Going on a cruise out of LA in April and spending two nights post-cruise before returning home. Any suggestions on where to stay (hotels and towns)? We're hoping for something on or very near the ocean with sightseeing/restaurants within walking distance (maybe a boardwalk?). Thank you.

Please clarify the cruise line and the specific port. Carnival has a cruise terminal out of the Spruce Dome in Long Beach, but other cruise lines operate out of San Pedro (and Carnival may have spillover there as well, but that may be a thing of the past now). That will affect the recommendations greatly.

We will be on a Royal Caribbean ship and it is out of the Port of Los Angeles. Thanks for your help!

OK, that says everything. The Port of LA is in the neighborhood called San Pedro. The problem is, there are no particularly good hotels in that area. There is a Sheraton that's only acceptable-- it needs renovation, according to friends who have stayed there. I live in Long Beach, and I'm thinking your two post-cruise days would be better spent in a more picturesque, more tourist-friendly town than Long Beach (a great city to live in as far as I'm concerned, but not a tourist haven, to understate it).

How far do you want to go up or down the coast? And how much do you want to spend? Within an hour of the Port, you can be in Santa Monica going north, or Huntington Beach, Newport Beach or Laguna Beach going south. Laguna would be my choice, but it ain't cheap.

We'd like to be no more than about an hour from LAX as we'll probably take a taxi from the hotel to the airport...or would we be better off renting a car? Given that, would going south be an option? As far as hotel prices, we'd be willing to spend about $200-$250 a night for someplace nice. Thanks.

I think that Long beach is quite cute. I was just there and liked it.

however, maybe staying in bev. Hills. Kind of swanky, but fun too! it is fun to walk around all the shops. They were not as high end as I presumed they would be.

Also, if you want the beach, but aways from LA (not a bad idea actually), go to Santa Monica. It is really fun. Lots of nice hotels there.

tina: Well, parts of Long Beach ARE cute, and that's part of why I love it so much (the wonderfully REAL people are another thing). For lodging in LB, the Hyatt, the Westin and the Renaissance are just about the best choices. Lots of things to do and see downtown, especially on the weekend. Can be a little gritty after 1 AM....

Beverly Hills would be fun, and if you avoid the over-the-top hotels (the Peninsula, anyone?), the rates aren't ridiculous. And hey, you're in Beverly Hills! Send postcards to friends. And as far as the shops not being THAT upmarket, that's kind of true. However, Bijan, Harry Winston and Gucci will fulfill any fantasy you might have about a snooty, crazy-glam Beverly Hills retail experience (look for Bijan Whats-his-name's yellow Rolls outside his store!).

The Ritz Carlton Marina del Ray might be a good choice...

of course, there are shops that are over the top, but...I was pleasantly suprised. In fact, I bought a little polo outfit for my 4 month old at the Polo store. It was $40...the same you would pay where I live. It was cute and not something you could find back home.

believe it or not, you would be suprised at some of the rates you can get on the Bev. Hills hotels.

As far as long beach, I agree with you hotel picks, however, there is the Queen Mary too. It is beautiful, and Sir Winstons is s nice restaurant.

tina: You know, I thought of recommending staying on the Queen Mary, and then I thought-- Barb will have spent several days in a boat at sea, will she want to spend two more nights in a big, old, historic boat, even if it's dry-docked?

However, you're right-- Sir Winston's is a great restaurant. And quite formal (jackets required for men, last I recall). For another trip back in time, how about the Sky Room at the historic Breakers Hotel? Dinner and dancing to a live band. Retro-chic!

I thought that too about the QM, but....it is kind of cool, and you can get on and off.

One additional note...the Aquarium in Long Beach is one of the best in the U.S. In fact, if anyone watched the Bachelor with Bachelor Byron, he had one of his dates there inside the aquarium under the fish tank.

frankie: The Ritz-Carlton MdR is indeed a good choice. If Barb wants to look in MdR, that and maybe the Marriott would be the only two properties I'd consider.

In Santa Monica, depending on what she wants to spend, she can go Top of the Line (Casa del Mar, Shutters, Fairmont Miramar) to Moderately-Priced (Radisson Huntley, Georgian) to Don't Do It (Hotel California and any of the other No-Tell Motels). All are convenient to the Third Street Promenade (but beware: it's really just an outdoor shopping mall now, with the same stores you see everywhere else). The only thing it doesn't have is an IKEA (but take heart, there are FOUR within a fifty-mile radius of Santa Monica)....

Thanks so much for all of your ideas. We're trying to choose between Beverly Hills and Santa Monica and your hotel suggestions are great! Hadn't really thought of Beverly Hills before, so we're happy that you mentioned it! If we stayed at one would a day trip to the other be a possibility? Also has anyone tried priceline? If so, were you happy with it? I'm a little nervous paying for a hotel without knowing what I'm paying for.

There's a blizzard going on outside here and we're expecting up to 24++ inches of snow here in our part of MA. The California warmth sounds really good right about now. The weather has been really intense everywhere lately, hasn't it?

Downtown Santa Monica is about a 20 min. drive down Wilshire Blvd from Beverly Hills (and vice versa ;-) ), so a "daytrip" should certainly be feasible.

Thanks again. We'll be arriving a day early and spending the night at Marriott Los Angeles International Airport. Any suggestions on transportation from the hotel to the port in San Pedro?

Barb- We are also from Ma. and will be going on a cruise out of LA April vacation week. We'll be on the RCCL Vision of the Seas. Anyhow, we usually stay at the Beach House in Hermosa Beach-it is wonderful there although expensive. Its 7 miles south of LAX, and right on the beach. The boardwalk is right there and you can walk to the pier area for restaurants.(beach-house.com).I highly recommend it. This year we will also be staying 1 night pre cruise at the Marriott in Manhattan Beach-this is about 3 miles south of the airport and on a golf course.

Thank you, JD. Another good suggestion. The reviews sound good. Lots of choices to think about. Do you rent a car or use a shuttle service to get to and from the ship?

Can't help too much with transportation question as our son lives there and will be bringing us to the port, but on cruisecritic.com message boards, people talk about using Prime Time shuttle service.

Well we can take pride in raising smart kids...our son lives in Raleigh, NC. Why do we continue to live in this cold, snowy weather?

Thanks for the info on Prime Time-I'll check it out.

Prime time or super shuttle either one are fine to get to the Pier. Both are easy to find, right outside of baggage at LAX. A cab is around $45 or more. The shuttle services are more like $15 a piece, so it depends on how many people are going, as in a cab. We stayed at the Sheraton in San Pedro pre cruise. Coming back, we stayed near LAX, which was a big mistake, as it cost so much to get anywhere, but we did really enjoy the Getty Museum.