Where to stay in L.A.?

quickstitch.ie

Hi All, Ok, haven't heard too many great things about Los Angeles, but I reckon it has to be seen anway, Has anyone been and have any reccomendations on where to go/stay? checking out tripadvisor it says downtown, so I ran it past the travel agent and they say that's too far away from the action! They want me to stay in Long beach? The hotel I checked out downtown that I liked the look of they couldn't price for me.... so are they spinning me a line do you think? advice would be great! many thanks in advance!
Darren

the Guru

I went to LA about 4 months ago and to be honest its a complete hole, skip it and head to San Diego or San Fran

rossie1977

LA is a hole but if you decide to stay there you could do worse than stay here at the Orchid Suites http://www.orchidsuites.com/ where i stayed in January. The location is fantastic just behind the Kodak theatre on Hollywood Blvd.

There is nothing in downtown LA but homeless people and skyscrapers. My advice would be to take a trip to universal studios hollywood.

quickstitch.ie

Ha ha, pretty much what I thought alright! everyone says that, but like I said, I reckon it has to be seen anyway! Hollywood sign, universal studios etc.. gonna fly to san fran leave from LA 7 days later 2 nights in san fran at the start, 2 nights in LA at the end, then do what ever we feel like in the middle driving down the coast... the hotel I was looking at for LA was

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32655-d84505-Reviews-Hollywood_Celebrity_Hotel-Los_Angeles_California.html

And the one they wanted me to look at was..

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32648-d77621-Reviews-Hotel_Queen_Mary-Long_Beach_California.html

rossie1977

quickstitch.ie wrote:

Ha ha, pretty much what I thought alright! everyone says that, but like I said, I reckon it has to be seen anyway! Hollywood sign, universal studios etc.. gonna fly to san fran leave from LA 7 days later 2 nights in san fran at the start, 2 nights in LA at the end, then do what ever we feel like in the middle driving down the coast... the hotel I was looking at for LA was

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32655-d84505-Reviews-Hollywood_Celebrity_Hotel-Los_Angeles_California.html

And the one they wanted me to look at was..

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32648-d77621-Reviews-Hotel_Queen_Mary-Long_Beach_California.html

The Celebrity Hotel is just across the road from the Orchid suites hotel i mentioned. The look similiar enough and the location is just fantastic. Hollywood Blvd despite cleaning itself up an awful lot (i was last there in 2000) is still very very tacky.

The other place is the old Queen Mary ship that used to sail from england to New York. Its located about 40 miles from hollywood.

2 days in LA is plenty enough time imo.

Vorsprung

Echoing the above, LA is a kip. Santa Monica is a grand base if you do insist on staying there.

cacio

I loved LA. I would move there in a heartbeat if I could. I stayed in Days Inn on Sunset Blvd. It wasn't spectacular but it's in a good location. It's a 2min walk to Hollywood Blvd. If you have a car then you can drive everywhere pretty easily. I'm going to San Fran in November but I would love to get to LA again. You're lucky. It's a great place.

jjbrien

bigjimthefirst wrote:

Echoing the above, LA is a kip. Santa Monica is a grand base if you do insist on staying there.

I agreed with Big Jim Santa Monica is the only place to stay in LA I stayed there 5 years ago and it was the only nive area in LA. You have the beach and you can walk to Venice Beach as well. Also 6th street is good there as well. I didn't like LA much either. I went there expecting it to be great you know the image we get of LA from TV and films but it was totally rated. I left LA and said i was never going to the USA again. I then got talked into going to the USagain by my cosuin in 2004 to go to San Fran, Chicago and NY i was glad he did. I love going to the US now but will never go to LA again.

mada999

cacio wrote:

I loved LA. I would move there in a heartbeat if I could. I stayed in Days Inn on Sunset Blvd. It wasn't spectacular but it's in a good location. It's a 2min walk to Hollywood Blvd. If you have a car then you can drive everywhere pretty easily. I'm going to San Fran in November but I would love to get to LA again. You're lucky. It's a great place.

Yeah i stayed here also a couple of years ago....it was grand with a great location!! I'm not a big fan of LA though...

hot fuss

Defo Santa Monica. Was there during June and yes, LA is a kip, but yes, you have to go there to check out Hollywood, Sunset Strip etc..

Santa Monica is class though - really good fun, great restaurants and bars and lovely beaches all around.. Check out the Huntley Hotel - we got a fab deal there on expedia and it was very swish with the most helpful concierge in the world, and a great spot, very close to the third street promenade.

You can drive into Downtown LA in about 20 minutes to check out the sights but have great nights out in Santa Monica.

Oh and I recommend the Warner Bros Studios Tour - brilliant..

quickstitch.ie

Thanks folks, so it looks like I'm headed for santa monica, we'll have a car so we can get around the city ok, Any suggestions on what to see and what to avoid? I've been to universal in Orlando, is it much the same here?

markpb

Universal in Hollywood is supposed to be much better than Orlando because there's an actual studio instead of just a theme park. It's great fun anyway. Disney is well worth at least two days even if it is a bit of a hike from LA. Santa Monica and Long Beach are nice just to walk around and do nothing. I'm not sure there's anything to do but they're really nice areas.

I lived in LA for five months and loved it but I'm not sure what it's like for tourists. Parts of it (Beverly Hills, Santa Monica etc) are just like your expectations but the rest is a huge let down initially. You really do need to prepare yourself for the worst and give it time. Hollywood at night is amazing, Universal Citywalk is good fun at the weekends.

I'm a huge fan of downtown LA if you have time to kill just looking around. Some of the skyscrapers are amazing, the revolving 35th floor bar in the Westin Bonaventure is beatuiful, the city library, Union Station and Library Tower are worth a visit, the Science Centre in Exposition is great if you have kids. Do make sure you're not in the downtown area at night though, it's just not safe.

CALI

We stayed in the Holiday Inn Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Right behind Kodak Theatre, right in the centre of HOllywood. Found it to be a great location in LA if you want to avoid grubby downtown. Bus trips also run from the hotel to Disneyland, celebrities homes tour etc

random_banter

+ 1 for Universal And Disney in LA (Well Disney in in Orange County but its really not that far in american terms)

I would reccomend driving around the coastal areas in Orange County (Huntington Beach etc) - but I cannot stress enough that you would regret not taking a visit to San Diego! Its the most beautiful city ive been to in the States and after being to California twice its my favourite place there.. gorgeous city and plenty to do, Sea World, the world famous San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park and Museums, Aircraft Carrier Museum, Great Coastal Areas like Pacific Beach.. which really show the stereotypical californian lifestyle.. surfboards and beach bums everywhere! I would move to San D in a second! Anyway San Diego is only 2 hours south of LA by car, so I would reccomend you check it out.

My opinion after being there, is that LA is a dump to be avoided at all costs, cluttered, smoggy, filthy and quite dangerous..nothing but a load of concrete tied up in a knot... but if you really want to visit then the Hollywood area is certainly a good place to check out. Universal and Disney, as I said, are great fun! Long Beach is nice too and you could take a day trip from there to Catalina Island which is very pretty and when you get there theres loads of activities like snorkelling, canoeing, and bike hire to explore the island. There are regular ferries throughought the day. We actually went camping there for a weekend and it was lovely! Also the Queen Mary is in Long Beach if you want to check it out.

nyc baby

We have been to LA many times, and back in June we stayed in Best Western Sunset Plaza, and also stayed in Santa Monica.
Your prob best staying in Santa Monica and hiring a car, we stayed in Hotel California in Santa Monica, its on the beach and cheap and cheerful.