LA Hotel and To Do

[UpcountryTravelers]

Cruising on the Sapphire Princess next November from LA. If we fly in early, any suggestions on a good hotel to stay a couple of days before departure, and what's to do nearby?

[Cruisin' Chick]

Yes, it is a good idea to arrive at least a day or more before a cruise. So already you've made a good choice there. As for where to stay, it depends on what you're interested in seeing. A tour of the city/Hollywood, museums, amusement parks, etc???? Also what is your budget?

 

You may want to be aware of some City of LA facts. For example, LA (both the city and the county) are very wide spread. Many communities covering a land area bigger than some countries (only a little exaggeration). So it's a good idea to narrow down your activities to one or two areas unless you're staying more days.

 

Also, there are some iffy areas, so please double check with our local experts here before finalizing your hotel choice.

 

Here's my suggestions so far:

1. Don't stay at an airport hotel. Especially not near LAX, as the area itself is not the best. Many strip malls (think in the literal sense).

 

2. Don't stay in downtown Los Angeles. Not the safest area (my hubby works here and wouldn't walk around here at night)

 

Look for Bruin Steve's posts as he has listed many good hotels.

[UpcountryTravelers]

Thank you, Patty. Yes, we always arrive in town at least a day before sail date - even when we drive to Charleston. (Tired is no way to start a cruise.) We took three days for a leisurely drive to Ft. Lauderdale this January for 14 days on the Grand Princess.

 

In this case, we were thinking of arriving a couple of days early to do a bit of exploring. Not the whole area, of course. We are sailing on the Sapphire Princess b2b Mexican Riviera/Hawaii in November. That departs from San Pedro, so that is the particular area we are interested in.

[Curt Jerome Wild]

I started a lot of info, reviews and pics in my blog here:

http://hotelmotelholidayinn.wordpress.com/

These are some of the best bang for your budget places in LA for cruisers taking a few days before a cruise.

 

If you really want to see "LA", then you really don't want to stay in San Pedro. While kind of cute and nice for a night before, it's not LA or near what you think of as LA - so not the best for days of sightseeing beforehand...

 

Look through my link before - then look to focus on someplace nice in the Hollywood/Universal area or Santa Monica/Venice/Marina Del Ray area...

Then let me know if that helps guide you to any more specific questions!

[98Charlie]

Here's a vote for Foghorn Inn in Marina Del Ray as long as you're not looking for a fancy hotel but one that is in walking distance to some great laid back adventures.

 

We took CJW's suggestion for the hotel about 2 years ago for a one-night stay after our cruise out of San Pedro and wished we had an extra day to spend there.

 

Hotel is a renovated 1960's style hotel with a bit of a European flair added in that is within walking distance of the beaches. We're in our early '60s and the style of the hotel sent us down memory lane of some of our early travels as a couple. The free breakfast at the hotel was served in a European style of boiled eggs, yoghurt, sausage sandwiches, juices and fruit which reminded us of the land trips we've taken in Europe.

 

We walked down to Venice Beach and felt like we'd just landed on a movie set from the '60 - '70 era, taking in the beautiful pier area and then walking down the strip towards Muscle Beach. Reminded us of the old Beach Party movies.

 

On our walk back to the hotel we strolled through the Venice canal area that reminded us of Amsterdam and ate dinner on the patio of a small restaurant that looked out on the main street.

 

It was a hoot of a trip filled with memories of great past adventures intermixed with a new adventure that was relatively inexpensive. The hotel is located on a large marina and the walk around the marina is an adventure in itself.

 

Dianne

[Bruin Steve]

Just a couple of more preliminary notes here:

 

Consider how you expect to get around LA:

 

--Public transportation is time-consuming and not really set up for tourism...I advise against it...

 

--renting a car is the easiest way to get around, but you also need to consider where and when you drop it off...parking and traffic can be an issue...

 

--There are several tour companies and a hop-on-hop-off bus tour...but, if you plan on using these, make sure you stay in a hotel that is a pick-up point for the tour companies or is on the HOHO route...

 

Two areas that I recommend if one plans on visiting without a car:

 

Santa Monica (specifically Downtown SM, near the beach, pier, Third Street Promenade)--since so many things are in walking distance and local public transportation is good and most tour companies pick up from here...

 

Universal City area (especially if you plan on spending most of your time at Universal and/or Hollywood and/or studio tours or tapings)...

 

There are other nice areas, but you will find your touring choices somewhat limited and your stay somewhat remote...

 

San Pedro or Long Beach are nice for SHORT visits where you don't really expect to see many of the well known LA attraction but just want convenience to the ship...otherwise, you are 20 to 40 miles (and a lot of traffic and hassle) from most of the well known attractions...

 

With only "a couple of days", don't expect that you will cover that much ground...Concentrate on a few things you want to see...You can cover a lot of Hollywood (Grauman's Chinese, Walk of Fame, view of the "Sign") and other sites (Rodeo Drive and a "drive-by" of Beverly Hills) with an "organized" tour--

 

Santa Monica is nice as a place to stay because of the nightlife, restaurants and shopping at Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Pier...

 

A lot depends on what you are into...and what you want to see or do...Shopping? Music venues? Amusement Parks? Strolling and relaxing?

 

Let us know and we'll give you some more refined ideas...

 

Note to Curt: Good to see you back...You've been somewhat MIA of late...the baby keeping you busy? Enjoy...those days pass all too quickly...