California Calling, 20 miles to go! Oct 2011

[Guest]

If you're a fan of Enrique Iglesias you'll 'get' why my pre-trippie is called California Calling 20 miles to go. Why not name my pre-trippie after one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite singers? Not only that, I understand that LAX is approx. 20 miles from Anaheim, and that, my friends, is what this pre-trippie is going to be all about, because... drum roll... on the 24th October 2011 (yes, this year!), we are off to Anaheim for 10 nights. Woop woop

As it's tradition on the Dibb to give all the fascinating () details I'll start at the very beginning...

Who
Myself (42 at the time of travel) self-confessed holiday-obssessed female with a passion for getting absorbed in planning the finer details and driving the rest of the family nuts with my plans.

Dear hub (43 at the time of travel). The man who say "yes...as long as it's under £3k and you're in charge of making sure we can afford it" ...and then does a U Turn on the budget when he decides he'd rather spend more if it means not sharing a room overnight with our teens!

Dear son Sam (18 at the time of travel). He who is very keen to see some more of the US as long as he doesn't have to share a queen bed with his sister.

Dear daughter Katie (14 at the time of travel). She who thinks she'll be rollerskating in her bikini along the California coast and who thinks her mum is a plain embarrassment the way she gets so excited about her holidays, sorry sweetie

The When, How and Where
24th October to 3rd November 2010
Flying Virgin from Heathrow to Los Angeles (LAX) and back with a 11.15 departure from Heathrow and a 21.30 departure from LAX.
Staying at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Anaheim in a one bedroom suite.

We've booked the flight and hotel package through Thomson. The lovely lady in their Hempstead Valley branch spent an hour and a half with us trying to beat the online prices we'd shown her. (We also pestered Thomas Cook but their lady wasn't able to offer anything remotely like Thomson's lady did).

We initially had a long list of possibilities for under £3k but whilst in the travel agents dear hub Lee decided that actually, he wanted a suite.

We almost booked the Cortona Inn and Suites (a Toscana suite with bunkbeds in one room and a queen or king in the other room) for £3495 (Virgin Holiday's online price) but the Thomson lady could do us a deal and offer it at £3348.

We left the travel agents thinking this was probably what we'd book if Thomas Cook couldn't better it, but after Thomas Cook not being very competitive at all I did a bit more investigating online at home and found that Virgin Holidays listed the Hyatt Regency with the option ofa one bedroomed suite for a little bit less than the Cortona... £3484. It was a bit of a no brainer - we stayed at the Hyatt Regency at Orlando airport last summer for our final day (booked a day room) and it was a real pleasure, such a lovely environment. We felt totally spoiled! I rang back the Thomson lady and asked what deal she could do on that...less than £20 you say? Hmm, told her I'd talk to hub again. I phoned back again a little while later and asked if she couldn't possibly do a better deal like she had on the Cortona price and she said that another lady had come up with the less than £20 deal, and that yes, she could beat it. How did £3357 sound?

How did it sound? Are you kidding me? A 4 star well-known hotel for just £9 more than a 3 star that I hadn't heard of?

Ok, so the Cortona does a free continental breakfast but the Hyatt is a Hyatt and if it's anything like Orlando airport's Hyatt we'll be in for a treat as far as room standards go! As Virgin customers we should (!) be getting free parking like at the Cortona, should get a $15 dining credit (bet that won't go far in the Hyatt :pop and a bottle of champers for upgrading to a suite. Hic.

So, we have paid a deposit on a one bedroomed suite and I'll soon be drawing up a spreadsheet of ebay earnings etc to make sure we have the balance 10 weeks before

Photos to follow...

[Guest]

Oooooh how exciting Tina, we looked at this only after I had booked the Doubletree it looks fab, you will have a ball in Anaheim we loved it.

[Guest]

Straight from the horse's mouth, as they say,
Hyatt have this to say about their one bedroomed suites in Anaheim:

Ideal for families or VIPs, these newly restyled 400 square foot suites offer the space and amenities you require for Disneyland hotel suites and rooms.

Stretch out in comfort in the spacious living room featuring a full-size sleeper sofa, 42” flat screen TV, microwave, refrigerator and expansive work desk with both wired and Wi-Fi high speed Internet access ($9.99 / 24hrs). These suites now include Jack Packs, featuring two electrical outlets, and USB, VGA and Audio input.

Enjoy a newly updated private bedroom equipped with a 37” flat screen TV and two signature Queen Hyatt Grand beds™, fitted with sumptuous sheets, plump pillows, generous down comforter and a cozy throw topping an inviting pillow top mattress for a refreshing night's sleep.

Take advantage of a lavish bath that features a granite counter and deluxe Portico spa products, and enjoy an iHome Stereo with iPod® docking station, multiple phones, and easy video checkout. Give your family an exceptional experience in our outstanding Anaheim suite hotel.

Wow! They sure know how to sell a room!

Amenities:

* Hyatt Grand Bed™ with pillow top mattress and down comforter
* Oversized well-lit work desk
* Iron / ironing board
* Personal coffee maker complete with condiments
* Individual digital climate control
* Microwave and personal mini-refrigerator
* Wired and Wi-Fi high-speed Internet (fee)
* Hairdryer
* Video Checkout
* Separate sitting area with sleeper-sofa
* 42” and 37” flat screen TVs with in-room movies and satellite channels
* Dual phone lines with voicemail
* Safe deposit boxes
* Turn-down service available upon request
* iHome Stereo with iPod® docking station
* Jack Packs, featuring two electrical outlets, and USB, VGA and Audio input
* Portico bath and Aquafresh® Extreme Clean® Toothpaste amenities

Sounds alot like the HRH Orlando to me, and we loved that!

