Hotel Near LAX

[RWC123]

Flying in from PA with family four days before cruise in June and need some recommendations for a hotel near LAX where we can crash for our first night. Would appreciate any recommendations...Thanks!

[Kamloops50]

Flying in from PA with family four days before cruise in June and need some recommendations for a hotel near LAX where we can crash for our first night. Would appreciate any recommendations...Thanks!

 

Most of the large chains have hotels near LAX.

 

We have stayed at the Marriott .The big thing I would look at is price.

 

They have shuttles from the airport.

[Bruin Steve]

Flying in from PA with family four days before cruise in June and need some recommendations for a hotel near LAX where we can crash for our first night. Would appreciate any recommendations...Thanks!

 

Are you getting in THAT late?

Where are you planning on staying the next three nights?

 

There are a LOT of hotels near LAX...But, beware of anything East of the 405!!! Not a good area at all...

The area along Century Blvd, just outside the airport has a number of hotels that are nice--except for the surroundings...all of the big chains are there, and, to me, they are all pretty generic airport hotels...But, they are really only good, IMHO, if you are just there for the night before an early flight out...or, if you are arriving VERY late and feel you will be way to tired to just go directly to your destination...

 

The area is fairly industrial...a lot of airport related warehouse/distribution/office...Nothing in the way of any place to eat other than the hotel restaurants...and you don't really want to walk around...

 

There are two other areas near the airport where some hotels may offer free shuttles that are, in some ways, better choices...less convenient, but better choices...

 

A lof of folks like El Segundo--which is the town flanking the south side of LAX...It's an industrial town--built arund a major oil refinery--but there are some hotels down there like an Embassy Suites...and it has a few restaurants in the area along Sepulveda Blvd.

 

A little nicer area is Culver City--just a couple of miles north of the airport along Sepulveda. There are a handful of hotels around the Fox Hills area--near where the 405 crosses over Sepulveda...including the Doubletree, Four Points and Marriott Courtyard...These are close to some restaurants, a major shooping mall and another complex with restaurants and a multiscreen theater...

 

In either of these areas, I would call the hotel to verify if they offer a free shuttle from the airport...

 

Of course, were it me, I would just bite the bullet and, after getting my luggage, just take a taxi or shuttle to wherever my intended hotel for those next three nights is...avoid having to deal with checking in twice and relocating from one hotel to another...

[RWC123]

That's good info.....we arrive around 5pm, need to pick-up rental and just looking for a decent, close hotel for our first night after long day traveling. A very highly rated and relatively cheap hotel is in Hawthorne??? any idea of this neighborhood? After this we are going to bop around and take in some SC sights, scenes and attractions then it's off to the cruise.

[Bruin Steve]

That's good info.....we arrive around 5pm, need to pick-up rental and just looking for a decent, close hotel for our first night after long day traveling. A very highly rated and relatively cheap hotel is in Hawthorne??? any idea of this neighborhood? After this we are going to bop around and take in some SC sights, scenes and attractions then it's off to the cruise.

 

I would NOT stay in Hawthorne...at any hotel...

Do yourself a favor and do not look for "cheap" in LA...Nothing is cheap in LA--unless there is a very good reason--undesirable neighborhood, run down, questionable clientele, safety issues...

 

If you want a bargain, better to stick to a desirable neighborhood and use a service like Priceline...

 

The area near LAX but on the other side of the 405 is, generally NOT a desirable area...

 

Was THAT where you were planning on spending the next three nights?? Don't...it is not convenient to any tourist sights...and there is not much reason to want to be there...

 

I don't know what you mean by "bop around"...What do you want to see and do?

 

My personal recommendation would be to stay in Santa Monica or on the West Side and use that as a base...it can be a bit expensive, of course...so, you might also want to consider some place like Culver City if you are on a tight budget...With a rental car, it's a nice central location...

Or, if you want to be "Bopping around" more of Hollywood/Universal/Burbank, there are some hotels up in that area we could recommend...

 

But, with getting in at 5:00pm, you have plenty of time to just head directly to your destination, check in, have a nice meal, get some sleep and be able to start your touring right away the next day...

