Ayres Hotel Mahattan Beach???
 

Has anyone stayed at this hotel?
If so, what were the positives and negatives?
We are looking for very clean and comfortable surrounds.
Look forward to your reply
Donna

I have never stayed there but I know it is recommended quite often by those wanting to be close to LAX. One advantage of the hotel is you are very close to many restaurants on Rosecrans Blvd. My DD works at the Houston's restaurant right down the street.

Check out the reviews on tripadvisor.com.

If you are looking for someplace close to LAX this would be a good choice. On Century Blvd where the airport hotels are located, doesn't have much in the way of places to eat, etc.

I live nearby so haven't stayed at the Ayres and can't comment on comfort or cleanliness. But I can describe where it's located.

On one side is the 405 freeway, probably the busiest freeway in California if not the U.S. On another side are the freeway on- and off-ramps. On the third side (front of the hotel), is a road leading to car dealerships, Costco, Staples and fast food restaurants (McDonald's is across the street). Loads of traffic all day. On the fourth side, is a gas station and a very busy street. Another freeway off-ramp is across that street, and traffic is almost always very heavy. If you want to be able to walk out the hotel's front door into a nice, welcoming environment, this isn't the place. If you're just going to spend a night, it's OK but not as close to LAX as many other hotels.

Foodie friends of ours report the restaurant in the hotel is pretty good.

P.S. It's not in Manhattan Beach. That's a marketing fib. It's in Hawthorne.

I've been in the lobby and restaurant. Very nice. Kind of upscale country club done in over the top Tuscan style. The friend who took me to dinner said this is the flagship location for the chain.

I think it has free parking.

Location is near the freeway. You're not in a shopping or entertainment district, you'd have to drive everywhere.

Jean makes a good point..if you aren't familiar with the area, it is NOT on the beach.

You actually could walk down Rosecrans about 1/2 mile to a shopping center that has Trader Joe's, Fresh and Easy Market, and some other stores.

There may be a shuttle of some type down Rosecrans, also.

Yes if you are staying at this hotel becauses you want to be by the beach, this isn't the place for you. If you are staying here to be close to LAX, then I think it's a good choice.

Although it's in Hawthorne, Manhattan Beach starts right across the street. Looking on tripadvisor, don't see many complaints about traffic noise, but I would probably ask for a room on the west side (away from the freeway).

There are many nice restaurants on Rosecrans. You could walk to a couple of them but a shuttle would be better.

I have stayed here. On the plus side, it's a really nice hotel. Clean, spacious, well appointed rooms and public areas. On the negative side, it abutts the 405 freeway, however, I don't recall it keeping me awake at night.

Not to be nit-picky, but the eastern boundary of Manhattan Beach is Aviation Boulevard not Hindry Avenue.

Two hotels in Manhattan Beach in approximately the same price range as the Ayres: Belamar and Marriott. Both are located in more inviting areas. The Belamar faces a residential street, and two shopping centers are within one block. The back of the Marriott overlooks a golf course, and there are several restaurants, movie theaters, shops, etc., within a block or two. Both hotels are closer to LAX than the Ayres.

Sorry Jean, I guess it's a long block from the Ayers to cross Aviation. My point is although the address is Hawthorne, it's really more like Manhattan Beach. Much of Hawthorne is on the other side of the 405 and not somewhere you'd want to stay.

