Recomendations on where to stay in the LA area

[BackInTex]

Wife, son and I are spending 4 days in California over spring break. I had a couple plane tickets to kill and my wife insists we do something for my son for spring break. His big sisters in college have their spring break the week before and the other sister, still in high school, is going to Destin with a friend and her family.

So I asked him where he' like to go, anywhere in the Continental US, and he said "I've never been to California." I asked if he wanted to go to L.A., San Francisco, or San Diego. He said L.A. My wife wants to see Hollywood and Beverly Hill.s Not sure the motiviation for my son, he is 14.

I don't know anything about what areas to stay in and more importantly what areas to NOT stay in.

If I get my way we will spend one day driving, possibly up PCH and maybe even to Sequoia National Park. Two days of LA is enough for me. I'd rather spend two days driving the coast and the mountains.

So, where should we stay? Price point is around $150/night. Not even opposed to maybe spending one night out of LA while road tripping.

Suggestions for things to do and any must see things? Trip is 3rd week in April.

[MarleysGh0st]

I'll let the locals tell you about LA, but I'll recommend a side trip to Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks. It's a long drive up into the mountains, you'll probably want to spend at least one night there, and lodging options are limited. The place I discovered last May was the Montecito Sequoia Lodge. It's an old summer camp, which still holds "family camp" weeks, but which rents out rooms like a regular hotel the rest of the year. It's more rustic than the other hotels at the park, but the price is more reasonable and includes breakfast and dinner (served buffet-style). You get a bag lunch, too, if you're staying more than one night.

[Bob Juch]

Remember I used to live in L.A. so don't bitch about me Googling. I checked current rates.

You probably don't want to stay in anyplace that's less than $150 a night in Los Angeles. There's a nice place near Pico and Central but you'd probably not last 2 hours there.

My favorite place when I'm not paying the bill is The Roosevelt in Hollywood. That's $519 a night.

When I am paying it's The Beverly Garland which is very close to Universal Studios and Citywalk. That's a beautiful, calm, place to stay. That's $184 a night. Even the Day's Inn Hollywood is $144 a night. That's on Sunset and you could walk to the tourist traps. It's an easier drive to the beach than The Beverly Garland.

There are many others but they're a long way from tourist areas. There are some on Wilshire under $100 but that's a long way from where you'd want to be. There are some nice boutique hotels in West Hollywood but they're more than you want to pay and probably have people you'd prefer to to be around.

As for driving north, if I had only two days I'd not go to Sequoyah as you'd spend most of them driving. It's about 3.5 hours to get there and more driving to the sights.

I'd drive up the coast to Santa Barbara, about an hour up the PCH. There aren't any "tourist attractions" there just nice beaches, shops, and restaurants.

It's about four hours to Hearst Castle, further up the coast. If you go there make reservations as you have to take a shuttle up the hill and capacity is very limited. There's nothing else around there but you can sightsee along PCH.

[TheConfessor]

Suggestions for things to do and any must see things? Trip is 3rd week in April.

Who does spring break the third week in April? And your daughters' college spring break is just one week earlier? That's a month later than the U. of Texas, and most other schools around here. Or did you mean March?

I was in Los Angeles last month and stayed at the Super 8 on Washington Blvd. in Culver City for less than $100/night. I liked it and would gladly return in the future, but I don't know if that's the kind of place you're looking for. It was quiet, clean, had a nice bed, free internet, free parking and a basic but good free breakfast. I booked it through Hotwire.

[BackInTex]

My favorite place when I'm not paying the bill is The Roosevelt in Hollywood. That's $519 a night.

Yeah, things are much better when others are paying. I got the 2/3 of the airfare paid, but that's is.

There are some nice boutique hotels in West Hollywood but they're more than you want to pay and probably have people you'd prefer to to be around.

I'm sure you missed a 'not', but I get your point. Why we are not going to Key West as well, though it is probably not that bad, but when many of the local 'hotels' are adult male only, you get a hint. Not that I mind being around that so much, but with my wife and son in tow its uncomfortble.

