I booked a night at Disneyland Hotel for $500, and it was well worth it for the convenience, standout dining, and magic touches

There are three towers at the Disneyland Hotel, each paying homage to the theme park's original lands: Fantasy, Adventure, and Frontier.

Our room was in the main Fantasy Tower, which was convenient because it also housed the lobby and several gift shops.

It was quite spacious for a standard, two-queen bedroom. I've stayed in similar rooms at Disney World, and this felt a little bigger.

From the fireworks design on the carpet to Mickey Mouse-hand light fixtures, I was surprised by just how many Disney details there were.

The room felt upscale, but it still had plenty of whimsical Disneyland touches.

I'm used to Disney World rooms, and I found that Disneyland's had more small touches. 

Everything from the coffee condiments to a telephone guide to drinks coasters was themed with vintage photos of the theme parks, hotel, and Walt Disney. 

I'd heard about the light-up Sleeping Beauty Castle headboard before, so I was really excited that it lived up to the hype.

The beautiful wooden headboard actually lit up to depict fireworks over the castle and played "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes."

As a guest of Disneyland Hotel, there were some perks that came along with my stay.

The biggest is getting to enter the theme parks 30 minutes early. But I opted to use my overnight stay as a "staycation" instead of spending time in the parks. 

Even though the theme parks and Downtown Disney were a short walk away, Disneyland Hotel had plenty to do, making it entirely possible to not leave the resort grounds at all.

During our stay, I discovered a coffee shop, several restaurants, a Disney merchandise shop, a store with basics like water and soda, and a sprawling pool complex.

Just steps from our tower was one of my favorite Disney restaurants of all time: Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar.

The Jungle Cruise-themed tiki bar has a near cult following, so we decided to visit during lunchtime to avoid the evening rush. After a short wait, we were seated inside the highly immersive lounge.

The employees were all in on the interactive theatrical antics, and the cocktails were expertly crafted and balanced.

 I enjoyed the signature zombie cocktail ($14.75) and a delicious chicken-teriyaki bowl ($10).

We also returned later in the evening because it was so close to our room. It was a real treat not having to drive home after visiting.

Disneyland Hotel is home to two pools: the E-Ticket Pool and the D-Ticket Pool.

I loved the retro theming of the main E-Ticket pool and especially enjoyed the towering monorail-themed slides.

It also offered a cocktail service, and we were able to order drinks from Trader Sam's directly to our chairs. 

I'm always a sucker for Disney merchandise, so I was happy to see exclusive Disneyland Hotel souvenirs in the shop.

I decided to commemorate my first stay by getting a Corkcicle tumbler and a small candy tray.

My favorite area of the resort to explore was housed in the convention-center area.

I found the Disneyland Hotel Through the Decades display with sprawling murals depicting vintage photos. As a Disney-history buff, I really appreciated this detail.

I'm not usually a fan of character dining, but the breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen inside Disneyland Hotel ended up being one of my favorite Disney-dining experiences.

The food at the all-you-care-to-enjoy buffet was basic (albeit good). But the real highlights were the interactions with characters like Goofy and Minnie Mouse. They came directly to our table and each spent a generous amount of time interacting and taking photos.

It was fun to explore Goofy's multicolored kitchen, and I also enjoyed the signature peanut-butter-and-jelly pizza. 

I'm really glad I stopped into one of the lobby bathrooms because it featured really unique vintage wallpaper depicting theme-park attractions like Peter Pan's Flight.

Although $500 was a bit steep, I'd pay it again, especially for a staycation when we're not hitting the parks. I think it's more than worth it to take advantage of all the amenities and on-site restaurants.

The room was sleek but had a distinct Disney feel, and we loved our time at the pool and Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar.

I could find a place off-property for much cheaper, but the Disney touches and convenience made this absolutely worth it.