luv_2travel

My husband and I are planning a list minute trip to CA. We are flying into LAX and have some business to take care of at the Van Nuys Airport. Where would be a great place to stay, either close to Van Nuys Airport or somewhere along the way? We will only have about 24 hours after taking care of business to just relax before heading back. We enjoy staying at nice hotels and would enjoy the beach. We have never been to CA and with our time constraints would like some advice on a place to just kick back for a bit.

crabbie74

Hi there. I live in Encino which is very close to Van Nuys. Unfortunately, there are not many nice hotels near that area. The only decent place near there is the Couryard by Marriott in Sherman Oaks. My fiance's parents just stayed there last month and we checked out the rooms and they are pretty nice. The place was just remodeled last year. The other place that is a little further away is called the Graciella in Burbank, right near Warner Bros. studios. It's a really nice place. A lot of actors stay there when they are in town filming near the studios.

If you'd rather stay near the beach and are OK driving a bit from Van Nuys, Shutters on the Beach is REALLY nice and luxurious, but it's about 20 miles from Van Nuys, I believe. There are also a lot of other nice places near Santa Monica if you don't mind the drive.

Another nice place is called the Avalon. It's near Century City. They have a great bar and restaurant by the pool. It's closer to LAX, which may be better for you. My fiance's parents have also stayed there and they love the place. Very nice atmosphere.

Good luck! Hope this was helpful.

crabbie74

P.S. Is there any way you can fly into Burbank airport instead? It's much closer to Van Nuys.

luv_2travel

Thanks for the info. I will look into your suggestions. Flying into BUR is out of the question. We are flying from NC would have lengthy layovers. But I appreciate the tip!

luv_2travel

What are your suggestions for Santa Monica? How long of a drive would it be on a Sat late afternoon?

crabbie74

It depends on your budget. As I said, Shutters is THE place in Santa Monica but it is REALLY pricey. I think more that $400/night. Loews Santa Monica and the Oceana are also nice but pricey too. Basically anything near the beach is going to be pretty pricey. Or if it's cheap it'll be really crappy. But the good thing about that area is that there are a lot of nice restaurants and shopping within walking distance so it's very convenient. Also, 3rd Street Promenade is right there too, which has a bunch of shops and restaurants too. If you don't mind staying a little bit away from the beach, the Ambrose is nice. My friend stayed there and she liked it.

If you stay in Santa Monica and want to go out to a nice restaurant, I'd recommend Melisse, Ocean Avenue Seafood, Toppers (great view of the city and ocean) or the Lobster.

On a Saturday afternoon you never know about the traffic. It could be great or horrible. I'd say it would take between 30-45 minutes from Van Nuys to Santa Monica.

xkenx

There is nothing of interest around Van Nuys airport. Suggest you stay at one of the already-mentioned hotels at the beach in Santa Monica, where you can walk or quick drive to many things. And when you have to leave for LAX, you are already close. BTW, this time of year, the beaches can be socked in most or all of the day.

emd

If you are considering Santa Monica, I will say that IMO Shutters is getting very worn out. I stayed there earlier this year, and have stayed there about a dozen times over the last 10 yers. The rooms are just getting worn. One Pico, their signature restaurant, is still great. The newer hotel next door (owned by the same co.), Casa Del Mar, is nicer w/larger rms and high ceilings. It is in the old Pritikin Diet Center bldg, a great looking European style bldg w/wonderful bones. But you are talking $500 and up for those rms. There are more reasonable places to stay in SM, like the Huntley (recently renovated, older bldg.- this is where Toppers is, the restaurant mentioend above, but Toppers is closed now for renovations) and the Sheraton Delfina - those run about $350 a night for standard rms. There is the Georgian, old art deco bldg. renovated, right on the ocean hwy., and the Viceroy, both of those are also about $350 and up.

There is a nice low key hotel to kick back on the beach right up PCH from Santa Monica- I haven't stayed there but it looks nice, big bright creatively decorated rooms, low bldg, walk right out on the beach- someone help me, what is the name of that hotel?

tracys2cents

I read about a hotel offering special late checkouts on Sundays but can't think of which one it is.

Why don't you see if you can get into the Malibu Beach Inn for a night? Shouldn't be much more than a 30 minute drive on a Saturday afternoon and you could probably get to LAX in less than 30 minutes on Sunday. If you have time, on the way to Malibu, stop and see the Getty Center..you might even want to have dinner there.

If you want to see a little more of California, take a 45 minute drive out to Oxnard and stay at the Embassy Suites on Mandalay Beach. Next day you've have a nice route 1 coastal drive down to LAX, maybe 70 minutes? You could stop in Malibu for lunch.

emd

Oceana is the other SM hotel to look at. Good prices for the chic oceanfront rooms w/over 800 sq. ft. of space.

jps

Since you're looking for someplace between Van Nuys and LAX, you could consider Marina del Rey as well which is close to LAX. There's a Ritz Carlton there. It's on the Marina, not the beach.
BTW, Loew's in Santa Monica is a bit funky for the price but the beach location is great. I have also heard that Oceana is a lovely place.

emd

One thing- Poster should realize that staying at Marina Del Ray is not staying at the beach. It is a marina, where boats are docked and an inlet that leads to the ocean. No beach. You can bike down to Venice Beach, but no beach in the Marina area.