LAX area or San Pedro??

[PH8]

We are flying into LAX on a Sat morning............Our cruise leaves San Pedro Sunday.............

 

Should we book a hotel in the LA area or San Pedro???

 

Any suggestions(hotel names) would be greatly appreciated.................

 

Thanks.................

[hova]

We are also in the same situation in January. We opted to stay at the Radisson at LAX. We got it on Hotwire for $73. It looks like a nice place and has a free shuttle to the hotel. Some other threads spoke about a free shuttle to the Manhattan Beach area, where you can go shopping or hang out on the beach. The next morning we will take a taxi to the pier whenever we are ready to go.

 

hova

[Lois R]

Hi Kathy:) You know I sailed from San Pedro last month.

We stayed in LongBeach and it was about a 15 minute ride to the

Pier.

We got a room at the Hilton, but in this case my girlfriend had

POINTS so the stay was free for us:D

[obriendan]

For an overnight stay before a flight to Australia and a land tour, I just got the 4* Sheraton Gateway on Priceline for January 22, 2006 (1 night) for a bid of $71. Also for the return, I got the 3* Radisson LAX (also on Century Blvd.) on Priceline for February 14, 2006 (1 night) for a bid of $60.

[petlover]

Personally, I would only stay near LAX if I was arriving at night with no desire to leave the hotel. There is nothing to do in the daytime at the hotels near the airport. Long Beach or Manhattan Beach would be other options for walking around and shopping, various restaurants etc. (Not much to see in San Pedro ). Should you decide to stay near LAX, all the hotels run shuttles back and forth. Going to one of the beach towns near by is just a short taxi ride.

 

BTW, Long Beach airport is a much better airport to fly in and out of if the prciing is close to LAX.

[LMCAT123]

Long Beach airport is a nice option - IF your airline flies there, however many don't and since your question is about LAX I can only assume that is where you are flying into :-) despite the last poster recommending you fly into LB.

 

There is no good (perfect) answer for LAX/San Pedro. LAX is about 30 minutes from the pier area, but traffic can make it a very long ride sometimes. LB is also about 25-30 min. from pier area, you might get less traffic there but it's really a crap-shoot because who knows how traffic will be on any given day.

 

A lot of how to answer your question depends on your budget. You can stay at a LAX hotel (pick a major one with restuarants, pool, etc. if you do that as there is very little around LAX except hotels). Major hotels include Hilton, Hyatt, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Westin, Marriott, etc. Relax and just enjoy the pre-cruise day at the hotel. A taxi to the pier will cost about $50 (plus tip) - since it's a weekend the traffic on the 405 Freeway might be pretty good!! or .. you can take the free hotel shuttle bus back into the airport proper and take a SuperShuttle or Primetime Shuttle from in front of one of the terminals to the airport. I believe it is about $37 for two (plus tip).

 

Some of the major LAX hotels run a free shuttle bus down to the shopping center in Manhattan Beach. It's a nice way to kill a few hours.

 

Despite what everyone says "short taxi ride to beach or whatever", there is no such thing as an inexpensive taxi ride in the LA area. If budget is of no concern then fine - if it is, I'd limit my taxi rides. $20-$30 short taxi rides add up quickly. Watching the meter when you sit on Pacific Coast Highway waiting for traffic to move is not alot of fun.

 

There are a couple of hotels in San Pedro - Holiday Inn Express and Crowne Plaza (also part of Holiday Inn chain). Both offer "packages" including shuttle (Primetime) from LAX to hotel, breakfast and room and transfer to pier. It must be booked via the hotel itself in most cases tho, not the 800 number or website. You can also simply take a shuttle down to the hotel from LAX yourself if that is what you want to do.

 

Long Beach has many hotels, again you need to get to them via expensive taxi from LAX or a Shuttle service. You will also need a taxi to get to San Pedro pier from LB (about $25).

 

We are doing a cruise in April and I've elected to just take a shuttle to San Pedro and stay one night at Holiday Inn Express - the AAA rate I got was better then their "package rate". You really have to check and re-check prices on all these things.

 

I've come to the conclusion that cruises out of the Los Angeles area involve more complicated transfer options then anyplace else .. the LA area is huge, taxi's are expensive, San Pedro is not in central LA :-) and freeways can be daunting for those not used to them. We lived in LA area for a long time and still I find it a real pain in the neck to try and get from LAX to San Pedro :-)

 

Good Luck with your plans.

[PH8]

Thanks EVERYONE for their input..........

 

Im sorta familiar with where the ports are..took the Monarch a couple of years ago.then we flew into LAX a few days earlier so we wound up staying at the Renaissance Hollywood hotel............that was real nice...........

 

As of now,I booked us into the Coast Long Beach hotel............looks like a nice place to spend the day..and it says adjacent to the QM..........would love to see that place!!

[Nanatravel]

ParrottHead8, please note my recent review on the Coast Hotel. We did sail right out of the LB pier near the Queen Mary but it was a great pre-cruise stay for the money. Hotel inc. breakfast buffet is very nice. The free shuttle into the shoreline villages is a plus, so a car is not needed. Check the Coast hotel web site for rates and ask them about transfer to San Pedro. I did not see many taxi's around.

Bon Voyage

[PH8]

Figured a hotel as nice as the Coast(with a concierge) would be able to get us a cab..........

 

I have also booked the Renaissance in LB................looks like a nice place too.............just gotta figure out the best way to go..........

[fozzyfoz]

Check the Coast hotel web site for rates and ask them about transfer to San Pedro. I did not see many taxi's around.

Bon Voyage

 

We stayed at the Coast and sailed out of San Pedro. The hotel does NOT offer a shuttle (altho they can call shuttle service on your behalf - it is about $16/pp). It is cheaper to take a taxi (about $25 incl tip depending on the driver and traffic). We just told the front desk we needed a taxi to San Pedro when we were checking out and we were picked up within 5 minutes and giving our luggage to the porter at the pier within 20 minutes.