Help me choose a hotel please (in Los Angeles)
 

hello all,
can I please get some help. We will be in LA for 2 nights. Arriving on a Monday, and then leaving on Wednesday morning to fly to NYC. The flight time for that morning is 9am.
We will be arriving in LA, later in the afternoon on a Monday as we will be driving from Las Vegas. We are from Australia, and my husband is not too keen on driving around LA
So here are my options:
1) stay at Best Western Sunset Plaza or
2) stay at Holiday Inn Express, walk of Fame.
If we do this we will need to keep the car to look around and then drive ourselves to the airport on the Wednesday morning. Price will be about $179 per night for Best Western and $160 for Holiday Inn, which includes breakfast. I believe parking has a charge, but it is not a ridiculous amount. The rooms are twin doubles.

Or I can do
(3) STay in Santa Monica. Loews have a travelzoo special which is $159 per night for twin doubles. Just standard room. There is not breakfast. We would hand in our car if we arrive. We will be booking through Hertz (as I get company rates). There is a Hertz drop off at Loews which is convenient. Also, we could look around Santa Monica when we arrive, and then on the Tuesday take a Hop on Hop off to get around LA. Again convenient because the HoHO bus stops at Loews. Then we could take a taxi on the Wednesday morning.

Is option (3) the best. I will be travelling with my husband and 17yr old.
Any other suggestions also welcome.
thanks in advance.

Also take a look at www.hotwire.com. Santa Monica Loews would tempt me.. see what others say.

I think it depends on what you want to do while you're in L.A.

Do you want to relax at the beach? Stroll at Venice Beach? Go to the Getty Villa? If so, stay in Santa Monica.

Do you want to go to Disneyland? Universal Studios? Hollywood? If so, you might want to stay at either Best Western Sunset or Hollywood Walk of Fame. They'd both be fine.

Santa Monica gives you a lot of activity, shopping, beach, boardwalk, restaurants and ocean ALL within walking distance... then add the Hop on to take you around the rest of LA..... it's an excellent location...

plus its perfect for a 17 year old...dude

We just got back from L.A. stayed one night post cruise at the Palomar in upscale Westwood. Top flight boutique hotel, near the Getty Museum. We paid $229 but that included dinner at their amazing restaurant BLVD 16 and a free movie in room or at the theater 2 blocks down the street. They also have a hotel car that will drop you off in a 2 or 3 mile radius and best of all they offer free wine from 5PM to 6PM each evening in the lobby, each glass they pour is equal to 2 to 3 glasses in a restaurant and you can get refills.

If you have a 9AM flight you may not have time for breakfast the final morning. We had a 9:30AM to New York and we left the hotel at 7AM on a weekend, with weekday traffic you will probably have to leave earlier.

They have a parking garage, but not sure what it costs, since we didn't have a car. Taxi to airport ran about $50 with tip in very little traffic.

It does depend on what you want to do but the Loew's deal sounds good. Your son would like Santa Monica. Don't know all the stops for the Hop On Hop Off bus but you would get to see some of LA without driving.

I like #3, the Santa Monica idea BY FAR the best. Why wouldn't you keep the rental car with this plan (I'm not clear on that detail)?

Santa Monica isn't that far from LAX. I'd agree that Santa Monica is the best option.

Does the Loews have an airport shuttle?

It depends on what you want to do. If you want to do sightseeing in Hollywood, stay in Hollywood.

If you are happy with Santa Monica, Venice and the Getty Museums, then Santa Monica will be fine.

Loews is very nice and is right on the beach. I'd jump at those rates.

I don't recall an airport shuttle, however it is an easy taxi ride for about $30...

thank you very much everyone - Loews it is. I have just booked. And the rates are very good.
I really was very concerned about getting to the airport on a Wednesday morning.
Have checked out the Palomar - I really liked this option, but I think we would need to keep the car, and my husband really does not want to drive in the traffic, especially to the airport.

