Disneyland - Best Place to Stay - Our Favorite Hotel

We are a single income family, so it is no surprise that cost figures into our hotel decisions.  Our goal is always to find a hotel with great reviews that is moderately priced and then select a higher room category.  It has been our family's decision to avoid the over-the-top luxury hotels and stay in their lowest room category.

After having tried several different 'off property' hotels for Disneyland, we have settled on a favorite.  It has been an easy choice for us based on a few criteria, including: room condition, proximity, cost, breakfast, cleanliness, and reviews.  For those reasons, we really enjoy staying at the Best Western Park Place Inn & Mini Suites.  http://www.parkplaceinnandminisuites.com/

Their rooms are large and the beds are comfortable.  There is a little living area space in the suite with a couch, chair, and small table.  It makes the room a lot more user friendly for a family.  We had our double jogger stroller with us and had no problem parking it in our room out of the way.  It was also very appreciated that the rooms had mini fridges and very accessible ice machines.  Our family always travels with reusable water bottles (that can open to a wider mouth for ice).  It is a huge cost savings and works great!

This hotel comes with free breakfast coupons.  These are redeemed next door in the upstairs part of the restaurant.  The selection does not really rotate, but the basics of a hot breakfast and cold breakfast, plus fresh fruit are available.  This is not only a huge cost savings for us, but also a big time saver.  No deciding on where to eat breakfast, being seated, ordering, etc.  It is a win-win for our family.

Best of all is this hotel's proximity to Disneyland and California Adventure!!!  It is hard to see on each hotel's website how close they actually are to the park.  Every hotel looks so very close, but that isn't the truth.  With this hotel, it really is the truth.  The crosswalk for Harbor Blvd is directly in front of the hotel!!  (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=best+western+park+place+inn&hl )  After crossing the street, you will find yourself on Disney property.  A short walk up Disney's sidewalk lands you right between Disneyland and California Adventure.  Disneyland entrances on the right and California Adventure on the left!  The short walk is good in the morning, and even better in the evening... when everyone is exhausted from a long day.

When we visited the hotel in April of 2012, I had been watching hotel prices faithfully online for months (yep, I am a deal shopper!).  Finally, I just called the hotel directly and got a much better price.  My daily rate for 2 adults/2 kids was $99/day!  It is important to note, that again, I called the hotel directly and requested a better price.  Also, we did not have a car rental, so they gave me an extra discount for not having a car.  Hope this helps in your hotel selection.

Specific questions about our experience with this hotel, the breakfast, Disneyland?  Please feel free to ask away!  

Disneyland Tickets

$20 More = 2 Extra Days of Fun

Our family vacationed for our second time* to Disneyland in April/May of 2012.  We were lucky enough to have some wonderful friends meet us there and enjoy the vacation with us!

We initially purchased 6-day Hopper Passes (the longest available on Disney's website) for our family.  However, our vacation was for 8 days in Anaheim, so I called Disneyland directly to see about extending our tickets.  I was super excited to find out that this was possible and was extremely inexpensive!!

Our Favorite Family Attraction :  Pirates of the Caribbean

When we arrived, we converted our 6-day Hopper Passes  to 8-day Hopper Passes at the Main Entrance ticket booth.  At the booth, I explained our situation, they very quickly traded my 6-day tickets for 8-day tickets... for a grand total of only $20 for our whole family!!!!  (Translates into $2.50/person per extra day!)  This gave us more flexibility and allowed a leisurely pace, which we really appreciated with two young children.

Our family was able to visit every attraction in both Disneyland and California Adventure, see all the available shows, dine at every place that sparked our interest, and enjoy spending time together without rushing around.  I highly recommend looking into this option for your own vacation!

*Side Note:  My husband and I have vacationed to Disney before having kids and now -- totaling 5x!  So, expect to see many more of our tips for a great vacation with and without kiddos!

Spring Roll Supper

My kids love interactive supper ideas.  The minute they get to add this or that, roll up a wrapper, try a dipping sauce... they are hooked!!  So, here is our latest healthy supper - fresh Asian spring rolls.

First, I cut carrots, sweet peppers, and English cucumber into matchsticks.  Second, chopping the herbs- we like fresh mint, cilantro, and basil.  I set out a large serving plate and make neat little piles of each ingredient.

Third comes the shredded lettuce, make sure the shred is very fine.  This, I heap into a bowl.  Our family uses a lot! 

Next, cook the chicken.  I slice up the three raw chicken breasts into very small strips.  Then, I cook them in a frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil.  As the chicken cooks, I add a sprinkle of salt, a tablespoon of dry ginger, a tablespoon of freshly minced garlic, and a pinch of red chili flakes... plus a 1/4 cup of water.  Cook thoroughly over low heat.

We alternate a super quick cook rice vermicelli or just plain rice.  Either works great!  The rice noodles have proved more fun, for the kids.

