Hotels in LA Pre-post Cruise???

[bzv143]

Help! Dish the dirt on a great hotel in LA both pre-post cruise on Island Princess. Would like to be near/on a beach; like smaller boutique hotels. Thanks! :rolleyes:

[RvrCrzr]

I've been looking at some hotels on the beach in Santa Monica/Venice Beach area. There are some boutique hotels there. (haven't been there yet)

 

Looks like plenty to do there.

[bzv143]

Which hotels are you eye-ing? :confused:

[bdwyer]

Check out Casa Del Mar, Shutters, & Channel Road Inn - they are the best in Santa Monica.

[bdwyer]

Oops - forgot another the Oceana...

[jnc411]

Hi, I live here in the Long Beach area, sorry I don't know those places you mentioned personally, but know the Santa Monica and Venice beach area, you will have a great time. Believe me you will see all sorts of people there, The beach is ok it is the pier and beach walk and surrounding area that are fun. Hope you enjoy your time there, you might check the tripadvisor.com site for good information on your hotel choices. Have Fun.

Cori

[stones902]

Cori,

 

Since you live in the area, what can you tell me / recommend about Long Beach. I have a room at the Long Beach Hilton across from the convention center. Are there some shops / restaurants nearby (walking distance)? How far is it to the beach? Is there a liquor store nearby where we can stock up prior to our cruise?

 

Forgive all these questions but I have not been to S. California in over 35 years. Any information that you can provide would be helpful.

[nhcruiser]

We are booked into the Marriott Courtyard in Santa Monica for our pre-cruise stay in November. We selected this hotel for location, near the beach but not in San Pedro, and cost, less than $100 per night.

[jnc411]

Cori,

 

Since you live in the area, what can you tell me / recommend about Long Beach. I have a room at the Long Beach Hilton across from the convention center. Are there some shops / restaurants nearby (walking distance)? How far is it to the beach? Is there a liquor store nearby where we can stock up prior to our cruise?

 

Forgive all these questions but I have not been to S. California in over 35 years. Any information that you can provide would be helpful.

 

 

Hi, you will like the LB Hilton, it is walking distance to lots of shops restaurants on Ocean Blvd. the new Pike area has lots of fun restaurants, the Aquarium is right there , you can see the Queen Mary across the bay, it is very pretty at night. Yes there will be a liquor store near where you are, no problem.

There is a small bus system that is called the Passport that will take you around as well , the front desk at the hotel can help you with that. As for the beach , the walking , swimming beach will be to your left of the hotel. And you can access it by going a couple blocks down and then you have to go down stairs or steps, as it is lower than the street area. You will find that the area has changed a lot. Hope you enjoy your trip. Have Fun.

Cori

[RvrCrzr]

I've been eyeing up HOLIDAY INN SANTA MONICA (right on the beach) and BEST WESTERN OCEAN VIEW (on the beach too) Prices of both seem to be between $160-200 per night. (paying for the location) Walk across the street and you are on Santa Monica Pier. :)

 

Sounds like a great spot to me? Anyone have a clue on which one would be a better place to stay between them?

[stones902]

Hi, you will like the LB Hilton, it is walking distance to lots of shops restaurants on Ocean Blvd. the new Pike area has lots of fun restaurants, the Aquarium is right there , you can see the Queen Mary across the bay, it is very pretty at night. Yes there will be a liquor store near where you are, no problem.

There is a small bus system that is called the Passport that will take you around as well , the front desk at the hotel can help you with that. As for the beach , the walking , swimming beach will be to your left of the hotel. And you can access it by going a couple blocks down and then you have to go down stairs or steps, as it is lower than the street area. You will find that the area has changed a lot. Hope you enjoy your trip. Have Fun.

Cori

 

Thanks Cori for your help. We were able to get a good rate from the Hilton because my wife and I are government employees. My T/A and friend recommended the property so it sounds like we made a good choice.

 

One place to hang out at that sounds kind of neat is called Shoreline Village. Judging from the map that I saw, it is within a few blocks of the hotel. Is that area similar to Pike?

 

Thanks again for your recommendation.

[jnc411]

Yes Shoreline Village is right across the way from the hotel , it has nice little boutique type shops a few restarants and is a short ride from the Pike area. One place my kids like to go for dinner is right on Ocean blvd. called Rock Bottom Brewery. How long is your stay in Long Beach for ? And are you going out of Long Beach on Carnival or out of San Pedro on Princess ? the Long Beach port is right at the Queen Mary Parking lot area (neat restaurant near there for a evening meal and beautiful view is The Reef,) The San Pedro embarkation port is about 20 minutes up the road by cab, no freeway just lots of truck traffic from the huge port of LA . If you were here years ago you might remember Ports of Call in San Pedro, it is not what it used to be , quite run down , not where you would want to go. But there are a few nice restaurants right near the San Pedro Pier also.

Are you coming into Long Beach airport ? or LAX. Long Beach would be the best if you could manage it. Must less stress than LAX , that can be a zoo.

Hope this helps :)

Cori

[bzv143]

Can anyone tell me more about the Channel Road IN in Santa MOnica? Anyone stayed there? Comments? Proximity to beach?

Thanks! :rolleyes:

[stones902]

Yes Shoreline Village is right across the way from the hotel , it has nice little boutique type shops a few restarants and is a short ride from the Pike area. One place my kids like to go for dinner is right on Ocean blvd. called Rock Bottom Brewery. How long is your stay in Long Beach for ? And are you going out of Long Beach on Carnival or out of San Pedro on Princess ? the Long Beach port is right at the Queen Mary Parking lot area (neat restaurant near there for a evening meal and beautiful view is The Reef,) The San Pedro embarkation port is about 20 minutes up the road by cab, no freeway just lots of truck traffic from the huge port of LA . If you were here years ago you might remember Ports of Call in San Pedro, it is not what it used to be , quite run down , not where you would want to go. But there are a few nice restaurants right near the San Pedro Pier also.

