Theme park accommodation you've stayed at - best to worst

[Rob Coasters]

Let's hear your views on theme park accommodation that you've stayed at.

1. Grand Curiosa (Liseberg)
Grand Curiosa beats Charles Lindbergh in terms of general hotel atmosphere, food quality, bag storage and others. The only downside to Grand Curiosa is that it does not include entry to the park and you do not open your door to a roller coaster 10ft from your face, but the rooftop bar provides some phenomenal views. The buffet dinner and breakfast is free, with the option for a more luxurious paid restaurant upstairs if you want.

2. Charles Lindbergh (Phantasialand)
The whole damn package. You can wander around Rookburgh indefinitely after hours, get complimentary dinner & breakfast, free FLY fast track, be woken up by a roller coaster testing if you really want to. The rooms are very small and it is single beds only, but honestly that's fine because of how intricately it is all done. They truly thought about everything. The only downside is that bag storage is just "an unstaffed room where everyone puts all of their bags". You have to ask staff for permission to open it every time thankfully, but it is very helpful to clearly mark your bag so nobody accidentally takes it.

3. Holiday Camp (Heide Park)
This was surprisingly decent for the type of accommodation that it was. The breakfast and dinner options were quite good and the "all-you-can-eat" aspect of it had me absolutely stuffing my face to no end, and it had a generally pleasant atmosphere to it.

4. Stargazing Pods (Alton Towers)
Absolutely soaked to the core after a miserably wet night and being denied my night ride on Nemesis Reborn, this is less the fault of the park itself and more me as I also packed awfully for this with almost zero prep for the rain. The extent of breakfast options was also a singular sausage bap with a juice box(?), and dinner options were seemingly zero though I didn't really look as I wasn't hungry enough.

I'm excited to be staying at one of the PortAventura accommodations next week, where I'll then add it to my list.

 

[VonRolland]

Europa Park has to be the best accom period. Do quite enjoy the Western Camp Resort at Energylandia also

 

[ScottLann]

Thought I'd try and rank all the ones I've done. After some thought, I've realised I've not actually had any 'bad' hotel experiences - some are just not as good as others!

1. Charles Lindbergh Hotel (Phantasialand) - As a Theme Park enthusiast, this is just absolute perfection for me. The size of the rooms have never been an issue as I've only ever visited by myself or with one other person. Staff have always been friendly, food is great quality, and the numerous perks included in the hotel package just make it the best for me. Words can't describe how excited I feel when stepping through that main door and hearing F.L.Y. soaring past the corridor.

2. Portofino Bay (Universal Orlando) - This and the hotel ranked below here are so close to each other and are perfect in their own ways, but what sets this one above for me was the location and restaurant offerings - the hotel literally looks like the actual Portofino Bay! Having a cocktail on an evening with the opera singers out on the balcony was a beautiful experience...made even better by heading into Halloween Horror Nights straight after

3. Hard Rock Hotel (Universal Orlando) - This one feels slightly more modern than Portofino Bay, but still has that lovely charm to it. Rooms were super comfy, food offerings were decent (loved heading to Emac & Bolio's along the corridor after a day out at the parks). This one was also incredibly handy for being super close to Universal Studios which was always a nice walk on a morning to the City Walk. Like Portofino, the perks of Unlimited Express Pass for the whole two-week stay was delightful!

4. Hotel Castillo Alcazar (Europa Park) - Absolutely stunningly themed hotel! The perks of having the early park access and also the entrance gate on your door step was great. Breakfast offerings were good, staff were super helpful at check-in, and I also got pretty lucky with views overlooking Wodan and Atlantica Superplash from my room. Would definitely head back to that hotel at some point, but for my upcoming visit in June, I'll be staying at Hotel Colosseo which looks great too!

5. Hotel PortAventura (PortAventura World) - I was pleasantly surprised with this one! There were two onsite restaurant options for breakfast/evening meal which was handy and both were pretty nice. I was used to Spanish hotel rooms feeling a bit basic and dated, but this hotel felt rather modern and clean (though this was over 5 years ago now). The biggest highlight for me was having a few hours in the park, heading back for a swim in the pool which was absolutely empty in the middle of the day, then heading back out for some night rides.

