Beach/LA - Where to stay?
 

Can someone recommend a hotel that is on the beach, but not too far from LA? We want to spend 7 days there in the spring and plan to do some things in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills area, but would also like to be on the beach. We were thinking Malibu, but not finding many hotels to choose from. Anyone have a recommendation? Budget is in the under $200 per night range, if possible!

We just returned from LA yo canstay in L.A. there are several hotels not on the beach but on the bluff right near the ocean. Do a search. Also there is a lovely small hotel in Malibu called Mallibu Inn, directly on the beach. If you can try to go to Laguna Beach.

no doubt the Sea Sprite Motel.

www.seaspritemotel.com

Also see my website - cubicvr.com and go to the California page.
You won't find any other places ON the beach for <200 a night, especially in Malibu.

Did you try Santa Monica? I don't think that under $200 will buy you anything decent that's beachfront. There are very few actual BEACHFRONT hotels in L.A. County.

The SeaSprite might be your only choice at that price point, even though it is a dumpy property with surly management and silly policies.

If you increase your budget, you could try the Beach House. http://www.beach-house.com/hermosa-b...ry-hotels.html. The off-season rates aren't too bad.

There aren't many hotels in Malibu. Period. Santa Monica (GLM, SM is a separate city and, although surrounded by the City of Los Angeles, is NOT part of the City of Los Angeles) has a lot of hotels, just not a huge number on the beach, and those are very expensive. Were you expecting bargains? This is still a very popular tourist destination.

The Beach House in Hermosa Beach MIGHT come in at under $200 a night, but Hermosa is not the easiest beach community to get into and out of. The Malibu Inn could surprise you with a good rate-- but you're a pretty long drive away from the things you want to see and do in the BH/WH areas. Laguna is an hour south and even more difficult to get to, for your purposes-- but it's breathtaking.

Here are two budget-friendly Santa Monica possibilities, one on the bluff overlooking the ocean, the other two blocks inland:

-- The Georgian (oceanfront)
-- The Huntley (just inland).

Lots of style, great service, not incredibly expensive. The Fairmont Miramar would be my first choice (all that history!), but you're talking $250 a night at least. At $500 a night, Shutters on the Beach or Casa del Mar are wonderful (although the service can be a bit snooty).

We just got back from Santa Monica and I thought that city was considered part of L.A.

Nope, GLM, I've worked here for 17 years and it's been a separate city since 1886. It's fully contained within the city limits of Los Angeles, but it's a separate city (as are Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, but NOT Hollywood itself).

GLM.....Some of us who live here (90068) dont really care.....others, well what can I say.the important thing to me is that you came had a good time and got home safely....:D

I would recommend looking at points north (Ventura) or south (Orange County) and driving to LA if you're not going to visit the city daily. If you plan your drive time correctly, you could easily be there in 30-60 minutes depending on where you stay.

Just when this NYer thought she had L.A. all figured out - it always confused me. Anyway I just love Santa Monica and think it's a great location to get the beach and then venture off to Beverly Hills, etc. On to Laguna Beach - breathtaking. Loved Newport also

We are taking a trip to Los Angeles next month for 2 days and wanted some ideas on where to stay and what to do besides the theme park. We are on a budget so any recommendation on hotels in a good, safe location will be appreciated. We are also goin to Vegas

Suggestion: I would start a new thread. Your needs are a little different from the original poster. Also, a few questions for you:

-- What is your maximum hotel rate? And will you have a car?

-- Have you looked at Fodor's information on the greater LA area?

-- What are your Vegas plans?

-- Where are you from and what are your interests?

-- Are there children traveling with you?

lvk, 'dumpy' ?

It's not a Westin, it's not a Sheraton, and it's certainly not a Lowe's, it's a 50-60 year old Motel ON the beach.
I've stayed there MANY times and I have never encountered surly management, in fact, any problems I have had have been fixed in 15 minutes or less, albeit with the exception of the PARKING issue (someone is in my space......), which sometimes takes 30 minutes. That is to be expected when you are ON the beach.

'Silly policies' ? If you are referring to the refund policies - that is explained up-front in black-and-white, if folks can't read, it's not the motel's fault. Aside from that, I don't know of any 'silly policies'.


It comes back to the same question: if you want to stay ON the beach, why are you staying IN your room so much that you demand a 5-star rated motel/hotel ?

Anyway - my advice to Julz is, if you want to see attractions in the city/away from the beach, rethink where you want to stay, the drives to and fro may make staying at the beach a waste of money.
What to see ? Getty Museum, if you like cars, the Petersen Museum, don't go to the Griffith Park Observatory - it's totally closed off and fenced in for renovation - you can't even get close enough to see it.

