Hills

I am aware of a big shopping centre with outlet shopping in Ontario Mills. We will be staying a few days in Anaheim. What would be the best way to get to Ontario Mills from Anaheim and how long will it take approximately. We might have access to a car, if not, are there any other transport options.
We might also be staying in Hollywood for a couple of days, would it be easier to get to Ontario Mills from there?

here_today_gone2Maui

From Anaheim you would take the 57 to the 10 east. Ontario Mills is at the 10 and the 15. It will take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour or longer, depending on traffic. You'll be much closer from Anaheim than LA, but from LA you can take the Metrolink to the Mall.

But are you sure you want to go to Ontario Mills?Ontario Mills is not what I consider a great or even a good outlet mall. The place is crowded and the prices ay many of the stores are on par with the prices at the regular malls. Some of the stores are outlets, many are not. It is just another Mills property. Giant TV screens hanging from the ceiling blare commercials at you throughout the mall. I've bought ad time from Mills TV. From their marketing brochure:
"Mills TV is a state-of-the-art, closed-circuit television network that saturates the common areas of Ontario Mills with commercial messages. ? With a series of over 600 speakers and 40 overhead 80" large screen televisions spread throughout Ontario Mills, there is no escaping the Mills TV message."

It is California's largest shopping mall, sure, but it is also out in the Inland Empire where entertainment options for teenagers are minimal. So expect the place to be crawling with kids who have been dropped off there for the day on weekends. Actually, I am being polite. Little gansters roam the mall on the weekends and after school.

I have never found Ontario Mills to be an enjoyable shopping experience, especially on the weekends. For me it was more of a chore, and I only went there as a last resort, when all other options had been exhausted.

Sorry to be so blunt, and I'll probably get flamed for it, but if you only have a few days in SoCal, I think you'd be greatly disappointed spending one of them at Onatrio Mills.

Cali

I have shopped at Ontario Mills and it is oky but the outlet malls I like the best in S. CA are in Cabazon (near Palm Springs) and the one in Camarillo. They are first class with tons of neat stores. They are not close to anything for public transportation tho. All of the above malls are so busy on weekends - I would only go during the week. If you are not used to having any outlet malls near you, then by all means go to Ontario Mills - it is all indoors and it does have a lot of different stores. Enjoy!

Hills

Thanks heaps for the info. It does not sound that appealing and I am not that big a shopper so I think we will give it a miss. Does not really seem worth it for the sake of a few outlets we can't get here, plus, it would probably have to be on a Saturday and it sounds like that would be a bit of a nightmare.
Thanks again.

rjw_lgb_ca

Ontario Mills stinks. Very downmarket places in the first place.

Cabazon, Camarillo, Carlsbad-- three cities with much better, upscale outlet malls. Carlsbad might be the most convenient from Anaheim-- down I-5 toward San Diego. A little more than an hour south, as I recall.

paula1470

I agree with everyone else not to go to Ontario Mills. My favorite also is Cabazon-it is so big and has great stores. It's about 70 miles from Anaheim. rjw mentioned Carlsbad Company Store. It's a nice upscale outlet center about 60 miles from Anaheim. There is a very nice restaurant there,Bellefleur, which they call Tuscan style or California Mediterranean (whatever that is!). A little more expensive for dinner but lunch is reasonable. Or you can cross over I-5 (5 minute drive) and find a place to eat along the coast. Downtown Carlsbad is very cute but with all the shopping you would be doing at the outlet, you might not have time to get there. If you want to spend one of your days shopping and getting out of LA/Orange county, Carlsbad or Cabazon would be perfect.

(Camarillo outlet is also good and would be more accessible if you were staying in Hollywood, you would have to fight more of the LA traffic though)

lvk

Another vote for Carlsbad. I've been to all 4 mentioned, and Carlsbad had the most pleasant, least chaotic atmosphere - and we were there the week before Xmas!