LA Hotels - has anyone stayed in these?
 

Currently a friend and I will be staying in Annheim for 6 nights in August (4-10). I am considering splitting this time between Anaheim and LA so I can see some of LA easier. I'm not sure if my friend will want to change hotels as she's more interested in seeing the Disney parks. Therefore, if I change hotels on my own I could end up having to pay for the whole room myself in addition to the half share in Anaheim (which is only $55 + tax per night).

I've been checking out some budget hotels in LA and was wondering whether anyone has stayed in these or knows what the areas are like. I'm looking at under $150 p/n + taxes (maybe more if friend will join me). I want something which is clean and in a safe area, close to at least some sights and/or transport. I don't want to stay near the beach. There are some cheaper alternatives near the airport, but think this might be a bit far from the sights too.

- Liberty Hotel, 1770 Orchid Ave, Hollywood (app. $105+ p/n)

- Wilshire Plaza Hotel, 3515 Wilshire Blvd (app. $105+ p/n)

- Hollywood Celebrity Hotel, 1775 Orchid Ave, Hollywood (app. $146+ p/n - rated #6 on tripadvisor)

- Hollywood Inn Walk of Fame Hotel, 2005 N. Highland Drive, Hollywood (bit more expensive at $175+ p/n - rated #50 on tripadvisor)

- Hollywood Orchid Suites, 1753 Orchid Ave, Hollywood (this is only a 1 star, but rated #11 on tripadvisor, app $128+ p/n)

Hotel Celebrity and Orchid Suites are fine, and well located to public transportation. Not much to see & do for a single tourist in the area however...you'd basically be hopping the bus or subway daily to go somwhere else.
Since it's August, you might prefer Westwood which is about 10 degrees cooler on average than Hollywood. Hilgard House near UCLA is fine and just within your price range, great neighborhood with good bus transport everywhere (students everywhere and they need to get around). However, the public transport to Hollywood from Anaheim is probably a little easier, you could Amtrak from Anaheim and then subway up to Hollywood if you don't have much luggage. For Westwood you'd probably want a shuttle service from Anaheim.

Thanks Joe. I've just checked them out. Is there more to do around Westwood? I understand I may have to travel a bit in LA, but at the moment it will be from Anaheim which is not sounding do-able, which is why I am checking out LA hotels.

My itinery is still very much in draft mode but I want to see things like:

Olvera Street
Universal Studios
Santa Monica / 3rd Promenade
Venice Beach
Walk of Fame
Rodeo Drive

Westwood is nice, and it's close to the things you'd like to see in the West side of town like Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. It's not too far from Hollywood takes me about 30-45 minutes each way by bus. I live near Hollywood and work in Westwood. Westwood itself has a little shopping, some restaurants, the Hammer museum. Myself if I were alone I'd prefer Hollywood (it's a mini Times Square). All the "touristy" stuff is located on Hollywood blvd, Walk of Fame, Kodak & Chinese Theater, the Hollywood/Highland center etc, and the redline subway has a stop here. Have you looked at Priceline? You can probably get a better deal than $150 per nite on a hotel. Priceline works well when traveling alone I use it all the time. Also try quikbook.com
Definitely take the Wilshire Plaza off your list, not much to do in the immediate area.

We stayed at the Hollywood Orchid Suites four weekends ago when we went to So Cal to meet our daughter and her husband when they had come up to LA for business.

The hotel is tucked away on its own little alley, which goes through but is closed to through traffic. It is literally a few steps from an entrance to Hollywood/Highland shopping mall and not more than that to Gramann's Chinese theater.

The suites actually have kitchens, at least ours did. The furniture is a little outdated, but the suite was very clean. It is listed in the AAA Tour Guide with a two-diamond rating.

I would not hesitate to stay here, if you can get a price you can handle.

For what you want to do and with your budget, staying at Orchid Suites is a good idea. Others you may want to consider are Bevonshire Lodge and Farmer's Daughter, both by the Grove.

Hollywood/Highland corner is convenient in a sense that you are right around Walk of Fame and a bunch of bars and clubs. And the metro is right there to go to downtown (Olvera St). Bus #217 takes you to the Grove and LACMA/LaBrea Tarpits, and Melrose Ave shopping. And Dash bus takes you to the Beverly Center. And you can walk 2 blocks south to Sunset Blvd and take the bus along Sunset Strip a bit further west. The same bus goes all the way to the beach down Sunset, or you can take 2 buses to get to Santa Monica/Venice in about 1 hr.

Will you have a car? If you will, you'll have more options to choose from.

Thanks smartcookie. I saw the Farmer's Daughter mentioned elsewhere, but it is a little pricy in August. At this stage I won't have a car. I'm not sure I wish to tackle the busy LA streets and freeways, especially driving on the "wrong" side of the road.

The problem is that Southern California is very spread out with poor public transportation - very limited metro, and mostly buses with long rides. It's really not that hard to drive here. It's laid out very well and it's hard to get lost. Get a GPS system in the car and you'll be set. If you choose not to anyway, just factor in all the time you will have to spend on buses to get around. For example, getting to the beach neighborhoods from central LA will take 1-1.5 hrs and 2 buses rather than a 30 min drive, etc. And you'll have to skip some parts that aren't accessible by bus. Also, not sure how you're planning to get from Anaheim to LA, since it's an hour away with no convenient fast public transportation.

Hi smartcookie. I'm still trying to answer all those questions myself. I'm still planning and may reluctantly have to get a car for a few days - can I avoid using the freeways within LA itself? By the way, would a bus really take much longer than a car to get from say either Downtown or Hollywood way to Santa Monica?

I'm now trying to work out all the places I want to go and then how to get there and where to stay etc. All I know is that the current arrangement of staying in Anaheim for the full 6 nights is not going to work!

It's actually quite easy to reach many of the common tourist spots within LA. Overbroad generalizations such as smartcookie makes really aren't helpful.

For example, the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus has a "Freeway Flyer" (Rte 10) that goes direct to downtown LA. Many of my former coworkers used this line to commute to their jobs, and it's probably faster than driving in the morning.
Within downtown LA, the DASH shuttles (25 cents) can get you around if you're tired of walking.

To get between Hollywood and Downtown is as easy as the Metro Red Line (subway) and certainly faster than driving.

There are also a lot of "Rapid" lines with limited stops.

You can research connections using www.metro.net website.