Where to stay in L A
 

Can anyone help with hotel suggestions( for my daughter and her fiance)who are flying into LA in September. They think they want to stay 4 nights. What area is best and is 4 nights long enough or too long? This will be their first time to the west coast and they plan to fly home from San Francisco so will hire a car.
Any input is welcome.
Thanks

Do you mean they want to stay four nights in LA and then drive up to SF or that they want to do the whole trip in four days? I will assume you mean four nights in LA then move on. Four nights is OK, kind of depends on what they want to do. If they want to see as much as they can, I don't think four days is enough to really see LA. LA is a very spread out city with lots of traffic.

The area we love is Santa Monica. Lots to do right there, without having to get in the car. For instance, they can walk around the area, go to Third Street Promenade (shopping and restaurants) and walk around, always things to do there, go walk along the ocean side, go to the pier, eat, shop. Get in the car and drive up to Malibu and spend the day, drive down and spend some time in Venice.

I think on your first trip to LA it is fun to see Hollywood area, Grauman's Chinese, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Studios, Farmers Market, the Grove (beautiful upscale shopping and dining) and so much more all in that area.

There is the Getty Museum, UCLA, Dodger Baseball game, downtown area (not big for me, but there are some things down there), theater, Hollywood Bowl, Universal Studios (just another amusement park to me, but kids love it).

I am sure others will have lots to add. Also do a search on LA, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and read some older posts that will have some good info in it. Hope this helps.

You have to give us a bit more to work with. What is the hotel budget (bear in mind, taxes will add upwards of 20% to the quoted room rate)? This is not a cheap area.

Heavens has given a good suggestion for a first-time visitor. Santa Monica is a good proxy for what people think of as "LA", although it's technically a separate city (one of almost 100 in Los Angeles county alone). It's a tremendously popular tourist destination (I work in Santa Monica and have to contend with tourists in their slow-moving white rental cars in my commute to and from my home), and hotel rates reflect that.

Your daughter and her fiancé do realize that San Francisco is about 650 km to the north of the greater Los Angeles area, right? The super-popular coastal drive should be spread out over at least two long days, preferably three or four.

Do they have lodging lined up in San Francisco?

We like to stay in Beverly Hills, which, to our surprise, is not more expensive than anyplace else in LA.

We always loved Santa Monica and Marina del Rey when we lived there.

For destinations, it depends on their tastes.

Art: In addition to the previous posts, Huntington Library and Gardens and the Norton Simon Museum are great places to visit.

The Natural History Museum and La Brea Tar Pits are also fascinating.

Venice Beach is a scene like no other. Body builders and very unusual people.
We enjoyed Huntington Beach for actual sunbathing/swimming....

Seeing a movie in Los Angeles is an event too. They have the best theatres with the very best sound systems, technology etc.

Are they spending extra time driving the coast or going up I-5?

Thanks everyone!
They are in the US for 3 weeks in all.

Four nights definitely isn't too long for L.A. There is so much to do and see there that one could easily spend a week (or even longer) without being bored IMHO.

In order to get a feel for the city, I would suggest they do some driving the first day: After starting with a walking tour in downtown that will encompass some interesting architecure and paying a visit to Olvera Street (tacky, but allegedly the place where L.A. was founded, I believe), I would follow Sunset Blvd. West. That way one enters into Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills etc.
They could make several stops at their leisure, e.g. a block North at Hollywood Blvd. where Grauman's and the Walk of Fame are located. Another option would be to take a look at Melrose in West Hollywood for hip and at times quirky shopping. Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills would be another worthwhile stop.
After passing by UCLA and Westwood, they would arrive in Santa Monica - probably in time for sunset over the Pacific.

While not everything might seem scenic on the route, I truly enjoy driving and idling through those areas. They might develop a feeling for the city and locate several areas or sights that they might be interested to take a closer look at on the days to come.

The Tour Book from AAA has a nice walking tour of downtown lined out, so I'd recommend obtaining one.

I absolutely second the idea of also paying the Pasadena area a visit with a visit to either the Norton Simon Museum or the Huntington Library. I'd combine that with having dinner somewhere in Old Town Pasadena, maybe in one of the many nice dining spots on and around Colorado Blvd. This is one area in L.A. that in fact is great for strolling the streets.

Ooops! Forgot to say that they are budgeting $150 per night for hotels/motelS.

HilgardHouse near UCLA would come in under their price range, and is a good neighborhood.

If they stay four nights, they might want to stay a fifth day, and then in the evening head up to Santa Barbara for the night, get 90 minutes of the San Fran drive out of the way (and SB is a nice place to visit). This is assuming they want to take the coastal drive up to SF instead of the dull freeway.

They definitely intend to do the coastal route.

They are looking at Andrews hotel in SF. a few blocks from Union Square.