Howard Johnsons Anaheim Hotel & Water Playground Review

While working on Disney Travel reviews, we made our way to a property I have always wanted to visit but never had the opportunity. We had the great pleasure of visiting Howard Johnsons Anaheim Hotel and Water Playground this past week. The location is ideal for visits to the Disneyland Resort property. In addition to a great location the property features a wonderful water playground that your family will love!

The location is a short 8-minute walk to the security gates. There is only one road you have to cross, and it takes you directly into the bus lot and security checkpoint. It was a safe and easy walk for our family. The parking rate is currently $20 at Howard Johnson's which is extremely reasonable compared to the parking fees at the Disneyland Resort parking lots.

The rooms are nicely updated! We stayed in a double room with 2 full size beds in tower one. I was travelling with my two daughters and my husband joined us for one night of the stay. The room was equipped with a microwave and a refrigerator which is always handy when traveling with family. There was a dinette in the room which was perfect for the end the day snacks and the quick office check-in. I really appreciated that the bathrooms had double sinks, it helps when trying to get kids ready for bed at night. Also, the bathtubs and showers were both updated which was extremely nice as many properties don't update the bathtubs when they're doing their updates. The tub is a place little kids go a lot and I always feel like it's overlooked most times, but Howard Johnsons really has this covered - helping you make the most of your Disney travel.

Our room had a gorgeous view of the Matterhorn directly across the street from the hotel. The fireworks were not scheduled for that week due to the new light show that is happening all over the Disneyland resort. When fireworks are taking place this would be a perfect view outside of the window and on balcony if you wanted to watch the show in the comfort of your room. The view brings the magic of Disney travel right into your room - we definitely had a lot of fun with our Disney inspired reels in the room!

In addition to the comfortable rooms, the water playground is definitely a draw for families. I appreciate that the water areas have a scheduling process at this time. The schedule helped us decide in advance what time we plan to go to the pool or water playground and it helps us make the most out of that time by limiting how many guests are in the area. The reservations can be made up to 30 days in advance as well as same day.

The waterpark is great and has different slides for the small and older children. I appreciate that the water playground is next to the Jacuzzi because it is more enjoyable to watch the kids run around the park from the jacuzzi! Not only were there slides and interactive water toys but there was a cute shallow wading pool for the small children and there were some very cute water toys to climb on in that area. This is a space that families with various age groups can enjoy together.

So far, this has been one of my favorite properties in Anaheim because of the location and the water playground! I feel that this is not only a great price point for many families but they will appreciate all the amenities that come along with staying at the Howard Johnson Anaheim. If you would like to book a room for your family please use my link here for your vacation. If you'd like to see more on the rooms and property head to my Instagram and check out my Instagram reel.

Please note my family was provided accommodations to complete this review, all words and opinions are my own.