Los Angeles in Nov (First time too)
 

I have read with interest the thread "First Time in Los Angeles". My husband and I will be in LA for a week in early Nov. - Sunday to Sunday. We are from Ottawa, Canada and it will be our first time there too.

We have family in Torrance and would like to spend a few days on the beach nearby. We are looking at Hermosa Beach or possibly another beach nearby. We would like to actually be on the beach, not just have a view of it.

We plan to spend the remaining days at a downtown LA hotel.

We can afford to stay in luxury hotels as we have worked very hard for a long time and have been (luckily) well-compensated.

Any suggestions on luxury hotels in those areas?

We are also planning to take a segway tour (they're such fun) and are trying to decide on downtown LA and/or the beaches of Santa Monica & Venice. Any suggestions there?

We plan to see The Getty and the Disney Theatre for sure. Also rent bikes and bike along the beach boardwalks.

Are there better and worse days to be there?

We are thinking of driving down to the San Diego Zoo for the day. Having read the other thread, I wonder if the traffic will make the trip too difficult and tiring.

This is the first time I have visited this forum. I have been amazed at how much thought and time some people have put into their responses.

This is obviously a very valuable place to find information not available from tourist info and I'm grateful it exists.

What does your family in Torrance think about staying in downtown L.A? Is there a reason you chose it over Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Westwood or Hollywood?

My husband and I decided that as there are a number of things we might want to see in downtown L.A.

Welcome to Fodor's IdaC.

If you want on-the-beach luxury, then there is only one way to go in Hermosa. www.beach-house.com They might have bikes for use for their guests. If not, right across 14th St. from the Beach House, Jeffers rents bikes, skates, etc.

Check out the Comedy & Magic Club to see who is playing while you are here. www.comedyandmagicclub.com Jay Leno appears every Sunday night to try out his material for the week. It is within walking distance of the Beach House. There are lots of good restaurants within walking distance, also. Your relatives in Torrance probably have their favorites, but let us know if you need any recommendations.

You shouldn't have problems with crowds at any of the tourist attractions in November. Weather will probably be cool and dry, in the 60's.

For your downtown L.A. hotel, you can probably score a great deal on a 4* on Priceline.com. The Westin Bonaventure has a rotating cocktail lounge with great views of the city.

I can't help you on Segway tours, as I don't know anyone who has taken one. I'd love to hear about your experience when you return, though.

Have a great trip.

If you are sure you want to stay downtown: try the historic Millenium Biltmore, the Westin Bonaventure, or the Standard.

How fast do those Segways go? I don't think I'd want to be riding around on one of them as a tourist in downtown L.A. One wrong turn and you'll be wishing you'd stayed in Ottawa.

Ida,
Well, lvk beat me to it. The Beach House in Hermosa Beach is the best and only place to stay right on the beach, near your family in Torrance.
You will be in restaurant heaven, as the neighboring towns of Manhattan and Redondo have many to choose from, as well as Hermosa. Be sure to walk, skate or ride a bike on the Bike Path or Strand.

Have fun!

I would select the Omni for a downtown LA hotel. Great central location and very upscale. I do love the lobby in the Biltmore, though, be sure to walk through or eat there if you have a chance.

I've heard mixed reviews of the Standard, I think it appeals to a younger audience and it has a "happening" rooftop bar.

First of all, the temps in November are usually warmer than the 60s. If we get Santa Anas during that time (likely), it can be in the 90s. I WISH it were in the 60s....

Is this your one and only time in LA? If it is, then driving to SD isnt recommended. Traffic can be an issue depending on when you go. Even if you dont hit traffic, youre probably talking about 4 hour drive roundtrip from downtown LA. Theres enough to do and see in LA....why go to a whole new city like SD that deserves its own vacation?

I must have done something wrong as my reply last night does not show here.
Thank you all for your suggestions.

To: Tracy2cents
I spoke with my husband and he said that he meant Beverly Hills when he said downtown L.A. (as opposed to other beaches).

