Roadrunner2772

guys - I'm happy to get comments about the areas to stay - that's why I'm here and published our itinerary.

However, please take into account a few things:

1. our budget is not unlimited (e.g. the sommerset suits in SD is over $300 per night per room - i.e. more than $600 per night - while the house is $265 per night - i.e. less than half)
2. our plan is to use hotels/houses for late snacks/dinner and sleeping - not for walking around the area or as a walking distance to sightseeing - that's why we have a car for most of the period (other than Manhattan) --> still we don't want to be staying around dangerous places or in very crappy ones.

So - with that in mind - can you comment again on our current choices?:
LA - Hotel Solaire Los Angeles
Anaheim - Candy Cane Inn
SD - the house near Sassafras St
NYC - Sohotel 341 Broome street

Cheers

MmePerdu

Roadrunner, have you had a look at accommodations on Airbnb? You can rent rooms in homes on the site and some hosts have more than one room which might be very economical. They also have listings for apartments and houses and I don't think your budget will be any problem at all, especially for your California stops. Use the filters at the top of the page to get results more specific to your needs. Also keep in mind that if you want more than 1 room you can ask the host for a discount which they may or may not offer but it never hurts to ask. https://www.airbnb.com/

janisj

I don't know the Solaire- can't help w/ that

But the Candy Cane is absolutely 100% fine. Very close to the parks - it has been there for generations and is very well run (at least it was last time I stayed there but that was years ago). It is one of the best known off-Disney-property motels.

janisj

Just looked at TA re the Solaire -- most comments mention it being a bad area (and I don't think Id stay on 7th myself).

Is there a reason you want to stay downtown?

I'd think for a family, even in some nondescript suburban chain motel would be better.

christnp

For NYC, Sohotel is a reasonable budget hotel and it has rooms to accommodate 5, which is hard to find in NYC. I think that's a smart choice. Older reviews are terrible, but recent reviews are good. It's very near Chinatown, which has lots of good cheap eats.

Also look at Country Inn and Suites in Long Island City (a neighborhood in Queens). They have some suite style rooms that can accommodate 2 adults + 3 children, they include breakfast and the room has a fridge and microwave. Walking distance to the subway and it's a very quick ride to Manhattan.

It will be too early to see all of the summer sale rates for NYC (big sales are common during some summer dates because it's low season). You may not want to book anything that can't be canceled without a fee. Country Inn prices usually come down for summer, but it will depend on your exact dates.

Be sure to understand tipping customs in the U.S. for meals served by waitstaff (even at small coffee shops and diners) It's 15-20% and you add it yourself, above the amount presented on the bill. Eating at self-service restaurants and takeout style places is more affordable.

MmePerdu

For a central, but not downtown, hotel in Los Angeles have a look at the Framer's Daughter Hotel on Fairfax almost directly across the street from the Original Farmer's Market, possibly a great place for some meals for the gang. It was my favorite place to go when I visited my aunt in my teens and, I confess, still is.

http://farmersdaughterhotel.com/
http://www.farmersmarketla.com/

CBS Television City is right there too if you'd like to watch some TV shows being made:
http://golosangeles.about.com/od/thi...ision-City.htm

I stayed at the Farmer's Daughter Hotel several years ago when I was giving an English friend a tour of California and it was a good place, I thought, moderate rates and gets decent reviews on Trip Advisor:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...alifornia.html

Tabernash2

I would not stay downtown, and the Farmer's Daughter is recommended often by Fodorites.

Culver City has a nice little downtown area for walking and staying. There's a Marriott Courtyard there, I think.

We've also stayed at the Marriott Courtyard in Marina del Rey. You can possibly get the Loyola Marymount University rate there, since your teens want to visit the campus (eh?).

