Hollywood / LA

poormaria

As stated, a car is not an option for us.

Thanks for comments about hotels though

Think we are going to book hollywood inn & suites to save money, also been told this is s good location

John259

poormaria wrote: »

As stated, a car is not an option for us.

Fair enough, in which case is Los Angeles optional? For example, without a car San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, Washington DC and Boston would all be viable and enjoyable alternatives.

photome

I wouldnt do LA without a car. the place is HUGE so getting from one side to the other will take ages however you travel but easier with a car.

As John said have you considered somewhere else San Fran for example.

LA is not the nicest place, and IMO 2 days there is plenty

poormaria

It's just an added extra on top of our holiday and our stop off airport is LAX

burnoutbabe

glentoran99 wrote: »

check out the magic castle hotel in hollywood it was lovely when we stayed there

thats where we are staying for our 4 days in LA - its $199 per night and everyone says its lovely. Top rated one in LA on tripadvisor.

I am also no car, but will do the LA tours busses to get around and sight see. But I am also moving to Anaheim for 4 days to visit Disney, to avoid travel hassle.

cubegame

poormaria wrote: »

It's just an added extra on top of our holiday and our stop off airport is LAX

Then the best thing to do is hop straight on a shuttle to San Francisco or San Diego when you arrive. LA is an utter hole.

dickydonkin

cubegame wrote: »

LA is an utter hole.

Are you including the beaches, Hollywood Hills, Beverley Hills etc or just Downtown LA?

John259

poormaria wrote: »

It's just an added extra on top of our holiday and our stop off airport is LAX

If anyone in the party can drive, then IMHO you'd definitely be best advised to rent a car for a visit to the Los Angeles area, unless you plan to spend the entire time in or very close to the hotel. If you pre-book the car rental from Britain it will probably be less expensive than doing it in the USA.

If nobody can drive, fair enough, you've no option. But in that case somewhere else such as San Francisco would be a far better destination IMHO because that city is much more compact and has a good public transport system.

Check what you want to see and do in the greater Los Angeles area, and also check the distances between those places on a map (online or printed as desired). Just arriving without any plan isn't viable because of the distances. One of the complications with doing research is that many sources distinguish between the downtown city of Los Angeles and the numerous suburbs such as Santa Monica and Anaheim which aren't officially in Los Angeles.

While as a general principal I have no love for cities, the Los Angeles area is both vast and diverse. Santa Monica is ok, a bit bland maybe, expensive, but ok. A day in Disneyland is great even for adults. The other theme parks are each very much a matter of personal taste and opinion. I'm amazed that anyone wants to spend time on holiday looking at stars inset into pavements when California has Yosemite on offer but each to their own. All this is totally IMHO of course and at the end of the day it's your holiday, your time, your money, your decision. Just try to base that decision on as much information as possible.

A scan of some of the threads in this link might help, including the list of FAQ's at the top right of the page (which is only visible on a computer I'm told, not on a phone or a tablet):
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g32655-i61-Los_Angeles_California.html

Bri1

LA without a car, you won't be able to do much in four days, the place is built with cars in mind, been to CA four times in last two years, Being a cheapskate I stayed in Woodland Hills (in the hills above Malibu beach area) about a 20 min drive from Santa Monica & not too far to Hollywood for about £37 a night this April, car hire is Cheap in CA if pre-booked in the UK with free extra drivers if needed, petrol is half the price than than in the UK, Santa Monica & Venice beach are expensive to stay at, I wouldn't pay the prices quoted above but that's me , Last time I stayed in Hollywood a couple of years ago cost me about £55 a night at the Travelodge (4 person room), but Hollywood isn't the nicest of places to go in LA, there's better

poormaria

We are really stuck on what to do now. We are getting so much conflicting advise that it's turning into a worry, I need to book the hotel tomorrow at latest

Is LA that bad that we aren't going to enjoy it? Or be forced to drive a car which is another expense we haven't budgeted for?
I've read everywhere that the parking is expensive too.

I'm really starting to dread this part of the trip rather than look forward to it