SERVICES & FACILITIES
• Hyatt Fast Board™
• 1-800-CHECK-IN® / PDA check-in
• In-room dining 6am–Midnight
• Concierge
• 24-hour business center
• Multilingual staff
• Assistive devices for persons with disabilities
• Currency exchange
• ATM
• Laundry / dry cleaning
• Self / valet parking
• Gift shop
• Complimentary shuttle to and from Disneyland® Resort
• Transportation desk with area shuttles
• Disneyland® Resort Desk with discounted tickets available on site
• 24-hour security officers trained in CPR, and onsite Automated External Defibrillator

Hope we won't be needing the latter!

RECREATIONAL FACILITIES
• Third floor recreation deck includes pool, tennis court, basketball court, whirlpool and
health club. Open daily
• Second swimming pool and whirlpool located on the lower level of the North Tower
• Both outdoor pools are heated
• Full-size tennis court and basketball court
• Complimentary, newly renovated and expanded fitness center available 24 hours

Doubt we'll have the energy...
POINTS OF INTEREST
• Disneyland® Park
• California Adventure®
• Downtown Disney® District
• Honda Center (NHL's Anaheim Ducks)
• Angel Stadium (Anaheim Angels)
• Block at Orange
• The Shops at the Anaheim Gardenwalk
• Knott's Berry Farm
• Crystal Cathedral
• Southern California Beaches
• Universal Studios / Hollywood
• South Coast Plaza Shopping Center
• South Coast Repertory
• Orange County Performing Arts
Useful...I've only heard of 5 of these, and 4 of them are themeparks and the other means Disney shopping

Important info for when I figure out how to get there from LAX (what on earth am I going to do without a Mapman map?!)
Hyatt Regency Orange County
ADDRESS 11999 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92840, USA
Phone 714-750-1234 FAX 714-740-0465
Web orangecounty.hyatt

One lickle photo for you, but more can be found here



Hope that sofa bed is comfy, if not we'll be playing musical beds

And here are the tripadvisor reviews.

[Guest]

a few more useful titbits of travel info:

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): Approximate driving time is 38 minutes and distance is 36 miles.

Driving directions from SNA: Take I-405 (San Diego Fwy) north to Rte 55 (Costa Mesa Fwy) north. Take I-5 (Santa Ana Fwy) north and exit to W Chapman Ave. Turn right on Harbor Blvd and the hotel is on the right.

Driving directions from LAX: Take I-105 (Glenn Anderson Fwy) east to I-405 (San Diego Fwy) south. Take Rte 22 (Garden Grove Fwy) east and exit to Harbor Blvd northbound. The hotel is on the left.

[Guest]

A few places to eat that I've heard mention of near the Hyatt:

Red Robin
Outback
McDonalds.

Gonna need to find more than these for variety!

[Aims]

Hey Tina, I've stayed at that Hyatt Regency in Anaheim. It was really nice, we had no complaints at all. You are about a 10 minute or less drive to Disneyland from there. There are lots of places to eat within walking distance and even more places are a short drive down Harbor Blvd. There's a Joe's Crab Shack, Bucca di Beppo's, Mimi's Cafe, Tony Roma's, Denny's, IHOP's, Bubba Gump's, Cheesecake Factory, PF Chang's (Chinese)...the list goes on.

I can pick up on your excitement all the way from here. Your trip sounds fantastic! If I can be of any help answering questions on that area around Disneyland (or southern CA in general), please feel free to contact me. Have fun planning!

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Aims

Hey Tina, I've stayed at that Hyatt Regency in Anaheim. It was really nice, we had no complaints at all. You are about a 10 minute or less drive to Disneyland from there. There are lots of places to eat within walking distance and even more places are a short drive down Harbor Blvd. There's a Joe's Crab Shack, Bucca di Beppo's, Mimi's Cafe, Tony Roma's, Denny's, IHOP's, Bubba Gump's, Cheesecake Factory, PF Chang's (Chinese)...the list goes on.

I can pick up on your excitement all the way from here. Your trip sounds fantastic! If I can be of any help answering questions on that area around Disneyland (or southern CA in general), please feel free to contact me. Have fun planning!

See more...

thanks Amy. I'm bound to have loads of questions. At the moment my main concern is will we get hopelessly lost if we venture into LA!

[Cyclospora]

I stayed there... with DH and 2 teens in a 1 bedroom suite!

Here's Day 14 of our California dreaming, screaming and still beaming trippy - we stayed there for 5 nights

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=235447

[Guest]

We missed Mapman's map as well. If you're going to be doing a fair bit of driving, I would suggest a Satnav. We would have been seriously lost without ours... and probably divorced too!

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Cyclospora

I stayed there... with DH and 2 teens in a 1 bedroom suite!

Here's Day 14 of our California dreaming, screaming and still beaming trippy - we stayed there for 5 nights

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=235447

See more...

oh this is so funny - I've already looked at your trippie (love it!) and saw the photo of your suite and wondered if ours would be that big (I wa surprised how long that hallway is!), but when I read that you had 2 bathrooms I thought yours must have been a bigger suite.

I read that you had a sofa bed. Did anyone use if for a night? I'm having a few doubts now that it won't be comfy for 10 nights. Hub and I were intending to use it and let our teens have the queen beds. Secretly hoping for an upgrade to the 2 bed suite so that we can all have real beds