The Mommy Blogger Tribe has an annual take over at the Howard Johnson Anaheim hotel & water playground (HoJo). HoJo is such a fun, comfortable and conveniently located place to stay. We've been there before, but this time was even better! If you've read my blog posts, you may recall that I've posted about HoJo before. The Mommy Blogger Tribe checked in to HoJo for the weekend and happiness ensued!
DAY ONE:
We arrived for our stay around 7:30am so that we could take advantage of an early arrival to Disneyland. We checked our bags and completed the check in process so that we could hit the park ASAP. The front desk staff was so friendly and efficient so we were out the door pretty quickly. We put the kiddos in the double stroller and it was only an 8 minute walk to Disneyland! Yes, I timed it. Again, we had two kiddos in a double stroller so I'm sure it's an even faster walk for someone without a stroller.
We stayed at Disneyland from around 8:00am to 2:00pm when I got a text from HoJo saying our room was ready. On our way back, we realized we hadn't had any actual food (churros don't count 😅). The front desk staff had informed us that Mimi's Cafe is their partner restaurant and provided a discount for HoJo guests who dine in so we were going to stop by on our walk back. Unfortunately, the little one knocked out in the stroller so we decided to order for pick up instead. Discount or not, I love Mimi's Cafe! We got to our room in building 2, which is right in front of the pool and is decked out in fun Disney decor. The little one napped while the rest of us ate and we stored our leftovers in the mini fridge for later. When she woke up, we all got ready to meet all of our friends from The Mommy Blogger Tribe at the pool and this is when I discovered that I forgot my swimsuit 😭 We had some pool fun until the kiddos felt like popsicles and we went back to our room to get ready for another round of Disneyland fun. I have to tell you that being able to break up the day like that is so helpful to surviving with enough energy to make it through the whole day! It was so nice to get that little bit of rest while still doing something so fun and engaging for the kids. We finished our day at Disneyland and left the park tired but knowing that we'd be back home at HoJo before most people could make it to the parking lot! I ended my night at the Mid Mod Market, HoJo's in-house convenience store. You can find souvenirs, clothes, toys, travel necessities, food, snacks, water and refreshments (yes, I mean beer and wine 😉🍻). I bought some cereal and pastries so we had something quick to eat in the morning before heading out to Disney California Adventure (DCA).
DAY TWO:
We woke up, got ready, gave the girls their cereal and made coffee in the Keurig so we could get going. We got to DCA just before they opened so we got first dibs on so many rides. We couldn't believe how many rides we got on in just the first hour that we were there. Since we knocked out most of the rides, we ended up going back to HoJo before 10:00am so the girls could get their faces painted and we could spend some time with The Mommy Blogger Tribe at Castaway Cove, their pirate themed water playground. They have a one foot deep toddler pool, 13 water fountains, toddler slide, big kid slide, water umbrellas, mini water cannons, hot tub whirlpool spa, and the most exciting feature was a 200 gallon drench bucket that drops in the very center of all the action! The girls had so much fun that they actually asked to leave DCA later in the day to go back to play there. After all of the fun, we built up quite an appetite so we headed over to Descanso Restaurant in Costa Mesa for a hosted brunch. All of the food and drinks were so delicious. They had such a wonderful environment with live music in the patio. It was such a good vibe to enjoy your food and drinks to. We headed back to HoJo, put our leftovers in the fridge and got ready for round two of DCA. We focused on character photos and treats since we knocked out most of the rides earlier in the day. When we were finally beat, we decided to go back to HoJo and finish our night with an early bedtime. We slept so good and woke up feeling well rested considering we had just had two action packed Disney/HoJo days. Since the first time we stayed at HoJo, I decided that I just couldn't see myself having a Disney vacation without booking a room.
So, here are some things to remember when you are planning your stay at HoJo:
HoJo is an 8 minute walk to Disneyland (probably faster if you don't have a stroller)
You can do early check in and you'll receive a text when your room is ready
Our room was in building 2, it's Disney themed and right next to the pool
The room had a mini fridge, Keurig and microwave 🙌 very convenient for families!
Make sure to take advantage of the discount at Mimi's Cafe when you dine in
Complimentary face painting on Saturdays from 8:30am to 10:30am
Castaway Cove Water Playground is first come first served, no reservation required!
Mid Mod Market is open from 7:00am to 11:00pm and they don't have inflated prices
HoJo is a "Good Neighbor Hotel" which means that they are a Disney approved hotel close to the Disneyland Resort. If you are planning a Disney vacation soon, I highly recommend staying there and you can do so with a discount from The Mommy Blogger Tribe!
Here's the link:
https://www.hojoanaheim.com/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Mommybloggertribe
20% off Disneyland Legacy Pass Discount Corp code: 1000025935
15% off Discount for everyone! Corp code: 1000022077