Last Updated on May 12, 2026
I went into Hotel Lulu expecting a basic Best Western and walked out thinking this might be the best value hotel near Disneyland for families who do not need free breakfast. At $135 per night for a standard room on a Saturday in May 2026, with an 11-minute walk to the park, a pool with a poolside bar and fire pits, room service via QR code, and a lobby that actually looks good, the price-to-experience ratio here is genuinely hard to beat on Harbor Boulevard.
This is the complete review from a recent stay: the room, the walk, the food, the pool, the honest downsides, and how it compares to the hotels around it.
Quick Facts
- Address: 1850 S. Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92802
- Distance to Disneyland Main Entrance: 11 to 12 minute walk
- Total rooms: 308 across two towers (North and South)
- Room types: Standard Two Queen, Two Queen Deluxe, Two Queen Deluxe Firework View, King rooms
- Breakfast: Not included. On-site restaurant and room service available for purchase
- Parking: $32.50 per night, self-park uncovered, in-and-out privileges
- Check-in / Check-out: 4:00 PM / 11:00 AM
- Pool: Heated outdoor pool, poolside bar, fire pits, games. No hot tub. Hours 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
- Wi-Fi: Free throughout the hotel
- Pets: Not accepted
- Loyalty program: Best Western Rewards eligible
- Disney designation: Official Disney Good Neighbor Hotel
- ART trolley: Stop located at the hotel
The Price: Why This Hotel Gets Attention
On a Saturday night in early May 2026, the standard two queen room at Hotel Lulu was $135 per night. The deluxe was $143. The deluxe firework view was $147. For comparison, the Hyatt House literally next door was running over $300 per night for the same weekend.
That price gap is the entire reason Hotel Lulu exists on most families’ radar. You are paying less than half the price of the hotel next door for a property that is the same distance from the park, has a pool, has room service, and is clean and modern. The rooms are not as nice as the Hyatt, the beds are a little firmer, and there is no kitchen. But when the difference is $165 per night, that adds up to nearly $500 over a three-night stay. For a family watching the budget, that $500 goes a long way toward park tickets, food, or souvenirs.
The honest reason the price is low: there is no free breakfast (which is typically baked into the nightly rate at hotels that offer it), the location is slightly further from the park than the premium Harbor Boulevard properties, and the rooms are functional rather than luxurious. None of those are dealbreakers. They are trade-offs that make sense when the savings are this significant.
The Room: Functional, Clean, Not Fancy
I stayed in a Two Queen Deluxe Firework View room on the sixth floor. The room was clean, modern, and well-maintained. The furniture is contemporary, the walls are freshly painted, and there is no dated hotel vibe. Hotel Lulu completed a full reimagination from its previous identity, and the renovation shows throughout the property.
The room has two queen beds, a desk with a multi-port charging hub (three standard outlets, three USB-A ports, and one USB-C), a mini-fridge with a small ice tray, a microwave, an in-room safe, a flat-panel TV, free Wi-Fi, and a steamer in the closet instead of an iron and ironing board.
There is an electric kettle with instant coffee packets but no traditional coffee maker. If you need real coffee in the morning, plan on the on-site restaurant, the Starbucks under Hyatt Place around the corner, or the IHOP next door.
Storage is limited. There are four open shelves for clothing but no drawers, which makes unpacking for a multi-day stay a little awkward. The closet is small. If you are a family of four or five living out of suitcases for three days, you will be working with limited organizational space.
The beds were comfortable but on the firmer side compared to hotels in the $250 to $350 range. My wife did not mind. I noticed it. If you are particular about mattress softness, set your expectations accordingly. The pillows were fine.
The Firework View
The “firework view” upgrade costs $12 per night over the standard room, and I would recommend it for everyone.
At $147 instead of $135, the price difference is negligible, and you get a room facing the direction of Disneyland Park. From our sixth-floor room, we could see the top of Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout over the trees, and on fireworks nights the higher-altitude bursts would be partially visible. You will not see the full show, and you will not hear the music, but for $12 you get the option, which is worth it on nights when you are too tired to walk back to the park.
If you book the firework view, request a room in the North Tower and on a higher floor. The North Tower has the better sight line toward the park based on guest reports and the Yelp Q&A for the property.
The Bathroom
The bathroom is compact. It has a single sink with a decent countertop, a backlit mirror (which is a nice modern touch), a shower/tub combo, and Lather brand amenities (mint thyme, bamboo, lemongrass, and yuzu bergamot).
The lighting in the bathroom is dim. Noticeably dim. Getting ready in the morning with low light is manageable but not ideal, especially for anyone doing makeup or detailed grooming.
