Where to stay in Los Angeles

[FiremedicMike151]

We’ll be sailing out of LA in October and would like to know where to stay.  Would prefer to be closer to the port but if there’s a “must stay at” then that’s fine.  We’ll be flying in 1-2 days early and want to sight see a little.
 

we accidentally waited until last minute sailing out of Seattle this past year and ended up far from both the port and from anything fun and ended up paying a fortune in Uber fees..

 

thanks!

[Jetswdo]

Happy Holidays..  If you are renting a car, which I strongly suggest,  the San Pedro Crown Plaza is a 10-14 minute walk from, the pier, and offers a shuttle to the pier and back--- convenient.  I just stayed there a month ago for a cruise and it worked out very well.  The Doubletree is in a prettier location, but not as convenient.  But it really depends on your plans for the 1 or 2 days you plan to go to the sites. I suggest first deciding what exactly you plan on doing in LA before you cruise and then take if from there.  If you just want to go to Long Beach area for aquarium and Queen Mary then I would definately stay in San Pedro (if renting a car)  If you plan on going to Anaheim for Disneyland, that is a different story.

[ColeThornton]

33 minutes ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

We’ll be sailing out of LA in October and would like to know where to stay.  Would prefer to be closer to the port but if there’s a “must stay at” then that’s fine.  We’ll be flying in 1-2 days early and want to sight see a little.
 

we accidentally waited until last minute sailing out of Seattle this past year and ended up far from both the port and from anything fun and ended up paying a fortune in Uber fees..

 

thanks!

 

Check out the West Coast departures forum.  

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/

[www3traveler]

I stay at major hotels out by LAX.  Have always been able to book tours through their Concierge Desk.  

Sometimes I have been able to get a transfer directly from the hotel to the ship.  Other times I have gone back to the baggage claim area of my airline and gotten a transfer to the ship from there.

[BirdTravels]

FWIW we stay at the doubletree San Pedro just to overnight. not the hot spot for sightseeing. 
 

 

[starfish54]

I am looking for 2 nights stay in February sailing and both Crown Plaza and Doubletree are giving me $350+ night!

This is more expensive than cruise. I have to look for another alternative somewhere else, it really doesn't matter where we stay as long as it's somewhere we can take a cab from. The issue is we are getting there on Friday evening and we'd like to spend Saturday sightseeing.  If we decide to go to a park (which I know 1 day is nowhere near enough for weekend) then we can stay at Anaheim area, at least even if we spend $300/night, we are near the park and we don't need park for food/etc vs staying at double tree there is nothing much nearby. 

 

I still would like to get a car so I can pick up the family from airport on Friday evening and make it more convenient for everyone but returning the car is the problem since it's shocking there are no rental agencies near the port that's open on sundays. Unless I drive family to port, then take the car to LGB, take cab back to port.

Edited December 26, 2023 by starfish54

[Bruin Steve]

On 12/25/2023 at 11:42 AM, FiremedicMike151 said:

We’ll be sailing out of LA in October and would like to know where to stay.  Would prefer to be closer to the port but if there’s a “must stay at” then that’s fine.  We’ll be flying in 1-2 days early and want to sight see a little.
 

we accidentally waited until last minute sailing out of Seattle this past year and ended up far from both the port and from anything fun and ended up paying a fortune in Uber fees..

 

thanks!

First, you need to realize that Greater Los Angeles is REALLY BIG.  Very few metropolitan areas cover as much ground.  It can take hours to get from one end of town to the other.  The harbor area, which is fairly massive in its own right, is 20-25 miles south of LAX.  Santa Monica (popular tourist destination) is 10 miles north of LAX and 30 miles north of San Pedro.  Hollywood is 30 miles north of San Pedro and about 12-15 miles west of Santa Monica.  Anaheim is about 30-32 miles east of San Pedro.  When you factor in LA traffic, any of these places can be a time-consuming drive from where you may be staying...making comprehensive sight-seeing in a single day difficult...and ther is no "centrally-located" hotel area that makes sense.

 

Therefore, most people stay near the sites they most want to visit and concentrate on those sites.  Renting a car makes sense for multi-day visits since taxis and Ubers can get fairly expensive and public transit in LA is not well-suited for tourism.  OTOH, renting a car cn even get somewhat difficult for many due to traffic and expensive and/or hard-to-find parking in many parts of town...and that issue of where to drop the car.

 

As to sightseeing, that means different things to different people.  Going to and amusement park--like Disneyland, Universal, Knott's or such would be a full day in itself.  Staying near whatever park (Disney, for example) with a two night stay generally means choosing either staying near the port or near Disney and requires transportation either airport-port-Disney-port or airport-Disney-port.  You save a step staying near Disney though overall cst may be somewhat comparable.

 

If, by sightseeing, you mean the more typical visiting Hollywood (Sign, Grauman's Chinese, Walk of Fame, studios, etc.), many want to stay in Hollywood itself--but beware--lower cost hotels in Hollywood can be pretty seedy and in very dicey areas.  If I were looking in Hollywood, I would stick to higher end hotels like the Loews or the Roosevelt--which can lso get fairly pricey...or stay nearby in Universal City or West Hollywood.

 

The better area for tourists is Santa Monica--along the beach, near the Samta Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade.  Best place to be if you are without a car.  Lots of nice places to walk even at night, restaurants and a a very touristy LA vibe, Venice Boardwalk, Getty Museums and lots more a fairly short ride away...and all of the tour companies pock up at Santa Monica hotels for tours to the sights of Hollywood and rest of LA proper (Downtown, Beverly Hills, etc.)...and HOHO bus uses Santa Monica as a major hub...I always recommend this for longer multi-day visits.