The Inn at Venice Beach has a loft room for 5 and includes a fairly extensive continental breakfast. Fridges in each room, too. Parking is cheap.

rjw describes LA very well. There are lots of places to stay, the best IMO is Santa Monica. Pricey, though.

rjw_lgb_ca

@Roadrunner: I know you're on a budget, and I'm wracking my brain trying to think of more economical digs. There is a surprisingly reasonably-priced Westin in downtown SD that my mother stayed at this past summer (to see a friend who had taken a touring play to SD). That might be an option, although it might be just above your price point (since you need two rooms).

I cannot stress the unpleasantness of having a good night's sleep interrupted by the sound of a 747 powering up its four big engines to take off less than half a mile from your bedroom.

I live two miles east of Long Beach Airport (LGB) and I can tell you: We hear the bigger planes quite distinctly as they spool up engines to take off (we get C-17 and AN-124 cargo planes as well as B767s and A310s). My mother-in-law's house is right under the final approach to LGB and even when a regional jet (ERJ-145) or a little A320 comes in for a landing, conversation is impossible.

Cheap or not, your comfort is a big consideration. San Diego is a great town, and you should try to be somewhere nicer. However, like LA it's a very popular tourist destination, which is driving those high lodging prices. Maybe Priceline...?

As far as shopping: In downtown SD you'll find a classic shopping mall called Horton Plaza. If you don't mind wandering in and out of independent shops, Hillcrest has a bunch of fun places. And right off of the main freeway back up to LA (Palomar Airport Road exit), you'll find the Carlsbad Premium Outlets (in Carlsbad, naturally)-- outlet shopping, if you're so inclined.

rjw_lgb_ca

Tabernash has some great ideas. Mme Perdu's suggestion of the Farmer's Daughter Hotel is a really good one too, if you can swing a good rate. It's popular with game-show contestants visiting LA from out of town, since Television City is across the street, as well as the Original Farmer's Market AND the Grove (another shopping center!). Beverly Hills and West Hollywood have lots and lots to see and do.

But I'm still thinking about San Diego...! I'm trying hard to think of affordable but good digs. C'mon, SOMEONE must live in San Diego...!

sf7307

I would NOT stay on Sassafras even if the house were just "someplace to sleep". It's not only near the airport, it's an exit from the freeway (traffic), in a semi-industrial neighborhood (car rental places and the like), just not a particularly pleasant place to come home to.

Roadrunner2772

Thanks again for the feedback

Re LA - point taken - based on the comments, the recommended hotel and the prices currently available in the internet for our dates - we thought of "Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel" it has between good and very good reviews in TA and gets a 7.6 out of 10 in booking.com reviews - and apparently it can accommodate all of us in a double queen room with an extra bed

Re SD - also, based on the comments and the prices - what about a condo in the corner of eagle st and w university ave in Hillcrest? is it a better/good area to stay?

nytraveler

For the Sohotel - they are NOT in midtown as they claim several times - but downtown near Chinatown. Not awful - just not true.

The other thing is I can't see a room configuration that will hold 4 adults and 1 child (in NYC 12 and up is an adult, based on size). Perhaps you contacted them directly - but it looks like you would need 2 rooms - one double and one triple. A suite in another hotel might be cheaper.

Tabernash2

You have a lot of time to decide. How much is the Beverly Laurel? I did a quick search on Expedia.com, and found a few. This one is near LAX and is brand new, with good reviews. That's all I know about it. There are some inexpensive ones in beach towns, too.

La Quinta Inn & Suites Inglewood
W Imperial Hwy Inglewood CA
Expedia Hotel Expert: 1-855-809-3504
BOOK $114.00
Best Value!
Two Queen Beds With Micro And Fridge
Max Occupancy: 2 adults, 3 children
Includes: Continental Breakfast, Free Parking, Free High-Speed Internet
FREE Cancellation

Pay at hotel or pay today
Sat Sun Mon
$114 $114 $114

Two Queen Beds
For a good night's sleep, settle onto the pillowtop bed. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and the LCD TV offers premium TV channels. A coffee/tea maker, a microwave, and a refrigerator are provided. The private bathroom has a hair dryer. A desk, an iron and ironing board, and a clock radio are among the conveniences offered. This room is Non-Smoking.