6. La Cité Suspendue (Parc Asterix) - Another one I was pleasantly surprised with! The setting of the treehouses in the middle of the woods was a nice touch and the rooms were so cosy. It was a pleasant walk into the park on a morning, and the onsite bar/dining area was also super nice and comfy. I'll definitely be looking to stay here again on my next visit to Parc Asterix (hopefully not too far away).

7. Western Camp Resort (Energylandia) - At the time of staying here, the prices were great for what was included! I stayed in one of the cabins but can imagine a stay in the tipi's/caravans may be a totally different experience . The breakfasts were good quality, staff were very helpful and pleasant, and the discounted park tickets/fast track were also a great perk of staying there! I also loved how there were multiple entertainment options on an evening including a pool, outdoor cinema, and campfires to sit around.

8. Endless Summer Resort - Dockside Inn (Universal Orlando) - Whilst this hotel definitely felt like one of Universal's more basic options, I still couldn't fault it. Rooms were a great size (especially due to the fact that I had two queen sized beds to myself ). Dining options were spot-on, and the shuttle bus from the hotel to Universal was also very handy. The only reason I'd rank this below all the others is that there wasn't exactly anything 'special' or unique or about the resort....and the Unlimited Express Pass was also a miss . Would definitely head back here though for a cheaper Universal stay!

9. Thorpe Shark Hotel (Thorpe Park) - There's now a HUGE gap between these next few hotels and the ones ranked above. Again, none of them are bad, but the overall standards are just a lot lower. In my head, I was going to rank this as the lowest, but after properly thinking about my overall experiences here, it's actually my favourite Merlin park stay. I've been countless times, and honestly never had an issue with the room sizes. Yes, they're basic, and yes, they have an issue with moisture But for the price that I usually pay here, it honestly seems worth it. Unlike Towers, you actually get some perks for staying here (park tickets, one-hour fast track) and the breakfast at the Dome is genuinely decent.

10. The Big Blue Hotel (Pleasure Beach Resort) - Not a bad hotel at all considering it's in Blackpool! The back-room views are great if you want to be looking over the likes of the Big One and Big Dipper. Whilst pretty basic, the rooms felt less dated than the hotel ranked below and the breakfasts were pleasant! My only issue here is that they don't open the hotel-entrance gate at park close so you basically have to do a full loop around the park to get back.

11. Alton Towers Hotel (Alton Towers) - All of the Alton Towers onsite hotel's feel quite dated to me nowadays, but what sets this one above the rest is the slight nostalgic feel to it. Still, I'd rather stay at the nearby Travelodge's than hear considering how much they charge you these days.

12. Splash Landings Hotel (Alton Towers) - Not much difference between these one and the Alton Towers Hotel, but I found that the food quality was a lot worse in this one....and it was unfortunately packed full of rude families and annoying kids on my latest stay which put a dampener on the overall stay.

13. Enchanted Village Alton Towers) - This would be ranked at the top of the all the other Alton Towers Hotels if it wasn't for the rooms smelling of damp. Yeah...not pleasant!

14. Holiday Lodges (Flamingo Land) - The last time I stayed here was over 15 years ago, so not much to go off. But all I can say is, I wouldn't really bother staying onsite at Flamingo Land again

 

[Nicky Borrill]

1) Charles Lindbergh - Honestly, it's not that good. The rooms are tiny, basic, and not at all impressive. So why the top spot? Because the communal areas are incredibly well themed, because it has one of the best theme park bars, and because it's built around a roller-coaster... You'll never tire of waking up to F.L.Y launching outside your window.

2) Loews Royal Pacific Universal - Didn't actually sleep in the room, booked it for the free fast passes, but did spend some time in it, and it was very nice.

3) Energylandia Western Camp - House Boats - The most luxurious option at Western Camp... Not really any better than cabins to be honest, except you have a nice deck on the water which is very private and peaceful, so good for couples to spend the evening with a few glasses and games of cards by the water.

