Venice beach, California

Sparky29

My mum (in her 70's) is going on a 17 day coach tour alone in California next month. She is flying out a couple of days earlier to acclimatise and has a couple of days to fill. She is thinking of going to Venice beach rather than LA where the tour starts from. I am after some help and advice for her:

1. Is this a good idea?
2. How to get there from LA airport?
3. Recommendation of decent accommodation that is in a safe area near the beach.
4. Things to do and see?
5. Is it easy to do a day trip to Santa Monica - is it worth it and what to do there?

Many thanks for any help and advice

Kernow666

I can answer a few of your questions as I have been a few times although not stayed there prefer to stay In Hollywood area


Venice is a nice place to visit for a day trip the main things to see are the canals and the beach ,you can walk from there to Santa Monica pier along a pedestrian walkway its a nice leisurely walk with plenty of rest spots to sit and take it all in


during the day its a really safe area but apparently no so at night


as regards to accommodation if you have TRIP ADVISOR check out the LA forums there are some really knowledgeable locals who will advise you , a couple live in the Venice / Santa Monica area and post regularly to answer any questions


getting there from LAX you can take the flyaway bus from LAX to Santa Monica and get a cab from Santa Monica to Venice ( its not far ) or a cab from LAX to Venice direct would run $25-$30

Sparky29

Many thanks for your advice.

Kernow666 wrote: »

during the day its a really safe area but apparently no so at night

getting there from LAX you can take the flyaway bus from LAX to Santa Monica and get a cab from Santa Monica to Venice ( its not far ) or a cab from LAX to Venice direct would run $25-$30

So she may be better off/ safer staying in Santa Monica and walking to Venice beach during the day.

Kernow666

i personally would do that yes more to see & do in Santa Monica

phatbear

Kernow666 wrote: »

I can answer a few of your questions as I have been a few times although not stayed there prefer to stay In Hollywood area


during the day its a really safe area but apparently no so at night

A couple of points im not sure how someone can prefer one place to another if they havent stayed in one of those places......anyway

I have stayed on venice beach when me and the ex did hollywood (which i didnt like by the by), vegas, anaheim and then venice.

We stayed in a hotel called venice on the beach which as the name suggests is on the beach, from front door to sand was approx 15 feet away. Oh and the hotel was lovelly.

Venice has got a reputation but i never saw or experienced any issues whilst staying there, also venice is home to one of my favourite restaurants, baby blues bbq.

If i was going back to la i would probably chose santa monica but, when i originally priced it up, it was a lot more expensive than venice

Sparky29

phatbear wrote: »

Venice has got a reputation but i never saw or experienced any issues whilst staying there, also venice is home to one of my favourite restaurants, baby blues bbq.

I visited Venice Beach on Honeymoon many years ago and really enjoyed walking along the beach people watching all the characters. I didn't saw or experienced anything and found the atmosphere pretty laid back. I think I will recommend to her to go to Santa Monica and visit during the day.

Can anybody recommend a decent cheapish hotel in Santa Monica as after all she is spending my inheritance?

C_Mababejive

I can certainly recommend the Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica.

gfplux

During a trip to California a few years ago we stayed in Samta Monica for about five days. We just loved it.
We had a wonderful time and if we ever return we would definately stay in Santa Monica again.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn next to the Pier. It has changed hands and is now called Wyndham at the Pier. It is a great locations.

Sparky29

C_Mababejive wrote: »

I can certainly recommend the Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica.

Many thanks but at £346 a night it is out of her budget.

Backbiter

I went to Venice Beach 7 years ago, and was not impressed. The sandy beach was nice but as a resort it was very unappealing. Santa Monica, which is pretty close, is so much nicer.

John259

Venice Beach has some "extreme" characters, adverts for "medical marijuana", etc. Some people find all that very acceptable and fun but some people might find it objectionable.

Santa Monica has none of that, so it's much quieter, some might say it's too bland.

Another option, but further away, is Huntington Beach.

This video includes some footage of Venice Beach and then Santa Monica:
https://youtu.be/Oj0afwHxM5I?t=69

And this one, Santa Monica:
https://youtu.be/8dm83WCMdWM?t=636

Here's a video about Huntington Beach:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtTSXd2BMq0