Planning Family Trip Santa Monica/LA Help needed please!

[aimo]

Little update for those who didn't see my original thread...


I am in the early stages of planning a family trip to California for April 2020. We are a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 kids, who will be 10 and 13 when we go.

Flights are booked! In and out of LAX, 1st-18th April.

I have been reading the trip reports on here and researching, where to go and when. Its a bit overwhelming to be honest, so many great places to go. We are going to focus on the south of the state and a rough route planned.

It will go something like this...

Santa Monica

LA

Fonatana (for the speedway)

Big Bear Lake

Joshua Tree

Palm Springs

San Diego

How does that sound for a rough plan?

Any advise appreciated, particularly suggestions about how long to stay in each place, accommodation, and things to do.

We really wanted a mixture of cities, relaxation, and outdoors walks, scenery, activities. Not planning on doing any theme parks, , we've been to Orlando the last 3 years so my hubby would like to do something different next year!

This thread is for the first part of our trip Santa Monica / LA. I understand that Air bnb is a big no no in this area, so we will be looking for hotel recommendations, and advice on what areas to stay in. We will have a car, so somewhere with parking is a must.

If anyone could give a rough guide of how many nights to stay, or must do's that would be great!

Things we'd like to do so far...
Santa Monica Pier
Relaxing Beach time
Cycle to Venice Beach
Camera Obscura
Griffith Observatory/Park
Walk of Fame
Warner bros studio tour

We would like to visit the speedway at Fontana on the way to our next stop in Big Bear Lake, I think my hubby and son will love it, and it seems in the right direction of travel.

Any help or advice appreciated![/LIST]

[Olympiad]

Hi- as you've no doubt found hotels in Santa Monica aren't cheap especially for a family.

We have stayed at the Sea Shore motel 3 times now following recommendations from friends. It's on Main St, close to shops and restaurants, less than 5 mins to the beach and about 15 min walk up to the pier. Also has free parking which is a bonus and very unusual for SM.

We always got the family suite which was great. It's a family run motel so don't expect 4 or 5 star facilities. And price does go up in summer but still a lot cheaper than most other places (most other budget hotels in the area are either a lot further out or get terrible reviews or both).

If you stayed further along the coast in Marina Del Rey, Manhattan or Redondo beach areas you'll find prices drop off significantly but it does take you further away from the areaa you want to visit.

[aimo]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[aimo]

Originally Posted by Olympiad

Hi- as you've no doubt found hotels in Santa Monica aren't cheap especially for a family.

We have stayed at the Sea Shore motel 3 times now following recommendations from friends. It's on Main St, close to shops and restaurants, less than 5 mins to the beach and about 15 min walk up to the pier. Also has free parking which is a bonus and very unusual for SM.

We always got the family suite which was great. It's a family run motel so don't expect 4 or 5 star facilities. And price does go up in summer but still a lot cheaper than most other places (most other budget hotels in the area are either a lot further out or get terrible reviews or both).

If you stayed further along the coast in Marina Del Rey, Manhattan or Redondo beach areas you'll find prices drop off significantly but it does take you further away from the areaa you want to visit.

See more...

I also wanted to ask how many nights you stayed?

[Olympiad]

Originally Posted by aimo

I also wanted to ask how many nights you stayed?

See more...

The first time we stayed 3 nights but didnt find that long enough so subsequent times were 4 nights each.

But will caveat that by saying that we all really like LA and used it as a base to get to other parts (easy access up to Beverley Hills and Hollywood or round to Malibu, or in to downtown LA).

3 nights to cover what you want to see (whether you stay in SM or not) is probably about right.

[red cuillen]

We used doubletree suites by hilton as we had points to use up. Valet parking. It's a few blocks back but they run a free cart with other nearby hotels to get you around the local area.
Bear in mind the sea temp in april is 16 deg c, so potentially that could be the max temp along the coastal strip if the wind is from the west.

[aimo]

Thankyou both for the hotel recommendations, I’ve looked at both but they say they’re fully booked for my dates in April next year. I’m wondering if they are actually full or if the hotels just haven’t released those dates yet? Does anyone know how far in advance rooms normally show as available?

[Olympiad]

Definitely too early for the Seashore. Think they only book 5-6 months out but if you want to be sure just email them and check.

[aimo]

Originally Posted by Olympiad

Definitely too early for the Seashore. Think they only book 5-6 months out but if you want to be sure just email them and check.

See more...

Thanks for that, does anyone know if that is typical of when hotel rooms are released?

[aimo]

I think I might revise my plans to visit Venice Beach, I've heard more negative things than positive!