Disney’s Hotel Santa Fé is an entry-level Disneyland Paris on-site hotel; the mix of theme and budget has provided a winning mix since the resort opening in 1992. A recent refurbishment has seen the theme change to a Cars theme whilst the original New Mexico style remains prominent throughout the hotel.
Check-In
Disney’s Hotel Santa Fé is a distributed hotel, that is to say that it is a series of buildings across a large hotel site. The main building is located at the entrance (and furthest away from the Disney parks). This, rather clinical, building hosts Reception, the hotel bar and restaurant, boutique and Starbucks.
The check-in area is functional, with plenty of desks and a TV area given to entertain the little ones. As with all Disney Hotels, Cast Members on reception are friendly and will answer all questions you may have about your stay.
Whilst a map is provided to guests to show their way around the resort complex, it is not the easiest hotel to find your way around; whilst the Cheyenne prints the names of the buildings quite clearly in multiple ways, Santa Fé settles with having smaller plaques on the buildings and that suffices. It’s not a big issue, and only really affects the first visit to your room, but it is something to note.
The Rooms
The small block sizes make the hotel generally pleasant to be in. Some blocks have hot drink facilities and vending machines, but regardless they are almost always in your neighbouring block. Rooms are basic, but comfortable featuring a flat-screen TV, lamp and a spacious bathroom.
What really does work in these rooms are the enjoyable theme. Anybody who has watched the Cars films will find themselves enjoying some of the details in the room, people unfamiliar will enjoy the fun touches that such a theme adds to the rooms – something that is only provided in a Disney Hotel.
The hotel beds are quite basic, and pillows are thin – as always with sleeping, who this will benefit will be completely personally; as somebody who prefers larger pillows, I prefer to stay elsewhere on the resort. Having said that, the bed is comfortable and allows for a relaxing night sleep after a day in the parks.
In a modern hotel, one would expect plenty in the way of plug sockets – these newly refurbished rooms allow plenty of plug sockets to charge multiple devices overnight.
Hotel Facilities
The Disney value resorts all offer similar facilities – a restaurant, bar, boutique and Starbucks coffee shop. All of these are located within the hotel’s main building and all suffer from the issue of moderate and clinical theme. Luckily for guests at the hotel, Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne is literally a bridge away with much better themed facilities to enjoy.
Having said that, the La Cantina restaurant provides a unique chance to enjoy Mexican food in the hotel district – inside the park, you can obviously enjoy the Fuente del Oro – and is open late into the night.
The Disneyland Paris boutique sells all the things you may need in your Disney stay including toiletries, food and drinks – the boutique is medium sized with multiple cash desks making it one of the better layouts and rarely sees much in the way of queues to pay.
Starbucks is a welcome addition to the hotel allowing for good quality coffee and breakfast items for resort guests – the coffee shop is medium sized, something that does become a problem in peak times, but with quick service.
All in all, the facilities at the resort are numerous, the quality of theme may not always be there – whatever did happen to Cars anyway? – but there is plenty to do in a relatively compact area.
Final Thoughts
Disney’s Hotel Santa Fé is a very good hotel for those on a budget. The mixed bag of theme – being different from Main building to room – doesn’t make much sense, but this is minor for the Disney family guest.
For those wanting an on-site hotel room, on a tight budget, it really is hard to go wrong at Disney’s Hotel Santa Fé.
