I would love some help trying to figure out the best way to see as many sites as possible and avoid wasting a lot of time in traffic. We fly into LAX at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday night and then fly out again at 10:30 at night on Monday. I was thinking of getting a hotel room close to the airport when we arrive and then start the site seeing Sunday morning. We would like to spend one day around the beach area and one day seeing the sites in LA. Logistically what order should that be done in and what area should we spend the second night in. Any other suggestions for site seeing would be appreciated as well. We will be renting a car.

The Marina Del Rey-Santa Monica-Venice beach area is pretty near the airport, so if it were me, I'd choose one hotel for two nights in that area. Spend one day in the Santa Monica-Venice-maybe Westside area, and all day Monday driving around to other sites and areas you want to see.

Manhattan Beach is just south of the airport, and I think nicer than Venice. Easy to spend a day there eating, shopping, and swimming.

I agree with DDA. Manhattan, Hermosa, or Redondo Beach are only 15 minutes from the airport. Book the same hotel for your entire visit. Start your day with the beach right outside your room.

I frequent the Crown Plaza Redondo that does offer LAX shuttle and has rental cars on sight. Request an ocean view room.

You can't go wrong with the Manhattan-Hermosa Beach idea (I'm not as big a fan of Redondo Beach)

I live in Manhattan Beach. Since it's so close to LAX, it would be an easy first night destination. But whether it's the best location to stay for both nights depends on what you want to see while you're in town. Many people don't realize how big L.A. is, and Manhattan Beach is not in a central location.

So what do you want to see/do here? Are you coming this Saturday 4/14?

You ask about the order, and I think it all depends on what you are looking for in your beach day. If you want to have the feeling of having the beach practically to yourself, then Monday would be your beach day. If you and your teens want to see the spectacle that is Venice Beach and the weekend activities at the other beaches (volleyball, skaters, cyclists, sometimes hang-gliding and remote-control airplane flying) and just all-around people watching, then Sunday would be the best day.

However, because of traffic, Sunday would also be the optimal day for sight seeing. Less time sitting on the freeway and more time seeing the sites. A hop-on, hop-off bus tour would be a great way to hit all the sites without worrying about driving, directions, and parking. Starline offers a open-top double-decker bus. www.starlinetours.com/los-angeles-tour-HOHO.asp

I also agree with staying closer to Manhattan Beach for both nights. Less time spent repacking, checking in/out. There are a few reasonably-priced suite hotels that are a right off the freeway, close to LAX and a short drive to the beach. The rooms are a little larger and they offer free parking and breakfast. Look for TownPlace suites, Springhill Suites, or Residence Inn. Since you will probably be spending very little time in your room, you could also bid on Priceline for a 3.5 star or above in the Manhattan/Redondo area. I would stay away from the LAX hotels around Century Blvd.

Agree your first night about staying in Manhatten area - or even north at Santa Monica, both close to the airport and then you don't have to move twice. And Venice has some cute places but it also has some iffy areas.

And the kids would probably like driving up the Coast a bit to see fabled Malibu, and also - seeing some of the sights in/around Hollywood.

BTW -have you asked them what they want to do? Is Disneyland old hat? Or walking around UCLA/Westwood, or the USC campus?

I love staying in Manhattan Beach (with friends so no hotel recs) then walking The Strand to Hermosa Beach Pier Street. Rent bikes and ride the Strand through Marina Del Ray to Venice Beach.
Ann Marie

After reading the feedback, I think we've settled on the Embassy or Springhill Suites near LAX for the first night, but I'm still torn on whether or not to try and find a reasonably priced hotel in Hollywood for Sunday night. If we spent the day roaming the beach and driving the coast on Sunday, how long would it take to drive from the Manhatten beach area to see the Hollywood sites on Monday and then drive back to the airport around 7:00 p.m. Monday night. Are we talking 1 1/2 hours each way? For this reason, I was thinking it might be better to head up to Hollywood Sunday around 5:00 p.m. and then we'd be right there Monday morning. Thoughts?

We will be coming on the 5th of May. The kids are not interested in amusement parks, but simply want one beach day and one day seeing as much of the major sites in Hollywood as possible.

The only time I would recommend staying at LAX is if you have a very early or very late flight, which is exactly your case. Get up and out of there Sunday and then as you asked drive up to Hollywood to spend Sunday night to avoid Monday rush hour. Then, be prepared to fight the traffic back to LAX Monday. I think it sounds a lot less stressful to stay two nights at a beach hotel with an airport shuttle and then take the Hop On Hop Off tour bus of sights the next day. This might be the only scenario of not renting a car in LA.