 

But, really, do not just hunt for a bargain hotel...not in LA...Do some research, tell us where you think you want to stay...and we locals can give you some recommendations and some sage advice...And, be very wary of just picking a hotel by internet--even hotels that claim to be somewhere or near somewhere are often in just horrendous locations...LA has a lot of great areas...and some incredibly poor ones...and often, they are fairly short distances apart...You need to know, very specifically, where you are staying...

[RWC123]

Appreciate your input on the hotels....obviously I have no first hand knowledge of the area and welcome your thoughts...Just to give you a quick snapshot of our plan(s)....coming in four days prior to cruise to do some SC sightseeing with family of six...plan on doing the typical SC things in and around LA (beaches,hollywood, universal etc.) maybe venture down to SD. Do you think we would be better off selecting a single hotel to use as home base or "hoping" around and staying in different places...ultimately we will return to LB on Sat before cruise.

 

Not worried about budget, however we do need two rooms per night so just trying to keep the $$ reasonable where I can....welcome your further input.

[Kamloops50]

I would consider using a hotel as home base. It' s easier to stay in one hotel than packing and unpacking everyday. You also will waste time looking every day for a place to stay.

If in one place you arrange tours to attractions that leave from the hotel instead of driving and trying to park.

[Cricket63]

Have a question...how is the Spring Hill Suites, by Manhattan Beach? Thanks.

[Bruin Steve]

Have a question...how is the Spring Hill Suites, by Manhattan Beach? Thanks.

 

Question would be what you are using it for?

SpringHill Suites is a nice business hotel operation by Marriott...

Manhattan Beach, in general, is a nice, upscale beach town...

But this hotel is not anywhere near the beach...or the central part of town...It's up in the Northeast corner of Manhattan Beach...closer to LAX...But it is right next to Manhattan Village, a nice shopping mall with restaurants, theaters, etc....

 

If you are using it for a one night stay to be near LAX, it is not a bad choice...much nocer than the area right around LAX...If you are getting it free on Marriott points, it's a pretty good buy...

If you are using it for a longer visit, to be near the beach or near the tourist areas of LA, it's not that...

[fuzzmane]

Cricket63 and Fuzzmane are traveling together, coming from the east coast two days prior to our cruise in Jan 2013 to Hawaii. We are looking for a nice place to stay and see some sights around Long Beach. We were thinking about staing around LAX on Sunday night since it is Super Bowl Sunday. We have a group who love football, so watching the game is a must, so we will not fly out till the next day. Any help you can give us would be greatly appreciated.

[Cricket63]

Question would be what you are using it for?

SpringHill Suites is a nice business hotel operation by Marriott...

Manhattan Beach, in general, is a nice, upscale beach town...

But this hotel is not anywhere near the beach...or the central part of town...It's up in the Northeast corner of Manhattan Beach...closer to LAX...But it is right next to Manhattan Village, a nice shopping mall with restaurants, theaters, etc....

 

If you are using it for a one night stay to be near LAX, it is not a bad choice...much nocer than the area right around LAX...If you are getting it free on Marriott points, it's a pretty good buy...

If you are using it for a longer visit, to be near the beach or near the tourist areas of LA, it's not that...

 

We are using it for a 2 night stay before cruise, 1 night after. Thanks for your quick responce!

[RWC123]

OK....looking at Culver City and Santa Monica area....I've looked at chains and independents...take out the very high end places and it is a very mixed bag...prices and reviews all over the place!! more confused than when I started...if you have personal experience with any hotels in these areas I would appreciate your feedback...Thanks!!

[Bruin Steve]

Appreciate your input on the hotels....obviously I have no first hand knowledge of the area and welcome your thoughts...Just to give you a quick snapshot of our plan(s)....coming in four days prior to cruise to do some SC sightseeing with family of six...plan on doing the typical SC things in and around LA (beaches,hollywood, universal etc.) maybe venture down to SD. Do you think we would be better off selecting a single hotel to use as home base or "hoping" around and staying in different places...ultimately we will return to LB on Sat before cruise.