 

An alternative you have with a two night stay is to just stay in San Pedro (yes, the Crowne Plaza is ideal for location and the Douletree is nice as well) and to do an LA/Hollywood tour with Sunseeker Tours (the only major LA tour company located in the harbor area that does tour pick-ups in harbor area hotels) for your full-day Saturday tour.

On 12/25/2023 at 9:25 PM, starfish54 said:

I am looking for 2 nights stay in February sailing and both Crown Plaza and Doubletree are giving me $350+ night!

This is more expensive than cruise. I have to look for another alternative somewhere else, it really doesn't matter where we stay as long as it's somewhere we can take a cab from. The issue is we are getting there on Friday evening and we'd like to spend Saturday sightseeing.  If we decide to go to a park (which I know 1 day is nowhere near enough for weekend) then we can stay at Anaheim area, at least even if we spend $300/night, we are near the park and we don't need park for food/etc vs staying at double tree there is nothing much nearby. 

 

I still would like to get a car so I can pick up the family from airport on Friday evening and make it more convenient for everyone but returning the car is the problem since it's shocking there are no rental agencies near the port that's open on sundays. Unless I drive family to port, then take the car to LGB, take cab back to port.

Welcome to LA.  As you are finding out, it is a very espensive hotel town...and, believe it or not, San Pedro is usually one of the more reasonably priced areas.  AND BE VERY WARY of "bargain-priced" hotels in the LA area--You are usually looking at some very BAD hotes and/or very undesirable locations.  Cheap hotels are cheap for a reason.

 

If you have a rental car and are willing to drive (and park), there are some alternative areas to look at though many of the more desirable locations will likely be even more expensive than San Pedro.  So, if location is not that important to you (since you plan to have a rental car), as an alternative to San Pedro, take a look at Long Beach across the harbor--the Convention Center area--near Aquarium of the Pacific, Queen Mary, etc. (but, likely as expensive if not more) or look at Torrance, near the Del Amo Mall--halfway between LAX and San Pedro...often prices there are a bit lower and the area is okay and with lots of shopping and restaurants.  Redondo Beach near King Harbor and pier is nice but may also be a bit pricier.

 

You may have to drop everyone and luggage at the pier then return the car to LAX or either Long Beach or Torrance (beware of one-way charges) and just Uber back to the pier.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

On 12/25/2023 at 1:42 PM, FiremedicMike151 said:

 We’ll be flying in 1-2 days early and want to sight see a little.

My suggestion would be very different if it's one or two full days with two or three nights.  Two days there's a lot more options for things to do and places to see.  Whereas flying in one day and cruising the next day doesn't allow much time to do/see stuff due to the traffic constraints of the LA area. If flying in one day and cruising the next then just find a nice hotel with a few things to walk to and use Uber to the hotel.  If having one full day or more then I would rent a car and go see some stuff.  My personal MO is to book Hilton hotels as soon as I even consider going some place and then cancel if I don't.  Hilton has a great cancelation policy, as do many other hotel chains, and doing it that way has saved me $100's over the years.  I have easily seen rooms I booked double in price before we arrive.    

[KeepCalmBearOn]

There are two different posts asking for different things and both are very non-specific.

 

It matters very much which sights you want to see. Steve is right, stay near the sights you want to see. it also matters a lot how many nights you have. If your cruise leaves on a Saturday and you want to do a "couple of days sightseeing", to me that means you come in on a Wednesday. If you come in on a Thursday, that means you really only have one day to sightsee.

 

I'd also never, ever stay near LAX more than one night before a very early flight or after a very late arrival. It is a completely miserable area.

 

As Steve observes, So Cal is an expensive place for hotels. Inexpensive hotels are inexpensive for a reason, usually a bad area.

 

So.... settle on which sights you want to see, a budget you can live with and you will get very specific advice.

[FiremedicMike151]

Sorry, it’s been a minute before i could return to this post.

 

I’m undecided on 1 day before vs 2 days before the cruise.  That said, the “paid” touristy things have gotten so expensive in this country and my wife and are both perfectly happy with just wandering around and looking at the sights.. So I’m guessing from the above descriptions, Santa Monica may be better.

 

That said, I think I could be talked into one of those tour busses that takes us around the city.

 

One thing I would LOVE is to find a good live music bar.  We are big music people (I love 90s grunge/alternative) and would love to find a top tier live music place.. 

[Bruin Steve]

5 hours ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

One thing I would LOVE is to find a good live music bar.  We are big music people (I love 90s grunge/alternative) and would love to find a top tier live music place.. 

I'd do at least two nights if you want some time to see a little.

 

Santa Monica is great for just wandering around on foot.  Third Street Promenade, Palisades Park, Santa Monica Pier all right there and easily walkable.  Venice Boardwalk is a long walk or a short Uber ride...or you can even take the bus (Santa Monica has its own bus line).

 

OTOH, small live music venues are all over the city, but there are definite areas of concentration to the music scene.  West Hollywood is the traditional center of the music world.  The Troubador, the Roxy, the Whisky a Go Go, the Viper Room and more.  Hollywood proper has some venues as does Downtown LA (though I, personally, wouldn't stay in Downtown and probably not Hollywood just for the night life...You can always just Uber there from elsewhere if you have a particular club you want to visit or show you want to see..

https://whiskyagogo.com/calendar/

https://troubadour.com/calendar/

https://www.theroxy.com/events

https://www.viperroom.com/calendar.php

 

[Suzanne123]

We stayed at the Hampton Inn at 501 Colorado Ave in Santa Monica. Tour bus picked us up right at the front door, and we had no trouble getting Uber to the pier. Very easy walk to restaurants and attractions.  Trader Joe’s very close, also.