The age-old question, how do you know if you’re picking the right hotel for a family trip? Let me tell you that we have learned our fair share of things the hard way. Some things were just tiny changes we’d make for the next trip, and other things meant we got zero sleep. Needless to say, we’ve got some tricks up our sleeves and I’m sharing a few with you. I’ve got lots of helpful posts about family travel but this one is going to let you in on how to do the one thing that will really make or break your time away with your family, picking a kid-friendly hotel. We recently stayed at the Howard Johnson Anaheim and I think it’s safe to call it the most kid-friendly hotel we’ve stayed at yet!

 

 

3 Tips for Picking a Kid-Friendly Hotel

1. Look for the words “Kid, Family, or Jr” in the room descriptions. This is a game changer! Usually, this means that the rooms are set up in a way to accommodate separate areas for kids and adults. The Howard Johnson Anaheim has a couple of options that would be great, like their Queen and Jr Delux room that offers a bunk bed in the room or their Kids Suite (where we stayed) that has two adjoining rooms with a bunk bed in one. Especially when your kids are on the younger side, it’s so helpful to have the separation since you don’t necessarily want to be stuck going to bed at 7 pm every night. It was like a mini date night for us after the kids went to bed. Hey-o!

2. Make sure you have food options close by. Bonus points for having something within walking distance! This could be restaurants or even a grocery store, it really doesn’t matter! But the last thing you want to do when you’re traveling is have to go on a hunt for food in a place you’re not familiar with or get stuck eating at the hotel restaurant that’s not exactly kid friendly and a little out of your budget. Don’t even get me started on room service. Whenever I travel without kids it’s one of my guilty pleasures, but I just can’t seem to bring myself to buy my kids a bowl of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for $12.95. We loved HoJo Anaheim because it had SO many restaurants on the same street that we could easily walk to with our two little ones. I don’t know about you but sometimes the last thing I want to do when I’m hangry is having to buckle my kids into the car for the zillionth time. Plus a little fresh air never hurt anyone. Also, I seem to always need a midnight snack (or meal if I’m being honest) when we travel.

3. Check for easy entertainment. Can you say pool? Most kids will be happy with that, to be honest. After playing in the Castaway Cove water playground at the Howard Johnson Anaheim I think my kids are ruined for regular pools. They both were SO happy which is hard to do these days since their developmental gap is pretty big. Elouise could explore and go down the slides by herself and Sully could splash around in the kiddie pool. It was perfect. I know not all hotels might be as legit as this one where you are traveling, but you get the idea. Pools, playgrounds, arcades, outdoor lawn games, movie rooms, kids clubs, we’ve seen so many different family-friendly activities at hotels! Just make sure you have an idea of what the hotel offers before you book because it would not be fun to be stuck in the room watching the same old kids shows on Netflix on a family vacation.

Aren’t these rooms so gorgeous?! The Howard Johnson Anaheim actually just redid their rooms and they are top notch. We stayed in the big tower on the top floor in a Kids Suite and it was just perfect for us. I loved having the two separate spaces. The kids’ side had a little table to eat at, a TV, a couch with a pull out bed in case your family had a couple extra kiddos, and the bunk beds. Plus the kids’ side had its OWN bathroom with a tub in it. You better believe we put that tub to good use. The “grown-up” side had a king size bed that I never wanted to leave plus its own TV and bathroom. The decor was so fun, there was Pirate artwork that was reminiscent of old-school Pirates of the Caribbean and the kids loved pointing it all out. The rooms were quiet which is also a big deal to me when staying at a hotel with my family. Obviously, you can’t always guarantee that but maybe we got lucky! I would definitely recommend booking the HoJo Anaheim for your stay if you’re looking at visiting Disneyland Resort or anything in the Orange County area really!

*Thanks so much to Howard Johnson Anaheim for hosting us for the night! All opinions shared were my own.