Need help planning two day trip to LA
 

We'll be visiting LA prior to boarding our cruise which leaves from San Pedro area. Would appreciate help where to stay and names of nice hotels so we are not to far from the port but where there are sights to tour. Would like to see the studio tours, Rodeo Drive etc....We plan to rent a car and drop it off prior to the cruise. When we return we'll be staying again for two days as a post trip. Need hotel in a different area than the one suggested for our pre cruise stay.

Anyone know a good limo company that can pick us up at the hotel after we've dropped the rental car and take us to the port?

I am not familiar with the San Pedro area, but when I visit family in LA/Pasadena/San Marino areas I use Carey Limo - I'm sure they are online perhaps with a toll free number, but the number I have is 310.665.5100 - they have always been reliable, but truthfully I never priced them against others.

I can't speak to hotels as I usually am with relatives and have only stayed a few times in hotels, but without knowing your price range hard to refer.

Think about visiting the Getty, it's lovely !

We use Hilltop Limousine www.hilltoplimousine.com. They have always been prompt and professional. They are local to the South Bay/San Pedro area.

There are lots of suite-type hotels in the El Segundo/Manhattan Beach area that are centrally located for reaching LAX, the 405 freeway (for exploring Beverly Hills, Studios and the Getty) and The Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro). If you do an Expedia search, put in "Manhattan Beach" as the city..

I would stay away from San Pedro hotels. As Escargot has pointed out, a price range would be helpful here

Will you also have a car post-cruise?

If you're close to the port in San Pedro, you're far from everything else in the greater Los Angeles area. You'll have to accept that right now.

For example: San Pedro to Universal Studios Hollywood (in Universal City) is <b>32 miles</b>. San Pedro to Beverly Hills? <b>30 miles</b>. Another problem: There aren't any really good hotels in San Pedro.

lvk has suggested staying in El Segundo or Manhattan Beach. Pretty good idea, actually. For that matter, I would think about just staying in Beverly Hills/West Hollywood and enjoying that area for the couple of days you're there.

...and &quot;32 miles&quot; might sound like a half-hour trip to you, but it can easily be 60 to 90 minutes in traffic.

If you rent from Avis at LAX, they have a location not too far from San Pedro (I think it is their LG5 Long Beach office) where you can return the car and then they'll drive you to the port.

..and on the 2nd half of your trip Avis will pick you up in San Pedro and you can reserve the car to be returned to LAX. Use Avis AWD Discount code K817625 if your rental is in 2006. This code is from the Delta site and can be used by anyone.

Thank you all so much for your good suggestions and information. We were figuring a hotel around $150 per night. Is that a good estimate for the Manhattan Beach area you all suggested?

I wasn't sure if there was a car rental nearby the port but now that I know there is that's much better than using the limo.I'll check Avis' prices out.

Still in the planning stages and not 100% sure if we'll be taking this trip or cruising a different location but I now have some good points to start researching thanks to all of you. It's appreciated.

Forgot to mention one more thing.....yes we're booking a car post cruise so we'll do the same and have Avis (as suggested) pick us up and then drop it off at LAX. This will give us more flexability instead of relying on a limo service.

This board is great, makes planning and researching a trip so much easier... thanks to everyone.

SGF - we are planning a very similar trip in Jan. Where did you end up staying, how did you like hotel, and what did you do about the car rental?

I agree w/rjw completely [<i>If you're close to the port in San Pedro, you're far from everything else in the greater Los Angeles area.</i>] And those miles aren't 60mph miles either, not by a long shot! LA is huuuuuuuge.

If it were my call, I'd stay in the Beverly Hills/Santa Monica area. Manhattan Beach area is like a whole 'nother city/culture, imo. If that's what you're looking for, fine, but it's not convenient to the stuff you say you want to see.

LucieV is right. If you want to experience Los Angeles, you need to be closer to the central Westside area. 32 miles in Los Angeles on the 405 freeway between 3:00 and 7:00 will take you 2 hours. Traffic is that bad.
I would recommend the Beverly Regent Hotel. It's at the base of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and you'll be able to walk all over Beverly Hills from there. For a more bohemian choice, the Mondrian in West Hollywood is very hip and trendy. Almost everything in L.A. requires you have a car. Outside of Beverly Hills or West Hollywood there are very few areas where you can walk more than a couple of blocks. But staying in the Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Brentwood area will keep you close to everything you'll want to do in L.A. It's a great town, just allow enough time for transportation between points.