Disneyland: The Original Magic

This is a spectacular hotel. If you have the money to spend, then there is no place I would rather spend it. This hotel can be compared to the Wilderness Lodge in Disney World. It's not quite the Grand Floridian, but not much is...

The hotel sits right along the Downtown Disney strip. Some rooms have views of the strip, but unless you want all that noise, then you'd best get a room with a pool view or a view of California Adventure. It also is bordering California Adventure. It has its own entrance for guests only to California Adventure, which is very convenient.

When you enter the hotel, you can't help but marvel at the lobby. The hotel's design is based on the arts and crafts era. It's a little bit like the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. There is an enormous fireplace where storytellers come and weave their magic for children. A piano player plays a beautiful grand piano while you sit and have cocktails at the bar or on one of the comfy chairs in the lobby.

The rooms are like the deluxe rooms at the Disney World resorts. They are around 300 square feet and continue the theme of arts and crafts.

There is fine dining, a character buffet, a fitness room, an arcade, and a great snack bar, which I will mention in another part of this journal.

Their fine dining restaurant is considered one of the best restaurants in Orange County. I have not eaten there yet because it is really expensive, but I'm sure it lives up to its standard.

The service is great, and the hotel has a nice convention center as well. They also have a lovely spot for weddings in a private area out back.

If you come at Christmas, there is a gorgeous Christmas tree in the lobby. You don't want to miss that.

This is a great alternative to the character buffets of Disneyland. This restaurant has an á la cart menu that is mostly under $20. I go for the buffet.

This restaurant has a character breakfast in the morning, which I'm sure is fun, but I prefer not to have characters around me while I eat. When I was little, I remember being at Chef Mickey's in Disney World, and they just wouldn't leave me alone. All I wanted was to eat... Anyway, Storytellers Cafe has a really pleasant look, with the many pioneers who came to California and settled this land all along the walls.

The buffet normally contains a salmon dish, a chicken dish, and prime rib as the main courses. They also have pasta, vegetables, potato salad, and really good corn chowder. The buffet currently runs for $27. At these prices, there should also be a fantastic desert. Well, during the winter months, they have the best bread pudding I've ever had. They used to have it all year-round. When they changed it to be seasonal, I made a pretty big stink about it, as did many others. If you go during any other time of year, you may catch their awful strawberry shortcake, which is really unfortunate. So, instead of going to Goofy's Kitchen and dealing with characters for all meals of the day, come here.

If you're craving some really good prime rib or steak for a really reasonable meal, as well as a really fun theme, this is the place to go. I decided to come here based on their early-bird special and was extemely satisfied.

When you enter the restaurant, you feel like you're in the old West. It has a saloon-like style to it, with old-fashioned touches. The booths have red curtains separating each of them. The service is really friendly and very helpful.

For $16 during their early-bird dinner time, you get a nice cut of prime rib, along with an all-you-can-eat salad and soup bar. Now that is a deal. You have to go between 5 and 7pm only, though.

They also have live entertainment on weekends.

Anyone who goes to Disneyland without kids may want to try this restaurant. Granville is a classic Hollywood-style eatery with pictures of famous actors from the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. The restaurant has a great wine room where you can do tastings for a small fee.

The steaks are obviously the main attraction here. I had a porterhouse, which is a pretty good-size piece of meat. The side dishes are all pretty good. I particularly like their potato side, which is several layers of different potatoes, topped with a layer of Parmesan.

Overall, this is an expensive but good experience. But do not bring kids here. They will wonder why they're not next door, dancing with Goofy at the character buffet.