 

Not worried about budget, however we do need two rooms per night so just trying to keep the $$ reasonable where I can....welcome your further input.

 

Remember, LA is a REALLY big place...and it can take a long time to get from one area to another...

 

For most people planning on a few days, I recommend staying in Santa Monica--because it has the best weather, the best attractions, walking streets, nightlife, restaurants, etc. It puts you right next to the Third Street Promenade, the Santa Monica Pier, nice beaches...and very close to the Venice Beach Boardwalk, Marina Del Rey...and a short drive to Beverly Hills, the Getty Center Museum, the Getty Villa and more...

It's a little bit of a drive across town to Hollywood and Universal...but Santa Monica is so much nicer than Hollywood...You can drive to Hollywood, depending on traffic and time of day, in about 30 minutes to an hour...of course, lots of places to stop in between...'

 

Santa Monica can be a bit on the pricey side for a nice hotel--like Loew's, Shutters, Le Merigot or Casa del Mar--which are on the beach or the Fairmont Miramar--up on the Bluffs near the Third Street Promenade...and, you will likely pay a hefty parking fee at these as well...

 

But, there are some more reasonable choices in Santa Monica as well--The Holiday Inn is well located--except that it is right on the freeway...The Sheraton Delfina and the Doubletree are off the beach and a few blocks away from the attractions...And there are some little , not so fancy hotels (like the CalMar) which are good deals for basic accommodations...

 

An alternative is to stay a little further down the beach--in the Venice/Marina del Rey area--still very nice...Look at the Jamaica Bay Inn, Inn at Venice Beach, Marina Del Rey Marriott, even the Ritz Carlton...(maybe the Foghorn Harbor Inn as a cheaper alternative)...

 

With a car, you do have some more options...as mentioned, Culver City (inland from Marina del Rey) has some options...but you'll be driving a lot of places as opposed to Santa Monica/Venice/MDR where you can walk to the beach and such...

 

For those wanting to spend most of their time in Hollywood/Universal et al, my recommendation is to stay in the Universal area...Check out the Sheraton Universal and the Universal City Hilton--both are right on the Universal property...For a little more reasonable price but in the same area (and in nice areas), check out the Beverly Garland or the Sportsmen's Inn...Of course, staying here you are close to Hollywood but nowhere near the beach...

 

In general, in LA, the better neighborhoods are on the "West Side"--Santa Monica/Malibu/Pacific Palisades/Marina del Rey/Westwood/Century City/Beverly Hills...Of course these also bring you the highest costs--including parking...but the neighborhoods are relatively safe, upscale, etc. The South Bay beach cities--Manhattan Beach/Hermosa Beach/Redondo Beach/Palos Verdes are also nice--but a little remote from most tourist attractions. Also very nice, but REMOTE from what you will want to see is the Southwest San Fernando Valley/Ventura County--Encino/Tarzana/Woodland Hills/Calabasas/Agoura/Westlake Village...

 

Hollywood proper can be a bit scuzzy, so be very careful where you stay if in Hollywood...I usually recommend sticking with either the Renaissance, the Roosevelt or a couple of smaller hotyels near those--like the Magic Castle...Most areas in Hollywood are not desirable...West Hollywood IS a good area and has some reasonable hotel choices if one wants to stay in that area...

 

Universal City is nice...but don't venture too far afield--a little north of there is not necessarily nice...

 

Don't stay anywhere South of the 10/East of the 405--except that area of Culver City I mentioned...

 

Downtown LA is really only worth considering if you are there on business or to attend an event at Staples, the Nokia Theater, Dodger Stadium or the LA Convention Center...

 

I would pick a place and use it as a base...You may also want to take a stab at Priceline...but I would stick to very high star ratings in areas 1, 9 or 11 on their "map"...or check out those "bidding" sites so you can be fairly certain of what you might get...

 

Good luck...

[Idahobaker]

maybe venture down to SD.

