skysenshi.com

Best Western Raffles Inn & Suites
2040 S Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim , California
92802-3514, United States
Phone: 714/750-6100
Fax: 714/740-0639

I was traveling on short notice, realizing that my US Visa was about to expire in November 2009. The plan was to meet up with my friends from different parts of the world, although it was only Cris (the girl on the two photos I posted here) that was able to fly from Vancouver to make it with me.

Everything — from booking my flight to booking the hotel — was done online and we were very satisfied with the way things were being handled from Best Western’s end.  Cris called them up to confirm our reservations, especially since we were arriving at 8PM on October 21, 2009.  We got a room with two queen-sized beds.  The room came with free breakfast, hair dryer, refrigerator, coffee maker and the usual things that are available in hotels. The coffee maker was almost the deal maker for me.  I have a habit of drinking at least two cups of coffee upon waking up. While they initially supply the room with two packs of brewed and two packs of decaf, it was good to know that they’d replenish the stocks every time we ask for housekeeping.    Breakfast fare is so-so. I don’t normally eat sweets in the morning so I would just heat up the dinner leftovers I ordered from the nearby Denny’s.

We were there for 3 nights and 3 days and I have never experienced the complaints I read up online. I did my research, of course, but thank goodness I listened to the New Yorkers.  The rates were pretty cheap at approximately $70/night and it’s a short walk to Disneyland. Short walk, meaning a couple of blocks away. I observed that people who aren’t used to walking — L.A. is usually navigated by car — would rant about the distance but hey, if I can save about $30/day (lodging plus shuttle ticket), then walking is worth it. Considering also the kind of breakfast Best Western serves, muffins and heavily glazed rolls, walking is actually good.

The only thing I found mildly annoying were the noisy kids running around at 7AM. It’s not their voices that would wake you up; it’s their footsteps. They literally jar you out of bed. Then again, this being near to Disneyland, kids are expected. And since the room is cheap, I shouldn’t really complain about thin floors and walls.  What’s important is that everything is clean and all the toiletries (and coffee) I need are provided for. Not bad for $70/night.

P.S.
I just received an email from them as I was writing this. It seems they want me to complete a survey about how their service was. I actually appreciate that.

Click here if you want to read what we did in L.A.