We are a family of six (kid ages 5-11) visiting LA the week of August 20 and looking for a hotel in the Hollywood area. A two-bedroom suite w/kitchenette is probably best given we have young children. A NY Times article recently recommended the Magic Castle Hotel and the Hollywood Roosevelt. The former looks like it would be a good bet. Any comments on the Magic Castle or other recommendations?

Is there is a reason that you want to actually stay in Hollywood? To me, it's worth about a 2 hour stop on your vacation, not a full week's stay, especially with little kids.

Maybe if you tell us what you plan to see while in L.A., we can give you more options.

That being said, the Resaissance, adjacent to the Hollywood & Highland complex also gets good reviews. I'm not sure about the 2-br suites, though.

I assume if you stay at the Magic Castle you are allowed to go to the dinner show, so that should make it worthwhile. I would check Trip Advisor for reviews.

faure:

i did some research on the Roosevelt by going to hoteladvisors.com and one former guest complained that the rooms are very tiny and this was from someone going on vacation with her boyfriend only so i'd imagine that the way bigger group you want to go with would feel downright claustrophic in the rooms.

I'm pretty sure that mlgb is right about getting into the dinner show at the Magic Castle if you're a guest at the hotel. But I'm also agreeing with lvk: Unless you're doing something specific in the area (say, taping a show or appearing in a play or musical event in the area), Hollywood is not the best place to center an LA vacation. Of course, it's considerably less expensive than the more desirable areas (the beaches, Beverly Hills/West Hollywood), especially when you're barely a month out from your arrival date.

The Magic Castle or the Renaissance might be your only options at this juncture (the Roosevelt has just gone through a nice renovation, but the rooms are indeed quite small-- which New Yorkers wouldn't obsess about, given the size of Manhattan hotel rooms) in that part of LA. But you might look in Westwood-- or try the Doubletree Guest Suites and Sheraton Four Points in Santa Monica or even the Marriott Marina del Rey. They might have larger suites in your price range.

Thanks for the ideas - here's our agenda. We are in LA for a week,then down to stay at a rental beach house in La Jolla for a week, but the first three nights, two days are in a condo near Disneyland (in Orange). Then we wanted to head north and stay near Hollywood for the last three nights and go horseback riding in the Santa Monica Mountains, hike near Devil's Punchbowl in the Angeles Nat'l Forest, check out the Botanical/Sculpture Garden at UCLA then hit Zuma Beach and take in the view at Point Dume. So we would be open to finding a hotel that puts us in driving distance to those points of interest, ideally with a pool. We are willing to spend up to $350/night.

I think the Westwood area, as rjw suggested, would be the best bet for that L.A. Itinerary.

You could also try the new Hotel Angeleno, the large, cyclindrical, former Holiday Inn, just off the 405 freeway in Brentwood. It has been recently renovated and reopened as a boutique hotel.

However, for a family of six, I would suggest looking for Residence Inn/ Embassy Suites-type properties.

Unfortunately, after checking I found the Residence Inn does not have suites for six people; nor do they have adjoining/connecting rooms. Maybe one of the other hotels (anyone familiar with Farmer's Daughter, recently given decent marks in NY Times?) in the Westood/Brentwood area has adjoining rooms? Anyone familiar with hotels in this area?

In Hollywood, you might try the Orchid Suites (ck. Tripadvisor for comments). In Westwood, there is a Doubletree and a small motel the " Claremont" (as well as others) You could also stay on campus they have a hotel available, Hilgard House.
here is the link to the available hotels in WESTWOOD:
http://www.housing.ucla.edu/housing/hotels.htm

travisblue:

Thanks very much for this helpful link!