 

SD is 3 hours 1 way. And, there is so much to see, it's not really a day-trip place. By using Travelocity, you can see all the hotels in the proximity of LAX and most have a free shuttle. You might wish to consider forgoing the car the first night you're in, stay an LAX hotel, go get the car the next morning, and go to SD first. Don't miss the zoo as it's world famous. Spend the night there, then head back to LA the next day and get a base of operations established.

 

In LA, there's plenty to do like the Getty museum, Universal Studios, and drive through Beverly Hills (but you probably can't afford to stop).

 

You didn't what part of PA you're from, but get ready for heavy traffic.

 

Most of all, have fun!:D

[Bruin Steve]

Cricket63 and Fuzzmane are traveling together, coming from the east coast two days prior to our cruise in Jan 2013 to Hawaii. We are looking for a nice place to stay and see some sights around Long Beach. We were thinking about staing around LAX on Sunday night since it is Super Bowl Sunday. We have a group who love football, so watching the game is a must, so we will not fly out till the next day. Any help you can give us would be greatly appreciated.

 

I am not sure where one would watch the Super Bowl near LAX...perhaps stay at the Marriott--they have "Champions" Sports Bar on premises...

 

For Long Beach, here is my "short list":

 

There is a very limited area of Long Beach in which you want to stay...and, therefore, a limited number of hotels.

 

The best places to stay are the Hyatt, Westin, Renaissance and Avia...These put you right in the heart of the tourist area with very convenient walks to restaurants, shops and attractions and easy access to the free "Passport" shuttle...Slightly further away, but still in decent walking distance, are the Hilton, the Marriott Courtyard and the Best Western Long Beach Convention Center...just across the bridge (on the same side of the channel as the Carnival Pier) are the Marriott Residence Inn Downtown and the Maya...The Queen Mary is across the bridge as well...and right next to the Carnival Terminal...however, I am not a big fan of the Queen Mary--unless you are on there for nostalgia's sake...It's not exactly a first class hotel by today's standards--the rooms are small, condition questionable, etc.

 

Getting to any of these hotels from LAX, you'd either have to take a taxi or a shuttle...Try Super Shuttle or Prime Time Shuttle...From hotel to pier, some of these hotels may have free shuttles, but policies change time to time, so I would check individually with the hotel...

 

http://www.longbeach.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

 

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin...ropertyID=1003

 

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...g-beach-hotel/

 

http://www.aviahotels.com/hotels/longbeach/

 

http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hote...ornia/index.do

 

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...each-downtown/

 

http://www.bestwesterncalifornia.com...ention-center/

 

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...each-downtown/

 

http://doubletree1.hilton.com/en_US/dt/hotel/LGBMYDT-Hotel-Maya-a-DoubleTree-by-Hilton-Hotel-California/index.do

One word of warning: Do NOT go looking for bargains outside of this short list of hotels...Long Beach is a BIG city...there are lots of different areas, some better, some worse...some not so close to the port or the tourist areas...That bargain hotel MAY tell you it's near the Convention Center or near the port...but it may not be...it may be in an undesirable area or location. You want to have a pleasant stay--stick to this list.

 

This area of Long Beach means you will have a large choice of restaurants nearby, you will have nice shops and picturesque scenery and places to walk and enjoy...You will be close to sites like the Aquarium and the Queen Mary if you want to have a little sightseeing...Long Beach runs a free shuttle service called the "Passport" which will take you all over the Downtown area:

http://www.lbtransit.com/services/passport.aspx

Good luck...

[RWC123]

Awesome! Thanks Bruin Steve and Idahobaker...that's the info I was looking for!! I will get on it.

[Bruin Steve]

OK....looking at Culver City and Santa Monica area....I've looked at chains and independents...take out the very high end places and it is a very mixed bag...prices and reviews all over the place!! more confused than when I started...if you have personal experience with any hotels in these areas I would appreciate your feedback...Thanks!!

 

In Santa Monica, the nice hotels are along the beach near the pier or along Ocean Avenue on the bluffs near Palisades Park...