As for driving north, if I had only two days I'd not go to Sequoyah as you'd spend most of them driving. It's about 3.5 hours to get there and more driving to the sights.

We'll have essentially 4 days full days. I can't take more than 2 days of walking around seeing humans and their creations.

I'd drive up the coast to Santa Barbara, about an hour up the PCH. There aren't any "tourist attractions" there just nice beaches, shops, and restaurants......There's nothing else around there but you can sightsee along PCH.

Sitting on my butt, behind a wheel, driving through beautiful scenery for a day or two IS my kind of vacation. Thinking of renting a convertable.

[Bob Juch]

Suggestions for things to do and any must see things? Trip is 3rd week in April.

Who does spring break the third week in April? And your daughters' college spring break is just one week earlier? That's a month later than the U. of Texas, and most other schools around here. Or did you mean March?

I was in Los Angeles last month and stayed at the Super 8 on Washington Blvd. in Culver City for less than $100/night. I liked it and would gladly return in the future, but I don't know if that's the kind of place you're looking for. It was quiet, clean, had a nice bed, free internet, free parking and a basic but good free breakfast. I booked it through Hotwire.

Yeah, but you wanted to be near Sony Studios. My recommendations were to be closer to tourist things.

[BackInTex]

Suggestions for things to do and any must see things? Trip is 3rd week in April.

Who does spring break the third week in April? And your daughters' college spring break is just one week earlier? That's a month later than the U. of Texas, and most other schools around here. Or did you mean March?

I was in Los Angeles last month and stayed at the Super 8 on Washington Blvd. in Culver City for less than $100/night. I liked it and would gladly return in the future, but I don't know if that's the kind of place you're looking for. It was quiet, clean, had a nice bed, free internet, free parking and a basic but good free breakfast. I booked it through Hotwire.

March, you're correct. I've got 2-3 trips in the works and I keep flipping the calendar back and forth.

We aren't big on hotels. Safe with a comfortable clean bed is all we require. I'll check out your recommendation. Thanks.

[MarleysGh0st]

Sitting on my butt, behind a wheel, driving through beautiful scenery for a day or two IS my kind of vacation.

You're in luck! Sitting behind the wheel on the freeway is the LA experience!

Except perhaps for the beautiful scenery part.

[MarleysGh0st]

So if you're going in March, I'm not sure how much snow you'd run into, up in the mountains. That might be a problem, if the convertible you're renting doesn't come with chains.

[Bob78164]

I don't know the Hollywood area so I can't help you with hotels around there, but I do hope you'll give me a ring while you're out here. Start with a PM here and we can exchange contact information if you're interested. --Bob

[plasticene]

I was recently researching hotels in West LA for a friend and came across the Best Western Plus Royal Palace Inn & Suites. It gets pretty good reviews on TripAdvisor, it's in your price range, and the location looks pretty good: convenient to the airport, but not too close, easy drive to Beverly Hills and Hollywood, and right near the junction of two major freeways, the 10 (Santa Monica Freeway) and the 405 (San Diego Freeway). (I'm sure saying "the" 10 sounds a bit odd to you, but you'll sound like you're speaking a foreign language if you omit the definite article.)

The idea of both a drive up the coast and a visit to Sequoia National Park in just two days sounds utterly exhausting to me. Both drives involve lots of winding roads that demand a lot of the driver's attention. It it were me, I'd pick one or the other.

It sounds like Marley has a good suggestion for Sequoia NP. For a coastal drive, you could drive up to Cambria, spend the night, visit the Hearst Castle, then drive back, maybe switching to a more boring but quicker inland route for the return trip. If you don't want to go quite that far, Santa Barbara, Solvang, and San Luis Obispo are all pleasant places to visit.

[Estonut]

You may want to consider staying a little south of L.A. in Orange County. It may be more central to the places you may want to take your son and prices should be more reasonable.

Take a day trip up to L.A. to see what you want to see there. Universal Studios is very popular.

In Orange County - Disneyland & Knott's Berry Farm. The Angels will still be in Tempe, but, depending on your dates, there might be something at the Pond.

