Disneyland Hotel

                    The Disneyland Hotel was the first hotel affiliated with the Disney parks. It opened in October 1955, a few months after Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, to provide lodging to the expected visitors to this new type of family entertainment. The hotel underwent major renovations completed in 2012. With it came redesigned rooms, lobby and pool areas. I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel in July of 2016. As I entered the hotel, I was greeted by numerous Disney characters who were performing daily meet and greets. My family and I got a basic room with a deluxe view (views of the pool complex.) The room was in the Fantasy Tower, which also houses the lobby with its lounge holding tea cup chairs. The room itself was pretty basic, with the exception of the light-up headboard which plays the tune of "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes." The pool area features two water slides themed after the original Mark I Monorails. It also features the "E-Ticket Pool" which is the largest and the "D-Ticket Pool." There are also multiple hot tubs in the surrounding area. Surprisingly, the pool was never too crowded which made it a more enjoyable experience.

My one problem with the hotel was its proximity to the Disneyland and California Adventure parks. To get to them, you either had to walk through the Downtown Disney complex or take a shorter walk to the monorail. The walk to the entrances is, for the most part, the same distance as the walks from most of the good neighbors hotels that surround the Disney complex in Anaheim. We ended up walking each day since, unfortunately, the monorail was down a majority of our stay. When asked about the problem, I was told that it wasn't built to withstand the heat - 86 F most days of our stay. The monorail only stops in Tomorrowland in Disneyland Park, anyway, so the only way to get to California Adventure is by walking.

Back to the hotel, overall, I would rank the hotel 4/5 stars as the hotel has a great pool area and its rooms and lobby have nice Disney touches, but the distance to the parks is inconvenient for the price.

Palm Springs, California Here I Come!

There are so many things to do in Palm Springs, California. The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, The Aerial Tramway, and Joshua Tree National Park will keep you busy for days.

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens were alright. The gardens were tranquil with winding pathways through them. They showcased plants from the surrounding Sonoran desert and other exotic locations. The animals were disappointing as you could find them in most zoos. There was not much else to do. There were a few playgrounds, which would have been great for younger children and an Easter egg hunt, which my little sister tried and found disappointing as the eggs were not hidden, but simply placed on the ground. The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is perfect for young children and people who have not been to many zoos. I fit in neither of those categories, so I didn't enjoy to the fullest extent.

The Aerial Tramway is spectacular though. The tram takes you to the top of the San Jacento Mountain right in Palm Springs.The park has many trails that take you into the woods and lead to great views of the city. In the winter, you can ski or even make a snowman. I enjoyed this day trip due to the cool temperatures while the valley below was in the 80's.

Joshua Tree National Park is another fun day-trip experience. There are many trails that you can hike in the park. The Joshua trees were beautiful. The rock formations were awe-inspiring and there are paths in and among them. I would not need to go back a second time, but I enjoyed my experience.

I would rate this trip 4 out of 5 stars. Palm Springs offers many attractions and experiences. While the nearby zoo is no San Diego Zoo, that does not take away from the beautiful desert landscape you have entered.