Disney’s Sequoia Lodge is a favourite amongst Disneyland Paris fans; its comfort for a reasonable price is both attractive and advantageous. The hotel sits on the banks of Lake Disney and takes on the theme of a National Park forest lodge.
As part of the InsidEars Hotel and Resorts Discovery Weekend, DLP Town Square was able to take part in an exclusive guided tour with the 2019/20 Disneyland Paris ambassadors, Giona and Joanna.
Lobby Area
The first thing you’ll see upon entering the lobby of Disney’s Sequoia Lodge is this National Park ranger cabin style reception area filled with interesting details from the exciting American wilderness.
Next to the entrance (and opposite check-in) is a statue of a bear, which symbolises the state animal of California.
Moving around this wonderful seating area are a series of tables with a glass display unit. Each features different items that you would need in order to complete your own wilderness exploration.
Above check-in is a delightful diorama – something that I have noticed in the past, but rarely paid significant attention to – this beautiful piece represents the change in seasons at the US National Parks and cycles from Summer, to Autumn, to Winter and into Spring. There is also a fun little hidden Mickey – Mickey has become the fifth President on Mount Rushmore!
Around the hotel and away from the lobby, you’ll find various items that look as if they are from the Native Americans including head dresses and skins; the items symbolise the exchange of symbols being a message of friendship between tribes.
Beautiful forests
Naturally, when in a national park you expect to see a lot of trees. Disney’s Sequoia Lodge is no exception with trees providing a wonderful retreat across the hotel grounds. Many of the Sequoia Trees were grown outside of the resort – notably in Normandy and the south of France and then transported to Disneyland Paris.
A fun tree-related fact picked up on the tour was that the largest tree in the world (a type of Sequoia tree) is called the Hyperion and measures 380ft high – the name, of course will have a significance to Disney fans as the Hyperion name is closely linked to the Walt Disney Company.
But it’s not just trees that make the forest theme of the Sequoia Lodge special, details include a Beaver Den located on one of the water ways between the lodges. Details such as this may not immediately be obvious but are unique to Disney hotels and are, in my opinion, the crucial difference as to why Disney hotels will always be the best way to stay at Disneyland Paris.
Room details
The most important part of any hotel is the room. Disney’s Sequoia Lodge is split into a main building which holds the largest numbers of rooms, but also the lodges which are detached from the main building but interconnected by a series of covered walkways through the forest areas. Each room is given a Bambi theme and has delightful woodland touches.
The rooms a generally very comfortable with facilities close at hand no matter where you are staying.
Breakfast Offering
Breakfast can be taken in a number of places within Disney’s Sequoia Lodge. If you have breakfast included in your room, you’ll be taking it in either Hunter’s Grill or Beaver Creek Restaurants. If it is not included, a breakfast can be purchased – and consumed – in the Redwood Bar. Prices are very reasonable and the breakfast is of an adequate portion and tastier than the breakfast inside the theme parks.
Golden Forest Club guests take their breakfast in a separate lounge by the gift shop. Inside, a full American-style buffet breakfast is served including – but not limited to – eggs, bacon, beans, toast, croissants, yoghurt, sausage, fruits and much more. The quality is, as expected in Disney hotels, very good and the buffet dishes are constantly replenished to ensure you’re always eating a freshly prepared dish.
Breakfast is one of my favourite offerings of a Disney Hotel, it is always easy to overlook how important the morning is to having a successful day in the Disney parks. I’d always recommend making time for eating no matter which hotel you stay at.
Conclusion
Disney’s Sequoia Lodge is a charming resort, full of the enjoyable little details that make a Disney resort unique. In winter, there is very little better than curling up with a cocktail in front of the fire in the redwood bar. It feels both homely and full of the Disney details that we all enjoy and full of scenic treasures.
