Roadrunner2772

@tabernash2 - all the prices that I got for hotels are with free cancellation up to 48 hours before check-in - they will of course take my credit card details when booking as a guarantee - but they will not charge ANYTHING until 48h before check-in - so, I'm OK booking everything and have a final decision closer to the travel dates.

Tabernash2

That's smart. I think you can do better for lodging in L.A.

EatnDrinkLJ

Hi Road Runner,

I've been trying to read through all the posts, and sorry if I am repeating a few things that others might have mentioned already, but I am specifically focusing on San Diego.

I checked out the website homeway.com and I am unsure if it is legitimate or not. Have you tried AirBnB?


As for Outlets, I suggest going to Carlsbad Premium Outlet instead of Las Americas. Las Americas is at the border of U.S. and Mexico.

For Beach: I suggest going to Pacific Beach or MIssion Beach. There is also La Jolla Shores, but it is a nightmare for parking and traffic unless you want to arrive early and leave early.

For Food: Your family can definitely live off $100 per day for food while on vacation in San Diego. Definitely go to In-N-Out Burger. If you're up for Mexican food, there's a place called Las Quatros Milpas just south of Downtown in Barrio Logan. It has been a family operated restaurant since the 1930s. It's very unassuming, and their portions are generous and the food is great. Souplantation (chain) can also help your food budget. It's buffet style restaurant.

Have a great time! Please feel free to contact me if you have any further Qs about San Diego.

MonicaRichards

I assume he means Homeaway and it's 100% legit. We used it to get our apartments in France.

nytraveler

Air BnB is a legitimate company - but you are not renting from a company but from an individual. To use then you need to do a whole lot of background work on the individual and the property to make sure it will be available and as promised (check references, use google earth, make sure you get land lines and actual addresses as well as who locally to contact with any problems).

Roadrunner2772

@MonicaRichards is right homeaway.com (sorry for the typo)

ElendilPickle

I stayed at the Rodeway Inn in Culver City when I auditioned for Jeopardy in June 2012. http://www.rodewayinn.com/hotel-los_...A323?listpos=1

My room was spacious, clean, and quiet. The neighborhood was decent, and there are a ton of inexpensive places to eat on nearby Sepulveda Blvd. You're also near the 405, so you can drive where you want fairly easily.

If you like Indian food, I enjoyed some of the best lamb biryani I've ever eaten at Jasmine Kitchen on Sepulveda. It's less than a mile from Rodeway Inn; in fact, I liked it so much that I took my husband and teenage son there last October.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jasmine-mark...cheap%20dinner

Lee Ann

christnp

AirBnB and Homeaway are good options for places where short term vacation apartment rentals are legal (which is most, but not all places). They are not a good option for NYC, where such rentals are usually illegal in most multi-family dwellings, but lucrative enough that people take the risk anyway and persist with listing it.

The sites to not verify the legality of the listings advertised through their site. They merely provide the listing and booking/payment services.

Tabernash2

This place came to $152/night for your 5 in July:

Comfort Inn Near Santa Monica Pier
2815 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404, US
(310) 828-5517

The Comfort Inn® Near Santa Monica Pier is conveniently located on Santa Monica Boulevard and is two miles from the Santa Monica Pier. This Santa Monica, CA hotel is close to area attractions like Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Venice Beach, just to name a few.

While staying at the hotel, guests can visit Universal Studios Hollywood, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, The Getty Center Los Angeles, The Getty Villa Malibu, Griffith Observatory, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Guests often visit the historical carousel at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier. Shoppers will like the bustling shops on the Third Street Promenade, Main Street and Santa Monica Place, which offers a variety of restaurants, shops, entertainment, art galleries and museums.

Guest of this Santa Monica, CA hotel are invited to enjoy amenities like:

Free breakfast with hot waffles
Free high-speed Internet access
Free in-room coffee
Outdoor heated pool
Business travelers will appreciate the modern conveniences including fax services. Ample free parking is avaiable.

All rooms come equipped with refrigerators, irons, ironing boards and hair dryers. Some rooms are also equipped with microwaves. Feel the ocean breeze in our well-appointed patio area with its coordinated furniture and umbrellas.

