Guru Travel was invited to Disneyland to tour and share our experience. Our very own Karen, spent almost a week staying at all three onsite resorts. This is her review of Paradise Pier Hotel. You can reach out to Karen at karen@thewdwguru.com.
Paradise Pier Hotel is situated about 2 blocks South of the Downtown Disney West Entrance, on Disneyland Drive, at the edge of the Disneyland Resort property. It is a sand and surf beachfront themed tower hotel. One side of the tower faces Disney California Adventure Park (DCA), and many rooms offer spectacular views of Pixar Pier. The West Entrance of Downtown Disney has a security check point for all guests entering from that side of the property. Although this Disney owned hotel is technically inside the “Disney bubble”, it is on a street in the outside world. Of the three on-site Disney hotels, it has the furthest walk to the parks.
Hotel restaurants include:
- Surfside Lounge – Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner near the hotel lobby
- The Sand Bar – Roof top/ poolside lounge featuring California-Inspired menu
- Self-Service Market – selections are served out of refrigerators and vending machines, with self-check-out. Microwaves are also available in the market.
Note: Hotel restaurants were not open during our stay at Paradise Pier. The Self-Service market was open, but the selections were uninspired. I was hoping for some pre-packaged Disney themed treats but did not find any.
You can mobile order from several Downtown Disney locations, and have food delivered if you wish.
We chose to take the short walk over to Disneyland Hotel to dine at Tangaroa Terrace. Guests staying at Paradise Pier will need to plan on eating elsewhere in the Disney resorts and Downtown Disney until Paradise Pier reopens their lounges and restaurants.
Recreation:
Rooftop Pool terrace is located on the third-floor level. It includes Paradise Pool and California Streamin’ slide, both inspired by classic beachside roller coasters. Also available are the Children’s Pool and a Paradise Spa whirlpool for adults.
Fireworks can be viewed from the rooftop pool deck, while the music and dialogue from the show are broadcast to the deck.
Note: During our visit, the pool deck was under refurbishment. Guests were being transported by golf cart over to Disneyland Hotel and had full use of their recreation area. We were not able to observe any fireworks while staying at this hotel, although that would be a fun perk!
Fitness Center (2nd floor)
Paradise Theater – watch classic Disney films in a seashore-themed screening room designed for kids
Our two-night stay was a two-queen room with a standard view on the 4th floor
2 queen beds with lamps over beds
Couch with twin pull out bed (room sleeps 5)
Dresser unit with several drawers, a small refrigerator, safe, and TV
Desk/chair with lamp and additional small pull-out table
Keurig Coffee maker with coffee/tea packets (not k-cup)
Large picture window, many with great views on higher floors, but no balcony or terrace
Bathroom amenities:
Shower/tub combo
Single vanity with spacious countertop
H20 Bath Amenities (travel size)
Hair dryer
Large closet with full-length mirrored doors contains:
Ironing board and supplies
Extra pillows and blankets
Luggage rack
Our standard view room was facing Pixar Pier – DCA. We were on the 4th floor, which is why it is not considered a park view. If I were to stay at this location again, I would splurge for the full DCA Park view on a higher floor. It is a beautiful view, pretty to fall asleep to at night; energizing to wake up to in the morning, as the sun rises from the East over the park.
Paradise Pier is quite a walk to the front gates of the two Disney parks. There are no trams or shuttles to take you closer. You may catch the monorail in Downtown Disney when it is operating, providing you have a ticket and reservation for Disneyland Park. The monorail will not help you come and go from DCA park. It would seem you are close to DCA since that is the view, however Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel does not look favorably upon outside guests taking a “short cut” through their halls. It takes away from the ambience of the Grand Californian, to have park guests meandering the halls and leaving out the back door to cross Disneyland Drive to Paradise Pier.
The rooms at Paradise Pier will hopefully be undergoing refurbishment soon. Platform beds would be a welcome change. They are loved by guests because you can stow your luggage underneath, leaving more space (and less tripping hazards) around the room. The room furniture is showing some wear and tear and needs to be replaced. The most important update would be modern charging stations and outlets near the desk, dresser, and nightstand. There was a modem plug in and telephone line at our desk, which we found to be a fun blast from the past! Only the newer alarm clock had USB ports and that’s not going to cut it when charging today’s technology. Newer wall-mounted TVs would also be a nice touch and would free up some extra storage space.
I would like to see this hotel updated, rooftop pool amenities open, and restaurants running before I would feel confident staying here again. I believe Paradise Pier has huge potential with the right refurb and Disney theming upgrades. The value pricepoint for the area reflects the resort quality. I would opt to stay here again once this property undergoes a rennovation.
Karen has been a Planner with Guru Travel-An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner for several years. You can reach Karen for a quote at karen@thewdwguru.com she would love to help your family visit the magic.