LA/SoCal Advice please

This board has contributed some outstanding vacations.

My wife and two young children (5 %26amp; 3) will be arriving in LAX in March. Now please feel free to critique my choices...so that i make an informed decision.

3 nights at Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire - visiting santa monica/venice, universal studios, some shopping, and ???

2 nights and 3 days in Disneyland - trying to decide whether to stay off site...or at one of the Disneyland hotels. We have stayed at the Grand Californian and found it to be costly for the convenience. suggestions are appreciated...thanks.

7 nights in San Diego - staying at Four Seasons Aviara...

and leaving out of San Diego airport.

we have a friend in santa barbara and would like to visit her. any convenient way how/where we can incorporate into our trip?

also thought about doing laguna beach (should this be chosen in lieu of bev hills?) or can we do this as a day trip when we are in san diego?

we thank you in advance for your suggestions/advice.

ps. if any of you need advice on vancouver/whistler - please ask...

LA/SoCal Advice please

Youcan do Laguna Beach on your way to San Diego, Santa Barbara is the opposite direction and about 1 1/2 hour outside of L.A., so it would not work with a visit to Beverly Hills but as a daytrip from L.A.

Seven Days San Diego is a lot, maybe skip a couple of days there and add it towards your visit to L.A. There sure is enough to see and do in the area that would warrent a stay longer then 3 days///

LA/SoCal Advice please

I agree that you can do Laguna Beach on the way from Disney to SanDiego OR you can do it as a day trip from SanDiego as well.

Since you have very young children, I think spending the extra time in San Diego is a very good idea.

The 4 Seasons Aviara will put you near Legoland which is the perfect place for your younguns with its interactive play areas in addition to some low key rides. The city of SanDiego will be about a 35-40min. ride south. There%26#39;s also a train you can take which might be fun for the children if they have not had that experience.

The train also goes north to Santa Barbara from LA if you should choose to do that as a days activity.

I%26#39;d add a day to LA IF you plan to do the trip to Santa Barbara too.

thanks for the suggestions thus far. it certainly helps having a local perspective...

our concern was whether we should stay 3 nights in beverly hills wilshire. is it too geared towards adults and not enough to do for the children? is it a central base from which to do the l.a. activities?

Four Seasons Beverly Hills is an excellent hotel. Many families stay there. But children do enjoy a pool, and the other Four Seasons has a better pool. Both are centrally located and convenient for an LA visit.

Santa Barbara is a day trip from LA, but you don%26#39;t have the time, really. Unless you add a day to LA and take one from San Diego...

Disneyland can be visited while staying in LA, rather than staying in Anaheim, if you%26#39;re only visiting DL for one day. If you want to spend more than just one day there, you should stay in Anaheim. Then visit Laguna Beach, then off to San Diego.

I would use one of your LA days to ask her if she could meet you half way since that is a very long hard ride for the kids. If she does not have kids, maybe she would even meet you in Santa Monica. I would go to Disney while in LA too. I don%26#39;t know if your kids are really old enough to enjoy Universal - it%26#39;s more of a big kid place. They would probably have more fun going to the La Brea Tar Pits, and a day at the Santa Monica Pier. It does seem to me that although the BH Wilshire is nice, it could easily stifle the kids.

As much as I love Laguna (I live in OC), I%26#39;d head to the full week in San Diego and make that your home base. You%26#39;ll get similar experiences at La Jolla, can go to the zoo, legoland, sea world - all better for children of that age (I have raised two here). You will not run out of fun for them. Balboa park is a great free place to just run wild and picnic. Cabrillo National monument can be a fun trip. There is also an excellent children%26#39;s museum in SD.

Yes, 5 and 3 is much too young for Universal Studios.

If you drive to Disneyland from Four Seasons BH it is about a 45-50 minute drive each way which isn%26#39;t that long, but with traffic it is longer.

If you do decide to stay at Disneyland the Hilton Homewood Suites is nice and inexpensive.

I think you could stay in Laguna Beach(which is close to Disneyland) for 1-2 nights or Santa Barbara for 1-2 nights. I am thinking 7 nights in San Diego might be a bit long. Most people who come here stay between 4 and 5 nights.

Have a good trip.

I would stay in Laguna Beach, there is a Best Western Hotel called the Laguna Reef that is very nice for families. It is in a beautiful area of the coast, right across the street from the amazing Montage Resort where we have stayed. The Laguna Reef has a swimming pool, jacuzzi and complimentary breakfast. You can book on www.lagunabeach.com for good rates. Have fun and Happy New Year! :)

7 days is a long time for San Diego, you should consider 6, and a night in Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara has a nice sea center on the pier...perfect for 3 and 5 yr olds, also a small zoo %26amp; a bird sanctuary worth visiting. You could do a whale-watch boat as well.

Be sure to visit Legoland just north of San Diego!

With kids that age, I%26#39;d spend the $$$ on 2 nights in a Disneyland hotel, and then stay somewhere other than the Four Seasons Beverly Hills. Maybe something in Santa Monica.

thanks for the many ideas. would this be a better option? staying at shutters in santa monica for two nights and three nights in disneyland. one of the messages suggested switching out of bev hills in favour of santa monica. thoughts on this please? thanks again.