Hi there,
we are looking for a modern, clean hotel to stay at before we fly back to Australia. ( We will be flying from Cancun to LA and will have 2 nights there )
We will do a little sightseeing and shopping. It would be good if there was a nice restaurant too.
Where do you suggest?
Price range approx $200US.
Thanks
Donna

Embassy Suites Los Angeles - International Airport/South <http://tinyurl.com/66sel2>

It is very close to the airport and has great amenities including free cooked to order breakfasts, free evening cocktails and complimentary business center (including computers with internet access).

Please, do yourself a favor. Use priceline.com, the 'name your own price' choice. You will save at least $100 and get a good LAX hotel.

A few years ago we needed a LAX hotel, and got it for $41, with breakfast. On the shuttle to the hotel, we spoke to man who said he paid $140. He was not happy.

I just checked on biddingfortravel.com, and the LAX Crown Plaza and Hilton, 3.5*, is going for about $60. The 3* Marriott Courtyard LAX is going for $45. For that savings you could have a really 'nice restaurant'.

Donna, if I remember correctly from your other posts, you will be here around Christmas. At that price point at that time of year, you can do MUCH better than the LAX hotels on Century Blvd. (The hotels are nice enough, but the surrounding area leaves much to be desired.)

I would recommend The Ayres hotel, which has a nice restaurant called "Matisse", the Manhattan Beach Marriott, or the Belamar. All are close to LAX, close enough to the freeway for exploring the rest of L.A., close to restaurants and shops and in very clean and safe areas.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.
We will fly into LA on the 19th of January and fly out late at night 2 days later.
We have changed our plans quite a bit.
We will now have 3 nights at the Renaissance Hollywood when we first arrive and then head to Lake Arrowhead resort for Christmas.
We will then be visiting San Diego, Palm Srings and Las Vegas.
We fly from Vegas to Miami to do a cruise and then fly from Miami to Mexico, Mexico to LA.
This part of the trip is at the end before coming home.
We have stayed at the airport before but it was some years ago and was a dive.
Thanks for all of your suggestions and help.
Donna

Dear Jed,
with the priceline,
do you know which hotel you are booking?
For some reason, I am having trouble getting on the site.
I will keep trying.
Thanks
Donna

<do you know which hotel you are booking?>

No, but with checking on biddingfortravel.com you can get a good idea.

Again, it seems to me that the Crown Plaza, Hilton, or Marriott would be more than adequate for 2 nights, especially with the low price.

Having recommended priceline, I strongly advise you to bid only if you know what you are doing. Many people are disappointed with it because they don't know how it works. If you plan to travel much in the future, it pays to learn how it works. There is much info on Fodors forums, and on BFT. The best is to find someone who knows how to do it and personally help you the first time.

I will add:

If you don't know how priceline works, don't use it.

If you are going to travel much in the future, it would be to your significant advantage to learn how it works.

Marina del Rey is not far from LAX. I am not sure which hotels there offer airport shuttles (if any), but it's a very cheap cab ride anyway. We stay at the Marriott Courtyard there, but you can splurge on the Ritz if you want, or the other, upscale Marriott there. It's a good location for visiting stores and restaurants nearby.

I am also not sure how Priceline works for those residing outside of the U.S., (different credit card chargeback laws, etc.) but that might be a question for another thread.

The January prices for those hotels that I mentioned are substantially higher than the December rates, but still under $200. Keep checking sites like www.travelzoo.com (in Nov. & Dec. right up until you leave Australia) for specials. Most properties only post their specials 30-60 days out. If you see something interesting, you can come back here and ask us Fodorites about the hotel/location before booking.

BestWestern-JamaicaBay.com is your best bet.

Also can recommend Hilton Garden Inn (El Segundo) and Four Points Sheraton.

I agree with clarkg. I like the Hilton Garden Inn in El Segundo. Very comfortable. Can walk to the metro.

We've stayed at La Quinta LAX on the way to Hawaii, which was fine for 1 nights stay, there is a shuttle to the hotel that runs every 15 mins. It was inexpensive and perfectly OK. We have also stayed at Residence Inn Manhattan Beach, no airport shuttle, we rented car for the 2 days we were there. Manhattan Beach was very nice area and convenient for the airport, plus the Residence Inn gave us lots of restaurant recommendations for the Manhattan Beach area.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. I will let you know where we end up.
We have left this until last as we thought we would have plenty of options.
I will check out the variuos sites and hotels you have all metioned.
Thanks again
Donna