To: lvk and MBNancy
Thanks for the suggestion of the Beach House. We will definitely look into that.

To: lvk and clarkgriswold
We took the Segway tour in San Antonio and loved it. They start you at a max of 4 mph and when you get used to them, they increase the max to 8 mph.

You can cover ground at a very comfortable speed. We sent my Dad (84 and VERY fit) on a Segway tour of the Venice beach when he was in L.A. last year and he didn't want to give up his Segway at the end of 2 hours. I highly recommend Segway tours. There are lots in L.A. - www.segwow.com

To: Johnnyman7
Thanks for your suggestion. My husband had guessed that it was only a 1 hour drive to San Diego (according to the map?) and we love zoos. Given info on this forum, I doubt we'll go only for the day if we go. Maybe overnight at the Laguna Ritz? Or stay in L.A. for the week.

I live in Long Beach (about 20 miles south of Torrance) and I'm actually driving with my fiance tomorrow to San Diego. I'm planning on it taking about 2 hours. If we hit traffic, it may be more.

One hour from Torrance to SD? No way! :-) In fact, if you want to stay on the beach in Laguna, it's probably about an hour drive from Torrance to Laguna Beach. You have to remember that LA is HUGE and the distances between cities can be quite far.

Manhattan/Hermosa beaches are really great beaches. Honestly, Orange County beaches (i.e. Laguna) arent that different...except more affluent people live there than up in Manhattan. But if you want a break from LA, you can go to Laguna for a night. That whole area (San Clemente, Laguna, etc) is great....

Honestly, if you want a really great like 2-night stay somewhere, I'd drive up to Santa Barbara or something. You can go wine-tasting and stuff (although beware that the route there becomes choked with traffic on the weekends).

I would stay in either Hermosa or Manhattan Beach to be close to your relatives. Or if you don't mind driving a bit (you need a car for this entire week anyway), stay in Laguna which is more luxurious. However, keep in mind that November is not beach weather and it's actually about 10 degrees cooler by the beach. You won't be sunbathing or swimming. It will be maybe 60-65 degrees, 70 if you're lucky. Check weatherbase.com for past temp averages.

That being said, what exactly are you planning to see in LA? I'm not sure if you've talked to your relatives already about this, but downtown in LA is not like downtowns in other cities. It is not a major destination at all, and many tourists skip it altogether. Of course, it sounds like you want to see a couple specific things there, which is fine, but this can be and should be easily done with a trip there from any other more happening area in a few hours. Traffic around downtown is pretty bad most of the time as well, so staying there will make it difficult for you to see most destinations in LA. Most people who come here to see the city stay in either Hollywood/West Hollywood/Beverly Hills area or in Santa Monica area. Since you will be spending some time at a beach already, and not during beach weather, I would recommend staying in BH or Hollywood. Renaissance Hollywood is in a good location, Chamberlain West Hollywood is great as well or Chateau Marmont, and there is a special on Beverly Hills hotel on Travelzoo for $69/night right now (normally $200). You didn't mention your budget, which would help with recommendations.

As already mentioned, you need a car to get around. Also, read a free guidebook online such as Frommers.com to pick the things you want to do.

If you only have 4 days or so in actual LA after the beach stay with your relatives, I would spend it all in LA without side trips. If you really want to do a side trip, Santa Barbara as mentioned is 1.5 north and would be great for 1 night or a day trip. You would drive up the coast as well and can see Malibu on the way. Pretty drive. San Diego really need 3 days in itself. Leave it for another time when you come during beachtime, and I would go to the Wild Animal Park instead as it's more unique than a zoo.

Thanks to smartcookie for the weatherbase.com link. That is a very useful site.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was mistaken and we plan to stay in Beverly Hills, not "downtown" L.A. We are on a luxury budget

With a luxury budget, I would do something luxury and unique to Los Angeles (great gorgeous locations) like Chateau Marmont http://www.chateaumarmont.com/ , Hotel Bel Air http://www.hotelbelair.com/, Beverly Hills Hotel http://www.thebeverlyhillshotel.com/...tes/index.html

There are also your Sofitel, Four Seasons etc

Hi IdaC. Check out the Modrian. It is in between Beverly Hills and Hollywood. The restaurant there, Asia de Cuba, is great and has good views.