A non-slip bath mat liner is provided, which I have never seen at another hotel and is a thoughtful safety detail.
The Walk to Disneyland
The walk from Hotel Lulu to the Disneyland Park security checkpoint takes 11 to 12 minutes at a normal pace. Add 5 to 10 minutes for the security bag check itself depending on the day, and you are looking at roughly 20 minutes from hotel lobby to park gate.
That is manageable in the morning when everyone is fresh and excited. It feels longer at 10:45 PM when you are walking back with tired kids after a full park day. This is the honest trade-off of the hotel’s location. It sits in what the video reviewer who inspired this article called “an awkward spot” on Harbor Boulevard. It is too far from the Toy Story parking lot to take the shuttle (the walk from the shuttle drop-off to the hotel would be 10 to 12 minutes anyway), and it is further from the park entrance than the premium properties like Best Western Plus Park Place Inn (400 feet) or the Courtyard Anaheim (8 minutes).
For families with small children who plan to stay in the parks until close, consider budgeting for a $6 to $10 rideshare back to the hotel on late nights. That sounds silly for a two-block trip, but after 14 hours of walking, a 12-minute trek with exhausted kids can feel much longer than it should. At $135 per night, even adding a nightly rideshare still keeps you well below the cost of a closer hotel.
The Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART) trolley has a stop right at the hotel, which is a useful alternative for families who prefer not to walk. ART operates on a fixed route between Harbor Boulevard hotels and the resort area.
The Pool Area
The pool area is one of Hotel Lulu’s strengths and a real differentiator from other budget properties on Harbor Boulevard. The heated outdoor pool is a good size, surrounded by lounge chairs, cabanas, fire pits, and a poolside bar.
Games including Giant Jenga, Connect Four, ping pong, and cornhole are set up around the pool deck. It has a relaxed Southern California vibe that feels more like a boutique hotel pool scene than a chain hotel rectangle.
There is no hot tub. If a hot tub is on your must-have list for evening wind-downs after park days, this is not your hotel. The pool hours are 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
The poolside bar serves food and drinks, and you can order via QR code from your lounge chair. The same room service menu that works in your room works poolside. That is a meaningful convenience for families who want to hang out at the pool for a few hours and eat without leaving the area.
The Food: Room Service and On-Site Dining
Hotel Lulu does not include free breakfast. The on-site restaurant, which operates under several virtual brand names (Good Yolk for breakfast, Lime Street, Fork and Figs, Cam Pizza Company, Roosterville, Mighty Bitey, and Mixtape Nachos for other meals), is available via QR code room service delivery or dine-in on the ground floor near the pool. It goes through a company called CamoEats, which gives off a “ghost-kitchen” vibe.
I ordered a Chermoula Marinated Steak Wrap ($21). The food was adequate. Not bad, not memorable. The convenience of room service after a long park day was the real value. When you are exhausted and the kids just want to watch baseball in the room, having food delivered to your door without leaving the hotel is worth the premium over walking to a restaurant.
First-time orders get a 10 percent discount code at check-in (ours was “Code Jeremy,” named after the front desk receptionist). The discount applies only to the first order, not subsequent ones.
For breakfast, your best nearby options are the IHOP literally next door, the Starbucks under Hyatt Place around the corner (a 2-minute walk), or the McDonald’s up the street. The hotel restaurant opens at 7:00 AM for paid breakfast. If you are doing a rope drop morning, eat at the hotel restaurant at 7:00 AM and be walking to the park by 7:30, or grab a quick Starbucks order on the way.
The Lobby and Amenities
The lobby makes a strong first impression. It is modern, clean, and has a large colorful mural on the wall that immediately signals this is not a standard Best Western. The design is playful without being childish. For a first-time guest walking in, it sets a tone that the hotel takes its identity seriously.
The elevators have security key card access, meaning only guests with rooms on a specific floor can access that floor. This is a meaningful safety feature, especially for families with kids, and not all Anaheim hotels have it.
The fitness center is small but functional: free weights (free weights only go up to 45lbs), medicine balls, treadmills, an exercise bike, and ellipticals split across two rooms. Hours are 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
The hotel market in the lobby sells snacks, drinks, sundries (deodorant, toothbrush, basic toiletries), and a few apparel items. The selection is limited but covers the essentials you might have forgotten at home. A water bottle refill station is available in the lobby area.
Luggage storage is available at the front desk. We dropped our bags at 7:30 AM on arrival day (well before the 4:00 PM check-in) and picked up our room key when we returned from the park in the late afternoon. This is standard for the area but worth confirming, especially if you are arriving on a morning flight and want to head straight to the park.