Towards/In San Diego - Beautiful drive down the coast (for you), Legoland in Carlsbad, San Diego Zoo and/or Wild Animal Park, museums in Balboa Park, the aircraft carrier Midway.

Doing this means you see lots of stuff in SoCal, not just in L.A..

Decide what you want to see while you're here & then we can recommend where you may want to consider staying.

[geoffil]

Portillo's restaurant is excellent and near Knott's Berry Farm and Disney. The studio tours ( Sony, Warner Brothers and Universal)are great. Call ahead to make reservations as the tours fill up quickly. Don't do a tour bus of stars homes. Be wary of anyone that offers a "great" deal.
Be sure to check traffic reports before heading out. In my opinion the drivers in LA have turned nicer and drivers are courteous.

[Bob Juch]

Sitting on my butt, behind a wheel, driving through beautiful scenery for a day or two IS my kind of vacation.

You're in luck! Sitting behind the wheel on the freeway is the LA experience!

Except perhaps for the beautiful scenery part.

That's sitting behind the wheel not moving.

[Bob Juch]

I was recently researching hotels in West LA for a friend and came across the Best Western Plus Royal Palace Inn & Suites. It gets pretty good reviews on TripAdvisor, it's in your price range, and the location looks pretty good: convenient to the airport, but not too close, easy drive to Beverly Hills and Hollywood, and right near the junction of two major freeways, the 10 (Santa Monica Freeway) and the 405 (San Diego Freeway). (I'm sure saying "the" 10 sounds a bit odd to you, but you'll sound like you're speaking a foreign language if you omit the definite article.)

That's $134 a night and not in a particularly good area.

[bazodee]

Some ideas:

One day for Hollywood, Beverly Hills and maybe a view from up in the hills from a place like Griffith Park.

Two university campuses are interesting for different reasons. USC is downtown LA and you would see the LA Coliseum where the Olympics were held. UCLA is prettier on the west side in Westwood and abuts Westwood Village.

Spend more time near the water. From Santa Monica headed south are: Venice, Marina del Rey, Playa del Rey (the airport) and Manhattan and Redondo Beaches. Venice Beach is just a place everyone should visit and the crowds make it reasonably safe.Venice is a good place to rent a couple bikes for two hours and ride along the jogging path. Lots of people do this, maybe riding from the Santa Monica pier to Marina del Rey.

Sequoia and/or Kings Canyon are a long way away- at least four hours depending on what part of the park you're going to. It's not a day trip. If you did want to consider a 2-day excursion you could drive to Death Valley on the eastern Sierra (about 6 hours, definitely need a motel reservation) or up the coast. Santa Barbara is about 90 minutes north and then San Luis Obispo is another two hours and serves at the gateway to Big Sur and the Hearst Castle. As mentioned elsewhere, Hearst Castle requires reservations.

Headed south, Newport/Laguna Beach are posh towns. San Diego is two hours south of LA and has days worth of stuff to do. Disneyland and Knotts Berry are in Orange County. They are expensive and will take up a whole day.

As for accommodations, they are expensive. You just need to pick a relatively safe place and resign yourself to driving. The are around LAX has a lot of hotels in the mid-price range. It's not a bad neighborhood; there's just nothing real special about it but it's fairly easy to deal with having a rental car. The hotels in the Hollywood area include the extra headache of more traffic and difficult (and expensive) parking.

A lot of folks don't like to give up spontaneity, but I find having an overall plan of your car movements can be really helpful, especially in avoiding traffic or deciding whether to drive the freeways or city streets. I'd be happy to help you refine the plans if you can narrow the choices a bit.

[christie1111]

I am pretty sure you are friends with Uly on EFB (Evil Facebook). You should PM him also. I am sure he would also have some great advice for you.

[littlebeast13]

Suggestions for things to do and any must see things? Trip is 3rd week in April.

Who does spring break the third week in April? And your daughters' college spring break is just one week earlier? That's a month later than the U. of Texas, and most other schools around here. Or did you mean March?