Tabernash2

Here's another, with good reviews:
Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Manhattan Beach/LAX Airport

$118.40
Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds - Stay 3 Nights And Save 20 Percent
Max Occupancy: 2 adults, 3 children
Includes: Free Wireless Internet, Breakfast Buffet
FREE Cancellation
(Parking fee??)

Sat Sun Mon
$112 $112 $131
Hide room information
2 queen beds. 1 sofa bed. Exterior-corridor access. Desk. Complimentary wireless and wired, high-speed Internet access. 32-inch flat-screen LCD TV with premium cable channels. Dual-line phone. Complimentary newspaper.Wetbar. Refrigerator. Microwave. Coffee/tea maker. Iron/ironing board. Hair dryer. Nonsmoking.

rjw_lgb_ca

@Tabernash: I've driven by that Inglewood La Quinta property many times. It is cheap and fairly new and gets good reviews-- but it's in a pretty sketchy part of Inglewood that has little going for it other than proximity to LAX. It's basically a commercial/industrial area with absolutely nothing around it other than lots and lots of cars heading up and down Imperial Highway.

The Hawthorn Suites has a couple of quibbles in my book: It's a bit farther from the areas of interest to tourists, but not terribly so; and it's on busy, busy Sepúlveda Blvd. However, that's another place I've driven by on occasion, and it looks like a good budget choice. And Manhattan Beach is a very nice, safe community with a beautiful beach and its own things to do. Since they'll have a car, it's a fine choice.

@Roadrunner: The neighborhood in which you'll find that condo in San Diego is on the western edge of Hillcrest (Mission Hills neighborhood). University is a major west/east street in SD, so it gets a fair amount of traffic. But that area is mostly residential. You're several blocks west of the main drag of Hillcrest, but that's not a bad thing, since you won't be listening to tipsy people stumbling out of the various Hillcrest bars and clubs and coffeehouses at 2 AM (oh yeah-- most of SD's LGBT-friendly entertainment venues are in Hillcrest). The condo's surroundings will be quiet by that time.

There are quite a few good restaurants in the general area as well as supermarkets and drug stores. Balboa Park is maybe five minutes down 6th Avenue, so the wonderful SD Zoo-- and all the great museums in the park-- are very close by. And you won't be in the flightpath for SAN!!

Tabernash2

Thanks for your comments, rjw. Nothing like having 'boots on the ground' to see these places.

Roadrunner2772

@nytraveler - I know they are near chinatown - been in the area - not concerned about it...re the room - this is what I got from them:
Regency Plus
Our most spacious offering, the Regency Plus rooms can accommodate up to 5 guests with 2 Double Beds and 1 Twin Bed
Private Bath Rooms with wall to wall marble - Free-Wifi, Alarm Clock with iPod Dock, C.O. Bigelow bath amenities, Pillow-Top Queen mattress, Flat Screen Televisions, NON-Smoking
$1443 - tax and fees included...for the 4 nights

@Tabernash2 - The Beverly Laurel is priced at $185 p/night for a Double Room with Two Double Beds and 1 twin bed, tax and fees included - not the cheapest - but - after all the feedback I got here, I think we are getting a better and safer area...

@rjw_lgb_ca - thanks - that will most probably be the condo we get - it sounds as a friendly and nice area, and that's the important thing.

Cheers

nytraveler

As long as it's directly from them and you have it in writing. On the website they show the suites can hold only 4 people.

Roadrunner2772

@nytraveler - try: http://www.thesohotel.com/rooms.html - bottom of the page "Regency Plus" -
5 people - 2 Queen Beds + 1 Twin Bed

Tabernash2

Roadrunner, can you make a reservation that's 100 percent refundable at the Beverly Laurel? Maybe you'd want to make that booking, but keep looking. It doesn't have the best reviews. Does it offer breakfast, free wi-fi and/or free parking?

I'm thinking that at that price point, I'd choose a brand name chain hotel, or a Best Western, just to have some quality assurance.