To me the vibe at Modrian seems very "LA." No, I'm not from LA, but my friends who live there have taken me to the restaurant and also the club there (Sky Bar).

The price is $450 plus per night, so I think it qualifies as luxury budget.

Here is the Web site: http://www.mondrianhotel.com/

Oh, forget my mention of the Mondrian. It got terrible reviews on tripadvisor. Too bad. I've stayed at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City (also near Beverly Hills), which was nice but had more of a business travel feel.

IdaC,

Thanks for that segwow link. Very cool! The downtown L.A. one looks really interesting. I might just take some adventurous houseguests on that one. :) The Hollywood sign tour looks fun, too.

MBNancy, have you ever seen those segway tourists in Manhattan Beach?

Johnny is correct, it is at least a 2 hour drive from L.A. to S.D. I would save San Diego or Santa Barbara for a future trip. The Laguna suggestion is a good one for a day trip. Lots of neat shops and galleries.

Enjoy your trip to our state. I will be in your province next week -- for the first time! :)

After considering the comments on beach weather and San Diego on this forum we have decided (80%) to spend 3 days at the Ritz Marina Del Rey and 4 nights at the Beverly Wilshire.

Thank you all for your help. I hope we have made the right decision and would welcome any further comments.

IMHO - You may be happier with a Hermosa Beach/Beverly Wilshire split.

Hermosa has great restuarnats and the comedy club as well as the beach. Marina del Rey is not the beach - its a marina with high rises and not that far from Beverly hills.

Hermosa would give you a different and lovely flavor to LA.

I agree with denise -- I don't think of Marina del rey as the "beach" and it's not all that close to Torrance. I have a friend who lives in Marina del rey and we always go to Manhattan or Hermosa when we want the beach.

If you're going to stay that far from Torrance, you might as well stay at Shutters on the beach in Santa Monica for more of a true luxury "beach" feel. It's not that far from BH, but I think it would have a totally different vibe from the Beverly Wilshire.

I'm with Denise on this one (big surprise! :D )

I understand that the Ritz MDR is definitely more posh and has more amenities than the Beach House, but Marina del Rey does not give you that beach feel you say you are looking for. You will be in a marina, not on a beach. Your view will be of the boats and a bunch of high rises (widely known as "where divorced men go to live when their ex's get the house").

Uh oh, I guess I was deceived by the map and photos and thought the Ritz would have lots of ocean views and be like being on the beach, but obviously not.

We'd also be closer to Santa Monica and Venice Beach which sounds like fun. We checked Shutters earlier and it was full.

Time to rethink the beach issue again. Being close to the family in Torrance is not an issue. Being in L.A. is way closer than Ottawa.

If you tried Shutters and it was booked, there's also Loews and the Viceroy. Get an oceanview suite, which I'm sure will fit your "luxury" requirement.

I have to throw in my two cents for Hermosa Beach, too. It's a complete SoCal beach experience, that you won't get in Marina del Rey. You will be able to hear and see the waves in HB, and the surrounding towns are just as "fun" as Venice.

Ivk, I had no idea there was a Segway Tour here in Manhattan Beach. I guess that is because it is at night along the Strand, when the sidewalk is empty!

It occurs to me, that if you want to splurge on pure, oceanfront luxury, you should spend at least one night at the Montage.

www.montagelagunabeach.com

Beverly Wilshire is ok. I would much prefer Hotel Bel Air myself.

As for the beach, the only good thing about the location of the Ritz in the Marina is that it's very close to many great restaurants. However, if you're staying there to be close to the beach, you should instead stay ON the beach at either the Viceroy, Loews, or the Fairmont. Hermosa or Manhattan beaches are also good ideas if exploring those areas interests you. Both of the other options are more "central" to LA tourist spots, however, these beaches have their own downtowns and beach feel different from more metropolitan LA of Santa Monica.