The Ayers is cheaper than either of the two hotels you mentioned although looking at the Belamar, the Ayers isn't that much cheaper. The Belamar is definitely in a better area. Again it really depends what Lordy is looking for and we haven't heard from from her. If she wants reasonable accomodations for a couple of nights at a lower price and close to the freeway, then the Ayers would be fine. If she wants something a little nicer and closer to the beach, I would go for the Belamar. One thing about the Belamar. They do have weddings there and in fact we looked at them when we were choosing a place for my DD's wedding. They do close some of the public areas when they have a wedding. These of course would usually be on the weekends. I would just make sure of their events if I booked a room there.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.
We are having a lot of trouble getting our last hotel organized.
When we first arrive in LA, we are staying at the Renaissance Hollywodd for 3 nights.
We will be in the US for a couple of weeks, do a cruise and then head to Mexico for a week.
This last part is before we fly back to Melbourne.
We have 2 nights and 2 full days in LA before we come back to Australia.
We were thinking of staying near the airport, but many people said this was not the place to be.
We then thought we would go to a beach area but have had trouble getting the dates we need, hotels not being in a good position or bad reviews.
We came acros Ayres on Fodors and thought we would check it out.
For your info, we arrive in LA at 8.30 pm at night and fly out 2 nights later at 11.45 pm.
We like very clean, comfortable accommodation and would like restaurants / dining to be close by.
Thanks again for all of your help.
I will check out the other hotels mentioned.
Sorry for not getting back ASAP, I am in the middle of writing school reports before the end of the year.
Thanks
Donna

Donna-Thanks for the information. When is your trip? I think you would like the Manhattan/Hermosa Beach area but I agree with Jean that the Ayres is not the best representation of a beach area hotel.

Secondly, what is your budget? Obviously this will have something to do with where you stay. And lastly are you just going to spend those two days relaxing since you've already been in LA. Or are you thinking about doing some more sightseeing? Have you thought about staying in Santa Monica? Again, knowing your budget is probably the biggest help.

Dear Paula,
this part of the trip is from the 19th of January for 2 nights.
Our budget is approx $200 - 220 US dollars.
We will probably stil do some sightseeing and shopping. Our flight home does not leave until after 11 pm, so we will have 2 full days.
Where in Santa Monica would you recommend?
Thanks
Donna

Paula,
any thoughts.
Donna

Donna-In that price range for Santa Monica there is not a lot of choices even though it's January. Probably your best bet would be the Doubletree Santa Monica. Gets decent reviews on tripadvisor and is in a good location. Seems like it's in your price range but you do have to pay for parking. There is also the Cal Mar Suites. I have stayed there before. The suites are an apartment building made into hotel suites. Clean but have a dated look. They can be noisy with lots of kids during the summer months or weekends but I would think for your dates it would be very quiet. There is a full kitchen, etc. Very good location and although parking can be a problem, it's free and I think you'd be OK during your stay.

Again it really depends on what you want to do. If you are planning on doing sightseeing around LA, then Santa Monica or that area would be the best. Traffic coming from the Hawthorne/Manhattan Beach area into LA can be terrible during rush hour. If you just want to sit and relax and enjoy the beach area then I would suggest going a few dollars over your budget and staying at The Beach House in Hermosa. You can get the standard room for $249 a night and the hotel is right on the ocean. That price is a deal. I do think you have to pay for parking but their is a public garage close by that is cheaper.
www.beach-house.com/hermosa-beach-hotels.html

On the other hand, if you will have a car and don't mind driving a short distance to the beach, shopping, etc, the Ayres is just fine and a very good value. Because it is located near the San Diego freeway, it's actually a better location for reaching some tourism sights than is Santa Monica, which is also heavily impacted by congestion. Although not ON the beach, you are very close to the beach at Manhattan Beach, which in my opinion is more attractive than the beach in Santa Monica.

Being located near the San Diego Freeway (405) doesn't necessarily make it better for reaching some tourism sights. It depends on what you want to see/do. The 405 in that area ("the South Bay Curve") is notorious for congestion at nearly all hours of the day and night. Depending on the time, some places are easier to get to using surface streets, but again it depends on where you're going.

I live in Manhattan Beach and work in Beverly Hills, and I don't use the freeways except 10-11:30 and 1-2. To add to the congestion, there's a large long-term construction project underway on the 405 between the Marina and Santa Monica Freeways (north of the South Bay Curve).

Maybe we need to know your sightseeing plans before we can recommend areas and specific hotels.

mlgb-I checked the price of the Ayres Hotel for the dates given by the OP. I was really surprised at the price of this hotel during the week but I guess I shouldn't be because it is used as a business hotel. The price per night for her date was $199. Personally I wouldn't want to pay that for that hotel. If I got a lesser rate, it would be fine.

