| |
Carousel Inn and Suites |
Reviewer's Name: |
Mark and Karen O'Connor |
Reviewer's Email Address: |
moconnor@fcac.qld.edu.au |
Date(s) of Stay: |
September 18-30, 2000 |
Disney Resort: |
Disneyland (California) |
Location: |
Anaheim Area |
Ease of Disney Park Access: |
Not used |
Complimentary Park Shuttle Available? |
Unknown |
Park Shuttle Comments: |
Not Reported |
Address: |
1570 Harbor Boulevard |
Phone Number: |
(714) 758-0444 |
Facility Type: |
Motel |
Accommodation Used: |
Standard Room / Studio |
Accommodations Review: |
Adequate rooms for staying when your main focus is what is
OUTSIDE the room. We had a couple of problems with minor
things such as the curtains not closing right up into the
middle, the air conditioning unit was either too cold or too
hot (we were unable to change most of the settings!) and the
bathroom taps leaked all night. It took us 3 days before they
were fixed properly!! Otherwise the room was comfortable and
clean. The service by housekeeping and staff was generally
very good |
Rate/Night (for your stay): |
$57/night for the room ( packages are available which can
get you a better rate |
# of Restaurants/Lounges: |
1 |
Restaurant/Lounge Review: |
The "Breakfast Room" on the top floor was hopeless. It had
seating for around 45 people (supposedly) but every morning
there were heaps of people all trying to eat at once. To make
matters worse, you were not supposed to take food back to your
rooms. The rate included breakfast, but it was generally
frozen juice, dry toast with frozen butter and day-old cakes
and Danishes. Our recommendation is to simply skip it and eat
elsewhere; or buy some ham, tomato and cheese (there is a 7-11
not too far away, and plenty of convenience stores nearby) and
take the toast back to your room and eat it there anyway!! A
wide variety of eating places were nearby. Tony Roma's was our
favourite (probably because we don't have these in
Australia!), but we also ate at Millies, IHOP, Denny's,
Acapulco, McDonalds and the cluster of pizza and other food
places near the motel near Tony Roma's. The Breakfast at
Goofy's Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel is not too far away if
you really want to spoil yourself!!A warning for Australian travelers
though - the servings of the meals we ate were HUGE
compared to what we were used to (and at generally lower
prices!). We generally got into the habit of buying one main
meal and some appetizers and this was enough for us |
Amenities / Facilities / Activities Available: |
Sundries Shop, Pool, Laundry, In-room Safe, Non-Smoking Rooms
Available, Smoke Detectors, Fire Sprinklers. |
Pool Description/Comments: |
We only used it twice, but both times it was not really
inviting. It looked dirty, had no towels available (even after
we requested some) and as we were on our honeymoon, we had
better things to do than be splashed by temperamental children
who were sick of Mickey Mouse!! |
Other Comments: |
We stayed in Room 203. It was supposedly one of the deluxe
rooms they have which they gave us after I rang and asked for
a good room off the ground floor as we were on our honeymoon.
We found the staff were very helpful and co-operative. The
elevator was broken throughout our stay, so I really pity the
people who were on the higher floors. Whilst it was nice to be
close to the front of the building as it was a shorter walk to
everything, be careful in your room requests. On the higher
floors there is an awful lot of noise once the breakfast rush
starts, and as with any room near the front, it means people
are walking past your room from very early, and a sleep-in is
impossible!! We really loved the location. Whilst our stay was
not perfect, it was memorable, and we constantly recommend the
position of these motels to people who ask. If you want
convenience, the Carousel offers a good option (as do many of
the motels on Harbor Boulevard) - it is also close to the
departure/pick-up point for tours such as Universal Studios
and Tijuana. As travelers from Australia, we especially liked
the fact that we could cash our US dollar travelers cheques
just about anywhere without a charge as long as you were
making a purchase - this was a great convenience for us as
"first time overseas travelers". The places around Disneyland
were so used to serving tourists that they made us feel
welcome even if we were a pain in the neck because of our
ignorance. We loved the area, and the atmosphere of the whole
place. We might choose another motel next time, or we would be
happy to stay at the Carousel, but we would definitely stay in
the same
area. | | |