Hotel Oceana on the beach in Santa Monica just opened. It's brand new and looks very nice. Check it out here: http://www.hoteloceanasantamonica.com/

There are obviously lots of hotel options. We have definitely decided to stay in L.A. the week.

My husband has booked us into the Ritz as we've had some very good experiences at other Ritz hotels and the concierge was very helpful on the phone. He's thinking of chartering a boat with a captain from the marina for a few hours. We have never done any boating before. Would this be worthwhile?

Being serious bikers and having looked into the bike paths a little, he is also planning to bike down to Torrance one day for lunch with the family and then back.

Is that feasible and/or a nice way to see the beaches?

The Beverly Wilshire is a Four Seasons hotel and we have had some excellent experiences with them as well, but that is not as definite. Looks like a great location for walking around.

Other definite plans

Getty - 1 day
Segway tour of downtown + Disney Concert Hall - 1 day
Venice Beach - evening walks from the Ritz

Possible plans
Universal Studio VIP tour - 1 day
Aquarium - 1 day

Am I missing something fabulous? I don't want to overplan, but I don't want to overlook anything great either.

We plan to do San Diego on another trip when the water is warmer and THEN we will do Hermosa Beach too.

I have to take issue with smartcookie's reco of the Oceana. It's NOT new and it's NOT on the beach (which is down a steep bluff and across a major road).

It IS, however, very nice.

Some other comments:

-- The Ritz-CARLTON Marina del Rey is different from other R-C properties in that it's less super-luxury than luxurious business-oriented hotel. You don't get the same feeling of being pampered as you'd get, say, down in the Dana Point property (R-C Laguna Niguel). It's nice, no question (their restaurant, jer-ne, is excellent), and MdR isn't the worst place to stay in LA, but let's not delude ourselves. It ain't on the beach and it ain't the Montage down in Laguna.

-- smartcookie seems to be a bit confused about what constitutes "being on the beach". The Loews Santa Monica is, indeed, beachside. The Viceroy, however, is a block away, and you pass between two hotels that ARE on the beach (Casa del Mar and Shutters on the Beach). The (Fairmont) Miramar (smartcookie, you're not from Santa Monica, are you? No one from SM calls that hotel anything but "the Miramar") is historic and quite nice, but it's across Ocean Ave. and up a steep bluff from the beach. You'll SEE the beach, but you won't have sand drifting in.

I'm glad to see people have clarified distances in this huge, sprawling, messy, wonderful area. Maps can be so deceiving!

rjw - you are right about the Oceana. It is not new but it is newly remodeled. It is certainly not on the beach. I got a chuckle out of the that one and the suggestion of the Chateau Marmont.

Ida - I was going to suggest the Ritz to you, too. If you're in Santa Monica at sunset, at least stop by Shutters for a drink and a nosh. It's a beautiful place.

Welcome to Los Angeles. FYI, there is a very cool site I just found out about that you can get awesome, really nice restaurant reservations.

How it works you acquire them from someone else who couldn't make it but for a small fee of like $10.

http://www.TablePronto.com

I got Asia De Cuba reservations for a Friday the morning of at 8:30pm for $15 bucks for me and my wife. Was fun.

Also, stay away from the beaches in Long Beach.

Cheers!
Jon

After the responses on this forum, we did some research and found out there is a film festival in Santa Monica when we arrive. We've rearranged our schedule so that we go to the Beverly Wilshire first and then go to Shutters later in the week when they have space.

Revised Plans - From Downtown
Getty - 1 day
Segway tour of downtown + Disney Concert Hall - 1 day
Window Shopping on Rodeo Drive

From Shutters
Long Beach Aquarium - 1 day
Santa Monica + Venice Beach Segway tour + evening walks

Universal Studios does not make the cut this trip.

Any suggestions on downtown things to do we shouldn't miss?

