satravel

I will be traveling to LA in mid July with my 15 year old daughter and her 15 year old best friend. They mainly want to shop (how surprising!) explore Melrose, Rodeo Drive, the Beverly Center, Sunset Strip and Venice Beach. I need suggestions for a nice hotel...something fun,maybe a little hip, but defeinately leaning toward upscale for under $200 a night. Should we stay in the West Hollywood area? I was considering Le Parc Suites or Le Montrose, but I have read some really mixed reviews on both...some really bad! Someone suggested BW Sunset Plaza or Ramada Plaza Hotel in West Hollywood, but I usually don't consider these chains as leaning towards upscale. Also need suggestions for shopping, restaurants and nightlife suitable for two teenage girls and their "mom". And if there are any other "don't miss" stops or sights please let me know. One last thing, should I rent a car or just use taxis?

rjw_lgb_ca

BW Sunset Plaza is actually pretty nice, so you shouldn't rule it out by any means. The Standard is a little past its "Use By" date in hipness quotient, but the Sex and the City girls did use it as their LA headquarters, so you should put it on your list.

I'd stay away from the Ramada Plaza in WH; it's a tired early-80s hotel with worn-out rooms and a party crowd (a friend from Dallas stayed there once on business, and I got to see his room-- pretty frightful). It's also in the heart of the gay area of West Hollywood (not that there's anything wrong with that)-- so it stays pretty raucous until the wee hours of the night.

I've lived in the area for a long time, but don't have a lot of opportunity to entertain 15-year-old girls, so I'm not going to be a helluva lot of help in that area. However, these girls might like heading into Orange County for their power-shopping centers: South Coast Plaza (really Rodeo Drive indoors) and Fashion Island (outdoors, swank, with its own Neiman-Marcus as well as Bloomingdales). They might also like Huntington Beach (surfers!) and the Corona del Mar section of Newport Beach (charming shops), and maybe Laguna Beach (more little shops).

And renting a car is the only way to fly. You'll spend your savings in taxis. This is a HUGE area. Repeat: HUGE.

clarkgriswold

The Renaissance Hollywood would probably be perfect for you...the girls could run downstairs and get themselves on the Seacrest show every morning (if it survives until July).

Avalon HOtel might be another one to look at, they have a 3rd night free program at Quikbook.com.....but I'm not sure if they have any rooms that sleep 3 persons.

clarkgriswold

Renaissance has a AAA rate of $159 this summer, plus about $15 for parking.

For dining & nightlife, you can hop the quick new subway up to Universal Studios Citywalk...a 15 yr old's dream.

clarkgriswold

www.renaissancehollywood.com

gigib

Since you WILL have a car (you must!), the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica is nice, and if you feel like driving up to Malibu,(you should, it's a pretty drive) you may be able to spot some celebrities. My daughter recently saw Sharon & Jack Osborne at Cross Creek - it's a little open air center near the middle of "town" in Malibu, just north of the Pier, there's a signal at PCH and Cross Creek, turn right, you'll see it. Plus, a bit farther north up PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) is a Ralphs grocery store where you may spot someone. This is the "local" shopping area for the many celebs who have homes in Malibu.

Merilee_Tucker

I recently returned from a trip to LA and I stayed at the BW on Sunset. My room was small, but very nice, and it faced Sunset. I thought it was a good value. My cousin and his children stayed at Le Montrose and as you probably know, it's all suites. They had a very nice suite and the kids loved the rooftop pool. You'd probably be better off at Le Montrose because of the space you'll have. Your 15 year old daughter and her friend will love boutique shopping on Robertson Blvd. There's a Lisa Levine boutique which sells very trendy clothes. I can't remember the names of the other boutiques off the top of my head right now. While I was there I witnessed the paparazzi chase Carmen Electra and Lindsay Lohan (they were not together) into Lisa Levine's. It was interesting to see the sales reps lower a black shade over the storefront window so that they could shop in peace. Carmen Electra left first and they pounced on her immediately. She was very gracious to a young girl and took a photo with her. She also signed an autograph for her. The she literally ran across the street to an underground parking lot. She was alone. Lindsay Lohan was shopping with a couple of other young girls but they had a car and driver waiting outside. She allowed the photogs to snap pics before she got in her car and then went to another boutique down the street. I mention all this only because I learned from the various shop keeps that Robertson is very hot with celebs right now. They also eat at The Ivy on Robertson, where you can eat a good burger or salad and spot a celeb at the same time. It's overpriced, but I think the girls will love it. We also spotted a few soap stars at The Beverly Center, but I couldn't tell you their names now. The sales rep at Louis Vuitton recognized them and told us.

Heavens

We have stayed at the Hyatt on Sunset and gotten good rates there in the past. Lots of rock stars stay there. It is across from the Sky Club and, oh, that blues club that serves the Gospell brunch, can't think of the name of it. So if you get a room with a balcony overlooking Sunset, you can catch a lot of activity at night. Limos coming and going. Quite fun really. Rooms are not big, but the balcony helps. Lots of traffic, being Sunset.

SM is a good suggestion. We stayed at the Radisson there once and got a good rate. Lots of shopping there. Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and tons of other stuff. Not so crazy as Sunset.

Heavens

Mommar

Robertson Blvd is hot and Kitson is terrific for a 15 year old. That's the store that starts lots of new trends right now and they have such a wide selection of merchandise that it feels like the world's coolest swapmeet. Also it is just around the corner from the Beverly Center and you hardly can shop there without seeing someone from TV.

With regard to the car, you don't say where you are coming from but not only must you rent a car, you should consider getting a convertible! It's part of the LA experience and I'd bet the girls will enjoy it.

Mommar