beantown

I've done extensive research, read all the posts I can find on here, but am looking for some specific advice.

We're going to LA for Memorial Day weekend. Got a great deal on Jet Blue - $285 non-stop from BOS to Long Beach. We arrive mid morning on Friday and leave late Tueday night (we know we'll allow plenty of time to get to and from the airport).

Our assumption is we'd do two days in West Hollywood and two days somewhere quieter, particularly since we've booked Fri and Sat night at the Standard. For the second two days, we've leaned towards Santa Monica, but it seems the Viceroy is the only hotel to meet our criteria (great location, cool, fun, and pet friendly). So we could do that, but we're open to other areas. Is Beverly Hills different enough from West Hollywood to be worth it? Meaning, in two days will we have enough to walk and see that we didn't in W. Hollywood? If we wanted to drive to Santa Monica for an afternoon, how miserable will the drive be? Appears we'd have plenty of options in BH, including the Avalon, Sunset Marquis and even the Peninsula and BH Hotel, which surprisingly have rates in the 300's (we don't mind spending for a great place).

aschie30

My family lives in LA. BH is much different was West Hollywood. WeHo is all Paris Hilton and BH is all Elizabeth Taylor. You will find the restaurants and the lifestyle in BH to be much quieter than in West Hollywood.

Deborah

I live in LA, so let me jump right in. First of all, you don't need 2 days to see everything in Beverly Hills. The drive to Santa Monica will be fine and you will have plenty of time to do that. Heck, I'd even take a drive out to Malibu and enjoy some of the coast line. In my opinion, Beverly Hills is too close to West Hollywood to bother changing hotels. If you want something quieter, pop down to Laguna Beach for a couple of nights. If you want to stay local, I would definitely change to the Viceroy in Santa Monica instead of Beverly Hills. Just my 2 cents.

rjw_lgb_ca

Interestingly, none of the areas you are planning to visit are actually part of the city of Los Angeles. A point of trivia. They're all separate cities, FYI, within the LA city limits.

I'm siding with Deborah on this one. Two days in WeHo is plenty, and a spin through BH can be done in a few hours. If you must move to quieter digs, Santa Monica is perfectly fine for that. The Viceroy isn't in a stellar location of Santa Monica IMHO (I work up the street)-- everything of interest to visitors is a few blocks away-- but it's a perfectly adequate hotel. The "pet-friendly" requirement may be limiting your choices (my first would be the Georgian or the Fairmont Miramar). Laguna is a wonderful option.

All of these will put you at least an hour from LGB (I live a couple of miles from that airport); give yourself a minimum of 30-45 minutes for check-in and security when returning home.

beantown

Thanks all for the feedback - very helpful. Georgian is about $100 less than the Viceroy, the Miramar $50 more. I'd assume you'd recommend the Georgian in that case, but is the Fairmont worth it?

Any good Laguna Beach recommendations?

rjw_lgb_ca

The Miramar and the Georgian are both historic hotels. The Miramar has always gone for the high-end business/government clientèle, while the Georgian is more geared to standard tourists. I send clients to the Miramar and they all love it. Another more expensive option would be Casa del Mar (we did a conference there-- stunning place). The Miramar is closer in feel to a typical big city hotel, but in the middle of downtown Santa Monica.

The Georgian is reasonably priced and gets wonderful reviews from all the travel sites-- but it's not "cool". But wouldn't you rather save the money on lodging, get a comfortable, clean place in the middle of it all instead of Brit-chic attitude like at the Viceroy?

Laguna Beach? Pricey in general. The Surf & Sand resort has beach access and is quite nice. The Laguna Riviera is tourist-class, but a quick walk to the beach and nice. The Montage Resort is incredible-- and incredibly expensive. There are Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties down Coast Highway in Dana Point as well.

darbynorman

Agree with Casa Del Mar recommendation (if they take pets). You could take gorgeous drive up the coast to Santa Barbara and have lunch at the Four Seasons which is on the ocean and really nice.
Their rate shouldn't be too different from the Peninsula. Beverly Hills overated. Nothing to see except Rodeo Drive if you want to look in fancy store windows.

Deborah

Agree with RJW on the choices he gave for Laguna Beach. I wasn't promoting the Viceroy, I was only saying that I would choose that over a hotel in Beverly Hills. Santa Monica isn't my idea of quiet, Laguna Beach is though. I guess you just need to decide what you want to do in LA and work your hotels around it. Have fun.

turn_it_on

Just FYI, here's my trip report about the Hollywood Standard (I live in LA): http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34512045

And my LA trip report (and I still live in LA): http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34449400

Friday and Saturday nights at the Standard will be lots of fun, the lobby/lounge/pool area filled with the young and lovelies, and there's tons of clubs in walking distance of the hotel that are hip and happening. It's fun to join the party in your own hotel though, to walk downstairs and have a party going on, and then to be able to simply stumble back upstairs when the night is over.

I think staying in Santa Monica would be a nice change, and there's some really nice hotels on the beach there, as listed above. I really don't think moving to Beverly Hills is that great an idea; West Hollywood is a short drive to BH anyway. You could spend a nice day in Santa Monica, shopping, walking the 3rd Street Promenade, go down to the beach, eat at a nice restaurant, maybe visit Venice too, especially the canals, which are very quiet and pretty. On day two maybe you could drive up the coast a bit to find a quiet spot around Malibu or farther, pack a picnic. Or drive the other way to explore the southern beaches.

Of course, "quiet" and "Memorial Day weekend" may be at odds with each other. Good luck with that!

love
roxy

beantown

Thanks, Roxy (and others). I had read your great Standard review and it was one of the things that made me feel comfortable booking there. I've heared it referred to as an offspring between Motel 6 and Ikea, so I know about what to expect, along with the loud scene. But again, for two days we can tolerate it.

From what I can tell, Casa del Mar does not allow pets - the Viceroy and Georgian do, so those are our two options in SM. But I am intrigued by Laguna Beach. Montage is more than I'm willing to spend. Casa del Camino appears to be an option. Surf and Sand looks booked. Any other good choices in the area?

rjw_lgb_ca

Casa del Camino is charming, albeit a bit south of touristy downtown Laguna Beach. NOTE: No air-conditioning in the rooms. It's on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, so between ocean breezes and the generally mild temps on the coast, you won't need A/C in late May. Did you try the Laguna Riviera?

Deborah, apologies if you took offense. I know you weren't promoting the Viceroy. And you're right that it would be fine for basing an LA-area trip. Its style is a bit "WeHo" for Santa Monica, a bit jarring for what I consider a mellow (but a little urban) beach city. That's why the Georgian is the better choice in my book....

Deborah

Nope, no offense taken. What about the Inn at Laguna Beach? I haven't stayed there, but maybe RJW has some comments about that place. It looks nice on the web and might start around 159.

rjw_lgb_ca

I haven't stayed at the Inn at Laguna Beach, but I have also heard great things about it. Coincidentally, there's an article on the latimes.com website discussing a mid-priced motel in LB across the street from the Montage-- and liking it very much indeed. If anyone's interested, go to the latimes.com website and scroll down to the Travel section (right area of front page).

Deborah

I looked and can't find the article. What's the name of the place?

rjw_lgb_ca

Laguna Reef Inn:

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-...travel-weekend

Deborah

I saw the article on the Laguna Reef in the Times yesterday. This looks like a decent place to stay too.

Am1nChrist

Need some advice on hotels on or real near the beach in Laguna Beach area or near Diver's Cove. What about Seacliff Laguna Inn?
Will be there Aug 2005. $100 or less per night...
Don't need fancy just decent on the beach.