If you haven’t heard the news, Disneyland has officially reopened! Well, reopened on a limited basis.
I recently made my way down to OC (Orange County. California) to check out the Hyatt Regency Orange County.
Was it a good choice?
Review: Hyatt Regency Orange County
Location & Parking
The hotel was easy to find on the corner of Chapman Ave. and Harbor Blvd. (the entrance is off Chapman Ave.).
The location is due South of Disneyland, but it is not walking distance. However, the hotel provides a shuttle ($6 per person) to transport guests to Disneyland.
There was a large (and mostly empty) parking lot with plenty of easy parking ($28 per night).
Valet parking was also available.
Booking & World Of Hyatt Redemption
The Hyatt Regency Orange County is [surprisingly] one of the more affordable Hyatt properties in Southern California, with rooms often available for under $100 per night.
The hotel is a Category 3 World of Hyatt location with rooms bookable for a standard redemption rate of 12,000 points.
Check-In
As I was standing in the dedicated World of Hyatt line to check-in, somebody cut the line in front of me.
The woman at the front desk was quick to resolve the situation by stating, “M’am, you just cut in front of one of our valued World of Hyatt members – and that was incredibly rude. Please wait your turn and I will be happy to assist you”.
I couldn’t have been more impressed by the front desk professionalism exhibited by the staff.
I was warmly welcomed as an Explorist member, handed a welcome letter and two bottles of water, and told I’d been upgraded from a “1 King Bed Deluxe” room ($89 a night) to a “2 Bedroom Queen Suite” ($299 a night).
Room Upgrade
The Front Desk
Image: hyatt.com
The front desk
The Welcome Letter
The Lobby
Elevator Area
The Elevator Door
The Hallway
Room Entrance
The Living Area
Entering the room, my first thought was, “Has there been some sort of a mistake? This room is huge!”.
As we stepped foot in the room, we found ourselves in a very large living area in a very large suite.
While we were impressed by the size of the space, I couldn’t help but feel this hotel was more of a “business/convention” hotel than a “family fun/Disney” hotel as it billed itself.
Business-friendly Disney Artwork
Monorail Artwork
The Master Bedroom
“Going left” at the entrance led straight to the Master Bedroom and a single king bed.
The room, like the suite and hotel, had that stuffy business feel to it, although it seemed clean and comfortable.
The room had a view of the parking lot below.
Stand-alone closets frame the television.
The Master Bathroom
The master bathroom was perfectly standard, if not well-lit and clean.
Pharmacopia’s Argan Oil Collection was the perfectly standard toiletry brand of choice.
Bedroom 2 (Two Queen Beds)
The second bedroom was almost a mirror image of the master bedroom, but with two queen beds and one nightstand.
Bathroom 2
The second bedroom also had its own bathroom which was actually a little nicer than the bathroom in the master bedroom.
Room Amenities
The Swimming Pools
The hotel had two swimming pools, one for adults [only], and one for families and kids.
Image: hyatt.com
Image: hyatt.com
Fitness Center
Image: hyatt.com
The Fire Pit
Image: hyatt.com
Convention Hall
Dining Options
The Hyatt Regency Orange County had several notable dining establishments including TusCA (Breakfast), Nova Kitchen + Bar, OC Brewhouse, Citrus Grove Deli, and iSwii (desserts).
TusCA
TusCA
OC Brewhouse
Citrus Grove Deli
Citrus Grove Deli
iSwii
The Bottom-Line Review: Hyatt Regency Orange County
Although I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the Hyatt Regency Orange County as place to hangout all day on a “vacation”, it does make a strong case as a home-base for doing Disneyland.
For guests planning on doing Disneyland from “open to close”, this hotel is a great choice as a place to sleep and eat at an affordable price. It would be a good choice for couples doing a “Disney weekend”, business travelers in Orange County, convention goers, and families looking for an upscale value hotel that has everything needed for a successful Disneyland vacation.
The excellent service and huge room upgrade were unexpected yet awesome perks that really made our stay enjoyable. Although I couldn’t get past the “business/convention” feel of the hotel to really feel the “Disney magic,” I did feel “the bang for the buck”.
Final Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
