Hotel help Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale
 

$125 is awfully low. Most of the time rates listed do not include state and local taxes so you are actually looking at a little over $100 per night.

You may have a better chance using airbnb or vrbo.

Why would you want to stay 25 miles from central Los Angeles? That can be 2 hours in morning or afternoon traffic.

Burbank is not bad if you want to see WB studios or things in Hollywood I guess. Safari Inn might be in budget range. The

The Park Plaza Lodge near The Grove and CBS is around $125 usually, includes parking and is a safe neighborhood. With only two days if you want to see things in L.A, stay in L.A. It is not unsafe or scary.

We stayed in Glendale at the end of our trip to California a couple of years ago. Loved the area, the shopping (to us Australians) was fantastic. Shops and restaurants directly across the road from the Vagabond Inn. Area was clean and safe and parking free. I just checked and cheapest rooms are US$132 plus tax. There were a couple of other motels next door or close by. I agree that if you want to see things in central LA, Glendale or Pasadena seem a long way out but we had no trouble finding things to do in that area. The Huntington Collection is not far and the Nethercutt car museum is amazing (and free).

Kay

I just posted a long reply and when I went to post I got a database error and lost my post-grrr! We used to live in LA and now go often to visit friends in the area. Although we never lived in the valley we often base there as it is a good place to base to see most things and there are good properties that are in safe places with free parking. Here are some that come up in the price range you want for those dates on booking.com

In Glendale: Sakura Motel-it gets great reviews and is close to the 2 freeway (Glendale freeway) that can take you right into Silverlake area and close to Hollywood and downtown.

In Pasadena: Howard Johnson by Wyndham Pasadena is a good property-we have stayed there a number of times. It is further east than the core tourist area but still a good location across from Pasadena City College so good coffee and food around. Next to it is the Saga Motel where we stayed one time and it is fine too. I personally like the Howard Johnson a bit better-the Saga had a lack of plugs for laptops cell phones etc. but otherwise was fine. The Comfort Inn Near Old Town Pasadena in Eagle Rock is also a good property but not as much in walking distance but the rooms are nice and they have free parking etc. The Green Tree Pasadena is also a good property in a great location. And for me the Vagabond Inn Executive Pasadena is coming up at $109 on booking.com

In Burbank: Portofino Inn Burbank is in the right price range and a good location and in nearby Studio City a kind of funky place called the Showtime Motel gets great reviews

I hope this helps-I think you can find a place that will work for you and make a fine base to visit the area.

We have stayed in the Residence Inn by Marriot in Newhall just off I-5 on The Old Road. It is less than $100/night and has stove, refrigerator etc in the kitchen. You can save quite a bit if you make your own breakfast and pack lunches.

To give you some idea . . . Newhall will take a minimum of an hour to Hollywood & Highland, or 90 mins to 2 hours to Sant Monica, or 90 mins to the La Brea Tar Pits. And those times are if the traffic cooperates.

jpie makes some good suggestions. Use a site like booking.com and check the pre-pay, non-refundable rates which can save quite a bit.

>>Having no idea that staying further outside of LA would mean a long time in traffic. Having no idea of how big the LA area actually is . . .<< sounds like you need to do quite a bit more research. I'm a bit concerned about the rest of your plans if traffic and distances in LA surprise you. That is not meant as a criticism - if you haven't been before, its hard to understand how ENORMOUS the LA area is.

But maybe -- tell us the rest of your plans (before and after Los Angeles) because other parts may have distance and drive time problems too.

Fortunately, that isn't a high-demand time of year and being a weekend helps with traffic somewhat. But I would try to narrow down what you'll be seeing. If you accept prepaid hotels that also gets you a bit of a reduction as does joining their loyalty program (which sometimes gets you a cancel window of a few days).

I like to use Google Maps to hotel search. Look for something around $100-$110/night to allow for the TOT (hotel tax) of usually 10-14%. Staying out of high demand areas will also reduce your parking charge. If you're willing to travel outside of commute hours, your drive is cut in half.

You really need to narrow down what you want to see. If it's Beverly Hills for example, staying closer to the airport might be better than the Glendale-Pasadena area.

While your budget CAN be done, it may mean more time in the car. Look for example at the Springhill Suites in Arcadia (east of Pasadena) which is under your budget. Or the Cambria Hotel El Segundo (under $250 for 2 nights plus $10/nt parking). There may be others in El Segundo but those are just examples.

Was "central LA" just a reference point? Although there is a lot to see in downtown LA, the sightseeing that most people come here for is spread out over the entire area... studio tours, amusement parks, observatory, museums, parks/gardens, hiking, beach cities, shopping. There is no one place to stay that wouldn't involve some backtracking depending on your sightseeing. You say you don't have any definite plans, but I suggest you have some idea of what you want to do/see before you decide where to stay.

