Hotel Near Long Beach Airport

[Samoyed25]

We're going to Disneyland in June and could only get a late flight back home. It leaves Long Beach Airport at 9:30pm. We're thinking about getting a hotel room for the day, to use from checkout time at the Grand Californian until we have to go to the airport in the evening. Does anyone have any suggestions of a nice hotel near the long beach airport where we could spend the day?

Thanks.

 

[heather_sue_98]

Man, I'd just hang out at the Grand Californian in the lobby. It's so nice! And I know some hotels will give you a pool pass for the day if you are waiting to check in, so maybe they would do the same thing but on your check out day? Just some thoughts. I don't know any hotels in the Long Beach area.

 

[Mommb]

You wouldn't even need a pass to swim at the Grand Californian if you were staying there earlier in the day. You could also hang out at Downtown Disney. If you really need a place to sleep or rest, you might be better of near Disneyland, where hotels are less expensive because of the competition. There are a few hotels by the Long Beach airport, but not much else in the area to do. You could also get a room in downtown Long Beach by the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary ship, though that may be expensive.

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

I agree to staying at the Grand. Bell services will hold your luggage until whenever you leave (we did this on our last day in DL before our MR cruise a few weeks ago- they got our luggage and when I said we only needed held for an hour they sid they could hold it as long as we needed until we left).

Check your luggage with them and then enjoy DTD, the parks (if it isn't too expensive to add another day) or just enjoy the Grand. The pools and grounds are available to you on your checkout day.

Whether you are renting a car or taking a taxi (about $60) this plan should work. And it seems better than sitting in a hotel room all day that you don't really need to pay for!

If you need to have somewhere to sleep during the day then I would look for a cheap hotel off harbor blvd (there are so many that it is easy to get a good deal on them).

Good luck!

 

[bleeps]

We left our bags with bell services yesterday (4/20) at 8:15 a.m., and picked them up at 6:30 p.m. for the trip to Long Beach Airport. Our plane left Long Beach at 9 p.m. last night. Here were our experiences:

We did include the 20th on our park hoppers, so we spent the day at the parks.

We returned to the Grand Calf. at about 5:15 and had a light supper at Whitewater Snacks. I'd highly recommend this -- but whatever you do, do NOT plan to have dinner at the airport -- it is tiny and really a dump (I understand it is being renovated).

We had two issues at Grand Calf. -- first, our room key did NOT work at the pool gate entrance in the afternoon (we had planned to hang out by the pool after we ate), and there wasn't a cast member anywhere around to ask for help. Second, my husband had a heck of a time getting the rental car out of the self-park lot at the hotel because the room key wouldn't open one of the exit gates there and no one picked up on the intercomm that's there for help (he eventually found an exit that didn't require the key to open the gate). I am fairly confident that if we had told the front desk in the morning that we had vacated the room but needed resort *privileges* for the day they would have granted that, but I don't know it for a fact -- I am also guessing that if we had been intent on getting into the pool area we could have gotten help from a cast member if we'd be willing to go back to the lobby to find one.

But despite those 2 minor issues, the whole thing worked very well for us. No problem getting the bags out of bell services and loaded into the car, and we had a great time at the parks. (When we couldn't access the pool, we just walked back over to DCA and did one more attraction before heading to the airport.)

We left the hotel at 6:30 p.m. and by about 7:05 we had arrived at the airport, returned the rental car, gone through security, and were sitting waiting for our flight. Very smooth and easy.

The area around the airport, as far as we could tell, was also pretty run down -- there were some hotels, but no where looked like a place I'd want to spend a day of my vacation. I definitely recommend using your last day as a park day.

Enjoy!

 

[Samoyed25]

Thanks for all of your responses. I think we'll just spend the day at the Grand and enjoy one more day at the pool or the park.

 

[bleeps]

Just a note to say that I read the back of our *key to the magic* cards that are the hotel room key/hotel access key/resort charge cards, and it does say that the cards expire at checkout time on the date of departure. (Check out time is 11 a.m.) This is different from WDW, where (because your key to the magic card ALSO includes your park tickets) the cards are completely good for the full day of your last day.

Still, I'm sure if you asked you'd be able to hang by the pool, etc. -- but it appears you would have to ask for it rather than expect it (although everyone is free to use the resort lobby/restrooms, restaurants, etc.).

Hope this helps!

 

[CMHusband]

There is a Holiday Inn on Lakewood Blvd. near the LB Airport that is decent.

 

[hlbtimes2]

I agree with the others. I'd just plan on spending the day in the resort area. If you didnt buy tickets to include that day, you can add a day on. Depending on the hoppers you bought, its typically about $10 to add on an extra day. Just be sure you do it before closing on the last day your tickets are good for.

We happen to love Long Beach airport. Yeah, its old and small. But, because its old and small its fast and easy to get through. We Typically allow 45 minutes to get from DL to the airport, and 1 hour to return the car, check in and go thru sercurity. You really dont need to be there 2 hours early like you do at a big international airport. You will regret getting there that early!

 

[Nole72]

Why not just rent another day at GC, but not stay for the night. That makes the most sense to me because, due to check-in times, you're not going to get your money's worth at a hotel near the airport. Expensive, yes, but hey, it's Disney and you're going to be dropping a few thousand anyway, ha, ha.