7 hour layover at LAX with sons ages 5-7

What about a day rate at an airport hotel with an indoor pool.

With children that young, you might want them to get some exercise, and not sit at the airport that length of time. You can grab a cab, south to Manhattan Beach (3 miles) to MB Blvd. and the ocean. We have many places for lunch,(The Kettle, Beaches) and the kids can walk to the end of the pier where there is an Aquarium for them too look at (free).

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/manhatt.html

Ditto on the beach idea. Even when factoring out the drive time and getting back to the airport early, you'll have a good 4 hours to spend at the beach.

Manhattan Beach is close enough to LAX so you won't constantly be looking at your watch, nervous about traffic. It will be a very predictable 10-15 minutes to/from.

You don't really have time for much of anything but lunch...I'd cab up to Marina Del Rey...walk around and look at the boats etc...then have lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. Then another little walk and then back to the airport.

Thank you all for the great suggestions - having some options other than wandering the airport makes that travel day much less daunting!

Yeah - I'd definitely go have lunch somewhere on the beach and let the kids run around a little bit. Sitting around an airport for that length of time with adults would be a pain in the neck - I can't imagine doing it with kids, and THEN sitting on a plane for several more hours with said children!

You don't say where you are coming from or the time of year. (Delays, weather, etc.)
Both very important when dealing with KIDS..or anyone.
Tracy 2cents has the right idea. If you do go to the Cheesecake Factory, remind yourself that a regular order can feed about 3 adults! They do offer a "lunch size" order. Still big. My husband calls that restaurant chain the "Food Factory"! You might want to order something portable for the flight as well as one cannot trust airline cuisine or kids' appetites! Carry on sandwiches with NO MAYO (bacteria!) is a good option! You must check your bags through from your original departure (obvious, but many folks don't think of that) and allow at least 1 1/2 hours to be at the airport to continue your trip.

Boy, you must want to go to Hawaii REALLY badly.

Going to a hotel sounds easier than going to the beach, considering you'd have to carry on stuff for the beach (beach towels in carry on).

I'd vote for a day room at an airport hotel. All the major hotels have pools so the kids could work off some energy there --- and you could all get cleaned up/rest a little too. I love the beach area (Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, etc) but would not go there with basically 5 hrs (you need to be back to the airport about 90 min. to two hrs prior to flight). 5 hours seems like alot but if you are carrying hand luggage around with you it will seem like 50 (we all have carryon luggage). Also if the kids go romping on the sand they will be dirty and if they go in the water they will be wet and dirty That means you need towels and have to deal with that too.

If you do go to Manhattan Beach there is a nice pier to walk on and you can watch the surfers, the birds and the people fishing. I'd stay off the sand tho unless you have a surefire way of the kids not getting dirty and spending hours on a plane with sand all over their clothes.

The LAX airport Hilton offers day rates and I know most of the others do as well. You may have to call the hotel directly as these things are not often mentioned on website (Hilton calls theirs "kangeroo rate").

After several hours at the beach, I'm covered in sand (your kids will be really sandy), sticky from the salt air, and my hair is a mess from the sea spray. If you do go to the beach, also have a plan to clean up yourself and the boys before your long flight.

Nothing worse than sitting on a plane that long gritty and sticky.

I don't think MBNancy was recommending that they go swimming. It is much too cold in Feb. to swim (or to even stick your feet in the water!) in Southern California.

A walk on the Strand and to the Aquarium (www.roundhouseaquarium.org)at the end of the pier can be done without getting sandy and wet. We have done it with our kids many, many times.

There are also a couple of movie theaters that are a short cab ride away in Manhattan Beach. They are both Pacific Theaters. One is in El Segundo and one is at the Manhattan Village Mall.

The mall might be an option also (www.shopmanhattanvillage.com) , although I don't know many 5-7-year-olds who are "entertained" in a mall.

Have a nice trip.

When faced with a similar 7 hour layover at LAX on our way home from Hawaii, we decided to spend 24 hours plus the 7 hour layover in LA and take the same flight home the next day. We took our boys to Disneyland for the rest of the day, spent the night at the Disneyland Hotel and then flew home the next evening.

lvk, you don't need to go swimming to be covered in sand and salt from the beach. It is impossible to take kids to the beach and keep them out of the sand.

Whatever you end up doing outside of the airport, have fun, but be back in plenty of time. We just flew out of LAX yesterday and it was a frikkin nightmare. We just barely made it on the plane, and we got there in plenty of time. There was an hour plus line to get checked in and an hour plus line through security and we barely made the plane even with staff-friendly "cuts" in the checkin line since we were running out of time. Ridiculous!

