kikianne

Help! I have over a 7 hour layover at LAX en route to Kona on 2/16. We arrive at 10:30am and depart at 5:42pm. Does anyone have any suggestions to keep my kids entertained? I'm not against cabbing it somewhere as long as the excursion fits timewise. Thanks!

GoTravel

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

MBnancy

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

Hazelmn

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.

tracys2cents

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.

kikianne

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

J_Correa

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!

delor

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.

wliwl

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).

Lori

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").

GoTravel

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.

lvk

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.

padams421

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.

GoTravel

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.

noryglory

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!

MBnancy

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.

wtm003

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.

travelina

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

lvk

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.

cheezz

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.