Knott’s Hotel

The Knott’s Hotel, as you might imagine, is located right next door to Knott’s Berry Farm. If you do it right, this may be your hidden gem hotel. Let’s round it up.

Knott’s Hotel is located adjacent to Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. Buena Park is about a 15-minute drive north of Disneyland. Buena Park is a wonderful area to have as a home base if you’ve planned a more extended trip to California.

Also in Buena Park you will find Knott’s Soak City, Medieval Times, and Pirates Dinner Adventure.

Buena Park is a good central location to many other Southern California attractions, such as Universal Studios, Disneyland, Griffith Park (Hollywood sign), and beaches.

LOBBY / GIFT SHOP / RESTAURANT

Knott’s Hotel is nearing the end of a major renovation. The new overall style of the hotel is modern/chic farmhouse. They have also used a lot of historical Knott’s family heirlooms in the decorating of the lobby and ballroom areas. This gives it almost a museum feel, but in a good way.

The lobby is not super large, but the two-story ceilings really make it feel open and airy. There is a comfortable living room-style seating area. Then you move directly into the bar, coffee & sandwich counter, restaurant, and gift shop.

Just up the stairs in the lobby is the Grand Ballroom. They have a wonderful outdoor event space just off the lobby as well. There’s also event space on the 9th (top) floor.

I did have one meal in the 30 Acres Kitchen. It was just so so. I did get a lot of food for the price, which can be rare these days, so for a family this might be perfect. The space is adorable though, and I would love to come back in cooler weather and try out the spacious patio with fireplace they have for the restaurant.

In the gift shop you’ll find several things also sold in the theme park. So if you forget to buy anything on your park day, check the gift shop. If you do not venture into Knott’s Berry Farm theme park, check the gift shop for unique souvenirs – like my favorite, the boysenberry syrup. Great on pancakes & waffles!

POOL & GYM

The gym was surprisingly big and offered both a steam room and sauna. Don’t see that much these days! You’ll have no trouble working up a healthy sweat if you visit.

The pool was pleasantly big with a hot tub and splash pad area. Lots and lots of table seating and loungers. It should rarely feel crowded on this pool deck.

ROOM

The room was very cozy and I really enjoyed the new styling & theming. I had the king room. There was an oversized chair with pullout for an extra guest/child. The lantern style lamp was super fun. In the past, I’d heard complaints about no refrigerators in the rooms. With the refurbishment, there are now mini fridges in all the rooms. You do have to push a button on the inside to turn it on every 8 hours, but that seemed a small inconvenience for my stay.

You can still tell it’s an older hotel, but the makeover really helps.

***Special Note: Guests staying at the Knott’s Hotel can take advantage of a complimentary daily shuttle to Disneyland park. Timing varies, but when I stayed the schedule went like this. Leaving Knott’s Hotel to Disneyland, 7:30a, 10:30a, 12:30p, 5:00p. Departing Disneyland to Knott’s Hotel, 12:45p, 5:20p, 7:20p, 9:20p, 11:20p. Contact the front desk to reserve your spot on the shuttle as space is limited.

This is especially noteworthy because in the past you could use the ART bus to ride from your Disneyland-area hotel up to Knott’s Berry Farm. This was discontinued earlier this year. Read this post to learn more about the ART bus system.

CONCLUSION

This hotel consistently ranks as one of the most wallet-friendly hotels when I’m searching in the Anaheim area. No matter your destination, if price is one of your larger concerns for your vacation, come to the Knott’s Hotel.

The consistently low pricing, range of amenities, and free shuttle to Disneyland make this my hidden gem hotel of the year.