Wai

I'm planning to visit these 3 places (LA-two day, SF-three days, LV-3 days in mid-March with 3 other friends.(We're all female & we've never been to the States.)

LA - any budget hotel in town or
near Disneyland, can we explore this city by ourselves safely?

LV & SF - any must-see places ?
Thx for the help

Thyra

Wai, the area near Disneyland is full of budget hotels, but I am always kind of sad when visitors to LA say they want to stay near Disneyland, Anaheim, outside of the themeparks is not...the most esthetically outstanding place in So. Cal. It tends to be on the smoggy side, it's far away from the beach or many other more enjoyable places. I think that one of the reasons a lot of people don't like LA is because they stay near Disneyland...I think that unless you plan to spend your entire 3 days actually IN Disneyland, you would be better off staying someplace nice like Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Nuntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Manhattan Beach, renting a car and then driving to Disneyland for the day.
Having said that, yes of course you can explore Los Angeles safely! There are some wonderful parts of this city, it's just spread out and you will need a car to get from point of interest to point of interest. The main tourist places, (mentioned above, are generally speaking very safe for tourists) some of the areas.. for example near Disneyland, or LAX or East of Downtown or South of Downtown (South Central LA) are places that many tourists would find intimidating. Welcome to LA!

G. Kremer

Of the three, the wife & I have been to Vegas twice. Las Vegas has too much to see in a week or two let alone 3 days. Just wing it. Get lodging somewhere in the middle of the "strip" & you can get to a lot of things within walking distance or take a shuttle around the city for a small fee if necessary. Mid-March is nice; my guess is the temperature will be around the mid-70's. For lodging maybe try Bally's, Harrah's or Monte Carlo. Do check out Caesar's Palace & Forum Shops, Fremont Street Experience, Treasure Island Pirate ship battle, the Mirage volcano, the Strastosphere Tower, Liberace Museum, Wet'n'Wild next to the Sahara,& if you have a rental car go to Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire State Park, or go about 2 1/2 hours northeast on I-15 to Zion National Park.

xxx

For a decent hotel on the Las Vegas Strip at a more budget rate, try the Tropicana. Once one of the most popular hotels there, this is an older hotel, but still in a great location. Directly across from NY NY, MGM and Mandalay Bay just down the street.

D.B.

If you are not going to have a car, you might consider staying at the Radisson at Knott's Berry Farm (on Crescent Ave.) Rooms are ~$90/night and they have a free shuttle to/from Disney. Between Knott's, Disney, and a couple other local sites, that will just about take care of your two days right there.

Be careful of "budget", it often equals seedy.

xxx

Are you planning on flying between all of these locations? If not, you're going to spend your entire vacation on the road and not see any of the listed cities. Trying to do all three cities in 8 days is unrealistic if you're planning on driving.

cindy

We travel to Vegas at least twice a year. Our favorite hotel on the strip is Treasure Island. It is centrally located and is a very nice hotel. Harrahs, Ballys, The Mirage, Caesars are all in this area as well. Check prices. Mid March is Spring Break time. If you are not concerned about location. Try The Stratosphere or the Stardust.(usually lower rates here) You will have to catch a bus to the center strip. Unless you are in a walking mood. Bus is 2.00 pp. Taxis are always available also. There is a Trolly that runs the strip. I believe it is 1.50 pp. Things to see seems to be covered. Although you want to be sure to get inside The Venetian.Also, take a Taxi to the RIO see their mardi gras show(free) and try their buffet. It is the only meal you will need!!! It's about 13.00 to 15.00 pp but well worth it. Stratosphere has a good buffet also.Cirque is at Treasure Island and is a great show to see. Check out the dancing waters at Bellagio. If $$ isn't a problem. Get a suite that overlooks the pirate show bay at Treasure Island. March temps. are usually in the 70's good time to be there. Have FUN!!!!!!!!!! Vegas is great. One more tip. Do NOT stay at Westward Ho or Circus Circus. They are older and becoming run down. Especially Westward Ho. Circus Circus is trying to do a face lift.

david

Here's my 2 cents worth:
Las Vegas: staying on the strip at any of the places named should be fine; choose the place that fits your budget. Places like the tropicana and perhaps some of the other older hotels may quote you a price; ask if it is a room in their tower or in their old original motel rooms. The tower is where you want to be if the price is right. When you get there make sure they know this is your first trip from a foreign land and perhaps it will help in gettting an upgrade.
As for Los Angeles and San Francisco: i would gusggest taking a gray line tour or something similar in each city as one of the first things you do and then you can figure out what you want to do next.
Los Angeles: Santa Monica would be a great place to find a hotel.great location. Aside from the tour your next day should obviously be what interests you; Disneyland, Studio tours, beaches etc. Willshire Boulevard goes from the ocean all the way downtown and is certainly the street to go down and et a taste of the city; neighborhoods such as westwood, beverly hills, farmers market are all of of Willshire.
San Francisco;Once you know what you want to see just go see it. If you avoid a lot of hills San Francisco is a great walking city. You can walk from the wharf (fishermans) through north beach (italian section) into China Town, through nob hill into Union square and down to mission and get a great sense of the city.
have fun

dana

Absolutely Treasure Island for Las Vegas! The rates are very reasonable during much of the year, and out of Mirage, Rio, Treasure Island, MGM, Caesar's, although I really like staying at all of them, Treasure Island has always been a personal favorite. Try to get a room that overlooks the pirate show. As for SAn Francisco, I don't know a hotel to recommend, although I don't live very far from there. As for Anaheim, they have so many motels and hotels, they're too numerous to list. Once motel that comes to mind that looked real cute from the Travel books is Candy Cane Motel; Jolly Roger; But It's been years for me since I've been down to Anaheim, so rely on someone else's suggestions for Anehiem.

Christina

What do you intend to do in LA for two days? If all you intend to do is go to theme parks, I guess it makes sense to stay near Disneyland but at least stay somewhere other than Anaheim! I'd recommend Long Beach, it's not far, has a few interesting things to see, some nice hotels and at least is on the ocean. I think you may not realize how big the LA area is when you talk about exploring it in two days, and at least one of those must be booked for Disneyland from what you say; LA itself is rather far from Anaheim, espec in LA traffic. You should have a game plan or you may be disappointed or not see much. There are quite a few reasonable hotels in Long Beach, prob. about $100 for a double, which is about as cheap as you'll get in the LA area for a place that is not a dump. Not sure what you expected. There are some nice highrises in Long Beach with good brunches (which is when I was there) and great views, but a reasonable choice in a good location might be the West Coast Long Beach Hotel; it's rooms are about $100, it has a pool and other amenities: disneyland isn't far. YOu can see it and other choices throughout LA on www.hoteldiscounts.com