Thanks to all who have given me advice here. It made me realize that the Ritz might not be quite the L.A. experience we were looking for and that trying to do San Diego as well would be way too stressful.

We're leaving in about 2 weeks so I'm really starting to get excited about being there.

I think that you are still confusing Beverly Hills with Downtown Los Angeles. The Beverly Wilshire, where you are staying, is in Beverly Hills, about 13 miles west of Downtown LA. I'm not sure what time your Downtown Segway tour begins, but leave yourself at least one hour to travel east on the 10 freeway, and to find your tour departure point. (Like any other downtown area, LA's has a maze of one-way streets.)

While in Downtown LA, you might also want to check out Olvera Street (if your tour doesn't already take you there).

From Beverly Hills, a drive westward on Sunset Blvd. to Pacific Coast Highway, then northward to Malibu is always nice. Also, an evening drive along Mulholland Drive to see the twinkling lights of LA on one side, the San Fernando valley on the other.

Also give yourself plenty of time to go from Santa Monica to the Long Beach Aquarium. With traffic on the 405 freeway, it could take you an hour to get there. It could take you less time depending on when you are going. My daughter who lives in Long Beach has been going to Santa Monica frequently for auditions. During the middle of the day, she can make it in little over a half an hour. Other times of the day, it's an hour. So just be aware of that and schedule accordingly. I haven't been to the Aquarium yet but will go at Thanksgiving. My DD and her boyfriend went recently and really like it. While you are in Long Beach, have lunch or dinner. Lots of choices close to the Aquarium.

Santa Monica to Long Beach is a pain in the butt. Actually almost anywhere from Santa Monica is, but the closest attractions would be Venice Beach, Malibu and one or both of the Getty museums. You might want to switch your itinerary around. Unless you are a real aquarium fan, I might even give it a miss.

Do you think a studio tour might be more interesting to you? You could do that from the Beverly Wilshire, which is closer to downtown LA and Hollywood attractions.

Wow 13 miles takes an hour +? Thanks lvk for that info. I'm used to looking at maps, but not that used to navigating distances in cities with lots of one way streets.

On the map the Beverly Wilshire LOOKED pretty close to Downtown and Long Beach didn't look too far from Santa Monica.

Obviously, I'm going to have to adjust my expected travel times.

Neither my husband and I are very tolerant about sitting in traffic so I will have to factor my errors in judging travel times into my itinerary and will make some adjustments.

Any suggestions about luxury hotels in "Downtown" L.A.?

I would not split up your hotel stay unless you really really think it is that necessary. Personally, I would just stay at Shutters the entire time if I were you. To get to downtown LA from Santa Monica is easy logistically since you basically just take the 10 freeway all the way there. Traffic on that freeway get get bad close to downtown, but if you don't drive during rush hour, it can be avoided as much as possible. Without traffic, that drive is only 25-30 minutes. It is normal in LA to drive 30 mins between various neighborhoods, so no reason to pack and repack and switch hotels. Santa Monica is a good place to stay.

Downtown will take you about half a day including what you have planned there and Olvera St. From there, you can take Olympic Blvd and drive to Hollywood and West Hollywood for the evening. Check out the walk of fame and then head to the Grove/Farmers Market for dinner. The next day, you can walk around Santa Monica, then drive to Venice. Afterwards, you can go to Beverly Hills and walk around Rodeo Drive and have dinner there. On another day, check out the Getty, have lunch there, and then drive down Sunset Blvd all the way to the beach and have dinner at one of the Malibu restaurants on the beach (Geoffrey's, Gladstone's etc). I would also skip Long Beach if you are on a limited schedule. I would NOT miss Santa Monica, Venice, and driving down Sunset if you have to cut things out.

oh yes, I would NOT miss the Getty either.

Btw, are you spending the entire 7 days in LA now? If so, you don't have to cram things in as I listed above. And you can also fit in a trip to Laguna Beach, an hour south, and Long Beach on the way there.