Where do you recommend staying in LA
 

We are taking a vacation to LA during the first week of July. We were thinking about staying in Santa Barbara, Huntington Beach, or Malibu. Anyone have any recommnedations or preferences?

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Well, Bob,<BR>Santa Barbara is two hours from L.A., Malibu (depending on where you are in Malibu) is about 30 minutes from Santa Monica, the most Western part of L.A., and Huntington Beach is 30 to 45 minutes South of L.A.. Thus, if you want to be near L.A., but not actually in L.A., I'd go for Malibu, with one precaution -- at this time of year, driving from Malibu on Hwy 1 back to Santa Monica and points East (i.e. West L.A., Westwood, Beverly Hills, downtown L.A., Hollywood, etc.) you will be sitting in traffic, especially on weekends. Malibu is great if you plan to spend most of your time at the beach. If you don't want to spend all that time in your car, I'd opt for Santa Monica, if you want to be close to the beach, or the Westwood/Century City area, which is close to everything.

I agree with Shannon. Santa Monica is a great place. Freeway close and not isolated. Also think about Marina del Rey - a little less crowded than Santa Monica. Malibu is beautiful, but not your typical beach community. It's a little off the beaten track and there isn't a typical town - hotels and restaurants line Pacific Coast Highway (a busy stretch of highway). Instead of Huntington, which is pretty far south near Long Beach, look into Manhattan or Redondo Beach which are closer to LA, and great beach towns.

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like Santa Monica or Marina Del Rey is the best fit for our vacation. How is the traffic traveling from Marina Del Rey and Santa Monica? Do you have recommendations for hotels in either locations in the $100 - $150 range?

I meant "traffic from Marina Del Rey to Santa Monica."

The Best Western Jamaica Bay Inn should fall within your price range. In Marina Del Rey. <BR><BR>We like the Holiday Inn Bel Air, which is about a 12 minute drive down Sunset Boulevard to Malibu Beach. It is near U.C.L.A and the homes of Beverly Hills. <BR><BR>You do not state what you plan to do while in L.A. so it is hard to recommend your best bet for accomodations. Beach? Touring? Studios? Visiting someone?

Even if you don't stay there, Huntington is worth a visit. While not exactly a sleepy beach town anymore, it still has a little bit of that feel. You can walk out on the pier and watch the surfers and see for yourself why it is Surf City.

It's a very easy 10 minute drive between Marina del Rey and Santa Monica. You have the choice of going down Ocean Avenue (more scenic) or Lincoln Blvd. (okay, but ugly and more congested than Ocean). In Marina del Rey, you could stay at the Jamaica Bay Inn (it's not as nice as it used to be, but right at "mother's beach"), or the Courtyard by Marriott. You might even get a good deal at the Marina Beach Marriott, which is very nice and located right across the street from the Jamaica Bay Inn.