In a twist of fate, we wound up spending a single night at Del Sol Inn—just steps from Disneyland—during a recent visit to the West Coast. What surprised us about this budget option? Would we return? And how was Denny’s? Find out in our “review” of our single night at Harbor Boulevard’s Del Sol Inn!
Booking Del Sol Inn
This one-night stay came about via a change in our plans. We were actually spending two days over in Joshua Tree National Park when a huge rainstorm hit, and the forecast said it would last much of the afternoon.
Scrambling in Joshua Tree
Our plan had been to head to Disneyland the following morning, but rather than spend this entire afternoon just chilling at the hotel, I decided it would be best to just make the drive now and give ourselves that full day at Disneyland instead of the half-day we’d planned.
I hopped on Booking.com and checked for hotels on Harbor Boulevard. I wanted to be near Tropicana Inn (where we’d spend the bulk of our visit) to make for and easy hotel switch.
There was pretty limited availability, but Del Sol Inn had a room with a bunk bed for $172 (booking direct wasn’t cheaper). There was another room for a few dollars less, but Zoe loves a bunk bed.
Two points of reference:
We paid $252 per night for the Tropicana Inn stay, and that was with a Citi Prestige Fourth Night Free perk—it would have been $323 without that perk.
However, if I look at some random dates, it appears the Del Sol Inn prices comparably to the nearby hotels, including Tropicana Inn. We may have just lucked into a good, same-day rate.
Location, Arrival, and Check-In
The Del Sol Inn is located behind the Denny’s on Harbor Boulevard. There’s signage on Harbor that directs you down a short “road,” through a parking lot, to the Del Sol Inn.
The makes the inn one of the closest hotels to Disneyland. You’re literally one building-front away from the major crossing to the main entrance to the parks. This is an absolutely top location for a Disneyland trip.
Map Copyright Google, Fair Use Claimed
The only parking available at the Del Sol Inn is valet parking. It cost us $36.27 for the night since I was too late to return the rental car to Enterprise (which has a location at Pixar Place Hotel that I usually use). Valet hours were something like 6AM to 11PM, and you had to arrange with the valet if you needed access outside those hours.
Unfortunately the valet couldn’t park the car until we’d checked in, and there’s only space for one vehicle at the valet stand. Since there was no one at the desk, a car behind us just had to wait for me and another guest to get checked in.
It was only a few minutes before someone showed up at the desk. She was really friendly, and it’s understandable that the only person at the desk will need a break sometimes.
I was checked in about 15 minutes after arrival. Since the lot was small, I was able to just leave all our stuff in the car for now and go meet Emily at Denny’s. The valet said I could just get the keys and then my luggage after dinner (this went perfectly fine).
FWIW, we enjoyed Denny’s. We’d never been to the famous Harbor Boulevard Denny’s before, so this was a real treat. It was exactly the energy I expected. That said, it’s not as if the location of Del Sol Inn was super advantageous here—you can easily walk to the Denny’s from any number of nearby hotels or the parks.
Overall while I would have liked a speedier check-in, this definitely fell comfortably into “get what you pay for” territory. If you’re going to be staying at a budget option, you have to accept some inefficiencies. But the valet and front desk were both very kind and no one seemed to be visibly slacking off or ignoring guests.
We didn’t use it, but before heading into the room I took two quick pictures of the pool and hot tub.
This pool doesn’t compare to the small water park at the Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim Theme Park Entrance, but that’s the point—you’re not paying those prices for that water park (and honestly, those prices for that hotel are worth it, but that’s just a totally different topic). At Del Sol, you’re paying for a bed very much near Disneyland to sleep at in between park visits.
Family Room at Del Sol Inn
As mentioned above, I’d booked a Family Room with two queen beds and a bunk bed. The room itself was fine but had a few quirks you’d expect at this price range.
The room was very clean and had a nice photograph of Disney California Adventure on the wall. It was actually and old photo with the Sun Wheel—Zoe got a kick out of noticing that.