The Welcome Gift
At check-in, guests under 21 received a small package of Oreos and guests 21 and over were offered a complimentary alcoholic beverage or a bottle of water. This is a small touch, but it is the kind of detail that starts a stay on a positive note, especially for kids. It is unclear whether this is a standard amenity for all guests or specific to certain booking channels. Multiple TripAdvisor reviews mention a welcome cocktail, so it appears to be standard.
Competitive Comparison
vs. Hyatt House Anaheim (Next Door)
The Hyatt House is literally the next building over, separated by an IHOP. It runs $300+ per night compared to Hotel Lulu’s $135. The Hyatt has a full kitchen in the room (meaningful for multi-day stays), slightly better beds and pillows, and is a Hyatt loyalty property. If you need a kitchen or are a World of Hyatt member with points to burn, the Hyatt makes sense. If you do not need the kitchen and $165 per night in savings matters to your trip budget, Hotel Lulu delivers 90 percent of the same experience at less than half the price.
vs. Best Western Plus Park Place Inn
The Best Western Plus Park Place Inn is 400 feet from the Disneyland entrance and includes a free hot breakfast. Hotel Lulu is an 11-minute walk and has no free breakfast. If proximity and breakfast are your top priorities, Park Place Inn wins clearly. If you want a newer property with a pool bar, fire pits, poolside games, room service, and lower nightly rates, Hotel Lulu offers more amenities at a lower price. The walk is the trade-off.
vs. Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance
The Courtyard Anaheim is closer to the park (8 minutes), has rooms that sleep six with bunk beds, and includes the Surfside Water Park. It is also $250 to $350+ per night. Hotel Lulu is roughly $100 to $200 per night cheaper. If the water park and sleeping capacity matter, the Courtyard justifies the premium. If you are a family of four who does not need bunk beds and wants to keep costs down, Hotel Lulu saves you $300 to $600 over a three-night stay.
Who Should Stay Here
Hotel Lulu is the right hotel for budget-conscious families who want a clean, modern property with a real pool, room service, and a reasonable walk to Disneyland at the lowest nightly rate in this quality tier on Harbor Boulevard. It is also a strong pick for Best Western Rewards members who want to earn and redeem points at a Disneyland-area property, couples or small groups who do not need a kitchen and prioritize price over proximity, and anyone who has stayed at the more expensive Harbor Boulevard hotels before and is looking for a cheaper alternative that does not feel like a downgrade.
It is not the right hotel if free breakfast is a dealbreaker for your family, if the 11-minute walk back at night with tired kids is a concern you cannot solve with a cheap rideshare, or if you need a hot tub for evening recovery after park days.
Book Through Get Away Today
I recommend booking Hotel Lulu through Get Away Today. They specialize in Disneyland Resort vacation packages and often bundle hotel nights with park tickets at combined prices lower than booking separately. They are the travel partner we use and trust for Disneyland trip planning.
For help building your full itinerary around this hotel, the Enchanted Insider Disneyland Itinerary Guide covers everything from rope drop strategy to evening planning.
FAQ
Hotel Lulu is an 11 to 12 minute walk from the Disneyland Park security checkpoint. Adding 5 to 10 minutes for the security bag check, total time from the hotel lobby to inside the park gates is approximately 20 minutes. The hotel is located at 1850 S. Harbor Blvd, two blocks from the Disneyland Resort. An ART trolley stop is located at the hotel for guests who prefer not to walk.
No. Hotel Lulu does not include complimentary breakfast. The on-site restaurant opens at 7:00 AM for paid breakfast, and room service is available via QR code. The IHOP is immediately next door, a Starbucks is around the corner under Hyatt Place, and McDonald’s is up the street. The lack of free breakfast is one of the reasons the nightly rate is significantly lower than comparable hotels in the area.
As of May 2026, nightly rates at Hotel Lulu start at $135 for a standard two queen room. The two queen deluxe is $143 and the two queen deluxe firework view is $147. Rates vary by season and demand but are consistently among the lowest on Harbor Boulevard for a Disney Good Neighbor Hotel at this quality level.
No. Hotel Lulu has a heated outdoor pool with a poolside bar, fire pits, lounge chairs, and games including Giant Jenga, Connect Four, ping pong, and cornhole, but there is no hot tub. Pool hours are 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
Yes. Hotel Lulu is part of the Best Western Premier Collection, which is Best Western’s upscale brand tier. Best Western Rewards points can be earned and redeemed at Hotel Lulu. The property underwent a full reimagination and rebranding and features modern design, a colorful lobby, and updated rooms. It operates as a Disney Good Neighbor Hotel.