Be forewarned ... the prices in the restaurant at Loew's are INSANE. If I'm recalling, at least $30 for a bowl of oatmeal, fruit, and coffee. Luckily, there are lots of other restaurants.

I love Santa Monica and the Loew's is fantastic--especially at that price. If you enjoy people watching and shopping be sure to visit the 3rd Street Promenade.

Venice will be quiet during the weekdays -- but I still recommend strolling on the boardwalk and wandering along the canals. I love watching the surfers and the sunsets from Venice Pier. You can often spot sea lions and dolphins from the pier.

One more suggestion .... if you have a car -- breakfast at Gladstone's at Sunset Blvd. & PCH. It's expensive (though not nearly as bad as Loew's) but very good, and worth it for the view and the beautiful walk after breakfast. Have also seen dolphins there many times.

I'll be returning in a few weeks for business and will be staying at Venice Beach. You've got me really looking forward to it!

thanks Songdoc - have started reading more reviews on Loews and fully understand the cost associated with just about everything there. But for $159 per night, cannot beat the location, and it will be a good spot to base ourselves.
Enjoy your trip too!!!!!!

If he's managed the drive in from Vegas -- your husband won't have any trouble driving from Santa Monica to LAX (or most anywhere else for that matter).

Is there traffic in LA, yes in spades, but it really isn't the nightmare some fear. Has someone fed him horror stories or is it just his own fear? Touring LA is much MUCH easier by car than by public transport.

Agreeing with janisj above, driving in Los Angeles is not difficult. It is a city built around traveling by car, people are good drivers there generally speaking, since everyone's always IN their cars! Santa Monica to LAX is a snap.

The good thing about traffic in LA is that it's usually so bunged up that people are not going too fast!

I will be travelling with my husband and 17yr old.
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Have your son drive. Seventeen year old males are fearless. :)
It can get congested and/or takes patience but it isn't dangerous.

remember, as in many large cities.. the 4 lane superhighways are not always the smoothest/fastest route certain times of day.

I tend to agree with your husband, driving in LA on the other side of the road, especially surface streets, is not that much fun. It is hard to look in the right spots for turning traffic when you are used to "the other way".

BTW Santa Monica has their own excellent bus system, the Big Blue Bus, which is especially good for getting round Santa Monica, Venice and Westwood. And you've already discovered the Hop On bus system.

The Getty museums very nicely post their public transportation directions online.

http://www.getty.edu/visit/hours/public_transport.html

www.bigbluebus.com

Sorry, I missed the fact that this poster is from a driving on the left-side of the road country. That does make things a bit trickier. And I can understand their reluctance.

>><i>I tend to agree with your husband, driving in LA on the other side of the road, especially surface streets, is not that much fun.</i><<

>><i>I missed the fact that this poster is from a driving on the left-side of the road country. That does make things a bit trickier. And I can understand their reluctance.</i><<

Sure that would make things trickier <B>IF</B> they were just getting off the plane. But this is at the very end of their holiday. They are driving in from Las Vegas -- and will be totally used to the driving by then.

But driving in from Vegas is just one loooong straight road thru the desert. That's a little different than a Los Angeles freeway at rush hour. I'm not trying to scare them off from keeping the rental car, because it IS by far the most convenient way. Just I understood their initial reluctance.

Yes freeway driving through the desert where you just put your car behind the one in front is a far different experience than city driving where there's a driveway or intersection every 50 feet or so. The biggest problem for me on international trips when driving on the other side is remembering where to look for oncoming or intersecting traffic. That, and the darn turnsignals and windshield wipers being in the wrong places.

Sorry, I missed the fact that this poster is from a driving on the left-side of the road country.
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So did I. And with just 2 nights in LA- if it were me I'd skip driving. It's one thing dealing with freeways and directions but it's an entirely different thing on the opposite side. Sounds very stressful to me.

