Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa

Location, location, location. It doesn’t get much better than this with a back-door entrance leading straight into Disney California Adventure® Park. Nature is the theme at this 6-story hotel fringed by pine trees and constructed of cedar and redwood, an accolade to turn-of-the-century Craftsman style. The jaw-dropping lobby hung with Mission-style chandeliers and strewn with comfy seating is a favorite meeting place for guests. Each afternoon and into the evening is storytelling and live piano music in and around the great hearth where there’s a fire lit year-round.

1,019 rooms (including 40 suites) and 50 villas. 1600 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA 92802; phone (714) 635-2300, fax (714) 300-7300. Check-in 3:00 p.m., checkout 11:00 a.m.

  • Disney's Grand California Hotel & Spa

    Disney's Grand California Hotel & Spa

  • Lobby area

    Lobby area

  • Lobby fireplace

    Lobby fireplace

  • Lobby entertainent

    Lobby entertainent

  • Nothing better than being here during the holidays

    Nothing better than being here during the holidays

  • Arcadia Suite

    Arcadia Suite

  • Mt. Whitney Presidential Suite

    Mt. Whitney Presidential Suite

  • Mt. Whitney Suite living/dining area

    Mt. Whitney Suite living/dining area

  • Mt. Whitney Suite Master Bedroom

    Mt. Whitney Suite Master Bedroom

  • Mt. Whitney Suite 2-part Master Bath

    Mt. Whitney Suite 2-part Master Bath

  • Mt. Whitney Suite 2-part Master Bath

    Mt. Whitney Suite 2-part Master Bath

  • Mt. Whitney Suite terrace

    Mt. Whitney Suite terrace
    Great view!

  • Mt. Whitney Suite Eating Porch

    Mt. Whitney Suite Eating Porch
    Love the fireplace!

  • The Veranda Concierge Lounge

    The Veranda Concierge Lounge

  • The Veranda Concierge lounge food offerings

    The Veranda Concierge lounge food offerings

  • The Veranda Concierge lounge balcony seating

    The Veranda Concierge lounge balcony seating

  • Standard Guest Room

    Standard Guest Room

  • Standard Guest Room

    Standard Guest Room

  • Standard Guest Room bath

    Standard Guest Room bath

  • Standard Guest Room balcony

    Standard Guest Room balcony

  • GCH Craftsman Bar & Grill pool area

    GCH Craftsman Bar & Grill pool area

  • Redwood Pool Slide

    Redwood Pool Slide

  • Pool Cabanas

    Pool Cabanas

  • Make time for Tenaya Stone Spa located at the hotel. It's wonderful!

    Make time for Tenaya Stone Spa located at the hotel. It's wonderful!

  • Hearthstone Lounge

    Hearthstone Lounge
    Atmospheric lobby bar

  • Arts and Craft-style buildings

    Arts and Craft-style buildings

  • Love the palm trees just outside the resort

    Love the palm trees just outside the resort

ACCOMMODATIONS

Guest Rooms

Standard guest rooms here are a bit small at 353 square feet, but with the hotel’s newest renovation, they did manage to squeeze in a small sofa in place of the table and chairs in many of the rooms, and in some a sleeper chair as well. Some of the Arts and Crafts-style look remains in the Tree of Life mural behind the bed’s headboard and the lantern lighting. Bedding, made with white sheets and lacking the color pop of a bed runner, is either two queens or a king, but no longer is there a bunk bed choice. A granite-top bureau and desk along with a cabinet holding a small refrigerator and Keurig coffeemaker round out the furnishings while overhead is a large flat-screen TV. Unlike the Disneyland® Hotel rooms, these do have a balcony with varying views: Standard View of the front of the resort; Woods/Courtyard View of the courtyard, Deluxe Partial View of Disney California Adventure® Park or Downtown Disney; Downtown Disney® District View, a somewhat noisy option; or a Premium View of Disney California Adventure Park or the pools, some of which come with noise from the park.

Double sinks in a taupe granite vanity with a large, backlit vanity mirror sit outside of a commode and tiled shower area (note that there are no longer bathtubs in many of the rooms; tubs are on request only). Additional amenities include H2O spa bath products, robes, hairdryer, lighted makeup mirror, full-length mirror, turndown service, and an electronic safe. View Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel’s Standard View Room on the Glass Slipper Concierge YouTube channel.

Concierge Rooms

Guests of concierge may access The Veranda concierge lounge located on the 6th floor of the resort, a perfect spot to hang out and enjoy the multiple food services available. Wall-to-wall windows open onto the balcony with views of the treetops and the evening fireworks show. Specialty Presidential and Vice Presidential suites, as well as concierge guest rooms, include access to concierge; standard one, two, and three-bedroom suites do not, although concierge access may be available to add at time of check-in for an additional fee.