I do not know where you are traveling from but if your kids idea of a beach day is to spend it sunning and playing in the water please note the current weather and have a contingency plan. Riding bikes on the strand is a great plan, if not raining, as is exploring the tide pools off Palos Verdes (for which you would need a car). I hope you hit a beautiful sunny weekend, but even if you do, the water right now is in the mid 50's.

Honestly, Hollywood itself is not worth more than a few hours, IMO. It is not an attractive area. Which specific attractions are you hoping to see? When you use the term "Hollywood", do you mean Hollywood sign, walk of fame, Beverly Hills, maybe a studio tour in Burbank, etc.? We could help you better if you were a bit more specific about what specifically in LA you were hoping to see.

I still think it would not be worth packing up all of your stuff Sunday morning and checking out of your hotel, spending all day at the beach and then heading up to Hollywood at night to check into a new hotel. If you leave your MB hotel after 9:30 am on Monday, you should be there in 40 minutes or so.

Actually, thinking about this further, it depends on where you plan to end your day on Sunday. If you will be way up in Malibu or points north, then it doesn't make sense to drive all the way back to the South Bay, then to Hollywood in the morning. However, if you plan on ending your day closer to the South Bay beaches, then having dinner then walking around the Manhattan Beach Pier area (for example) is much more attractive than Hollywood Blvd. at night.

I agree with lvk about Hollywood. If you were going to the theater or the Hollywood Bowl in addition to checking out Grauman's and the Walk of Fame, I'd think it was worth it. Otherwise, there are much more interesting things to do/see in L.A.

In terms of the drive, you might get from MB to Hollywood on a Monday morning after 9:30 in 40 minutes, but I think the drive would take a non-local longer, perhaps closer to 50-60 minutes. (As I type this at 9:45 local time, Google estimates the drive MB to Hollywood at 50-55 minutes depending on the route.)

I live in MB and work in Beverly Hills (which is closer than Hollywood), and the commute takes me 40 minutes in the morning and longer in the afternoon. And I know every short-cut, detour, construction project and crazy-long traffic signal in between.

Again I say Manhattan Beach is great, and you could have a fun two days in the nearby area. But it's not necessarily the best location if you have sightseeing plans on the other side of town. You need to decide what you want to see/do here.

Well ... I completely disagree with the MB suggestions. With three teenagers there's no doubt: Venice Beach--and Sunday, it will be at its best.

Check out The Inn at Venice Beach for a place to stay. Santa Monica would be my second choice. Either way, include Venice Beach, and the 3rd Street Promenade and Santa Monica Pier (in Santa Monica) if you want to make the kids happy.

For excellent Mediterranean food in Venice, try Gaby's--but for pure atmosphere eat on the boardwalk.

Monday, stroll in Beverly Hills before or after Hollywood. You might also check out the Farmer's Market.

Other than maybe your possibly getting a cheap deal the first night - no idea why would you torment yourself by checking into a hotel the first night by the airport - and then transferring again the next day? Get one for three nights and make it easier on yourself.

And I would check the weather when you arrive - and if it's clear the first day - go to the beach that day/drive up the Coast a bit. The other day - you can simply drive to Hollywood - a little over half an hour from the Ocean if you are going after the morning commute traffic. Spend the mid-day there - maybe visiting the Mel's Drive on West Hollywood - http://www.melsdrive-in.com/ or the hot dog place - Pinks, whatever.

Then check out Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills - and finally - before say 3:30 - drive back out along Sunset all the way to the beach, mostly avoiding rush hour traffic.

BTW - from the airport to a hotel in Manhattern, Venice Beach or Santa Monica should be no more than a half an hour, especially later in the evening.

It's only two nights in L.A. Saturday and Sunday, departing Monday.

LAX to Manhattan Beach at 11:00 p.m. is 10 minutes at most.

The hotels near LAX that the OP is considering are less than 10 minutes from the car rental offices, probably less than 4 driving turns. If their flight is on time and they don't check any bags, they could be in their hotel by 11:30.

On the other hand, the drive to Venice and/or Santa Monica is probably 25-30 minutes. It could even take longer if there is more-than-the-usual Saturday night traffic due to it being Cinco de Mayo. It would be midnight or (probably) later before they're checked in.

I find amusing the comments about the 'trouble' of moving hotels for the second night. They're arriving late the first night and will basically just check in and sleep. In the morning, check-out will take 2 minutes and, assuming the OP can get the teenagers moving, they could be in the car and on their way in no time. Spend the day sightseeing and end up at the second hotel and check-in. Compare the second check-in (10 minutes?) to having to drive back to the first hotel at the end of the day. Whatever the final plan, they're going to have to drive back to the airport area, but a second hotel means they don't have to do it twice.

But once again I say it comes down to what you want to see/do. So far, all I've read is Hollywood and the beach.