Fredman,

I am not going to argue with you. I just offered my opinion on the SeaSprite.(based on my own experience, info. from their former employees, and the experience of my clients who book out-of-town employees there.) You are entitled to your opinion. The SeaSprite gets less than glowing reviews on TripAdvisor also.

I stand by my opinion that the ONLY thing that the Sea Sprite has going for it is its true beachfront location, which is indeed a rarity in Los Angeles county.

Venice Beach. However, Venice might freak you out. It did me when I visited in 1985.

No particular hotels to suggest but I love Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach. Great little towns that you can walk around easily. If you go just a tad south to Redondo there are a couple of chain style hotels (Westin/Sheraton type hotels). One is on the beach and the other is just across the street. You can walk on the great beach path from Redondo north to Hermosa and Manhattan Beach. You can also rent bikes and meander on the bike path on the beach.

lvk, I apologize for overreacting a bit, but every time I stay there I have a good time, and I am never disappointed, and neither have the 6 or 8 folks that have stayed there on my suggestion: the sea sprite is what it
is: an older motel in a great location, I will have to say maybe it's not for everybody.

By the same token, I stayed at the Marina Del Rey Hotel and it was the most disappointing experience I've ever had, THAT desk staff was awful and the room was sub-par at best. And I am sure others will argue the other way, just as I did with the sea sprite.

Sorry again.

amwosu, is one of the places in RD the Portofino Inn ? I like that place.

Portofino Inn is one of those places now that you mention it. I haven't stayed in any hotels in the area as I have a friend two blocks from the beach in Manhattan Beach.

Fredman,
No need to apologize. Varying opinions are what makes this forum so great. :) It appears, from the Tripadvisor reviews on the Sea Sprite, that people either love it or hate it. We'll file you into the "love it" category, and me into the "hate it".

Portofino is fine (check out seetheworld's trip report), but it is NOT on a beach. It sits on a stretch of land in the middle of the harbor. There is no place to swim. In fact there are no beachfront hotels in Redondo Beach. The other two hotels mentioned are across from the marina. One is the Crowne Plaza and one is the Best Western Sunrise. From all of these properties, it is about a 1/4-1/2 mile in either direction to an actual beach.

As I have stated before, there are very few true Beachfront hotels in L.A. County. I think I am going to start another thread on this subject to assist people looking for beachfront hotels. As we all know, pictures & descriptions on Expedia, etc. can be very deceiving.

So waht is the big hotel right on the beach kinda between Hermosa and Redondo? I see it when I walk or ride my bike on the beach...south of Hermosa Pier?

There's the aforementioned Beach House, (http://www.beach-house.com/hermosa-b...ry-hotels.html) which is just north of the Hermosa Pier, then there's the Sea Sprite Motel, which is just south of the Hermosa Pier.

The one that you are thinking of is probably the Beach House.

As far as I know, those are the only two actual beachfront hotels between LAX and the Orange County line. If anyone knows of any others, please chime in here.

Nope. Not the Beach House. I know where that is. It is a large hotel and I really thought it was south of Hermosa Pier but before Redondo Pier. Guess I better hop a plane and figure it out in person!

lvk - ABSOLUTELY !!!

I was deceived into thinking the hotels in Marina Del Rey were on 'the' beach, when in reality they are on man-made inlets they describe as 'on the beach' when they are far from it (far from the reality of 'on the beach', that is). And no beach, just harbor. (loud sigh....)

However, in Huntington Beach, there are TONS of places to stay right across the PCH from the beach, now I have to remember which ones I liked..... I didn't take notes as I drove down the PCH.
I guess I just view a room on the beach as just that - a place to park, sleep and shower, everything else you want to do (if it is a BEACH vacation) is right there within walking distance if you stay at the Sprite.

Problem is, a person can spend as much or more staying on or near the beach in LA when they could spend the same or less in Cozumel or Cabo, etc.

Debating my next 'beach' vacation.....

amwosu,

The only thing I can think of is the big Harbor Cove apartment building which sits on the beach right at the border of Hermosa & Redondo. They have a Chart House restaurant at beach level. I agree that you must come back out here to investigate for yourself. :)

Fredman, those hotels (esp. the Hyatt and Hilton) in Huntington Beach are supposed to be very nice. However, as you said, you have to actually cross a busy PCH to get to the beach. I don't really consider it true "beachfront".

Oh lvk, that apt. building IS what I was thinking of as I remember seeing the Chart House there. Now you've ruined it for me. I have no reason to fly out and see for sure what the place was called.

Oh well. I'll still be back out for the International Surf Festival in Manhattan Beach and the Festival of Arts in Laguna next August.

I don't think there is a true beachfront motel/hotel in Huntington Beach, the nearest thing to it is if you get an RV spot at one of the state-run RV parks, which looks like fun to me.