OK - you won't just miraculously land on a freeway w/o driving on surface streets. Will you have a car when you are in Las Vegas or are you just collecting a car specifically for the drive into LA? (BTW -- if it really is just a 1-day rental to drive to LA, forget that idea and fly to LAX)

I guess I don't understand the problem. I drive in the UK frequently. Going back and forth from left to right hand drive takes a bit of adaptation. The initial hour or two requires some extra concentration -- but everything about the car helps that process. Now, IF you were driving a right hand drive car in the States, that would be a whole different kettle offish.

All of my British and Irish friends manage to rent cars and drive here w/o incident.

If your husband is a competent driver at home, he will be fine in Nevada/California.

If you take a taxi and use the tours, bikes and walking... you don't need a car... especially if the hotel charges for parking and you have a high rental charge... easy janisj... some people don't like to sit in slow bumper to bumper traffic... also when you get to the various attractions, you have to compete for parking spaces or pay more...

thanks all for your all the tips. One thing I know for sure is that my 17yr old will not be driving. Even though he thinks he is pretty good, he has just started lessons as in Australia we need to be 18 to get a licence and 120 hours of driving practice.
I am just going to cost out both options, and see which is best. My husband is a competent driver, but it has been a while since he has driven on the 'right' side of the road.

Maybe I'm left brained and driving on the left just comes easy, but I can get off a plane, into a car, and get on the M4/M25 in England after a 11 hour ride without any issue. And the road widths in L.A. are generally much wider than they are in England. Don't know about Australia. Whatever, your husband isn't goingto have to be zooming around town, since we haven't had the luxury of "zooming" in this town for years due to the traffic. He will be FINE. Just watch out for the "few" who are on mobile phones and not paying attention to the road. :D Everyone. Even the cops.

We had the privilege of driving to West Hollywood/Beverly Hills from South OC, yesterday. What a lovely drive. Add some rain in the mix and you might as well park it on the freeways. All I know is when I saw the HOHO bus I wished we were on it.

I think the Loews in Santa Monica is an excellent choice! Check out Abbott and Kinney Blvd for fun cafes and boutiques.

It's Abbot Kinney without the "and" and that's a nice area, but most busy on weekends. I hadn't been down Main St. in SM for some time, but even in the recession, it's still a nice walking stretch with some great breakfast places sprinkled in with the shops and bars.

Close to Venice boardwalk as well -- I don't think there's anything like it in the world! And on a warm Sunday afternoon, it is still a remarkable melange of upscale people trying to act downscale and laid back, hippies who dropped out and have still dropped out, crazies, muscle men and women, skaters, boarders, cyclists, you name it. A few weeks ago, I was down there, sitting outdoors in the warm California sun at a boardwalk cafe (Venice Bistro) listening to Peacefrog's weekly tribute to the Doors and watching the world go by.

I agree what a nice walking stretch younwould have from Santa Monica

One very nice place we like to eat lunch on the outdoor oceanfront heated patio: "Coast" restaurant at Shutters hotel. Also has very nice dinners with a view from some tables inside, too. Good for a teen, with its versatile menu. Mid-priced; not over priced.

A family Italian restaurant we like is C&O Trattoria, at Venice Beach. It is great for hungry teens. Watch out for the complimentary garlic rolls!

I agree that you don't want to make your DH drive in LA since he is not keen on it. LA driving is incredibly frustrating, especially when you have limited time there.

great dining ideas - thanks for the suggestions.
I am very happy with the choice to stay in Santa Monica. Will be a nice to just wander around.

The drive from Las Vegas to Santa Monica, depending on what hours and what day that you do it, can be many times worse than any driving that you would do in Los Angeles. Los Angeles streets run in a cross grid, all straight north to south or east to west generally, and it is very difficult to get lost even without GPS. Yes, the freeways are bad from 7am to 10am and from 4pm to 8pm, but they are a breeze especially on Saturday and Sunday mornings (generally speaking.)

Now, that Cajon Pass deathtrap on the drive in from Las Vegas, and the terrible traffic where the 15 meets the 210 or the 10 freeway....ouch. Did you say you were driving in on a Sunday or Monday? Nope, do your husband a favor and spring for the air tickets.