No longer see the point of staying at Disneyland hotels - what’s the best non-Disney hotel?

I’ve been to Disneyland a number of times, but my partner and I will be coming with some family friends (2 adults a 1 kid, age 6) who have never been. The last 4-5x we’ve gone, my partner and I have stayed at the Grand Californian, but we’ve decided it’s not worth it without the early park entry. We were wiling to pay a premium without a second thought for that early entry, but one lightning lane? Kinda insulting. In addition, though we aren’t all set on staying at the same hotel, we’d prefer it (or at least to be a few minutes walking distance) and our friends would like to stick within a tight budget.

All that being said, what is the best non-Disney hotel? We’d prefer one that is within a 5-10min walk of the entrance, reasonable budget, and clean. We don’t care about included breakfasts or anything (we will probably just eat in the park), but I think that would be a plus to our friends. Cool theming is also a plus, but not necessary. Would love to hear everyone’s favorites!