Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa Review
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is the flagship hotel at Disneyland Resort with a AAA four-diamond rating that is themed as a bygone-era National Park lodge. This review features room photos, pros & cons of the theme, and other thoughts on the Grand Californian.
With styling from the 20th Century American Arts & Crafts movement, Grand Californian thematically fits really well with Disney California Adventure (and even offers hotel guests an entrance directly into the park). Its lobby atrium draws inspiration from Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful Inn, while the exterior pays homage to Yosemite National Park’s Ahwahnee Hotel (now the Majestic Yosemite Hotel…ugh…what an awful name).
July 28, 2017 Update: Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is in the midst of a hotel-wide refurbishment that will include completely redesigned guest rooms, a refreshed lobby, pool areas, and the concierge-level Craftsman Club. This is the most extensive refurbishment since the hotel’s opening, and will incorporate a contemporary approach to the Arts & Crafts design style. Some of the new-look rooms are now open, and can be requested by guests checking-in. Other aspects of construction will have a minimal impact on the guest experience, and will be finished by December 2017…
The Hotel is Disneyland Resort’s newest, built alongside the addition of Disney’s California Adventure. Disney Vacation Club was later added to the Hotel. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel features Disneyland Resort’s best restaurant in Napa Rose, plus another great table service restaurant in Storyteller’s Cafe, an excellent lounge in Hearthstone Lounge, and an underrated counter service restaurant in Whitewater Snacks.
As its name implies, the architecture is, generally, inspired by Northern California. Walt Disney World regulars will notice a lot of similarities between Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel (they were designed by the same man!), but upon closer inspection, there are plenty of subtle differences that set them apart. In almost every regard, the Grand Californian is superior.
For being in the middle of Disneyland Resort, Grand Californian has a surprisingly large footprint, with 3 pools, including a main pool with a 100-foot water slide that wraps around the stump of a giant redwood tree. The entire pool area is styled to mirror the Reedwood Creek Challenge, which it is adjacent to in Disney California Adventure.
Now let’s take a look inside the hotel…
The greatest “feature” of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel is, quite possibly, its entrance into Disney California Adventure. This entrance makes it the closest hotel to any Disney theme park in the United States. It’s also an incredibly short walk to Disneyland (either through Disney California Adventure or Downtown Disney). This is a huge benefit, especially when coupled with morning Extra Magic Hours, which are great for fast access to Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land!
Its lobby is also a pretty spectacular feature, with impressive details that make it worth exploring. At first blush, it appears very similar to Wilderness Lodge. However, once you really start exploring the hotel and looking at everything–the stained glass, the lamps, the fixtures, the clock, and the furniture, it’s clear that the Grand Californian is in a different league. I highly recommend a late night relaxing next to the fireplace when no one else is around.
Theming-wise, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel has me a bit torn. I love the Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World, and we think the design at Grand Californian certainly kicks it up a notch, but for the flagship resort to have the look of a rustic National Parks lodge doesn’t sit entirely well. The Grand Californian is Disneyland’s equivalent to the Grand Floridian, but it definitely doesn’t feel as opulent.
Then again, we love Wilderness Lodge and am not such a huge fan of the Grand Floridian, which is stuffy in addition to being opulent. Despite my feelings on this point, the Grand Californian is an incredibly well-themed resort and one we enjoyed a great deal. In fact, after we stayed here a second time, I found myself a bit less torn…I love it. It’s a beautiful resort and who says that a flagship resort needs to be “opulent”?
Moreover, while it’s ostensibly rustic, once you look past the initial “National Parks” theming, it really is quite well-appointed. The lobby is gorgeous (even better than Wilderness Lodge) and there are a lot of little details you really have to look for to notice.
Similarly, the restaurants have the perfect ambiance, and the rooms are reasonably luxurious. So perhaps it’s just my preconceptions at play here.
Speaking of the rooms, we found our room to be really beautiful and large.
Unlike Wilderness Lodge, which carries the rustic theming into the guest rooms, the Grand Californian rooms feel more luxurious (although still not to the extent I’d expect for a flagship resort).
This luxurious vibe comes through in everything from the drapes and headboard to the bathrobes in every guest room closet. The finishing touches of the rooms are very nice.
Most importantly, the beds are incredibly comfortable with great bedding and excellent pillows.
Most of these rooms also feature excellent views to either Disney Californian Adventure (with a World of Color view!), Downtown Disney/Disneyland, or a courtyard or pool.
Our first stay, the bathroom was not all that impressive, but on a subsequent room, we found far better tile and detail-work that really gave the room more of a ‘flagship’ feel (unfortunately, I failed to take photos for some reason).
Service is spectacular at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, too. While service isn’t something I’d normally include in a review due to sample size, we dealt with hotel staff on several occasions, and each time they were incredibly professional (yet warm) and knowledgeable.
The other amenities are Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel put it over the top. It has a fitness center, convention space, multiple pools, a great location, free tours and children’s activities, and–most importantly–excellent restaurants. These all greatly enhance the guest experience on a laid back “resort style” vacation. Unfortunately, the most important amenity on that list is the excellent restaurants, and you don’t have to be a hotel guest to enjoy these restaurants.
Unlike Walt Disney World hotel restaurants that can be difficult to access if you’re not staying in the particular hotel, all of these restaurants are–literally–a five minute walk from Disney California Adventure. Because of this, we have a hard time considering these amenities when comparing Disney’s Grand Californian to any other hotel at which we might stay.