The room is carpeted, never my preference but not a dealbreaker. With the bunk bed, the television is a bit awkwardly placed over the desk. This meant Zoe had to choose between a few minutes bunk bed time and watching the Olympics (bunk bed won).
I was happy to feel safe with this bunk bed setup. Even though Zoe’s a bit older now, I still get nervous with some top bunks.
Off the bathroom was a closet with a safe. There was also a mini-fridge (I don’t love storing food in the bathroom area, but it was at least not by the toilet) and microwave. The coffee machine…did not make good coffee.
I didn’t note it at the time, but that mirror in the bathroom is a surprisingly modern feature for a motel. The bathroom had only a few small imperfections. The toilet handle was a little off and required finesse to flush. The toilet seat was wobbly. The light switch was functional but not properly seated.
These were all issues that would have been fine even with a longer stay. I was particularly happy with the shower. Overall I was impressed with the quality of the room. I’ve stayed at plenty of hotels with pricing power (e.g. on Harbor Boulevard, or in some small area near a National Park) with worse rooms and higher prices. While Del Sol Inn’s rooms were slightly dated compared to a modern budget chain hotel, they didn’t have any glaring flaws to make me regret my decision.
The only negative we experienced during our stay was noise. We were on the second floor of the two-floor building, but I swear at some point around park close it sounded as if some teenage cheer squad had surrounded our room from top to bottom and were trying to stomp and scream us out. Emily turned on our white noise machine, and the noise eventually died down.
One problem with the room design that I think could become a problem on a longer stay is the limited surface space. The vanity is, let’s say, adequate, but the living space has only a small desk:
I like a desk for working, but if you’re the type whose clothes get strewn about or who acquires a lot of merchandise or snacks over the course of a multi-day trip, you might run into problems.
Our Morning and Departure
Emily and I both went for runs in the morning. There’s no fitness center at Del Sol Inn, so I was forced to endure the perfectly tolerable elements. While I try and book hotels with treadmills, you can easily put together a fine 3- to 3.5-mile loop around the Disneyland campus (and add to it or multiply it for more distance) if you want a simple running route. If you run down Disneyland Drive, you get to run along backstage and hear Disney parks music.
The liquid the machine in the room produced was not passable as coffee, so Zoe and I tried to go find some nearby. My photos indicate there’s a machine in the “lobby”, but I wanted to walk Harbor, because how could I not?
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any decent coffee option nearer than Panera (which I should have just gone to). A guy at a nearby shop, when I asked “Do you have plain black coffee?” just said, “Well, I wouldn’t call it black, exactly,” which feels very Harbor Boulevard to me. The proselytizers were also out in full force, letting us all know where we’d be going when we died. None of this is the fault of the Del Sol Inn, but such are the Harbor Boulevard vibes.
Back at Del Sol Inn, there was a small self-service “market” located just outside the lobby. This would have been a really nice touch for a longer stay, as we often crave a beverage on the walk home.
Checkout was perfectly smooth. The valet even positioned my rental car to avoid us having to step in a puddle (“I’ve stepped in that puddle before, I wouldn’t want anyone else to have to step in it.”).
Would We Return To Del Sol Inn?
Honestly, the combination of price and location will keep Del Sol Inn on my radar. Nowadays, I aim for a little variety in my Disneyland hotel stays, just as a matter of my profession. But Del Sol Inn exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations.
The noise was a bummer, but there’s been so much ink spilled about noise at hotels in all price ranges, on this site and others, that I simply can’t care about noise anymore. I certainly can’t be dissuaded by noise that basically confined itself to a limited time around park close—that’s expected at any hotel near Disney parks.
That aside, I can imagine the sort of things that could go wrong with a longer stay. The limitations of a single, not-24-hour valet in a small lot could cause problems for some guests. The pool might not be what everyone dreamed of. But based on how we use our hotels at Disneyland—for sleeping in between park days (and showering after runs)—I’m stumped to find any flaws.
The Del Sol Inn definitely surprised me, and while I can’t be sure I’ll be running back next time I’m in town, I can promise I’ll at least be checking its prices every time I’m looking at hotels in the area.
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