 

There are hotels further uptown--near the hospitals --around 20th and Santa Monica Blvd.--those are not really tourist areas...nothing wrong with them, it's just not the resort area, not walking distance to everything, not real vacation-like and the hotels are more utilitarian...

 

In Culver City, it's really that group of hotels near the end of town toward LAX--the Doubletree, Four Points, Courtyard, Extended Stay America...

 

There are some small hotels further up Sepulveda--above Culver...nothing terrible about the neighborhood, but those hotels all look just a little "scuzzy" to me--like the kinds of places that rent by the hour, if you catch my drift...

 

There are so many choices of hotels in this area that it can get very confusing...and they range from really nice five-stars all the way down to cheesy pits that willscare you away...Unfortunately for you, when you throw out the "very high end" places, you are throwing out most of the nice ones...LA is an expensive town...nice hotels can charge a pretty hefty room rate here...

[Cruisin' Chick]

Whoa, it looks like there's two different threads mixed into one here. But I would still read Bruin Steve's recs very closely. Don't go for a bargain -- unless you can get a decent hotel on Priceline, etc. (but you want to make sure you're asking for the right area and the right rating -- if you just ask for Los Angeles, you can get stuck in a crummy area).

 

RWC, I would go along with Steve's thoughts. Get a hotel in Santa Monica or one of the Hollywood-Universal City-Studio City ones that he recommends. If you're renting a hotel, you don't have to worry about shuttles (see if you can get one from an agency that has an one-way service and a drop off in the Long Beach-Lomita area -- some may even shuttle you over to the port or else you can drop off your party and luggage at the Carnival berth and then take care of the car return and take the shuttle or get a taxi back to Long Beach).

 

I only recommend staying near LAX if you have an early flight the next morning (that's what we did for our honeymoon, staying at the Marriott -- but it's definitely not an area for starting sightseeing from as you'll be far away from the sights and I imagine the garage costs would be high for your car). And think strip malls (you can take that literally:eek:). And definitely not in downtown LA. You can always drive over there if you really, really want to see Olvera Street or see the outside of Staples or Disney Hall, but it's really crowded even on weekends (my hubby has been working over 30 years there, mostly at city hall, including Sundays).

 

Santa Monica is fun, especially the Third Street Promenade. There's garages on the various streets around there for parking. But June can be dicey for beach weather as we have something called June Gloom. Often mornings are overcast between April and mid-June. Up where I live (which I doubt you'll be traveling to as the only real tourist attraction is the Ronald Reagan library in Simi Valley) we can have weather in June ranging from 60s to the 100s during the day. But you can still go to the Santa Monica pier and walk around. You might not want to dip your toesies in the ocean unless we've been having a warm spell.

 

Hollywood area has of course, Hollywood sights and you can drive down Fairfax Blvd and go to Farmers Market, which many people consider the top tourist stop on the tours. Stop at Cantors Deli just north of there for lunch (it'll be one of the few places open on that part of the street if it's Saturday afternoon). Universal City in the Valley has Universal Studios plus City Walk (a close cousin of the Third Street Promenade in the sense you walk around outside, people watch, dine in the restaurants and shop in interesting stores).

[Cruisin' Chick]

Cricket63 and Fuzzmane are traveling together, coming from the east coast two days prior to our cruise in Jan 2013 to Hawaii. We are looking for a nice place to stay and see some sights around Long Beach. We were thinking about staing around LAX on Sunday night since it is Super Bowl Sunday. We have a group who love football, so watching the game is a must, so we will not fly out till the next day. Any help you can give us would be greatly appreciated.

 

You should also check out Steve's posts (not just from this thread but others). I would imagine all sports bars in the country will be tuning into the game. But even if you're in your hotel room, the game will be on -- CBS is on channel 2, NBC is on channel 4, ABC on channel 7, and Fox on channel 11.

 

Again, you don't need to stay by LAX if your flight is later on the morning or the afternoon.

 

Late January is in the middle of our rainy season so don't be surprised if you don't see the sun during your stay. Of course, our weather here this winter has been strange like the rest of the country. This week alone we've had temps ranging from 60 to 84 during the day, but the coastal areas are more milder.