You can try www.hotelbooklet.com which compares more than 30 popular hotel reservations sites and shows all available deals!

Have you thought about renting a house from vrbo.com? That may be a better way to go and more comfortable for your family. There a quite a few homes that are on or near the beach listed. Just a thought!

Another good site for beach rentals:

www.marineviewmanagement.com

Manhattan Beach would be a great place to stay as well.

There are a few oceanfront properties in the South Bay that would be cheaper than Santa Monica. Try the Beach House in Hermosa or the Portofino in Redondo. (Portofino is on the Harbor, not a beach, but has ocean views). Other places with harbor/ocean views (though not on the beach) would be the Crowne Plaza in and the Best Western Sunrise, both in Redondo.

Since you are staying in West Hollywood for a chunk of time, you can do all the typical Hollywood touristy things while there. This will free you up to just enjoy the beach for a few days, without having to venture out into the LA traffic.

I would recommend the Warner Brothers studio tour, for a true studio tour. The writers' strike is throwing production schedules all out of whack, so there's bound to be something taping while your there.

You might also try www.tvtickets.com. The minimum age to see a taping is usually 18, but there are several shows that allow kids as young as 10.

Thank you so much for the continued information. I am still overwhelmed but not as much.

We are planning a trip to Southern
California in May and have made reservations at the Embassy Suites
in Oxnard(a little south of Santa Barbara). It is right on the beach
and the one bedroom suites have two
bathrooms-great for a family. We got a net direct rate of $199 per night-this includes breakfast and cocktails in the afternoon. We are planning to take daytrips from this
location.

nlg, we stayed at that Embassy Suites when my kids were little and it was WONDERFUL.

We try to stay at Embassy Suites where ever we go and we have never been disappointed. I was happy to find one on the beach in Oxnard. I will post a report after our trip.

The hotel looks great. What is there to do in Oxnard? Is there a downtown? How far to Santa Monica? We are staying in Beverly Hills for a few days before at a Residence Inn but I may look for an Embassy suites there too!!

I have gotten mapquest directions to
Santa Monica(58 miles from Oxnard)
and Santa Barbara(38 miles). There is a Channel Island tour from Oxnard
that looks interesting. Don't know how much of a downtown Oxnard has, but there are several restaurants in the area that look good.

If your family plans on primarily sightseeing in the L.A. area, then Oxnard may be a bit far -- especially if you try to get back to your hotel in afternoon traffic (going north on the 101, the traffic can be miserable). I mentioned Manhattan Beach before because the beaches are clean, the water temp is a bit warmer than farther north (Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara), there are lifeguards, restrooms and snack stands on the beach, etc. My kids surf/boogie board and that is there favorite beach. There is a great bikepath that runs for miles along the beach and is really fun on a warm day. Also, MB is just minutes away from LAX and close to many sights. Have you checked into the Sea View Inn in Manhattan Beach? My friends stay there and love it. The prices are reasonable as well: www.seaview-inn.com I believe that they have complimentary bikes which is nice. There are other hotels in the area that may work as well. Or you could go north to Santa Monica (beaches not quite as nice in my opinion). Staying in Oxnard would be fine, but I would suggest using that area as your base if you visit Santa Barbara about 30 miles north.

Another place you might consider is Ventura. It is south of Santa Barbara, not as crowded, or chi-chi, to coin a very technical phrase, so it's not as expensive but there's alot to do. The Main Street/downtown is really cool, there's a mission and also a Boardwalk on the water. We were doing an overnight in Carpinteria but had lunch in Ventura and found ourselves eager to come back. It's maybe an hour to Hollywood, less than that to Pepperdine. Here's a good link to hotels in the area.
http://www.ventura.com/

Let me say, we live near the beach south of LAX, near Manhattan Beach, and I'd pick Ventura instead.

I started this post and initially wanted to go to Santa Barbara or Santa Monica. I have reservations at Embassy suites in Oxnard. Now I talked to someone and they said Laguna Beach would be our best bet. Things to do, beach and in between LA and San Diego. Any comments?We will be staying the first 5 days in Beverly Hills.

I liked La Jolla more than laguna Beach....

we did see 2 stars in a matter of minutes once we got to santa monica though! still, i would rather go to la jolla from all the beaches mentioned that I have gone to (La Jolla, Laguna, Newport, Santa Barbara, Oxnard area, etc). Santa Monica should be well expensive! If you do go to La Jolla. I like George's by the Cove as a restaurant.

My wife & I stayed at Casa Malibu last year and had a blast. We walked the beach and ate and drank at nearby restaurants and saw plenty of celebs (Jessica Alba, Matthew Mconnehy, Arti Lange). The weather was awesome, close to LA shopping and reasonable rates.

Good luck

I agree with the previous poster that Laguna Beach is great, but keep in mind that it is in Orange County as opposed to L.A. County, so is going to be quite a drive from L.A. sites (Warner Bros/Universal studios for instance), but is close to Disneyland, etc. It is doable though. My favorite place to stay is "The Inn at Laguna Beach". It is right on the ocean and really reminds us of Hawaii. There is a great restaurant right next door called "Las Brisas" which is perfect if you and your hubby want to stroll down for a margarita while the kids are occupied. Laguna is a great town to stroll around in and very picturesque.

uggghhh, the traffic between laguna beach and LA is horrific. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. If you want to be near LA, then stay at Santa Monica or perhaps that Malibu beach the OP was talking about.

I bet you're more confused that ever right about now! You have gotten advice about beaches in 5 different counties!

As I understand your post, you are going to stay in Beverly Hills/WeHo for a few days, at which time you'll do most of your "touring". Then you want a beach location for a few days, where you will be staying close to the beach and not trying to fight the daily traffic to tour around. Is this correct?

If so, then any of the locations mentioned would work for you. However, if flying in and out of LAX, you do not want to be staying in La Jolla for the last night of your trip.

If not, and most of the things that you want to see are in L.A. County, then you should stay at a beach area there.

So far you're looking at:

Santa Monica/Venice/Malibu - in LA County, pricey and congested.

Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo: Southern LA county. Nice beach town atmospheres, farther from LA attractions, less pricey or crowded.

All of these places are lovely, too. Their locations would just make a miserable commute into L.A:

Ventura County (Oxnard/Ventura) 1 1/2 hours north of LA. Quieter beach area, closer to Santa Barbara, more reasonably priced.

Orange County beaches (Laguna, Newport, Huntington) Very nice beach towns. Lodging probably less than Santa Monica.

San Diego County - La Jolla - closer to San Diego attractions. Beautiful beaches, restaurants, etc.

Santa Barbara County: Beautiful and pricey.

All of the beach towns mentioned have great shops and restaurants. Some have great bike paths along the beach. Of course you are aware that any oceanfront lodging in the middle of July will be much more expensive than a few blocks inland.

You just need to narrow your scope and figure out what is most important to you.

Well, I think I've decided what we are doing except still being unsure about our reservation at Residence Inn Beverly Hills. We are going to do touring while in LA/Beverly Hills with our base at Residence Inn (if this is a good location?). Then we are driving downt to Laguna Beach and staying at Vacation Village. We could get connecting rooms with our kids, its right on the beach and close to town and the price was more resonable than anywhere else. Any other recommendations are still appreciated!! Thanks for everyones help!!