We will be flying to Sacramento to see our son prior to a trip to Tahiti. We need to get to LAX and don't know which would be better. United from Sacramento to LAX is 100.00 one way. How is the drive? I know it is about 6 hours I think. We have to decide quickly if we should drive to LAX or fly. I am also trying to consider the cost of renting a car and gas prices. Either way we do this we will have to spend one night near LAX. Thanks for your help.

I'm not from CA, but I would gladly pay $100 to avoid a 6 hour drive. Aside from distance you must take into account LA traffic, which I did get some experience with and it wasn't fun. But that's just me--I don't like long road trips or city traffic, while some people are OK w/that. And when you return from Tahiti, do you think you will feel like making that long drive home after an overseas flight?

In this situation I would spend the money and save the time. Maybe this way you'll have a little extra time with your son.

It's about 400 miles. Assuming California prices of $3.5/gallon and 30MPG highway mileage on the car, that's already 13 gallons or $50. Add the rental car cost, it's $100. With 2 people (I assume?), the cost is only about $100 over, and save yourself a long drive.

Priceline is an excellent resource for hotels at LAX. Go to www.biddingfortravel.com to for a PL tutorial, and be very sure you know exactly what you're doing before you bid. When you get to the PL site, look for the Name Your Own Price option. PL has made it a little difficult to fine, IMHO.

Come back to this thread if you have any PL questions. No, I'm not connected to the site in any way; I'm just a happy PL user.

I agree with those who posted above--fly to LA. Watch for sales. Enjoy Tahiti!

Fly, the fastest way to drive from Sacramento to LAX is desert dull. By the time you got off the dusty 5 and hasseled through LA traffic you would believe a hundred bucks well spent. 8-)

Take the flight. The drive from Sac. to LA is long and boring. It is worth the money to drive and save your sanity. People drive like crazy on the I5 and then you have the lovely LA traffic to deal with. It is definitely worth the money to fly. Enjoy Tahiti!!

Hi sylbea, I too vote for flying. Driving to LAX is so boring.

BTW, check out Southwest fares for Sacramento (SMF) to LAX.

Thanks everyone for your reply. I guess we will fly from Sacramento to LAX. I don't want to do the driving and my DH will think we were crazy to do that. I will start looking for a flight and then will look for a reasonable room near LAX that also has transportation to the airport the day we depart. This is for a weekend in August. Thanks again!

Try the Hacienda Hotel in El Segundo. It is just blocks from the airport and provides shuttle service. Zero charm but should fit your needs.

Farther away but with public transportation to LAX: Summerfield Suites and the Hilton Garden Hotel, both in El Segundo and both adjacent to Green Line metro rail stations. Take the metro to the Imperial Blvd. station (just a couple of stops) where you catch the free shuttle bus into LAX.

Flying is going to be safer, too. I checked Aug 19 and with tax + fee Unted is $89 and Southwest is $69.

I'm pretty sure the Hilton Garden Inn in El Segundo has their own shuttle. Severak ES hotels do. Near the airport there are a few hotels that are across the street from the car rental companies. Would be easy to take the hotel shuttle, check in, etc. then get a car for a day of sightseeing.

Sylbea, also check out the Doubletree in El Segundo. We always stay there when flying out of LAX-it's nice with comfy beds and a shuttle service to airport. We usually pay $89-$99 a night.

Check SouthWest airlines website. They don't sell through Orbitz, 1 way is 1/2 the price of a round-trip, and if you're lucky you can still get sale price.

As Jean suggested, the Hilton Garden Hotel in El Segundo is quite nice, great service, and it has a free airport shuttle. And best of all, Starbucks is just a couple of blocks away!! OK, maybe that's not a priority for everyone, but for me it was a nice bonus.

Yes, the HGI is nice. That SBUX is across the street from the aforementioned Hacienda.

I'd agree with Betsy that if you want to save some money, try Priceline.

If you fly Southwest (at $69 per person) and get a decent room for about $35-$50 on Priceline, you've made out like a bandit.

I used to have to fly down to LA for business almost every week and have stayed in all the hotels just before reaching the airport. They're all OK, Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, etc.

Right now, biddingfortravel.com is showing the 4* Westin available for bids from $50-$60. That's less than what some of the 3* (Marriott, Sheraton) are going for, so it looks like a good deal!