I stayed in a 250-square-foot studio at a Disney hotel. My bed pulled down from a wall, but it was worth the $500-a-night price tag.

I've spent a lot of time at the Disneyland Hotel and was wowed by my first look at the new Discovery Tower.

From a distance, the tower appears to nearly meet the Frontier Tower, with the iconic Disneyland sign and monorail centered between the two.

This fourth tower adds a sense of visual unity and enclosure to the resort that gives it a coziness I never felt on previous stays.

The most whimsical features of the tower's exterior are the giant vertical columns of scripts that reflect the primary colors used in classic animated Disney films.

Artist Lorelay Bové, a Disney Animation veteran and production designer on "Encanto," created a mural exclusively for the Villas at Disneyland Hotel.

The colorful mural is one of the tower's homages to the Disney Animation legacy.

It includes characters from the films represented within the guest rooms, including "Sleeping Beauty, "The Princess and the Frog," "The Jungle Book," "Fantasia," "Bambi," "Moana," and "Frozen."

Each room in the Villas at Disneyland Hotel is inspired by an animated Disney movie.

The duo studios all feature artwork and details inspired by "The Jungle Book."

Over the sofa, artwork inspired by "The Jungle Book" depicts Mowgli and Baloo. Lurking on either side of the sofa are the film's antagonists, Shere Khan the tiger and Kaa the snake.

The main living area includes a sofa bed, a single chair, and a pair of ottomans.

I particularly loved the cleverly chosen quote on the rug, the song lyric "The bare necessities of life will come to you," from "The Bare Necessities" — perfect for this pared-down space.

When I first walked into the room, I didn't think it was too small in any way.

It felt bright and cheerful, and I thought the space was used extremely efficiently.

Along the wall opposite the sofa, there's a cushioned chair with more artwork from "The Jungle Book" hanging over it. There's also a 55-inch flatscreen TV and dresser.

The room's only bed stays tucked into the wall behind the sofa when not in use. I thought it was easy for one person to pull it down.

The mattress was thicker and much more comfortable than a typical sofa bed, but not as comfortable as a traditional bed.

Another piece of artwork takes center stage when the bed is pulled down — Baloo and Mowgli taking a jungle snooze.

The bed was made with flat and fitted sheets. To complete the bed, I added pillows and an extra blanket from the closet.

To close up the bed in the morning, I returned the pillows to the closet.

Along both sides of the bed are small tables plus outlets with USB and Type C ports for charging electronics.

In addition to drawer and cabinet storage, there's a decent-sized closet where the pillows and blanket are stored. It also has room for hanging clothes.

There's also an ironing board and laundry basket in the closet. Laundry facilities are available on the property.

Although compact, the duo studios don't scrimp on amenities.

They are equipped with more appliances than most standard hotel rooms offer — like a microwave, mini refrigerator, and toaster, all neatly tucked away.

Over the past few years, Disney has replaced real glassware, dishes, and utensils with single-use items in many DVC rooms.

I haven't seen the real deal return to studios at any other DVC property, but I was excited to see my duo studio stocked with real wine glasses, coffee mugs, and silverware.

My room also came with a can opener, wine/bottle opener, and ice bucket.

Many older DVC studios have full-size coffee makers, but I often travel alone for work and hate having to brew a whole pot of coffee.

Fortunately, the duo studios have a single-cup Keurig coffee maker that comes with Joffrey's coffee pods and pods for hot cocoa and tea.

The bathroom includes a single sink, toilet, and shower.

Carrying through the "Jungle Book" theme, the mirror is embellished with illuminated vines. A piece of artwork inspired by the movie is hung over the toiler.

The walk-in rain shower has a bench and an additional handheld showerhead.

Disney's standard range of H2O bath products — shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel — are available from wall-mounted dispensers.

I also found a large bottle of lotion on the countertop next to the sink.

I booked a room with a preferred view, which falls between the lower-priced duo studio with a standard view and the most expensive duo-studio garden option.

Garden rooms are separate from the main tower and include a patio or balcony.

The floor-to-ceiling windows made the room feel bigger and brighter, and provided me with sweeping views of the Disneyland Hotel grounds, including the main pool, Adventure Tower, and Trader Sam's.

I could see the colorful tower design through my studio's large windows.

From this angle, I could also see parts of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! at Disney California Adventure Park.

Right outside the new tower, the aptly named Palette Pool is a colorful, midcentury-modern recreation area with vibrant overhead pergolas, a palette-shaped pool, and "Steamboat Willie"-inspired splash pad.

Guests staying at the Villas can also visit the Disneyland Hotel's pools and hot tubs.

The stacks on the "Steamboat Willie" splash pad periodically blow steam as multicolored lights illuminate a rainbow of fountains.

In November, the hotel opened Palm Breeze Bar, an outdoor bar and restaurant right outside the new tower.

The bright open-air space has a mix of high and low tables as well as bar seating.

My favorite Mary Blair-inspired design element at Palm Breeze Bar is a beautiful mural featuring scenes from Disneyland Park with plenty of nods to the artist's iconic style.

Palm Breeze Bar's menu features shareable plates, salads, pizzas, sandwiches, desserts, a kids' menu, and lots of creative cocktails and mocktails.

The prices were comparable to some of my other favorite Disneyland restaurants, like Lamplight Lounge at Disney California Adventure Park.

The avocado and lime hummus dip ($18), served with crudite vegetables, espelette, and crispy pita, was delicious.

I shared it with a friend, and it was so filling we barely had room for the four-cheese California pizza ($21) we ordered.

The pizza came topped with mozzarella, cheddar, and jack cheeses with marinated tomato and fresh basil. It was very rich and filling.

I was thrilled with my first stay at the Villas at Disneyland Hotel.

The duo studio is a fantastic addition as a more economical but still high-end option for those traveling solo or as a pair.

Although the studios are smaller than the average deluxe Disney hotel room, I've recently stayed in hotel rooms in both New York City and London that were much smaller — and more expensive.

I loved the new Villas so much that I have three more stays booked in the coming year — and I'll definitely be coming back with my whole family.