Need some Suggestions...

[Lollipop's Mom]

We are going on a Sat-Sat in January (8-15th), and I plan to check out of the Disney area hotel on the 14th, and get a shuttle back into the LA area.
What I really want to do is find a hotel on a beach close to the airport or within a shuttle/cab ride that is reasonable.

I want to take Friday and do some Hollywood stuff, then Saturday as a tourist/beach type day.

Any suggestions as to areas/hotels I should look at that would put me fairly central to this stuff? Thanks.

 

[1Robins]

If your looking to stay near the water, I would suggest Marina Del Rey or Santa Monica. MDR is closer to LAX. I'm not sure what your budget is for a hotel, but there is a Marriott and a Ritz Carlton in MDR; both are located on Admiralty Way. In Santa Monica, there is the Shutters on the Beach, Loews Beach Hotel and JW Marriott; these are just a few of the many hotels available in SM.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Thanks for the ideas. How far from Hollywood (ie: cost of taxi?) would it be?

 

[1Robins]

To be honest with you, I'm not sure how much a taxi would be. Travel time from MDR or SM would be abou 25-30 minutes without any traffic. You may want to call a hotel in the area and ask a concierge what the taxi fare would be.

Let me ask you this, what is it that you would like to see in Hollywood? In my opinion, there isn't a whole lot there. On Hollywood Blvd., there's the Kodak Theatre (this is where the Academy Awards have been held the last couple of years) with a few shops and next door is Mann's Chinese Theatre. Other than that, there isn't much. You can walk down Hollywood Bl. and look at the stars on the sidewalk, but keep in mind that this entire area is still a bit on the seedy side. The city has been trying to revitalize the area for some time without a lot of great success.

If you decided to stay in SM, there is the SM pier (it has rides, food stalls and some shops), SM Place (it's a regualr shopping mall), the 3rd street promenade (dining, shopping and movie theatres-located right next to the mall) and about 1-2 miles south is Venice Beach. Venice Beach has kind of a funky atmosphere with it shops, street vendors, entertainers and Muscle Beach. Muscle Beach is an area in Venice where a lot of body builders work out. Arnold Schwarzenegger used to work out at Muscle Beach.

Marina Del Rey, as I said before, is closer to LAX. There are some nice restaurants and hotels in this area. There is even a small shopping arcade in the Marina (mostly small mom and pop souvenir shops) But nothing is really connected in MDR (i.e. like a promenade). The area by the water is mostly condos and boat slips.

I hope this helps you in making your decision.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Thanks for the suggestions.
We just want to 'be in' Hollywood. My daughter wants to see Manns and put her hands in Shirley Temple's handprints (she LOVES ST). I really would love to do one of those cheesey tours that takes us to the sign and around the stars homes. We would get a real kick out of that and is right up our alley.

I have been researching around and thinking I might get a hotel closer to Hollywood, and getting there for Friday am. Go on one of those tours, then the next day check out and go to the SM pier and beaches area.
The thing is - I won't have a rental car and will be doing this all on taxi and public transit. I am pretty comfortable with it if I can plan what I want to do/routes before I go - and have it all written down. We are pretty self sufficient in that respect.

I did find one tour company that does a neat thing...
They pick you up at LAX (I could shuttle from Disney to LAX) and take you to a hotel in the Hollywood area (they had a few choices - price ranges). They drop you there, you can do what you want for that day, then the next day they get you bright and early, with your luggage, and take you on a tour that is about 5 hours long, then take you back to LAX. It would cost about $150-200 for the 2 of us. I think that sounds like a fun way to end off the vacation. The flight I am looking at booking doesn't leave until 7pm on the departure date...so would work out well!

Any other thoughts for us?

 

[1Robins]

The tour company sounds like your best bet. I know taking a taxi around L.A. can get pretty expensive. Just be prepared, no matter what time of the day, that there can be traffic.

I hope you have a great time here in Southern California!