Desert Palms Hotel and Suites — Hotel in Anaheim

So let’s get this out of the way since I am a Dad. There is a two level parking structure that the exterior photos don’t really showcase. The parking situation seems more than adequate especially since they manage this by allowing for one vehicle space reserved per room reservation. The spaces are first come however. There are also plenty of exterior security cameras so I felt pretty safe leaving my vehicle unattended.

The family room with the bunk beds was just perfect. The hand sink doesn’t flow hot water and the pressure is lacking, but definitely not a deal breaker. The shower however functions quite well. I live in a house of girls, so when my daughters discovered that the hot water never runs out, they cherished every single drop of endless steamy wonders! Granted we were only in our room to sleep. Disneyland encompassed three full days and then some to keep us away from the room. We also come from a land locked state and my kiddos had never seen the ocean. Thankfully they are water babies and we spent our non Disney days getting some killer tans.

There are plenty of places to eat literally near by while being easily walkable, and the food was terrific. Also much more friendlier on the wallet versus park prices for their food.

However, did you really go to Disney if you didn’t spend 11 dollars for one handful of popcorn?! Also, watch out for those pigeons…they’re pretty shady and don’t waste any time letting dropped popcorn go to waste. Also, keep your head on a swivel around the ducks. Yes, actual ducks! I kept my hand on my wallet because they looked like they wanted to steal my cards. Also, when you see Mickey, no matter what you do he will take all of your money. I tried to fight him off, but his whimsical happy laugh and friendly face had my credit cards melting from all of the point of sale devices conveniently placed everywhere!

Having a 7/11, Walgreens and a CVS essentially on all four intersections was a huge blessing! However you could see Mickey lurking in the shadows absolutely disgusted you weren’t spending your money with him. I think I even heard Minnie crying because of it.

There is a wee bit of a homelessness issue, but wasn’t terrible by any means. Where I come from in Colorado, Ive become accustomed to the hardships people face and feel that it’s more prevalent there than here. However, the main thoroughfare this hotel is on is on a very busy boulevard with plenty of “Tourists” around. Also, the police and security presence is very visible and noticeable.

For the very savvy people as well…aim to get a room on the fifth floor. Other than this being the breakfast floor, there is another hidden benefit to this floor especially if you have a family of four or more people sharing a room.

All in all, for me being a Dad…my wife greatly approved of my hotel decision. So if she was happy, I must have done...

The location is great as it's just a ten minute walk and it's super close to convenience stores, the breakfast is free and had different options all week. However, I'm not sure if I'd stay here again despite the pros.

We arrived early hoping for an early check in, but when I gave her my info she said they didn't have a reservation under my name and they're overbooked. I pulled up my reservation and she grunted and said "ugh, get away today". After being gone for a considerable time, she came back stating they found it and I'm lucky I arrived early because GAT always overbooks their reservations and they give priority to those who book elsewhere. A reservation is a reservation and it shouldn't matter how I booked. She was flat out RUDE.

The room was clean with enough room to move around. However, despite asking for a room not right on the road, that's exactly what we received. Not only was it loud at night, but it was soooo bright in there from the street lights. The photo I attached is from 1 am.

It made it difficult to keep the kids on a schedule as they thought it was daytime in the middle of the night.

They currently don't clean the rooms besides emptying the trash. So if you walk into my room to grab my trash and see that I have no clean towels, why wouldn't you leave any? Asking the front desk was like asking for an actual miracle to perform. They'd "look into" getting us some. We stayed for 5 days. We showered every day, including the day we arrived and left. Clean towels shouldn't be like pulling teeth.

The pool while not big was nice but not heated and the hot tub was more of a "luke warm tub". Disappointing.

Their rates are fair and as key holders from out of state, we plan on a lot of hotel stays. I doubt we'd be back, I certainly didn't book this place for our...

We love the Desert Palms for its comfort, location, and nicely-appointed rooms.

Update on pool hazard: I received a call from the hotel manager about a week and a half after our stay. She was very grateful that we took the time to email the management and said that they saw the issue and were able to fix it properly. This was much more in line with our past experience there and we look forward to returning again!

Original comment about pool hazard: However, PLEASE BEWARE: the pool deck between the pool entry and the newer spa concrete has not been properly maintained and is dangerously slippery when wet... even when walking slowly. We notified the hotel front desk staff of this hazard during our stay in June 2021 and were disappointed to see it had not been addressed on our recent visit (April 2022). The day we were at the pool, my son slipped and hit his head despite the fact that I put towels on the ground (apparently, I missed a spot). I was informed by another mother that, earlier in the day, her son had slipped and hit the back of his head, she slipped and almost fell, and a father of another family slipped and bloodied his knee. So unless you want to risk your stay being ruined by the negligence of the management, throw down at least four towels and make a walkway for all.

I notified the front desk staff and emailed the manager. Although they sent a thoughtful gift basket to the room, I was disappointed that they didn't at least take my suggestion of posting a "Slippery When Wet" sign in the area. I will update this review if I receive confirmation that the situation has...