The Belamar in Manhattan is $209 and you can get a rate at the Manhattan Beach Marriott for $189 if you prepay (non-refundable).

Jean-I understand what you are saying about avoid the 405. I also do that when I am working in the South Bay. But for someone who is not familiar with the side streets, the freeway is usually an easier way to get around albeit it could be slower!

Again I think that Lordy needs to decide what she wants to do when she comes back to LA as far as sightseeing and then decide on the area. From Manhattan/Hermosa, you could go to Long Beach to the Aquarium, drive to Venice Beach to check that out and from there go on to Santa Monica.

I read through Lordy's post again where she thought they'd stay in a beach area on their return to LA. If that's the case, I would definitely stay in Manhattan or Hermosa. I personally would pay the few extra dollars to stay at the Beach House but some of the other hotels would be fine.

Paula, I agree about staying in Hermosa/Manhattan. As far as 405 v. streets, even the beach area hotels give guests directions to some tourist sights using surface streets. I.e., LACMA, Tar Pits and the Grove using La Cienega, Santa Monica using Lincoln, Getty using Sepulveda (if early morning). Obviously, some places are too far or complicated to choose streets over freeways. I.e., Universal and WB Studios, Pasadena, downtown LA.

That would help if they get directions from the hotel. I would imagine if you have a car with GPS, it would probably direct you to the freeways.

Unless you tell it to avoid highways...

If this is your first trip to LA,... spending three nights in Hollywood at the Renessiance does not represent what LA is all about! In my opinion,if this is your first trip (and maybe not another one to LA for a while) it takes at least one-two weeks "to do" LA. First and most important is what are your goals? What do you think you want to do and than we can best advise you?

If you will be in Mexico, will you be on a tour? or are you driving? What time do you think you will arrive in "Manhattan Bch" (I consider the Aryes to be in Manhattan, even though it technically isn't Whatever!

ALSO,now here's something nobody has mentioned,... perhaps you didn't think about this: but this will be Martin Luther's nameday weekend. Soooo, some areas have celebrations, parades, etc. You may/maynot want to get caught up for hours in a traffic jam.


How do I know this? January 18th is my birthday and I'm going to Disneyl, show my drivers license and get in FREE! (do you know anyone whose birthday is JAN 18th? we can go together and have a real party!!!) Another also,... it might rain,... hmmmm.

Here's a suggestion: spend the first day at Disneyland? Second day, to the beach, walk on one of the Piers, The strand, (one hour)breakfast/lunch, (one hour)walk one of the downtown areas (for an hour), than on to the Manhattan Beach Village Mall or even bettr The Galleria, probably four times as large (for after Xmas/inventory sale shopping, and than, allow about two hours to go to TJ Max (one big block south of The Galleria) for some designer discount shopping.

You'll have to leave the Aryes at about9:15-9:30pm to check in at Internatonal LAX. So there you have it!

PS

Please don't go to Santa Monica, the people are usually very rude and are always "tooting" their car horns,... they think they are still in New York!

PS Here's another thought,... if you are just going to sleep in your room and don't need a 5-star,... think about the Hacienda Hotel right on Pacific Coast Hwy (one mile South of Lax.) They have a shuttle direct! I have friends from San Diego who always drive up and stay at the HH so they are packed and literally start their vacation a day earlier. If you are lucky enough to be there on a Tues on Thurs it's free entertainment as the best of the best West Coast Swing dancers/champions are there twirling their best!

Have fun!

Jean-You can tell I know nothing about GPS-didn't know you could tell it to avoid highways.

I don't think I would come all the way from Australia just to go shopping at TJ Maxx!!