Our stay was a bit busier than I would have liked given that we were staying in a luxurious hotel (usually I like to take as much time as possible to enjoy nice hotels), so the biggest benefit for us was the location. This location would be especially great for experiencing Grizzly River Run and then running up to the room for a change of clothes. In my case, it was nice to grab a quick 30 minute nap while everyone else in our group watched the Pixar Play Parade.
This location was by no means essential, as many of the Harbor Boulevard hotels are only about 10 minutes away from the turnstiles. As you may know, we have been big advocates of staying off-site at Disneyland Resort. While we still feel this way, Morning Extra Magic Hours at Disney California Adventure to experience Radiator Springs Racers do help tip the scale towards staying on-site.
The other big consideration is price. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel is typically the most expensive hotel at Disneyland Resort. Its rates start at $355 per night, and quickly escalate from there. By contrast, Disneyland Hotel starts at around $300/night and Paradise Pier Hotel starts at around $240/night. Anaheim resort fees kick this number up even higher, and that’s during the slow season. During busier times of the year, basic rooms can exceed $500. With discounts for Disneyland Resort hotels now being rare, it’s tough to book the Grand Californian for less than $300/night, even during the off-season.
For me, this rate is very difficult to stomach, especially with hotels across Harbor Boulevard for less than half the price. Don’t get me wrong, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel is an excellent hotel with great theming, excellent restaurants, and plenty of luxury. I just have a hard time justifying it unless you really want to splurge.
That’s totally a personal decision, though. There’s a lot to be said for the luxury of the Grand Californian, having a private entrance into Disney California Adventure, a beautiful lobby with Disney songs playing on the piano, exceptional Disney restaurants, and a view of World of Color from your hotel. (Okay, now I wish I were there right now!)
If I were going to stay at another Disneyland Resort hotel instead of the Grand Californian, I’d probably choose Disneyland Hotel. Its atmosphere (I love the new look) is great, its pool is amazing, and its proximity to Trader Sam’s is great. Plus, it’s a bit cheaper than the Grand Californian. We’ve stayed in both (here’s our Disneyland Hotel Review if you want to compare the two) and I have a tough time saying which I prefer–it probably would come down to price and which has better discounts. Both are excellent, excellent hotels. By contrast, I wouldn’t stay at Paradise Pier Hotel again.
Overall, the Grand Californian is the perfect place to stay for those who want to be as close to the parks as possible and really enjoy the Arts & Crafts/National Parks’ theming. It offers a surprising amount of luxury under that rustic (rustic is probably a poor word choice–it’s more “outdoors-y” than rustic) facade. However, if you’re traveling on a budget, we feel that a stay at the Grand Californian is a poor use of your funds. Instead, stay elsewhere and put that money towards a couple nice meals at Napa Rose and Carthay Circle Restaurant.
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Your Thoughts…
What do you think of Disneyland Resort’s flagship resort? Are you a fan of the Grand Californian, or do you prefer Disneyland Hotel? Do you think GCH is a brilliant work of art in the spirit of the Ahwahnee or overpriced take on Wilderness Lodge? Share your thoughts in the comments!
I recently stayed here for the first time in late August 2017 and was blown away. First of all, the service at the front desk was phenomenal and the [renovated] room was one of the best Disney rooms I’ve ever stayed in. The balcony was large, spotlessly clean and overlooked the monorail route. The woods/courtyard view was definitely worth the extra $30 or so. The pool was unbelievable as well and the chaise lounge chairs were honestly the most comfortable things I’ve ever sat in! Usually at Disney Deluxe Resorts, they have those white plastic ones, but these were way better. Also, the pool itself wasn’t crowded on a Thursday evening (obviously that can change), and it was a serene, deluxe experience. Finally, the dining here was exceptional as well. I’ve not been to the legendary Napa Rose, but both Storyteller’s Cafe and White Water Snacks are very good. White Water Snacks in particular exceeded expectations as a counter service location and was again, very serene. For me, this resort is definitely worth the money now that the renovations are complete and I would highly recommend it over offsite good neighbor hotels.
P.S. This is minor but I love how they had a bunch of resort specific merchandise in the Acorns Gifts and Goods store!
Note: They say the renovations won’t be complete until the end of the year, but everything in the common areas (pool, lobby etc.) was finished. Therefore, I imagine the only thing they have left to do is finish rooms. If you’re staying here before the entire renovation is complete, make sure you get a refreshed room.
Do you know when all the room renovations will be complete? Thanks for any info.
Staying there for the first time in about 3 weeks!
My Family and I love to stay at the grand Californian hotel. I find that families with small children really benefit from having the hotel so close. I can very easily walk the baby up to the room for a nap while the rest of the family plays. I also love the service by the poolside, we like to relax by the pool during the hottest part of the day.
i just purchased some DVC points here making it my “2nd” home resort, after AKL at WDW and I have a stay booked for October 2017. Can anyone tell me if the fitness center has a shower in it?
I love this hotel and how much it reminds me of the Ahwahnee Hotel (my favorite California early opulence hotel… though there are nicer and fancier ones from earlier I still love it’s feel).
Anyway, that wasn’t my point. My point is that the Grand Californian is about to go through a HUGE renovation lasting through the summer of 2017. I don’t know much about this yet but as we plan our next trip the idea of it being under construction while staying there is a negative that others might want to consider as well.