Since he was talking about high school and not college, I assumed when I read it that he meant Easter break, as Easter is the third week of April this year. That IS Spring break where I come from (Assuming it hasn't been obliterated by the overuse of snow days)....

lb13

[Bob78164]

There is a small hotel at Santa Monica and Overland. I suspect it's inexpensive -- it's certainly not brand name. I can't vouch for the facility, but I can vouch for the area -- it's across the street from the Los Angeles Mormon Temple (a beautifully scenic facility), which in turn is right next door to my son's school. I lived within walking distance of that intersection during the summer after my 2L year.

I'm sure you can get more information (including the name of the hotel) via Google Maps street view. --Bob

[Bob Juch]

There is a small hotel at Santa Monica and Overland. I suspect it's inexpensive -- it's certainly not brand name. I can't vouch for the facility, but I can vouch for the area -- it's across the street from the Los Angeles Mormon Temple (a beautifully scenic facility), which in turn is right next door to my son's school. I lived within walking distance of that intersection during the summer after my 2L year.

I'm sure you can get more information (including the name of the hotel) via Google Maps street view. --Bob

I spent many hours in the LDS genealogy library there; it is a safe area but why stay there? It's somewhat close to Rodeo Drive, but otherwise remote.

[Bob78164]

There is a small hotel at Santa Monica and Overland. I suspect it's inexpensive -- it's certainly not brand name. I can't vouch for the facility, but I can vouch for the area -- it's across the street from the Los Angeles Mormon Temple (a beautifully scenic facility), which in turn is right next door to my son's school. I lived within walking distance of that intersection during the summer after my 2L year.

I'm sure you can get more information (including the name of the hotel) via Google Maps street view. --Bob

I spent many hours in the LDS genealogy library there; it is a safe area but why stay there? It's somewhat close to Rodeo Drive, but otherwise remote.

For the price. It's close to Westwood and Beverly Hills and not that far from the beach. I think it's also inexpensive, and it's only a couple of miles from the freeways. --Bob

[goongas]

When I stayed in LA two summers ago I stayed in a Holiday Inn near LAX. It was fine. You don't need to stay in Hollywood in order to visit Hollywood. The highway is very close by. You will be driving a lot when visiting the LA area, so it doesn't matter as much where you stay as in other cities where mass transit is better. Be prepared for the traffic.

[Bob Juch]

There is a small hotel at Santa Monica and Overland. I suspect it's inexpensive -- it's certainly not brand name. I can't vouch for the facility, but I can vouch for the area -- it's across the street from the Los Angeles Mormon Temple (a beautifully scenic facility), which in turn is right next door to my son's school. I lived within walking distance of that intersection during the summer after my 2L year.

I'm sure you can get more information (including the name of the hotel) via Google Maps street view. --Bob

I spent many hours in the LDS genealogy library there; it is a safe area but why stay there? It's somewhat close to Rodeo Drive, but otherwise remote.

For the price. It's close to Westwood and Beverly Hills and not that far from the beach. I think it's also inexpensive, and it's only a couple of miles from the freeways. --Bob

If it's the Azul Inn, it's $129 a night and looks like a dump.

[littlebeast13]

Remember I used to live in L.A. so don't bitch about me Googling.

Would it be OK if anyone bitched about the fact that you've pretty much dumped on the helpful suggestions provided in this thread by everyone else who's lived or stayed in the LA area? I'd be willing to bet you aren't even in the Top 25 of people on this Bored who could provide practical and useful information on the LA area for someone who is going to visit there... but that's not going to stop you from being the official end-all on everything SoCal....

An ass is an ass is an ass.....

lb13

[a1mamacat]

Suggestions for things to do and any must see things? Trip is 3rd week in April.

Who does spring break the third week in April? And your daughters' college spring break is just one week earlier? That's a month later than the U. of Texas, and most other schools around here. Or did you mean March?

Since he was talking about high school and not college, I assumed when I read it that he meant Easter break, as Easter is the third week of April this year. That IS Spring break where I come from (Assuming it hasn't been obliterated by the overuse of snow days)....

lb13

Found it!