First time visitor to LA. I was going through the websites to make hotel reservation and most of the hotels near Universal (Universal city, Hollywood, Beverly hills, Santa Monica) seems more expensive to me. Planning to bid in priceline for LAX airport hotel as there are more chances there to get for cheaper price. I guess my questions are whether LAX airport hotels area is safe for visitors ? How bad the drive would be on a Friday morning from LAX to Universal ? Would you guys recommend to spend additional bucks and stay near Universal ?

Thanks in advance. Any input is much appreciated.

If all you're doing is going to Universal Studios Hollywood (and that's a day's worth of stuff, tops), just stay at the Sheraton Universal. FYI, Santa Monica isn't actually "near" Universal City. The LAX area is basically pretty safe, but there isn't anything to DO there other than sleep, eat (mediocre places at best) and catch a flight-- without involving a car or expensive cab ride.

The drive to Universal City from LAX on a Friday morning? Not awful ("Friday morning light" is a well-known traffic phenomenon), but there will be traffic no matter which route you choose. And in the afternoon, traffic will be far, far worse.

What else are you planning to do? USH isn't all that, frankly (unless you spring for the VIP tour); it's really made itself a "theme park with working movie studio attached". If you want a studio tour, Warner Brothers' tour is superior. Sony offers one as well (and Paramount too, I think), but I've never done it. The other activities you plan would determine where you stay.

I would second that opinion about Universal. The rides really aren't that exciting and aside from that there isn't that much to do. The Back to the Future ride almost made me sick. The tour is a slightly better than the NBC studio tour but far beneath the WB tour. If you want a really good studio tour, go to Warner Brothers. You are almost guarenteed to see a recognizable actor and it's a much more indepth tour.

I would also stay near Universal or in Burbank if there is anything there. Burbank is really close to Universal and NBC and WB are right there.

There's a brand-new Best Western around the corner from WB STudios in Burbank, and this would put you only 2 miles from Universal...you could even take a bus if desired. From Universal, the easiest thing is to take the subway down to Hollywood to visit the Walk of Fame etc.

There are other choices in Burbank, too, that are half the price of the Universal hotels.

Thanks for the quick response.

To give you additional info, as part of my 6 day vacation, I am going to spend 2 days in LA. I am driving to LA from Vegas. In those 2 days, I planned to spend a day at Universal and the other day to go places like Hollywood Blvd, Rodeo drive and Santa monica beach.

I will take your suggestion and will include WB studio tour also. Would you recommend any other places ? From the places that I mentioned above, do you feel Universal Sheraton is the convenient hotel ? Please suggest any alternate hotels (in Burbank) also.

I think anything near Hollywood Blvd, Universal or Burbank is a good area for what you want to see. We stayed in Santa Monica near the beach but ended driving almost everyday towards those other parts of town. There are some museums I really wanted to see but didn't get a chance to that are supposed to be pretty good (Museum of Tolerance, the Getty and I think the Griffith Observatory is open also. You'll find plenty of things to keep you busy! If you are interested in seeing a taping you can usually get tickets to something. Jimmy Kimmel is across from the Kodak theater on Hollywood Blvd and Jay Leno is in Burbank(good idea to mail them for free tickets but you can also get tickets there if you get there early).

Griffith Park Observatory will be closed to the public until early 2006 (according to the website griffithobs.org). The Getty and the MoT are worthwhile-- for that matter, the LA County Museum of Art is pretty good, and the Norton Simon (in beautiful Pasadena) is worth a side trip.

You're right, len-- staying in Santa Monica (well, any beach community) will put you at a sizable drive away from just about every attraction tourists know about in the LA area. Other than the cheesy (but still kinda fun) Santa Monica Pier....

Thank you all for your useful input. I have decided to stay near Universal / Burbank, where all the action is.

Rj, I really liked Santa Monica but I wish we had stayed somewhere else and just drove down to spend a day or two in that area. We stayed at the JW Marriott with a "ocean view". Across the street with other buildings nearly blocking all views and a good distance from the beach to the water was hardly what I had hoped for. If I angled myself just the right way I could see the Pier (which was also disappointing but pretty).

len, I'm not too surprised. I drove by the JW Marriott every day since its groundbreaking and asked myself, "Why build THERE?!" Not to mention that the building itself is fairly unspectacular from the outside. I hope the room was at least comfortable. Too bad about the stinky view. But you really pay through the nose for unobstructed ocean vistas around here.

Pala, you will be staying where SOME of the action is-- I'd still prefer staying in the Beverly Hills/West Hollywood area myself (more central to everything). But for your short trip, you'll be fine.

A couple years ago we stayed at the Best Western Hollywood Hills, just a couple blocks off Hollywood Blvd. and within easy walking distance of the Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese Theater, etc. Not much to look at from the outside, but cozy and inviting on the inside. It's also an easy-on to the freeway for the five-minute drive to Universal.

I've stayed in and around LA four times and have stayed in 3 different hotels (Renaissance Hollywood, Sofitel LA, Sheraton Anahiem) - I have yet to stay in a hotel that ever seems close to where I want to go. i.e The Sheraton Anahiem is useful for the day you spend in Disney, but awful for anywhere else. Hotels in Hollywood are useful for the 30 minutes you spend on Hollywood Boulevard muttering to yourself "it isn't half as glamourous as I thought it was going to be." The Sofitel LA was near enough for them to say we are in Beverley Hills, but far enough for you not to want to walk there,and proved to be near only to an awful shopping mall. Pasadena, well, now I know why the rates were cheap

I think everything is so spread out in LA that you just have to face it there is unlikely to be 1 ideal location that will suit the average holiday maker for all the trips they are likely to make. If there is, I'd love to know!