Their website states "Retro Family Fun" which is certainly true. The hotel sits sandwiched between Harbor Boulevard (right across the street from Disneyland) and the Interstate 5 freeway. My first tip is that if you're going to stay here, then request a Disneyland or pool view. The I-5 facing rooms do get a lot of freeway noise, so only book those rooms if noise really doesn't bother you.

We booked a 2-Queen Premium room, which was Disneyland facing on the 6th floor. This room has a bathroom w/sink, commode, tub/shower, with hairdryer, and an extra sink right outside the bathroom door. I believe most if not all rooms also have a coffee maker, Microwave, and dorm-style fridge. They also restocked the regular shampoo/soap amenities, as well as coffee and tea daily. The rooms are not luxurious, but the beds are extremely comfortable, they are well maintained and all the necessities are there. If you just want a comfy place to lay your head at night, and all your basic needs met, this is the place. If you're looking to live in the lap of luxury while on vacation, you might want to look elsewhere. I think that the value is definitely there for the price you pay here.

The highlight of the resort, for ds anyway, was the pool area. There is a "quiet" pool at the back of the resort, however fairly recently, they took out the main pool at the front, and converted it to a kids splash zone, called Castaway Cove. It comes complete with a pirate ship that dumps a huge bucket of water every 15 mins or so, and a few water slides, water guns for kids of all ages, as well as a zero entry kids wading pool, and a water squirter fountain for the little ones. There is also the hot tub which we loved to sit in while ds played in the splash zone with the other kids. It is big enough to be hours of fun but not so big that you can't stay in one place and read a book or soak if you want, without losing track of your kids. A great place to hang out and relax after a day of trekking through the parks. Our ds almost would rather spend the whole day in Castaway Cove than at Disneyland (much to our Chagrin). lol

This is a family owned franchise hotel. The staff is always very friendly. We have stayed here a few times before about three years ago, and it was a good experience then as well. Other amenities on site are a laundry room, a game room, a small store, and the small lobby has computers for guests to use as well.

Oh, and free internet in the rooms. Great if you travel with a laptop. We loved to log on late at night after ds went to sleep, and watch some tv on the computer... IF we had the energy to stay up for it.

This hotel is an 8 minute walk to the front of Disneyland. Mimi's Restaurant is right next door, and one of the best places to eat around DL, imho. We ate there several times during our one week stay. Quick friendly service, wonderful food!

There is a resort shuttle service that can take you around the Disneyland area. We did not find the ART bus service to be very convenient though. Bring your stroller if you have LO's, and walk. It's much quicker than waiting for the bus and the walk really isn't that far! Actually, the walk from the main gate to the Disneyland Hotel is further (True!).

