We are staying over one night in Los Angeles before flying to Hawaii. Does anyone know of a good, clean, safe and relatively inexpensive hotel near LAX? Or would it be better to stay farther away? Thanks for the help!

There are lots and lots of hotels (major chains) on Century Blvd. just down the road from LAX. It's perfectly safe to stay there, but there's nothing to do around the airport. Depends on how much time you have. If you have time to go out to dinner and see some things, I'd suggest Santa Monica, which is a short taxi or Super Shuttle ride from LAX. You won't need a car once you get there.

I dont like Century Blvd...too noisy from airplanes. I prefer the Marina (Marina del Rey) just a hop away from the Airport down Lincoln Blvd. There's a few hotels there....and a coupla motels, too. The Marina del Rey, The International, The Ritz Carlton, to name a few. They all p/u and d/o at LAX.

I dont like Century Blvd...too noisy from airplanes. I prefer the Marina (Marina del Rey) just a hop away from the Airport down Lincoln Blvd. There's a few hotels there....and a coupla motels, too. The Marina del Rey, The International, The Ritz Carlton, to name a few. They all p/u and d/o at LAX.

Kellie, We stayed at the Furama in April going to and from Europe. It's a few miles north of the a/p, cost $79/night (Triple A rate) and our rooms were more than adequate (not fancy but pleasant). The lobby was nice, the staff friendly and helpful and the shuttle ran every 15 min. to the a/p. There is a Ralph's Grocery store down the block and a Lucky's grocery across the street and up a block or so -- handy for any last minute forgotten items! There is a residential area behind the hotel which is nice to walk around in for some excercise if you have time, along with a park across the street. I would not stay at the Hacienda (rate comparable to Furama) again, we did last yr. back and forth to Hawaii and the staff were not any too pleasant. The rooms we had smelled a bit stale too, they were non-smoking rooms but you could still smell smoke -- if that is important to you be forewarned! We've also stayed at the Embassy Suites South which used to be the Crown Sterling. It was very nice and breakfast was included and quite good. They have gone up in price since Embassy Suites took them over tho.

It all depends on how much time you will have in LA -- getting away from the a/p area really only makes sense if you have alot of extra time. If you are going to be there only a few hours then it doesn't really pay I don't think.

A couple of yrs. ago we stayed at the Quality Inn on Century Blvd. Our room was quiet and on the trip back (also from Hawaii) they upgraded us and we had a very pleasant room. I would say the Quality Inn was fairly inexpensive (about $79 also). Many of the hotels along Century Blvd. cater to business people and the rates reflect it. We used to live in LA so maybe seeing the sights away from the a/p is not so important to us. The Marina area is lovely, but can be a bit pricey -- it really all depends on how much you want to spend, how much time you are going to be there and what is important to you. Having lived in LA for many years we don't feel we need to pay for a luxury hotel at the airport - I'd rather save that money for my final destination!!

I hope this helps a little. Enjoy Hawaii.

Try looking into El Segundo. It is a small town directly south of LAX. The Hacienda hotel has great rates and is clean. There are also some business suites hotels in the area that you could use. All have shuttles to LAX. If you want to spend a little more money, stay at Barnabey's in Manhattan Beach. A cute hotel with a really elegant restaurant, great for a quiet dinner for two.

Stay close to the airport at The Renaissance (formerly the Stouffer). VERY NICE hotel!

We stayed recently at the LAX Hilton & Towers and found it to be very nice. Room was fine (concierge level for $99), no plane noise at all. Lobby was also very nice. Didn't eat the food, so can't comment on that. They have a very convenient shuttle to LAX that leaves every 15 minutes. Parking (if you're a guest) is only $10/day.

We stayed at the airport Marriot a few years back. It's a nice looking hotel with some good food, but we didn't care for our room. (It may have just been bad luck for us, as some friends liked the hotel.)