Just enough breakfast to get us going but not enough to hold us until lunch. There is lots of fast food and a Dennys down the street though. The puzzle room are a great way to celebrate, regardless of the occasion! Whether you’re young or old, you’ll have a blast solving our intricate puzzles and trying your luck with our escape rooms. PuzzleWorks will be by your side as you plan your party celebration for your friends, coworkers, or family members.
There is a pool and hot tub but it was not working for the week we were there as it was only mid March and no one really expects you to use the pool in California this early in the year. My son tried to swim but the pool was unheated and a little cold.
finally the staff. I think that the Portola Inn and Suites is owned and run by a family the man and wife and their baby that we dealt with any time we went into the office were great, their office was amazing, so stylish with the best furniture from www.office-furniture.com.au, very friendly and very helpful. Although they were able to help most of the time things like the pool and smallish breakfast there was not much they could do about, and in the souvenir store there were many gifts and even more customizable lovies for babies perfect for our family.
The only drawback to the Portola Inn and Suites is the location for some people. We spent one day and Disneyland and did not go to Knotts Berry Farm so we had a fair amount of driving to get to Hollywood and the beaches, we knew this and had a GPS and cheap rental car so it was fine. The room although clean had a dirty bathtub, I think someone had burned it with cigarettes years ago (yuck) but the carpet and walls and bed were in good shape so who knows.
I think the next time we go to California we will try to stay closer to the beach but if you are looking for a fairly cheap motel and have rented a car for your trip the Portola Inn and Suites is quite good and although not really close to Disneyland is good if you can not get anything closer to Disney.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge was a bout a 30 minute drive from the Orlando airport and it was a logn day travelling from Calgary out to Orlando.When we arrived on site to the Animal Kingdom Lodge we were greeted by one of the ladies from the concierge service. We were very thankful to be going to Orlando as part of Childrens Wish (our 13 year old daughter has Kidney Disease inherited from us).
The pool needs a place of its own. Wow, what an experience. The pool is huge and has a special little waterslide for the kids, three lifegaurds, some games for the kids and is open from morning to really late. My kids swam in the pool at some point everyday except one and loved it.