4) Hotel Matamba / Ling Bao - Done both, both great, not much to separate them.

5) Energylandia Western Camp - Sheriffs Cabin - The option I'd recommend for most at Western Camp, unless solo travelling.

6) Universal Endless Summer Dockside - Had the 2 bedroom, so it was pretty big and decent. Good pool and bars, food a bit, meh.

7) Big Blue Hotel Blackpool - Premier Inn standard, but maybe a bit better.

8) Energylandia Western Camp - Chuck Wagons - Not bad, everything you need apart from the long trips to the toilet in the night.

9) Europa Park Camp Resort - Cabin - Damp, smelly, and not at all nice. (See 11)

10) Liseberg Hotel Heden - Yep, long before the grand curiosa, there was this monstrosity, that appeared to be built from temporary building site offices. (BTW This was owned by Liseberg when I visited and until 2022, when they sold it.)

11) Europa Park Camp Resort - Teepee - Terrible, terrible, terrible. Hopefully the refurb has brought the standards up to Western Camp EL standards, because when I visited, having already been to Western Camp several times, EP's version was nothing short of embarrassing for one of the best parks in the world.

Most of the time I visit parks I go with 3rd party hotels nearby... Some highlights include Moxy Rust for Europa Park for sheer good value, H+ Bruhl for Phantasialand, Ohh and definitely not forgetting GR8 Hotel Sevenum for Toverland... That was insane value.

 

[Matt N]

I’ve stayed in a few theme park hotels in my time. If I were to think them through, I’d probably rank them as follows:

1. Hotel Gold River - PortAventura: Putting this above Europa Park might be controversial, but Gold River is an absolutely stunning hotel! The theming is a sight to behold, the room was lovely (although we admittedly paid extra for a slightly nicer room), the complex is really expansive and has loads to do, and it’s also excellent value for money as well, with a buffet that was cheap but excellent and very cheap drinks! In the Spanish climate, we also really liked the availability of outdoor seating; it was lovely to sit outside and have a drink in the evenings!
2. Hotel Castillo Alcazar - Europa Park: Europa Park is known for its gorgeous hotels, and this was indeed a very nice one! The standard of theming throughout was gorgeous, the food was nice, the room was nice, and it was overall a very nice hotel! It doesn’t quite take the top spot from Gold River, though, as I don’t seem to remember the complex being quite as lavish and expansive, and it’s also a lot more expensive. Had we stayed in Colosseo, though, I think it’s possible that that might have pipped Gold River to the post; that piazza was gorgeous, and the buffet in Colosseo was something to behold!
3. Big Blue Hotel - Blackpool Pleasure Beach: This could have been enhanced by the fact that we stayed in a room with a park view, but this hotel was awesome! I remember it being nice, with a spacious room for adults, I remember the food being nice; there’s not a lot to complain about here, really!
4. Newport Bay - Disneyland Paris: I stayed here too long ago to really fairly rate it, having stayed as an 8 year old in 2011, but I wouldn’t have said I remembered it being as special as some of the ones above. It was still perfectly nice, though!
5. Enchanted Village - Alton Towers: Of the Alton Towers accommodation options, I do think the Enchanted Village is probably my favourite. It’s a nice, spacious site, it’s quite quiet compared to the often action-packed nature of the main hotels, and the rooms also feel a bit more spacious (although I haven’t stayed since 2017, admittedly).
6. Alton Towers Hotel - Alton Towers: This is probably the one I’ve stayed in the most over the years, and it does have a certain special magic for me even after all this time. However, I do definitely think those standard rooms have seen better days; the decor is increasingly dated, no aircon is unusual in 2026, and the bunk beds are also difficult to get into and out of for adult visitors (I’m not even particularly tall at 5’10”, and I found them a tight squeeze last time). The bar area is also quite cramped, meaning that there isn’t really a quiet place to sit and have a drink or similar without getting drowned out by the entertainment on the ship.
7. Splash Landings Hotel - Alton Towers: I haven’t stayed here in probably over 15 years, but I always remember it being thought of by us as the “less than” of the two Alton Towers hotels. That might be an unfair assessment in 2026, though.