LA Hotel

[julm26]

Can anyone suggest a family friendly budget conscioous hotel in LA? We just will need it for 2 nights.

 

[Jajone]

I am looking too.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

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.

 

[endy]

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.

 

[Jajone]

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.

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.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

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.

There are 2 hotels on top of the hill, right by Universal Studios -- the Sheraton Universal and the Universal Hilton. They are the closest and won't be cheap, but you might find a deal on Expedia, Priceline, Hotwire, etc. There are hotels on Cahuenga (Holiday Inn Express?) and on Highland (BLVD, Hilton Garden Inn, Lowes). Start by comparing these on TripAdvisor to see what would best fit your needs. If you have any more questions, just ask!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

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.

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?

 

[julm26]

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?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

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?

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!

 

[endy]

Thanks luckyrabbit. That gives me a starting point for close to Universal. Now off to see how scary the prices are in August.

 

[julm26]

Thanks so much luckyrabbit! Gave us great ideas! We can't wait to get there in April!!

 

[Jajone]

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?

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?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Thanks luckyrabbit. That gives me a starting point for close to Universal. Now off to see how scary the prices are in August.

If you will be there in August, be sure to check the schedule for the Hollywood Bowl. That is a historic, outdoor ampitheater with great concerts during the summer. Last year there was a Pixar concert. Classical, jazz, broadway, rock -- the Bowl covers all genres. It is close to Universal Studios.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

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?

There is an In'N'Out Burger just north of LAX on Sepulveda Blvd. There are other fast food and chain restaurants around, but for what you want to see, I'd try looking for a hotel closer to Hollywood. The traffic you will have to go through from LAX to Hollywood can be really bad. And there are more interesting/fun restaurant choices near Hollywood & Highland, the Grove, Farmer's Market (lots of fun restaurant choices here), etc.

 

[julm26]

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.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

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.

One caveat about La Jolla -- being right on the beach may not be an advantage. Find out how close your hotel is to the children's beach (or what is now the sea lions and sea gulls beach). There have been serious problems there with the stench from animal waste. We visit the Hotel Colonial often for day trips, and when the wind blows inland, the smell can be very strong. Being a bit further away could be a plus! If you can get a deal on the Hotel del Coronado, that might be fun.

Not far from the Grove is the La Brea Tar Pits (aka the George Page Museum). Your DD might enjoy seeing what used to be in L.A. before civilization moved in! You might want to schedule Santa Monica for the day you drive down to Disneyland. That way you could go from L.A. to Orange County via the coast.

 

[julm26]

Thanks Luckyrabbit! Never thought of the smell. Good Info to know - will look into the hotel coronado!

 

[Plutofan]

We looked at Frommers for a recommendation of a good hotel on a budget near Hollywood and we booked Magic Castle. Since we are staying on Sunday we were able to book the Magic Castle brunch which we are looking foward to since our kids love magic.

 

[uncw89]

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!

Thanks for your advice! We too are wondering where to stay after going to DL. There are 3 of us. We are planning to do pretty much the same things as the other posters! I'm open to other suggestions as well.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I forgot to add that there is a Best Western hotel just north of the Hilton Garden Inn on Highland. I think it is called the Best Western Hollywood Plaza. And there is a Holiday Inn Express & Suites just south of the Hilton Garden Inn on Highland. Just two more hotel options in that area...

@uncw89: is there anything specific you're interested in seeing/doing? If I can make any suggestions, I'll let you know.