When visiting Disney World, it's always great to stay on Disney Property.  Disney rates their resorts in three categories from the highest cost to the most budget-friendly: Deluxe, Moderate, and Value.  If you like a resort that has plush mattresses for the adults, and is kid-friendly too, then you can't really go wrong with any of the Deluxe hotels on property.  The Boardwalk resort, along with it's neighboring hotels (The Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, and the Swan & Dolphin hotels) have the unique distinction of being located within walking distance of two of Disney's theme parks: EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios.  The Boardwalk Resort has two sides, the Inn and the Villas.  The Villas are part of the Disney Vacation Club, but are available on cash basis as well as through DVC membership.  We are DVC members so I am reviewing the Villas, which are available in studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom, also called "Grand" Villas). 
We have stayed in studios and 1-bedrooms in this resort.  The Studios can sleep a family of four fairly comfortably.  They have a mini-bar set up with a under-counter fridge (about half the size of an apartment/full size fridge if that helps), bar style kitchen sink, coffee maker, microwave, and they also stock it with paper plates, bowls, and plastic utensils.  The beds are queen size, and the pull out sofa is not the old style ones that many of us grew up with (the ones that have the metal bar that is right under your shoulder blades when you lay down).  The sofa bed is actually quite ingenious, as you pull on a strap at the top of the sofa and the whole things unfolds in one step. There are no spare cushions to take off, as they do not detach.  The extra pillows are stored in special pockets inside the sofa and you will see them as soon as you start to set up the bed.  Disney Mousekeepers always have these beds premade so they have sheets and blanket on them already.  Our ds was quite comfortable on this bed. One night, he needed me close by, and I slept next to him quite comfortably. The mattress was a bit firmer than I prefer, but it was still a pleasant place to sleep.  
The room also has a small table and two chairs to use as a desk or dine at, if you desire to eat in your room.  Our studio also had a day bed which can be used for sleeping. It was technically large enough for our tall 5 year old but I think it would have been more appropriate for a toddler or preschooler. I do believe the day bed is not available in all studios (probably the lock offs).  
The 1-bedroom villas are of course bigger than the studio.  They can sleep 4+1 infant or toddler, and include the same pull out sofa in the living room area. There is a small but complete kitchen, which is fully stocked with dishes, pots & pans, dishwasher, etc.  Everything you could need if you want to cook, really. There are 2 bath areas - the "main" bath that includes a sink, toilet and glassed in shower,   and the "master" bath that has a large jetted jacuzzi style tub, & sink area. Right off the master bath, is a large walk in closet which is perfect for storing large suitcases once they are unpacked. 
All villas have a basic pack'n play, vacuum cleaner, ironing board/iron in the closet. The bathrooms have the normal hotel set up with the hair dryer on the wall.  When you're staying using DVC points, you get trash and towel service after 4 days, and full cleaning on the 8th day unless you want to pay extra out of pocket for additional services.  We honestly don't mind not having someone coming into our villa on a daily basis, but I understand people who prefer daily room service. The studios do not have laundry machines in them, but there is a laundry room that is free for hotel guests to use. The larger 1-bdrm and up units have their own machines in the villas we always find very convenient.
All the rooms on the villa side are categorized as "preferred view" which includes views of the pools, the boardwalk, and some waterways, and "standard" which includes views of the front of the resort, and the parking lot.  Believe it or not, the standard view rooms often fill up first.  I am not sure if this is because people actually prefer this view, or if it's simply due to cheaper point costs on this side of the building.  At any rate,  The hallways in the Boardwalk are very long so the higher the room number, the farther you have to walk to get to your room. The upside to being on a higher level (there are 5 floors) and farther back, while staying in a "standard" view room, is that at night, you can actually see some of the fireworks from EPCOT and MGM.  Not the same as being in the park but it's kind of neat.  :)
There are two "quiet" pools - one on the villas side and one on the inn side.  The main pool has a large water slide themed like a wooden roller coaster and you shoot out of a clowns mouth at the bottom. Our 5-year old enjoyed the pool and the slide was his favorite thing to do there. There is a wading pool for infants and toddlers, a kids play structure near the pool, and elephants that spout water (one is an actual shower and the other dangles it nose over the shallow end of the pool.  One other thing I love about Disney resorts is that they make swim vests available to the kids for free.  "Leaping Libations" bar (themed like a carousel ride) is right next to the main pool, and serves adult beverages (I am not sure about food as wenever ordered anything but a soda there). One can also sit at the bar and watch the large flat screen TV if desired. Of course, there is also the obligatory hot tub. One night we were using it, and one of the DVC cast members approached and asked us how the water was. Someone had complained before that it was too cool, so they adjusted the temperature. He was a very nice gentleman who stayed and chatted with us for a bit, making sure everything was OK. We always appreciate the great customer service we experience at this resort!
We always enjoy "going home" when we stay at the Boardwalk.  It really is our home-away-from-home. The theme-ing is fun and upbeat. You can't help but feel your spirits lifted when you walk through the main doors and see the huge oversized double arm chair that makes you feel like a little kid when you sit in it.  The subtle and not so subtle "disney" touches are every where.  The huge two story ceiling in the lobby makes room for all the larger than life decor overstuffed furniture.  We also take advantage of the walking path from the EPCOT resort area to Hollywood Studios.  EPCOT itself is only about an 8 minute walk away from the hotels back entrance.  There are also boats that ferry people to both parks if walking isn't possible or preferred.  There are also buses that will take you to Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom if you don't have a car or want to drive there.
I could probably go on an on . I hope this review is helpful!