Breakfast consists of luncheon meats and cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, bagels, coffee cake, croissants, muffins, fresh fruit, hot oatmeal, cereal, and juice. Afternoon snacks are substantial with fresh fruit, goldfish crackers, goat cheese caprese salad, tea sandwiches (smoked salmon, egg salad, turkey and provolone, BLT chicken salad), chips and salsa, raisin scones, fruit tarts, lemon shortbread, apple tarts, assorted cookies, and Smucker’s Uncrustables. In the evening enjoy artisanal cheeses, crackers, bread, fruit, crudités and dip, and two hot dishes such as buffalo chicken rangoon, pineapple barbecue chicken pizza, chicken nuggets, black bean empanadas, egg rolls, etc. The lounge hosts serve beer and wine at both afternoon and evening services. Bottled water is available for the asking, and an espresso machine adds to the enjoyment. Evening desserts served from 8:00 until 10:00 p.m. include chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, macaroons, petit fours, and chocolate-covered strawberries.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the lounge is the balcony that runs the length of it with a view of the monorail zipping through the hotel courtyard as well as the Disneyland® Park fireworks. Additional amenities include nightly turndown service, Bose Wave music system, and in-room check-in.

Suites

The Arcadia Suite on the 6th floor, one of two Vice Presidential Suites at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, comes in one, two, or three-bedroom options sleeping either four, eight, or twelve guests. It is a tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright with such nice touches as the living/dining area’s centerpiece brick fireplace and a wall of windows that fill the room with natural light, etched in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Tree of Life pattern. A half bath is off the entry hall. In a separate area is the dining room seating eight adjoining a service kitchen with sink, microwave, and full-size refrigerator. Relax on two smallish verandahs overlooking the Redwood Pool and California Adventure, one off the dining room, the other off the master bedroom. In the master is a king bed, and the adjoining bath has a whirlpool tub. Optional connecting rooms have either two queen beds or a king bed with a queen sleeper sofa.

The Mt. Whitney Suite, one of two Presidential Suites at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel (the other is the El Capitan Suite), is embellished with warm tones of green, brown, and gold reminiscent of nature and strongly suggestive of the Mission style seen throughout the resort. Off one side of the entry hall is a half bath and, on the other side, a tiny bedroom with a queen bed, bureau, and a TV. In the massive living room are rich hardwood flooring, fireplace, forest green sofa, and four easy chairs, two of which are Morris-style leather chairs, all flanked by amber-hued Craftsman standing lamps. As part of this “great space” the dining table seats ten, and above it hangs a stained glass light fixture. A service kitchen adjoins the dining area with a full-size refrigerator, sink, and microwave.

The master bedroom is bedecked in eggplant and beige hues. The furnishings of a king bed, easy chair, desk, bureau, and entertainment center seem a bit lost in such a spacious room. Pass through the bedroom to a small walk-in closet where a vanity area divides a two-part master bath. On one side of the bathroom is a single sink, whirlpool tub, and Toto washlet, and on the other side an oversized marble shower, single sink, and a separate commode area with Toto washlet, all enhanced with Carrera marble and mosaic flooring. An additional bedroom with two queen beds can be added to make a 3-bedroom suite.

My favorite aspect of the suite is its outdoor space with a balcony the entire length of the suite as well as a gem of an eating porch (even an outdoor fireplace!) perfect for al fresco dining. And even more excellent is the superlative view of the resort’s pools and Disney California Adventure Park with semi-views of the World of Color show. Tour Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel’s Mt. Whitney Suite on the Glass Slipper Concierge YouTube channel!

Also on the 6th floor, the El Capitan Suite comes in one, two, or three-bedroom options sleeping four, eight, or twelve guests respectively. With a wall of floor to ceiling etched glass windows in the living area, an office, dual-sided rock fireplace, and kitchen, it’s a haven amid theme park craziness. The arched living area’s furnishings include a sofa and four easy chairs; on the other side of the fireplace, a dining table seats eight. The furniture in the sizeable master bedroom, like the Mt. Whitney Suite, feels a bit lost. In the bath are three rooms, all with marble flooring: one with two single sink marble vanities; another with a large shower and whirlpool tub; the third with a commode and bidet. A balcony the length of the dining room, living room, and office comes with splendid views of Disney California Adventure Park.

Standard one, two, and three-bedroom suites are also available with standard-size guest rooms attached to a small parlor area the size of a guest room with sofa, easy chair, entertainment center, and wet bar. The one-bedroom suites have a parlor with a sleeper sofa, two easy chairs, a small table and two chairs, an entertainment center, and a balcony. Off the parlor is a bath that connects back into the main hallway with two sinks outside a tub and toilet in a separate area. Then the main entrance leads to a king-bedded guest room with an entertainment center, easy chair and ottoman, and another balcony. These suites are configured such that off the main entry hallway are two other connecting standard guest rooms, each with bath, to make it a 2- or 3-bedroom suite. A one-bedroom sleeps four, the 2-bedroom sleeps eight, and a 3-bedroom sleeps 12. These suites are never sold according to view, so you might end up with a standard view.

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