The kids could not wait until our vacation to HOJO, the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel and Waterpark. I thought for sure they had colluded together to get us to take them inside Disneyland but the truth is, they had so much fun being at the hotel and waterpark that they didn’t miss Disneyland, too much.
What and where is HOJO?
The hotel is about an 8 minute walk (Yes, it’s still around 8 minutes with three little kids in tow) to Downtown Disney, Disneyland Park, and Disneyland California Adventure Park. When I was a kid, our main family vacation was a two-day trip to Disneyland. One of my best memories is my parents forcing me to go back to the hotel with them for a nap in the hottest part of the day. Side note, I wish someone would force me to nap now. The HOJO Anaheim Hotel and Waterpark is the perfect distance away for that much needed break, a nap, or even a splash in one of their refreshing water areas in the middle of that hot summer heat. We were able to walk over to the Downtown Disney District to watch the fireworks on the second night and it was perfectly magical. HOJO even accommodates families of five, which is hard to find with a typical maximum of 4 per room elsewhere. This is by far one of the best hotels we have been to for families.
When we first checked in, we were greeted with the nicest front staff. The hotel has been newly renovated and you can tell that the grounds are well maintained. Our first stop was of course our room. The kids couldn’t wait to pick which bed they were going to sleep in and explore all of the fun things in the room. As soon as we opened the door, the kids ran in and immediately got excited to see all the Mickey decorations hanging on the wall and the cute duck print in the bathroom. They were even trying to see if HOJO put any hidden Mickeys for us to find. You can totally feel the spirit of Disney in the room. In fact, we got to watch the Monorail going around directly across from our room. Our room was clean, spacious and packed with all of the things a family on vacation could need. The room comes with a refrigerator, microwave, Keurig coffee machine (because what parent can live without coffee), two queen beds, and a little dining area. The balcony of our room overlooked the Garden Pool where we would be completely spoiled at our first stop, a pool party thrown by one of our sponsors, Sunstaches!
Fun in the Sun with Sunstaches
The first stop of our vacation was to the Garden Pool at HOJO. A sparkling pool, comfortable lounge chairs, and cheerful music awaited us. There’s plenty of seating and shaded areas to enjoy. Hotel staff greet you with towels and a friendly smile. Immediately, there were so many kids in the pool. All of the Mommy Blogger Tribe Kids jumped in to cool off from the crazy heat. The pool has two lifeguards stationed at both ends of the pool. They were paying such close attention that our son got us “in trouble” playing his “I like to sink to the bottom of the pool” game where he looks like he’s drowning. Both Anthony and I were right next to Joseph and they still came to check on him.
Sunstaches brought all the kids the coolest sunglasses from their new Arkaid line. Sophia got a princess crown pair, Giuliana got a fun Minnie Mouse Pair, and Joseph was rocking the Iron Man look all the way. They also brought the coolest donuts for everyone to eat. The donuts matched the theme perfectly and even had edible sunglasses on them. Our kids devoured their donuts in no time flat! Thank you to Hilda with Centeno Portraits for capturing all the memories of this fun event.
A great day has to end with great food. As a vegan family, it is hard to find food that all five of us will eat, especially with me being gluten free. I had done some research before we left and I found a delicious restaurant called “Vegan Pizza.” Everything on their menu was vegan and they even had a gluten-free crust. I’m not sure my kids would describe the food as only delicious; they’d probably say something more along the lines of the best pizza they’ve ever had considering my son asked me to drive over an hour and a half each way on Fridays so we could have it for our pizza movie nights. This place has to have its own blog post. That’s how good it is and how much we ate from them!
House of retro future suite tour
The next day we were ready to see the new “House of Retro Future Suite.” HOJO was giving us exclusive access to the not-yet-opened-to-the-public renovated suite. They really went all out. The suite was a perfect blend of retro and futuristic. Think The Jetsons meets The Bob Newhart Show. The suite was extremely spacious and comfortable with a light and airy feeling. It had all the amenities you could ask for including a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, flat screen TVs, and comfortable couches. The bathroom was giant with two separate areas; two sinks with a tub/shower combo in one room and a sink with a shower and toilet in the other room. You could even connect your Bluetooth to the mirrors in the bathroom and play music while you were getting ready. How cool is that? The balcony opened up to a gorgeous view of the crystal clear Garden Pool. All the Mommy Blogger Tribe families were in the room with tons of cute kids and the suite still felt spacious. I cannot wait for our family to try out a night or two in this room. We will definitely have to teach our kids how to use the vintage vinyl record player they have. I’m not sure our kids have ever even seen a CD before much less a vinyl record. They are obsessed with playing music and will get a huge kick out of this for sure. A huge thank you to GoGo SqueeZ who provided their delicious apple sauce pouches for breakfast while we toured the room and kept our kids happy until lunchtime.
Castaway Cove
The Howard Johnson Anaheim has the best waterpark, Castaway Cove, for kids and adults to play. It had so many different areas to explore but our kids’ favorite was what we called the “Ding Ding.” Every few minutes, a giant bucket fills up with water and dumps it on everyone below. If you hear the “Ding Ding,” you know it’s coming. We would make a mad dash any time we heard the dinging so that we could make it for the big splash. Luckily for me, someone who hates cold water and refuses to go in it, the water was actually the perfect temperature. They even had a spa right there for us cold parents to go warm up. The Cove was clean and safe. You have to make reservations ahead of time to attend and there are hotel staff members there waiting to check you in where they will give you soft towels and a wristband matching your designated reservation time. There were three lifeguards assigned to different posts throughout the waterpark itself. Each section from the main structure with slides, to the kiddie 1ft pool, to “Speedy’s Sprayground” was covered with lifeguard trained eyes. Thank you to Tubby Todd for keeping our kids’ faces safe with your clean, cruelty free mineral sunstick. It made applying sunscreen to the kids’ faces really easy and absorbed into the skin immediately. Don’t forget to make your reservation up to 30 days in advance to secure your spot. This is absolutely a do not miss for this hotel. We had to peel the kids away every day when our reservation was over.
Keep Them Clean
A huge thank you to One Fun Co. who provided the kids with the best way to wash their dirty little hands after all the fun they were having; their all natural Splatz soap bubbles that burst in the kids hands. The kids loved playing with the soap while they got their hands nice and clean. I’ll take any reason for the kids to wash their hands nice and clean! They even have a 10% off coupon for your first order at their website https://onefun.com/.
Final Thoughts!
Our time at HOJO Anaheim with The Mommy Blogger Tribe was too much fun. Of course the kids didn’t want to leave. They had the absolute best time and continue to ask each day when we get to go back with our friends. To be honest, I didn’t want to leave either. We had the perfect blend of fun, sun, and relaxation. It is totally our home away from home. We will absolutely be back to celebrate my upcoming 40th birthday Disney style!
If you want the perfect family friendly hotel for your next staycation or Disneyland trip, The Ploeschie 5 cannot recommend this hotel enough. Right now, HOJO is offering two special discount codes for you. Remember to use the codes below next time you book your reservation.
20% off discount for all Disneyland Magic Key Holders – Corp. Code 1000025935
15% of discount for everyone – Corp. Code 1000022077
In tonight’s episode of “Where was Chippy while I was writing”…..