Whether traveling for business or pleasure, the Comfort Inn Near Santa Monica Pier is the perfect place for anyone visiting Southern California and the Santa Monica area.

Tabernash2

Forgot to thank Lee Ann for mentioning this chain. (She's smart. She invited to Jeopardy!)

mlgb

The El Segundo/Manhattan Beach/Hawthorne area is well supplied with suites type hotels that may be a good choice for your budget and family size (most also don't charge for parking).

Despite a Sepulveda Blvd. location, the Hawthorne Suites mentioned above does not necessarily have noisy rooms (most of these hotels were built during the 1980s with higher noise insulating standards). You can read the tripadvisor reviews for details on breakfast, noise, location, etc (bear in mind that few LA experts will have stayed at any of the hotels they are discussing since we live here!)

One hotel that I like to recommend is the Hyatt House LAX/El Segundo.Free parking, full breakfast and kitchen, evening social, shuttle to nearby malls (not airport). It should have some good discounted weekend rates, so may be a good place to start ($169 fully refundable).

http://www.elsegundo.house.hyatt.com

mlgb

Main course meals with sides at Disneyland Resort run $12 to $16 per person,(not including drinks and desserts, which can nearly double your expense). I think the full meals are a better value than the junky ones. There are also some less expensive meals such as the "kids meals" that are about $7-$8 and at least in the counter service restaurants, they don't mind anyone ordering them.

A good source for menus and prices is http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/menus.htm

My favorite fairly healthy choice at the moment is the skewer platter in the Paradise Pier area of Cal Adventure:
http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/men_grill.htm

Also Whitewater Snacks in the Grand Californian Hotel is known for their nachos, and serves made to order grilled sandwiches. There is a direct entry in to and out of Cal Adventure.

On the Disneyland side most junk food fanatics think that a corn dog is mandatory, but my system can't handle them anymore. I also don't think they are quite as good as in the past. I usually get a chicken dish or salad from Rancho del Zocalo (you can sub in veggies for the rice and or beans if you want). It is a very nice setting there.

http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/men_zoc.htm



You are allowed to bring small quantities of snacks and plastic water bottles inside the park, and if you think it is worthwhile bringing more food than they allow, there are lockers just outside the entrance for rent.

5alive

We brought a full lunch in a backpack to Disneyland, but it was 5 years ago. Of course, I had a teenager in a growth spurt, so for him it was just a snack and I bought him a second lunch. There is a McDonalds not far from the entrance to Disneyland.

I will second EatnDrinkLJ's suggestion for Souplantation (also called Sweet Tomatoes in some states). I have teenagers, and this all-you-can-eat restaurant really fills them up with an extensive salad bar, soup, pastas etc. Go to their website and sign up and they will email you coupons (always helps). http://www.souplantation.com/

You can also find cheaper independent restaurants and even food carts or food trucks by using the review site yelp.com and checking the checking the single dollar sign. Consider making a private Google Map and putting restaurants you're interested in on it.

JeffaimeParis

I was at Dollar Rent a Car at LAX just a couple months ago. I waited an hour and forty-five minutes to get a car, and I was told that is normal there. Loooong line of people, and we all had a reservation for a car. Other companies have comparable prices and not such a long wait.

The Getty is a great place. The $15 is for parking the car, no matter how many people are in it. For five people, that's $3 each, a good admission price. The collection is quite diverse, but there are a quite number of world class pieces of art. The views are amazing as well. I have not been to the Griffin, so I don't know what that costs, but it should offer good views. I would like to go there.

Spend as much time as possible along the ocean. It's free. The Strand--the bike/walking path--goes for miles and miles. Go swimming. Watch the surfers. Walk on the piers and talk to the people fishing. Maybe you'll see dolphins jumping out there.

I don't know how you'll keep your budget, but you know more than I do about that. (I spend more than that in Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach just by myself.)

Despite all that, it's a fascinating adventure you are planning and I am sure you'll have a great time. Don't forget the sun lotion!

JeffaimeParis

Ooops, sorry: I meant the Griffith Observatory, not Griffin.