Thanks, Ivk, I was in no way suggesting they go swimming or walk in the sand. They will be doing that in Kona! We go for lunch all the time in MB and take a walk on the pier or on the Strand (which is up above the bike path and no sand)and sometimes are wearing our Sunday best! Today would be a great day for that, it's 80 degrees here.

I love the day room and hotel pool idea. My kids (even in February) would be dipping their toes in the water and then falling in and getting soaked. Not a fun scenario before a flight.

Priceline the LAX airport zone for about $50 you will get either the Sheraton or the Westin....

Happy New Year, MBNancy. In addition to the 80+ temps, how about those waves lately? And the sunsets? Amazing!

Back on subject, we always "walk off" our lunch or dinner-- in either Manhattan, Hermosa or Redondo Beach-- on the Strand. We've been doing it since the kids were born. We recently did it with friends visiting from Minnesota who had a long drive ahead of them (with two small children.) Just a quick brush off, and they were on their way.

The Hacienda Hotel <www.haciendahotel.com/location.htm> is $89 and has a free shuttle to/from the airport. The complimentary shuttle will also take you around town (beach, mall). They have a pool, too.

If you had a car, you could go to Aviation Boulevard and watch the planes land. It is less than 2 miles from the airport and the rental car lots. The planes come in right over your head just before they land.

MBNancy and I are long-time friends who haven't met yet... I agree with her suggestions regarding lunch at the Kettle (but I prefer Uncle Bill's Pancake House two blocks away which is probably why we've never met) and a walk on the pier and Strand. The aquarium is small but very, very cool, and if you're lucky, there will be dolphins to watch from the end of the pier.

My only concern is weather. Although February is usually clear and dry, what if it's rainy, windy and/or downright chilly (for people dressed for Kona)? I'd definitely have a back-up plan. Although not a particularly exciting idea (but a dry and warm one!), our public library is across the street from Uncle Bill's. (Just so you know, our downtown core is only a few blocks in each direction from the intersection where the Kettle restaurant is located.)

Aloha!

Thank you, thank you all! I feel like I have some great options to consider.

Weather permitting..I like the idea of going into Manhattan Beach. I actually don't think it would be too difficult to keep my kids out of the water. The aquarium and lunch sounds great..even better if there is a cool toy store nearby?? Hauling luggage would be a pain and I haven't had a chance to research any airport storage options. Is that a 9/11 no-no?

In the case of torrential downpours..an indoor hotel pool sounds best (definitely the most energy releasing option for my kids). So far, I've only found that the airport Embassy Suites has an indoor pool. They have not responded to my email inquiry re: dayrates - but I suspect I'm not a big moneymaker for them! I will also check out the Hilton as suggested. (What is a typical dayrate charge for an airport property?)

You Californians will roll your eyes, but it is just about killing me to me that close to the happiest place on earth and not make the venture. To "padams" I did look at coming in the night before to do so, however we're on frequent flier tickets (did anyone guess??) and I can't even pay a change fee to obtain a better flight.

Finally, as frightening as it sounds we also have a hefty (albeit not 7+ hours) layover in the a.m. on the return trip. What is the story with the restaurant in the building with the white arches at LAX? Is this a worthy breakfast excursion, or just a transportation headache between terminals with small children?

Yes "wliwl", I REALLY do want to go to Hawaii. Even more than my husband who leaves Seattle on the same day and time as me - sans children, non-stop into Kona. That's "aloha" for you.

I would take the kids to Santa Monica. On Third Street Promenade (street turned into a pedestrian mall) there are restaurants galore, street entertainers, some wacky, some really good, and a few minutes away is the pier, with great looking out on the ocean. There's a great amusement place - an outside place with ferris wheel and such, and an inside place with machines and games and all the razzamattazz kids on vacations love, and you can win at that game where you roll wooden balls up over a hump into circle-holes (you'll win because you have longer arms than your kids...).

You amass points on coupons and you redeem them for some wacky little gifts as souvenirs. Great fun, time flies, and everybody stays active.

WK

They would go nuts for this!! They are all over arcade games. How far is Santa Monica from LAX?

To be safe, I would allow 45 minutes each way between LAX and the Santa Monica Pier / 3rd St. Promenade. I've never used a cab for this long a ride, but I'd guess the fare would be at least $30-40 each way. (Cabs run about $12-14 each way between my house in M.B. and LAX.)

Another idea that came to me for M.B. is a paint-your-own ceramics place that just opened in our new downtown shopping plaza. I'm sure you've seen or heard of these places; they're popular here for kids' parties. It can't compete with a ferris wheel and arcade games, though!

