Last week we had the most incredible four days at Disneyland Paris, spending 3 nights at Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe. The Hotel Santa Fe is one of six hotels on the Disneyland site, as well as the self catering lodges at Davy Crockett Ranch. The theme of the rooms is Disney Pixar’s movie Cars. The hotel is graded as a two star, which is the lowest of the six. We loved it though and felt it was perfectly adequate for our needs.
We travelled to Disneyland Paris via car, using the Eurotunnel. On arrival at Hotel Santa Fe (which was really easy to find using Google maps and signage), we showed our booking to a security man at the gate and drove through to the main reception car park, so we could check in. Car parking is free for guests and there were plenty of places available, including disabled parking bays. I love the huge billboard of Lightening McQueen and Sally above the hotel, it looks fab lit up at night!
I had already completed the online check in process a few days before arriving, so checking in at the hotel was quick and easy. The cast members speak multiple languages which was super helpful. They gave us our 4 magic passes, which also act as your room keys, as well as a map of the hotel and of the parks.
Once we’d checked in, I spoke to Guest Services (also in the reception lobby) to see if I could book character breakfast. It was showing as fully booked on the Disneyland app so I wasn’t very hopeful. The cast member managed to get us a slot on the Friday morning though, we were thrilled! If you need any help with making table reservations etc then definitely ask at your hotel.
We made our way to our block and found the lift which took us up to our room on the 2nd floor. You swipe your key card above the door handle to unlock the entrance door. Then slot the key card into the slot on the wall as you walk in to operate the lights etc in the room. They will not work if your key card is not in the slot.
We had a room with two double beds and an en-suite bathroom. Some rooms have a double bed and bunk beds, but these were fully booked during our visit.
The room has large storage drawers, hanging rail, shelf for storing your bags and a safe for valuables. We loved the decor with the funky traffic cone lights and Cars themed bed runners.
The bathroom had an awesome red arrow light around the mirror which looked really cool. There is a bath with shower over the top and plenty of towels. Shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and soap are also included. A hairdryer is attached to the wall next to the mirror. Not the most powerful but it does the job.
The room we had at Hotel Santa Fe was lovely and clean. Housekeeping popped in to make the beds, empty bins and replace towels every day. We couldn’t hear anyone else on our floor so were able to get a good night’s sleep (which we needed!). The beds were comfortable and the shower was a godsend at the end of a hot, busy day.
Downstairs in each block you will find drinks vending machines for both hot and cold drinks, plus an ice machine. The main building where you check-in also has a Starbucks, gift shop and La Catina restaurant. We didn’t eat in the restaurant but saw it was busy so it seems to be popular. If you want to have breakfast get there as early as possible. We found a large queue around 7:30am with people wanting to eat before ‘magic hour’, so we decided to bail and headed straight for the park.
Magic Hour is the hour that hotel guests get to enjoy the parks before they open to the public. I would highly recommend making use of this time to enjoy the most popular rides while the queues are minimal. Magic hour is also a good time to get photos in front of the castle without too many people in the background!
You can walk to the parks within 20 minutes, or you can take the shuttle bus from outside the hotel. This runs every 10 minutes or so and is very simple to use. It can be very busy as peak times and people really cram in, so try to avoid busy periods. It’s literally only a 3-4 minute journey though so not far at all.
The Verdict
All in all we really recommend Hotel Santa Fe at Disneyland Paris and would certainly stay there again. We loved the theming of the room. It was perfect for our needs, we spent very little time in there other than sleeping at night!
You can find out more about holidays to Disneyland Paris here.
