Does anyone have any info on the Magic Castle Hotel. Found about it on the Fodor's web site. I am traveling with husband and two teens this summer and trying to find hotel options in LA. I think we should stay in Hollywood area. Any advise would be helpful.

Thanks, Kathy in Tennessee

Have you checked their website (www.magiccastlehotel.com)? It looks rather nice. Note that the area it's in is semi-residential-- the hotel itself is a converted apartment house. The rates are good, and you get a 10% discount at one of the highest-rated restaurants in Los Angeles, Yamashiro.

It would not be my first choice to stay in Hollywood, however. Your teenage kids might be happier closer to the beach (you're quite far inland in Hollywood). Have you looked into hotels in the Santa Monica/Venice/Marina del Rey areas?

I always recommend this hotel to people. It has a nice pool and all the rooms are suites. Some of my family stayed there when they came to visit. It's in a perfectly safe part of Hollywood and in walking distance to Hollywood Blvd. and the new Highland & Hollywood complex. Again, it's all about where you want to stay when you come here. Enjoy your trip.

What will you be doing/seeing while in LA?

If you will be visiting UCLA and the Getty Center, look into the Brentwood Bel Air Holiday Inn. Very nice location near Beverly Hills, convenient drive to Hollywood, and also just 12 minutes to the ocean.

ClarkGriswold -- that has GOT to be the most ingenious name on these boards yet! I'm not going to be able to get Chevy Chase out of my mind for days now!

Kathy, if you want to stay in Hollywood, that really isn't a bad area, and close to the Hollywood Bowl. Just keep in mind that Hollywood is quite a bit warmer than the coastal area (by about 10 degrees), so make sure it has a/c. Just a word heading slightly east of there with teens. There are pockets of what we call drug hangout areas along Franklin to the east of Highland, and Hollywood Blvd. at night isn't great, but not as awful as it used to be.