The restaurant with the arches is called "The Encounter". It used to be "The Theme" and had a beam-me-up starship kind of decor, but I don't think they do that anymore. Anyway, it is not open for breakfast <www.iflylax.com/lax_encounter.html>

You can grab the "Big Blue Bus" - yes, that is what it is really called and is blue and white. It is a city bus <www.bigbluebus.com/home/index.asp>. From outside the airport baggage area, you walk across the traffic lane to the island - you'll see lots of people waiting there. Get on the "C" shuttle which takes people to the "C" lot. The city buses can be found adjacent to that lot. Take the #3 Big Blue Bus. At the bus website, click on 'bus routes' and go down to 'Line 3' to see what stops it makes. It takes approx. 36 min. to go from the "C" lot to the 4th Street stop in Santa Monica. Fare is 75 cents for you and free (I believe) for the boys. Plus, kids usually like riding the bus, and the sites will keep them occupied along the way. The arcade, ferris wheel, etc., is at the end of the pier, about 3 short blocks from where the bus lets you off. Tell the driver you're getting off at the 3rd Street Promenade (the name of the outdoor mall WallyKringen suggested). You'll see the ocean due west.

Now, as for the Hilton - yes, they have day rates (9am-5pm) although they can not book or quote rates sooner than 14 days in advance (I called them for you). Here is their contact info:
5711 West Century Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90045
1-310-410-4000

I know they have a pool, but don't know if it is indoors.

Maybe Disneyland next time around

Oh, and about your bags... no, you can't store them at LAX anymore. There is a baggage service you can call - they pick up your bags and hold them at LAX for you:

LAX International Baggage Service
This company picks up and delivers, for storage at LAX
310-863-4109

I vote for the aiport hotel. But if you go off site, I too say be very careful about planning. I recently flew in and out of LA and it was not during a vacatin time, and I believe Feb 16 might be near some school vacation schedules and could make things worse. I arrived at LA airport 2 hours before a domestic flight to Boston - I barely made my plane. Like another poster said, I waited in an outside line for almost 1 hr 30 minutes, and then an incredible back up inside, and six of us in line kept asking about our flight, and finally they let us cut the security line, but no one had notified our plane after telling us over and over everything would be fine as we cooled our heels in this endless line and we actually ended up running to our plane and were the last ones on barely making it......so if that happened and you ever hit any traffic getting back.....your layover might be longer than 7 hrs... I'd stay close or do a local overnight or two.

Thanks for the detailed responses and contact numbers - not to mention the cautionary tales re: getting back through security - I'll be careful with our time!

Kikianne,

I called the Hilton back and their pool is outdoors - heated, of course. If you have AAA membership, you can get a lower rate, also.

Thanks again for your help! I'm a little nervous about an outdoor pool in February (although coming from Seattle's lately endless rain..it would probably seem downright balmy!) I have a new (fortunate) twist in my plans. It turns out I have a sister in law who will be in LA that day, who's willing to skip a day of work, has a car and is willing to pick us up and head to Manhattan Beach for lunch/aquarium. I suspect this would be the best option all the way around!

GoTravel I HATE YOU

when i read you post about sand and salt sticking on your skin my skin just crawled (I ahve an over active imagination i guess and supersentive skin).

Last thing you want to be doing is feeling the sand and salt on your skin whilst on the plane. Besides you'll get plenty of that at your destination.

Is there only one flight out of LAX each day? If there is an earlier flight you can always try your luck with taking your bags to the checkin counter and seeing if they can fit you in on an eaelier flight?????

My skin is still crawling so I'm going to add this: I would suggest going to disneyland over going to the beach that day

kikianne,

If you are still checking this board, I just wanted to give you an additional warning.

Tell your sister-in-law to avoid Sepulveda Blvd. like the plague. There is a major construction project (underground utilities) going on there which is causing lane closures in both directions. The project will be continuing through the fall.

When coming out of LAX, take Sepulveda south ONLY as far as Imperial Highway west. Follow IH to Vista del Mar. This will take you along the ocean into Manhattan Beach.

Follow the same route back to LAX.

LOL! Isn't it the worst? I live on the beach and salt is all over everything I own; my living room carpet, my car, the trunk of my car, my indoor and outdoor shower, shoes, etc. My yard is half sand half weeds.

Thank you for the construction advice - we'll make efforts to avoid!

Since you'll have a car and might want to try somewhere beside the beach, how about the LaBrea Tarpit Museum? It doesn't take that long to see, and the outdoor space would be great for kids working off excess energy.

I'm not from LA, so my time estimate may be off, but I would say it's 20-30 minutes from the airport.