With a modest budget, you should study the public transportation maps. You can cover longer distances faster by train than bus, but the bus coverage is more comprehensive. (Santa Monica and Culver City also operate their own bus systems.) Find lodging with free parking (Hilton Garden Inn, Super 8, etc.) and buy a multi-day transit pass. Maps.google.com shows lodging near transit lines. Other areas to consider would include North Hollywood, Culver City, El Segundo. Some sightseeing might still be easier by car, but then you'd have to pay for parking wherever you go. Parking adds up, esp. in downtown LA.

https://www.metro.net/

Short-term rentals are mostly illegal in the city of LA unless the owner remains on-site, but some cities like Glendale and Pasadena have more lenient regulations. Just because a booker tells you the rental is legal doesn't mean it is, so 'buyer' beware.

Newhall is a red herring. You wouldn't stay there unless your target was Magic Mountain.

Instead of 25 miles, I'd suggest 10-15 as a more workable radius. If you research what you might want to see, we can suggest other areas.

Since you'd be here on a weekend, I can't recommend Downtown Los Angeles. The homeless situation is out of hand, and it will be more obvious on a weekend when the office workers aren't there.

I think a big problem with downtown is that most properties charge for parking. With booking.com I was actually looking for properties that allow cancellation-I prefer that as sometimes our plans change. But if you are very sure of the areas you will be visiting then you could book a non-refundable rate I guess.

In your price range I think you will do better in the valley-closer to the core areas to visit and still good properties. When I search Hollywood/West Hollywood on booking-the only two in the price range you mention that I might consider would be the Beverly Laurel (149/night) of maybe the Beverly Inn but it doesn't get as good reviews as the others I mentioned. Both are down not far from the Farmers Market and Grove which are great areas to stay and visit.

In Hollywood proper we recommended The Hotel Hollywood to a friend and she loved it-very old Hollywood but you have to pay for parking. Most of the properties I see on Booking in Hollywood show paid parking but with a good rate that might be okay even with paid parking. Another nice Hollywood property is Hollywood Celebrity Hotel. It is a bit pricier and paid parking but a great location. And the Rodeway Inn Hollywood is more reasonable and the location is fine as well.

If your primary objective is to visit various of the "big" tourist places then I wouldn't stay far west towards the ocean-it will cost much more and traffic could be tough. But as, janis mentions, if you can give us a clearer idea of your top priorities of where to visit then I am pretty sure we can steer you towards hotels/motels that will fit the bill.

Downtown L.A. I don't think you'd find anything decent with free parking. Plus there's traffic , lots of it.

Sat & Sun are the best times to visit if you are staying out in Glendale or Pasadena. Weekend mornings have lighter traffic .

As for having no idea how big Los Angeles is, it's 532 square miles. With just two days you'll want to decide what you want to see and do and then stay somewhere convenient.

There is non-hotel parking Downtown,although many don't allow overnight or are closed on Sunday. However World Trade Center is $7 and is 24/7 with overnight parking allowed. There's also the Pershing Square Garage which works for the Biltmore. $20 overnight rate.

Also overnight at Union Station East if you're going to use the mass transit system. That's only $8...So parking isn't really the issue. There are others. Beside the homeless population living all over the sidewalks, there are few decent hotels in the OPs price range when you add taxes.

Probably the Metro Plaza comes closest. They have valet parking with in/out for a very modest $5/nt. However this hotel is still over the desired budget especially with the high taxes.

I think with those destinations I would still stay in the valley maybe Burbank or Glendale close to the 2 freeway or Rodeway Inn Hollywood. From there it would be pretty easy to do Hollywood Forever and Grauman's. If you can it would be best to try to get into the hotel on Friday by 3PM check-in time otherwise traffic on a Friday night is going to get scary :) Alternatively try to arrive after 7PM if you have to work that day in LV. Then on Sunday you could easily check out Pierce Brothers in Westwood and even the Santa Monica Pier on your way down to SD. Of course the Pier and beach area will be busy on a weekend but that doesn't look like that is something you can change.

If you go to Hollywood Forever, say hello to Agent 86. Glendale's Forest Lawn is very cool, too. A couple of links to our visits.

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/hol...ery-hollywood/

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/22863-2/

Would you believe??? at Hollywood Forever ....

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0becc1c75b.jpg

Somebody should design that shoe phone for real these days it wouldn't be too hard :)

Which locations/ Look on Tripadvisor, Expedia, etc for reviews. I recommend looking at more than one review site, also. You can't trust Expedia/Hotels/Booking since they edit review content.