LA is 469 square miles and that is not counting what many refer to as the "greater LA area" so staying on the outskirts is not practical unless you want to spend a lot of time driving.

rather i always stay central in any city i visit,

So what are you considering "central" in Los Angeles? I'm truly interested in hearing where that place is (born and raised in LA).


As others are pointing out, LA is not like other major cities. I can't think of any others actually that are so spread out... well Houston I guess.

Agreed it's spread out, the public transport system is not good enough to cater for touristy places and no central location

won't be easy to reach out at various places even, so best bet is to rent a car

I found downtown fairly central to stuff. Don’t know if I’d stay there again, because I think I prefer staying at the beach, and driving elsewhere even if it meant more time in the car. So in that respect I agree with the OP.

But yeah, no matter how centrally you stay, it won’t be central to everything. You spend time in the car regardless.

I lived in LA about 15 years and I would consider the mid-Wilshire area central, I don't think that's such a difficult concept. That is central. AS far as tourists are concerned, I think you can end the area of interest just to the east of the downtown area, the 5/10 freeway.

There's actually plenty of places within the budget, even in the higher priced neighborhoods, if you know where to look. If you are renting a car, I'd suggest a place like the Wilshire Motel on Wilshire Blvd. in the WLA/Brentwood area. Offers free parking, continental breakfast, free wifi and a variety of different rooms that could accommodate the 3 of you. Right in your price range. If you choose to use public transportation, the Big Blue Bus is right on Wilshire Blvd. (Route No. 2) that will take you to the beach in Santa Monica, to the west, UCLA to the east. You can transfer to one of the buses on Westwood that goes down to the Expo line, then take the Expo light rail into downtown, or visit some of our great museums by USC.

With a 12 year old in tow, I would NOT stay at any of the places you were considering in Hollywood at that price point.

And don't discount Pasadena. So long as you are close to the Gold line, or have a car and find a suitable room with free parking, it will be easy getting around. Except, that is, if you are staying around May 11th, when the Rolling Stones will be playing the Rose Bowl!

@surfergirl - Thanks for the suggestions
With a 12 year old in town, I would NOT stay at any of the places you were considering in Hollywood at that price point. (pls explain)

Hurray !! the topic of where to stay in LA has again opened up

Finalising our hotel in LA with a budget of USD150/ and would be best to get breakfast included and free parking, but can survive without it.

Arriving for the very first time at Los Angeles intl airport after a flight of 20-22hoirs at around 1-2 pm on about June 06, 2019 and would be staying for our first leg at LA to do/see the following in 4 days

*Beverly Hills , rodeo drive and the shopping street
*Hollywood and Hollywood walk of fame
*shopping at Grove and any other good mid range brand shopping or any outlet mall
* Farmers market
*Universal studios
& if time permits that Santa and venice beach

Hotels under review are
*Hotel Solaire
*Tuscan Garden Inn
*Super 8 Hollywood
*Super 8 downtown
*Travelodge Vermont
*Dixie h/wood

Could i get some input on above hotels so as to finalise. All above hotels have almost same price

Thanks

Have further short listed to below 3 hotels

*Tuscan Garden Inn
*Super 8 Hollywood
*Travelodge Vermont

may I get some opinion , suggestions and advise

thanks

Have you read the reviews for each hotel on Trip Advisor?
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...alifornia.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...alifornia.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...alifornia.html

Make sure you know what Parking will cost if you are on a budget.

Another budget hotel in Hollywood is the Motel 6.

Travelodge Vermont is the only one of those 3 that I'd even consider. Coral Sands Motel is nearby and probably a better choice in that budget range because the Travelodge has traffic noise day and night as well as hospital sirens. Super 8 Hollywood is a dump, Tuscan is in a terrible location for a family visit.

Check the prices at Wilshire Crest Hotel, Park Plaza Lodge Hotel and maybe the Travelodge Culver City and the Dunes on Sunset.

Please listen to clarkgriswold. Some of the other places you've short listed are either dumps, in inconvenient locations, or in sketchy areas . . .

You are very fortunate that so many people are doing your travel research. Listen to them; most of these places are inexpensive for a reason: bad neighborhoods, noisy freeway adjacent, etc. You might consider trying to move your price point up for city visits. Less shopping, more safety would be key for me. And I say this as a parent, grandparent and long time LA native.

I agree. Skip the mall. Put whatever money you were planning to spend on "shopping" into a better place to stay.

Have you even read the reviews? Do you really want a place that many people called outright "dirty" and reporting cockroaches, etc.

Have you considered an Airbnb instead? Just be sure your stay is finished before July1...

@socialtravel - Fodors community has always been a great help when planning a vacation , especially the small details and since joining Fodors.com i have been taking guidance continuously and the community/members have helped me a lot

Shopping, staying at a nice clean & safe hotel & spending money on other tours & theme parks is something we want to do and do all, but offcourse we do have a budget in mind and keeping in mind that coming from a county like Pakistan we have to spend a lot on airfare and our currency is also weak therefore price do matter but a bit of re-search and help from forums like Fodor is always a great help

With the suggestions of Fodors community, i have now booked "Dunes Inn Sunset" for initial 4 niights i.e 3 full days in LA where we would like to cover
*Beverly Hills , rodeo drive and the shopping street
*Hollywood and Hollywood walk of fame
*shopping at Grove and any other good mid range brand shopping or any outlet mall
* Farmers market
*Universal studios

Would a car be necessary ?

Note : We do not jump a lot - I mean, if we are at Universal then we would be there for a whole day

Thanks again

Car would not be "necessary" from that location but since you have 5 full days you would be able to get out and see a lot more of the city (which is 1250sq km).

The metro (underground) is a block away at Hollywood/Western and will get you to Universal in 12 minutes or into downtown L.A (7th St metro center). in 12 minutes. The California Science Center (free) will require a switch to the expo line at 7th Street. Your hotel is also 2km from the main Hollywood tourist blocks so you'll be using metro to get there and back as well (or bus, same price).

A bus runs along Sunset which will take you to the Sunset Strip....from there you could take a bus to the Grove or Beverly Hills. Or, from your hotel you'd walk down to Santa Monica Bl to take a bus to West Hollywood/The Grove and then to continue onward to Beverly Hills. There's a "Rapid Bus" (regular fare) that runs along Santa Monica Blvd that will take you to the ocean/ Santa Monica Pier but it takes about 75 minutes so get window seats.

From the airport you can take Flyaway Express to Union Station and then the red line to the Hollywood Western stop, walk down one block and then west one block to the hotel. There is also a Flyaway Express to Hollywood (less frequent) and then you'll have to metro(southeast) to Hollywood Western. The Flyaway is payable on the bus by debit card or credit card only. Or you can purchase tickets online. These buses pickup outside baggage claim at the airport and run approx. $10 per person.

To plan your metro or bus trips use trips.metro.net and put Sunset/Western as your starting point (hotel). For example starting point "SUNSET/WESTERN" and ending point "THE GROVE" (or "Santa Monica Pier")…...then hit CONTINUE at the bottom of the page.

You can also use Google Maps Transit option for trip planning (click the tram symbol).

You may see some DASH circulator buses since there are stops near your hotel. They also run around Downtown, to the Observatory etc.

Fares are low (50 cents cash or 35cents with the ap)
https://www.ladottransit.com/lamobile/index.html

From the airport it might be easier with 3 of you and luggage to use SuperShuttle Execucar ($57) exclusive shuttle door to door.

They can take public transit for some stuff they want to see, but they have mentioned shopping multiple times and for that I strongly recommend using your car (plus if you visit several stores or malls you can lock purchases up in your trunk).