theluckyrabbit said:Can both of you be more specific about exactly where in L.A. you need a hotel? L.A. is huge, so I could recommend someplace miles from where you need to be. The more details you can provide (e.g. location, number of people, number of rooms, definition of "budget friendly" or price range, near which airport, etc.), the better the suggestions will be.
Sorry for butting in...Luckyrabbit you seem pretty knowledgeable, just read your other reply re:LA.
Where would you recommend for 1 or 2 nights near Universal? Safe, under $200, less is better, have a car.
We went to Universal last year from DL area and think I would rather stay close next summer rather than that hour drive after spending the whole day.
I'm not sure myself. We plan to spend a week near Anaheim and check out and drive to LA on a Thursday to do touristy stuff there on Thursday and Friday. We fly out of LAX on Saturday. We will have a car. We want somewhere safe, clean and a room big enough for six of us (3 are kids). Free breakfast or fast food restaurants nearby would be on our list. Budget friendly is all relative...but hoping for under $250/ night. Thanks for your help.
There are 3 of us - me, DH and DD8. We just need 2 nights and would like to be centrally located. Want to see Hollywood walk of fame, graumans theatre, the grove, hollywood sign, rodeo drive. We want drive the coast and go to Santa Monica - We will have a car and not afraid to drive. Budget to us would be under $200 if possible.
Someone suggested Hollywoo ORchid Suites?
We want to do all the usual Hollywood sites and the advice you gave above would probably suit us as well. We are willing to stay near LAX if its cheaper, driving does not bother me. 2 rooms are fine as well. Are there fast food or family friendly restàurants in the LAX area?Again, L.A. is huge, and where you stay can make a big difference in hotel room rates. Do you want to stay by the airport and just drive to different places? You will be able to find lower rates by LAX, but the area won't be as nice or conveniently located. In L.A., you may save money on a hotel, but the trade off is lots of time spent driving in heavy traffic to get where you want to go. Can you list your top sightseeing priorities in L.A.? That would give me a much better idea of where you want to be.
Also, many hotels don't allow more than 5 people per room (including children), so would you be wanting 2 rooms if needed?
Thanks luckyrabbit. That gives me a starting point for close to Universal. Now off to see how scary the prices are in August.
We want to do all the usual Hollywood sites and the advice you gave above would probably suit us as well. We are willing to stay near LAX if its cheaper, driving does not bother me. 2 rooms are fine as well. Are there fast food or family friendly restàurants in the LAX area?
Luckyrabbit! Thank you for all the information. We do appreciate it. We only have 7 full days in California. Have my hotels now for Disney and Hollywood, now just to find the perfect one in San Diego. Thinking of the La Jolla Cove Suites - would like to be right on the beach to end our california vacation.
We plan on doing the usual Hollywood stuff - graumans, hollywood walk of fame, el capitan, farmers market and the grove. We want to head to santa monica and to venice beach. Anything we should really be seeing that I haven't added. We only have 2 full days in LA, 3 days in Disney, and then 2 in San Diego.
I haven't heard of the Orchid Suites, but you could check them out on TripAdvisor.
Three of your picks could be covered easily by stopping at the Hollywood & Highland Center (home of the Dolby Theater, of Academy Awards Ceremony fame). The Hollywood sign can be seen and photographed from the top level, the Chinese Theatre is next door, the Walk of Fame is right in front and runs along Hollywood Blvd. -- there is a hotel right next to the H&H Center -- it used to be the Marriott Renaissance, but now I think it's a Lowe's. You might find a deal on one of the internet discount travel sites, e.g. Travelocity, Expedia, etc. Also, any of the hotels I recommended above near Universal Studios would work for you. The Hilton Garden Inn on Highland is walking distance to H&H (about 20 minutes walk downhill). It is easy to get to the Grove/Farmer's Market from this area. Go west on Hollywood Blvd. to La Brea, go south on La Brea to Beverly, go west on Beverly to Fairfax, go south on Fairfax -- the Grove will be on your left (can't miss it).
The further west you go (toward Beverly Hills and the beach), the more expensive the hotels will be, in general.
See if any of these suggestions work for you. If not, feel free to ask more questions!