We will be in LA for approximately 5 nights with 2 small kids - 5 and 7. Planning on day trips to disney, universal, santa monica, santa barbara as well as usual drives of LA sights.
Where is the best place to stay? In Santa Monica or in Hollywood/West Hollywood?
Have been there with hubby BEFORE we had kids and stayed in and loved Santa Monica. Were planning to stay there again WITH the kids but upon reading reviews, etc. looks like there are a lot of new hip and cool hotels open in west hollywood that might fit the bill, plus they seem to be a bit less expensive than Santa Monica.
Possible places we would stay:
Santa Monica - Fairmont or Georgian
Hollywood - PaliHouse Holloway, Sunset Marquis or London Hotel
I would be grateful for any and all comments including those on the hotels we have narrowed it down to....need a suite with seperate sleeping area as my kids turn in early...and a pool and balcony would be nice as well.
Best for family base - santa monica or west hollywood?
Just came back a couple of days ago ..if you read my post ,you%26#39;ll see that I stayed in WeHo at the Le Parc Suites Hotel. Based on your info, it seems that the Le Parc might be the perfect fit for you. They might still be running a special where the fourth night is free. All the rooms are suites with balconies and sererate sleeping areas(either one bedroom or seperate stepup area from living room with queen size pullout sofa. Each room also has a kithenette with afridge and microwave and some (both of the suites I had) have stoves as well. It is centrally located to all and the staff aims to please. Additionally,there is a beautiful heated rooftop pool and whirlpool. Check it out and good luck.
Best for family base - santa monica or west hollywood?
A few things....
1. That%26#39;s ALOT of driving with 2 small kids! Keep in mind that the distances are deceiving in southern California since we have LOTS of traffic (except during the midday on weekdays) so it can take a lot longer to reach your destinations than you might think. L.A. has some wonderful attractions that appeal to kids, e.g.
a. Griffith Park (the L.A. Zoo, the Live Steamers, etc)
b. the bike path and Pier in Santa Monica.
c. Long Beach (less than an hour from L.A.) has the Aquarium of the Pacific.
I%26#39;m not sure that your children will find Santa Barbara that interesting. It%26#39;s a great getaway for adults, however.
Take a look at the tourism site for the city of L.A. here, for ideas. Look at the home page and use the links in the orange area to explore the site:
http://discoverlosangeles.com/
3. I%26#39;m not a big fan of Universal Studios for small children. The rides are largely, designed for teens and older. You haven%26#39;t indicated your travel dates but Universal can get crowded at times and there are waits at the attractions (unless you buy the %26#39;front of the line%26#39; pass). How will you kids fare in this environment?
4. ';Hip'; hotels are usually not kid-friendly. They feature upscale dining, cocktail lounges and rooms designed for couples.
5. PaliHouse, Sunset Marquis and the London are all in the city of WEST Hollywood (which is west of the Los Angeles neighborhood known as ';Hollywood';). These two areas are very different from one another.
6. I believe the prior poster had an excellent idea in recommending Le Parc Suites: Balcony, Pool, separate sleeping areas. The hotel isn%26#39;t ';hip'; but it%26#39;s very centrally-located. For example, it%26#39;s within walking distance to the Beverly Center neighborhood which has lots of dining options of all kinds and price ranges.
How much is a comfortable budget for you, per night? What are your travel dates? What KINDS of activities do you and your children like?
Santa Monica is your best bet. You have a beach near by and The hotels are great in the area. The Georgian is great, but try the double tree suites if you want to save money. If price is no object I would reccomend Shutters, I think this is better, and great for children as well. Hope it helps.
You could probably find enough to do in Santa Barbara for a day trip with your family. It%26#39;s abour an hour and a half drive. We just came back from a trip there to Fess Parker%26#39;s Doubletree Inn, and our grandchild joined us for part of the time. We went to the Zoo, visited the Mission, took a walk on Sterns Wharf, and rented a bike trolley to ride on the boardwalk with her.
With kids - I would recommend Santa Monica. However, the Georgian doesn%26#39;t fit your needs, there is no pool. Fairmont is a great hotel in a great location, but also consider the Loews, which is really great for families, and on the beach, and has suites. Also consider Hotel Oceana, which is an all-suite hotel and has a pool, in a great location.
Of your list in West Hollywood, those are all hotels popular with visiting bands on tour, and also the club crowd, they%26#39;re not very family friendly, although they%26#39;re all great hotels (Sunset Marquis is amazing, and London is beautiful).
Thanks everybody.
Looks like my gutt instincts were right. We are probably going to stay in santa monica. Being able to walk to the promenade for dinner or the pier or just having a simple evening stroll with the kids will be nice without having to worry about crowds, rowdy partiers, etc........would love to enjoy the scene in West Hollywood but not travelling with our small ones.
So now, in our price range we can do the Fairmont, the Georgian, the Oceana and I have yet to call the Leows. Shutters looks amazing but way too expensive!!!!
Since we are looking for a suite, pool, and some luxury and a balcony/terrace, looks like it will boil down to the fairmont and maybe the leows....
Thanks for the info on Universal .... reminds me of our SHORT visit to Universal in Orlando....our kids were just too small/young for most of the attractions....you just saved me money and time from making the same mistake.
Thanks everyone for all your input......
The Georgian is not a family hotel and does not have a pool.
Loews has only a few rooms with suites, but many single rooms that connect.
Santa Monica Loews Hotel, Le Marigot , Casa Del Mar or Shutters.
If you do not mind lack of seaview The Viceroy, very hip !
Lived in there for 1.5 years, my kids are the same age as yours.
If you need a nice playground Wilshire and 26th Street (Douglas Park) or next to the Cheesecake Factory in Marina del Rey, they have an outdoor firepit, great for dining/cocktails/looking at yachts whilst kids can play at a cute playground meters away on the beach!
Another really nice place to go to is Manhattan beach, not as overrun a Santa Monica.They have a lovely little pier with a small aquarium , great restaurants , nice drive along coast from Santa Monica, about 20 mins.
sorry meant lack of being on seafront at the Viceroy, some rooms have seaviews ! But in hindsight, maybe a bit too hip with kids in tow..
Santa Monica all the way
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