buzzcolin

A work colleague and her husband (late sixties) are travelling to the States for the first time in June and I have been helping her with her bookings but I have come to a dead end in LA as I do not know the area at all. We are from South Africa so with our weak Rand currency we cannot afford the huge prices that are being asked at so many hotels. She wants to be central but in a good area. They are going to do all the main sights such as Disney, Universal, Venice Beach, Rodeo Drive and would like to be centrally situated to be able to pick up said tours. I have had a good look at the map so have a reasonable idea where everything is but not sure about certain areas of Hollywood which are not as good as others. Also downtown LA I would imagine is a bit hectic. They would consider self catering as well as small hotels. Price range between $180 and $240 per night. I have found quire a few places on Booking.com in a range of areas between Venice Beach and Hollywood but the more I look the more confused I get. If someone out there could give me some idea of the "no go" areas and which areas they consider to be most central I would really appreciate it.

jamie99

OK first of all Disneyland and California Adventure are located in Anaheim which is an hour drive south of LA. I would look into staying in Anaheim for a couple of nights to visit those two parks, motel prices are much cheaper. Forget VRBO, etc. for Anaheim, as that city has outlawed short term rentals which will be fully effective Feb. 2018 but many people are already taking their listings off the market and some are up for sale.
Then move to the LA area, probably Hollywood for decent public transit like one stop on the Red Line to Universal. I would not stay in downtown LA, easy to wander a block or two into some sketchy areas.
Be careful with short term rentals here as well, some places have also outlawed them like Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach. Venice is only mildly interesting on a warm weekend.

DebbieDoesDulles

I'm not crazy about Hollywood but it's the most central for public transportation...both around town and to/from the airport. And the tour companies are centered there.

Look at hotelcelebrity.com and orchidsuites.com

Santa Monica by the ocean would be more pleasant, but it's further from sights. The "HOP ON HOP OFF" Bus does cover Santa Monica so look into that. They could purchase a 48 hour pass and they'll get instructions on the various bus routes with circle the city, stopping at popular sites.. You hop of the bus at, for instance, Rodeo Drive, spend as much time as you want there and then catch the bus as it passes by that neighborhood again. The buses run maybe 9am to 6:30pm in June. Information is at starlinetours.com

For Santa Monica, the Sea Shore Motel or the SeaView hotel are basic but comfortable/clean,well-located for walking to the beach or restaurants/shopping, and within their budget.

marvelousmouse

There's a hostel in Santa Monica as well, which may be even cheaper than the hotel's listed above. Has a very cheap parking garage across the street as well. Downtowns not really hectic, but it's kind of ugly. Santa Monica is terrific for walking or biking.

There are tours to Disneyland- at least from the hostel.

But I'm kind of divided there- by four days do you mean five nights or 4 nights or 3 nights? It makes a difference. If they only have 4 nights I'd skip Disney and universal entirely. If they have five nights, they could do 2 nights Anaheim, 3 nights LA. It's still not enough, but I think you (or they) may be underestimating the sheer size of the city. Or the crowds. The amusement parks are seriously crowded in summer. I did look into hop on hop off bus because I've used it in other cities- but it isn't efficient in LA- it would take you nearly all day to just ride a full circuit on both routes.

happytrailstoyou

Check out the AAA rate at Hilton's DoubleTree in downtown Los Angeles.

HTtY

buzzcolin

Thank you all for your advice. Debbie we looked at the two hotels you mentioned in Hollywood (I had those on my list as well) and also the starlinetours. They only have 4 nights there so will probably stay in Hollywood and do a full day tour to Disney on one day. The remaining two days they will take the hop on hop off buses to various places. I think they will get to see lots of the "must do" places. Staying in Santa Monica does sound great but we come from Cape Town with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world so I think the other sights are more important for them to experience. They are going to Vancouver when they leave LA and will then be doing an Alaskan cruise so will see lots of water then. Thanks again.

jamie99

Here is how long the Starline tour takes, costs $194pp including admission to Disneyland:
The price includes admission to either Disneyland Park OR Disney’s California Adventure and roundtrip transportation from Los Angeles. We depart from the Starline Terminal at 9:30 AM and it takes about an hour (depending on traffic) to arrive at the Disneyland resort. Once there, you are free to explore on your own. We pick up at 7:00 PM to go back to hotels.

So in other words you get to Disneyland late morning when it is starting to get crowded with longer lines vs getting there at opening. Leaving at 7pm your friends will miss the fireworks.

It's their trip but seems like it will take a lot of time.