Hi everyone,
thaks for the discussion on this topic.
As stated before, this is not our first time to LA.
We have stayed near the airport, in Hollywood and at Anaheim before.
We have 3 days before we do our drive and then 2 days before we fly home. We will be looking to unwind, shop and sightsee. We still like to go to LA even though we have been before.
The location is the problem. As first said, we thought we would do the aiport on the way home but everyone said a beach area would be better. That is how this discussion started.
We would like to go to Venice and Santa Monica on our return. Not sure what else.
Paula, I will check out the Beach House hotel at Hermosa. Thanks again for all of your suggestions.
Letsdance - We will be in Cancun for 3 nights and then Playa del Carmen for 3 nights doing our oown thing.
We arrive at 9.00pm at night back into La.
Thanks
Donna

If you have already stayed in the parts of LA you mentioned, then I think you would enjoy Manhattan/Hermosa. It would be a whole different atmosphere. And you'd be close enough to visit Venice and Santa Monica.

Good luck with your decision.

If "unwind" is your primary goal, then Manhattan/Hermosa.

The Beach House in Hermosa is right on the beach. Our January skies are usually very clear, so the views up and down the coastline (and perhaps to Catalina island) should be terrific. Hermosa is a young and energetic town, especially at night. For some, the bar/restaurant scene at night is a bit too energetic, but things are usually quieter in winter. There are many small, boutique-y shops, generally catering to a young, hip clientele.

The Belamar and Marriott Hotels in Manhattan are not near the beach but are close to mainstream shopping, restaurants and movie theaters. The Manhattan Pier and "downtown" area are about a mile away. Compared to the area around the Beach House in Hermosa, downtown Manhattan is much quieter and slightly more upscale.

Manhattan is about 10 minutes from LAX and close to two freeways while Hermosa is about 15 minutes farther away.

If "shopping" is your primary goal, you might be able to save money by staying at one of the chain hotels on Century Boulevard near the airport. There is a free shuttle bus that travels to Manhattan and stops at several points including shopping centers and the beach area.

http://www.gatewaytola.org/pdf/oceanexpress.pdf

I'm not a fan of Santa Monica, so I usually don't recommend it. However, if "sightseeing" is your primary goal, and you're thinking of places like the Getty Center, Beverly Hills and Malibu, then Santa Monica would be a better location. There's lots of shopping. Depending on the time of day and location of the hotel, the drive to LAX would take 30-45 minutes.

I really really hate the Century Blvd hotel location. Just ugly.

There are a few hotels in El Segundo in the commercial area east of Sepulveda. Not as nice as the Ayres but maybe less costly.

Ayres does have an advance purchase rate on those dates, $179.

I would also go with some of the other Manhattan Beach locations if they are not much more expensive.

When comparing hotels, be sure to check if parking is included in the rate.

In the same area as the Ayres Hotel (2 miles from the beach, right off the 405 freeway and very close to restaurants and shops) are the Town Place Suites and the Spring Hill Suites, (both in the Marriott family of hotels). They are showing rates around $175/night, which includes complimentary breakfast and parking. The rooms also have little kitchenettes for storing your own drinks and snacks. You can book through the Marriott website.

Has anybody mentioned the Sea View Inn? It's not on the beach, but closer than all others mentioned above, except the Beach House. www.seaview-inn.com/index.htm

I live in MB so I haven't stayed at the Sea View Inn and can't comment on the comfort or quality of the accommodations. Some of the rooms have a partial ocean view, and the hotel has bicycles to borrow. It's located in four buildings on both sides of a somewhat busy street and just two short, pedestrian-only residential blocks to the ocean. Along the ocean front (in front of the multi-million-dollar homes) are both pedestrian and bike paths, and the Manhattan Pier and downtown area are about a mile south. A few restaurants and shops are nearby. It would be a nice place to stay if you want a laid back, beach town experience, but I think I'd prefer it between spring and fall rather than January/winter.

There are many chain hotel options in the area. Lvk mentioned Marriott's Spring Hill and Towne Place properties. Hyatt operates the Summerfield Suites (El Segundo address but near the "big" Marriott in Manhattan Beach). Although just a few blocks from the Ayres, I like the locations of all of these a little more.

Once again,
thanks everone for your great ideas. I will check out the other hotels you have mentioned. I am busy doing reports but will have a good look in a couple of days.
Thanks agin for your ehlp
Donna