Then it is time to set out the tray of fresh veggies/herbs, ginger chicken, rice noodles, rice papers ( and a very shallow bowl of warm water to soften the papers), and sauces.  We enjoy many different sauces, including: plum, sweet chili, chili garlic, sweet n' sour, and sriracha!!

We each take turns getting our rice paper and filling it with yummy combinations.  A very healthy supper that is delicious and fun!!

My Blueberry Muffin Recipe

My family loves warm blueberry muffins for breakfast - and through much trial and error, I have a recipe that I love to make on a weekend morning.

Blueberry Muffins

• In a large bowl, mix together the following:
• 3 cups of AP Flour
• 3/4 cup of Sugar
• 4 1/2 tsps Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• In a small bowl, whisk together
• 1 1/8 cup of Milk
• 1/2 cup of Canola Oil
• 2 Eggs (beaten)
• Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, only mixing until combined.
• Then add 1 1/2 cups of either frozen or fresh blueberries.

Once mixed, fill 12 greased muffin cups evenly.  I prefer to use a stoneware muffin pan and canola spray.  Then bake in a 400F oven for 24 minutes.  The muffins are done, when they are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.


Enjoy with Kauai Honey (or any type of honey), some wonderful whipped butter, or maybe some homemade jam!!

Blueberry Muffins, fresh from the oven!

Kauai Island Honey

Kauai Island Honey

   Is there anything better than honey?  Maybe, but not to our family!  We collect different types of honey everywhere we vacation.  And our favorite type to date is Kauai Island Honey, which we have purchased directly in Hawaii, but can be ordered here (http://www.hilohattie.com/Kauai-Island-Honey-P1990.aspx#) from Hilo Hatties.  This honey is a dark amber color and very sweet with a tropical taste. 

We first tried this honey at the Kokee Lodge in Kauai on some fabulous cornbread and have been hooked ever since.  So, when we just got home from the Big Island (with 6 bottles of honey tucked in our luggage), I made up my wonderful blueberry muffins to enjoy some yummy honey!!

Expanding our Tastes

I really believe in traveling using your palate.  It is a great way to expand yourself and get in touch with how other cultures choose to cook and the ingredients they use.  Having my children help shop, cook, and try new things has widened all of our views.  And, we each have even found new favorites that will be permanent additions to our weekly family repertoire.

Kids, Car Seats, and Leg Cramps

Waking up during the night after a long car ride with awful leg cramps happens in our family.  I know it happens for other parents too, and this is a great idea to help understand and minimize that problem.

For any car ride longer than one hour, it is super important for us to provide our kids with a "footrest" for their car seats.  This usually consists of a few mashed duffel bags or pillows, so that they can stop their legs from dangling.  As an engineer, I know that this constant pressure on the back of their little thighs inhibits blood flow and helps cause cramping. 

We also believe in stopping every couple of hours and running laps at the rest area, or taking a stroll around the restaurant we have stopped at for lunch.  A little forethought helps prevent this unnecessary pain and resulting grumpiness.

Kids in the Car, Getting Ready

We have extended family that lives up to 8 hours away, so car trips have become necessary.  Here are a few ideas that have made it easier for our family.

• Create an 'Activity Bin' between or beside the car seats.  This could include-
• Large zip-top bag of crayons and markers.
• Coloring and activity books.
• Picture and reading books.
• A zip-top bag of stickers. (I just include an assortment of leftovers from our craft stuff.)
• A zip-top bag of small figures and toys.
• A few soft and cuddly stuffed animals.
• One nice drink cup for each child, that is spill-proof, easy for them to use, and preferably has a large mouth for filling. (Much easier to stock with ice at each stop.)
• Media that could keep your child entertained, in our house that includes-
• Ipad
• Portable DVD player and movies
• Small and soft blanket for covering up.
• Snacks
•  Here are some of my children's favorites-
• Whole grain gold fish are great.
• Dried Fruit
• Trail Mix
• Granola Bars
• Cheerios
• Kept upfront for the parents to hand out for good behavior, we do something a little more treat-like.
• M&M's
• Dum Dum suckers
• A small purchase at a gas station also feels like a huge treat for our kids, and they might get to split some licorice or other candy.

Another thing we have done lately is to bring a few books on CD and play them during the periods when everyone is more quiet or tiring from their activities.  Most of all, patience and a sense of humor help to preserve any parent's sanity.

The Start of a New Adventure

  "I've worked very hard to plan a spontaneous adventure!" (Martin Harvey from the movie Captain Ron)  This is one of my favorite travel quotes, because it pretty much sums up me.  I love to travel, love to have an adventure, like to believe it is spontaneous, but actually plan every detail.  Through much trial and error, we are lucky enough to experience some amazing family vacations and daily adventures.  
  I am excited to share our adventures with travel -- and some simple but necessary things like ideas for packing lists, ideas to make traveling easier for everyone, and just enjoy the sharing of travel information.