Are you coming into Long Beach airport ? or LAX. Long Beach would be the best if you could manage it. Must less stress than LAX , that can be a zoo.

Hope this helps :)

Cori

 

Cori,

 

Thanks again for your information. We are flying into LAX 3 days prior to sailing. We're on the Sapphire Princess. I think we are going to take the ferry out to Catalina Island and maybe also see the Queen Mary. The Hilton Long Beach was recommended by our TA and we were able to get a government rate there. I know there are hotels closer to our port but this seemed like the nicest at the best price.

 

We are flying on American and that is why we land in LAX, not Long Beach. Again, we got a "deal".

 

Kurt

[jnc411]

Cori,

 

Thanks again for your information. We are flying into LAX 3 days prior to sailing. We're on the Sapphire Princess. I think we are going to take the ferry out to Catalina Island and maybe also see the Queen Mary. The Hilton Long Beach was recommended by our TA and we were able to get a government rate there. I know there are hotels closer to our port but this seemed like the nicest at the best price.

 

We are flying on American and that is why we land in LAX, not Long Beach. Again, we got a "deal".

 

Kurt

 

Hey Kurt you will love the Sapphire, we were on it last Sept. to Alaska, had a great time, beautiful ship.(American Airlines flys into Long Beach also) You will like Catalina the ship over is more of a ship than a ferry it is a nice little trip.If you need it don't forget the Bonine. Catalina is a fun place to spend the day. LB Hilton is good. Are you renting a car ? or taking a shuttle to Long Beach from LAX ? If Shuttle, I recommend Super Shuttle , we have used it to and from home to the airport it is like a van pool thing. About the best price, you want to avoid a taxi from LAX to LB Hilton, you could get caught in one of our lovely traffic jams and the meter keeps on running :), with the shuttle it is a set price, you can reserve on line. With three days here you should be able to take your time and see the sights, Disneyland ? Knott Berry Farm? Universal Studios ? are all amusement type parks. Queen Mary is right across the bay from the Shoeline village , 5 minute ride over there. If you have time , south down Ocean Blvd. you will come to Belmont Shore and nice beach community with shops and a little bay. And another cute seaside quiant town a little further down is Seal Beach (one of my sons live there) it is an old fashion type sea shore town , complete with pubs and ice cream stores, antique stores, and great little pier to walk out on to and have a burger at the little restaurant on the end.Also if you keep on going down Pacific Coast Hwy. You will come to Surfside, Bolsa Chica and the Huntington Beach which is known for the surfers. Just a nice day out. Hope you enjoy your visit here. And your Cruise on the Sapphire.

Cori

[bdwyer]

We live about 2 blocks from the Inn, have had family stay there, and know the owner. It is a gem!

It is about 1/2 block from Santa Monica beach and has 4-5 restaurants in the immediate vicinity - Georgios, gourmet Italian with lots of celebrities, the Brass Cap, new hip and trendy, Sam's - Mediterranean and excellent, Cafe del Fini, very good Italian, the Golden Bull - a neighborhood standard for 25 years and Marix Tex Mex a block over for Mexican.

[bdwyer]

We live in SM and can only help on the location as I've never had family stay in either hotel. The Holiday Inn is closer to the pier, but backs up on to the 10 freeway. The Best Western is about 1/2 block from the pier, but faces the ocean. Personally, I'd opt for the Best Western (and probably not plan to spend more than 30 minutes on the pier). Santa Monica Promenade, within walking distance from either hotel, has much more to do if you plan to just stay around SM.

[merela]

and traffic in and out of Santa Monica is crazy during rush hours.

 

If you don't like the Long Beach locations (no beaches in Long Beach really), you can try Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach (southbay beachs--all south of LAX). All three beaches have hotels nearby. Manhattan Beach has a couple of boutique hotels that are brand new. If you get to visit Manhattan Beach, and if you see a shack sitting on a 3000 sq ft lot, you are looking at a $1 million plus price tag!!! Manhattan Beach is south of the LAX, so it's even closer to San Pedro and Long Beach ports.

[RvrCrzr]

Thanks for the tips...

 

I'm leaning toward Best Western Ocean View as well.

 

Santa Monica looks like a great place to visit pre-cruise.

[DesrtDrmr]

Stones902, when you check in at the Long Beach Hilton, ask for a room with a balcony, overlooking the marina. We had a great room there, with a HUGE balcony, and could see the ships berthed at Long Beach............

[cruiserfan]

We are staying at the HOliday Inn right at the port? Anyone know about this hotel??

[Colo Cruiser]

How about the Coast Hotel Long Beach?? I hear it is pretty good. :)

[bzv143]

Staying at the Queen Mary pre-cruise... will we like it?

Barbara:cool:

[DeltaOne]

Staying at the Queen Mary pre-cruise... will we like it?

Barbara:cool:

You'll hear good and bad reviews of the Queen Mary, I researched this a few months ago. We were tempted to book a room on the Queen Mary, instead we booked a room at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach.

[Coral]

Staying at the Queen Mary pre-cruise... will we like it?

Barbara:cool:

 

I also researched this and several I know who had stayed there at the time advised against it. They indicated it had not been well kept or updated. With the financial problems they are having (or their management company is having), I wouldn't stay there.