Would you have an overnight stop between Monterey and Marina del Rey?

[fatblokeflorida]

Originally Posted by landandword17

Okay, don’t go up to LA until after the morning commute! I can’t find your full itinerary now to see where else you could shave a night off but you can’t do your original plan of stopping along Highway 1, Hearst Castle etc in a day anyway. So something will have to give. It’s hard to plan a WC itinerary because there’s so much to do and never enough time.

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Original plan was to drive monterey to mdr in one go so we knew we were likely to arrive fairly late for night 1 and only likely to see a bit of santa monica on the way through. Next day was either LA to hopefully see all the usual bits like wof, sign, griffiths, rodeo etc or more santa monica/beach and then day 3 to do whatever we didnt do on day 2. Hopefully it will be possible to take a night off mdr and still do all as planned but no idea if that's going to be possible or not?

[landandword17]

Originally Posted by fatblokeflorida

Original plan was to drive monterey to mdr in one go so we knew we were likely to arrive fairly late for night 1 and only likely to see a bit of santa monica on the way through. Next day was either LA to hopefully see all the usual bits like wof, sign, griffiths, rodeo etc or more santa monica/beach and then day 3 to do whatever we didnt do on day 2. Hopefully it will be possible to take a night off mdr and still do all as planned but no idea if that's going to be possible or not?

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2 nights in LA with that itinerary I would want to be in West Hollywood area. Central, you can use Sunset or Santa Monica to traverse the city and avoid the freeways. I would do Walk of Fame, Hollywood Sign, a studio tour in the am. Over to Beverly Hills for the afternoon and then up to Griffith Observatory for the night time views. Next day Santa Monica and Venice and spend the night on Sunset Strip. Only a taster but a nice sampling of the city and no commuting to Marina del Rey which in my opinion will be a pain when you’re short on time.

[daytonababe]

As nice as Marina Del Rey is I wouldn’t stay there if wanting to do stuff in and around Hollywood if your short on time .
Traffic is a nightmare and you’ll waste a lot of time sat in a car .

[fatblokeflorida]

Originally Posted by landandword17

2 nights in LA with that itinerary I would want to be in West Hollywood area. Central, you can use Sunset or Santa Monica to traverse the city and avoid the freeways. I would do Walk of Fame, Hollywood Sign, a studio tour in the am. Over to Beverly Hills for the afternoon and then up to Griffith Observatory for the night time views. Next day Santa Monica and Venice and spend the night on Sunset Strip. Only a taster but a nice sampling of the city and no commuting to Marina del Rey which in my opinion will be a pain when you’re short on time.

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Thanks for the advice. Looking at hotels in/around West Hollywood we have Loews Hollywood, Andaz, Grafton, BW Plus Sunset Plaza, Le Parc Suites, Kimpton Everly or possibly Hampton Inn on S Monica Blvd as options. Any on that list you would recommend or would definitely stay away from?

[landandword17]

Originally Posted by fatblokeflorida

Thanks for the advice. Looking at hotels in/around West Hollywood we have Loews Hollywood, Andaz, Grafton, BW Plus Sunset Plaza, Le Parc Suites, Kimpton Everly or possibly Hampton Inn on S Monica Blvd as options. Any on that list you would recommend or would definitely stay away from?

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The Kimpton and Loews are in Hollywood itself, the others are West Hollywood. Either are fine for your itinerary but West Hollywood is more upmarket vs Hollywood which is grittier and a tourist spot. The hotels themselves are all fine. I’ve stayed at Loews, had drinks in the Andaz. The only one on your list I wouldn’t stay at is probably the Hampton Inn just based on location. You might find something at the London West Hollywood in your budget, it has the balconies and views you like but you won’t go wrong with any on that list I think. Just check Tripadvisor reviews before booking.

[fatblokeflorida]

Originally Posted by landandword17

The Kimpton and Loews are in Hollywood itself, the others are West Hollywood. Either are fine for your itinerary but West Hollywood is more upmarket vs Hollywood which is grittier and a tourist spot. The hotels themselves are all fine. I’ve stayed at Loews, had drinks in the Andaz. The only one on your list I wouldn’t stay at is probably the Hampton Inn just based on location. You might find something at the London West Hollywood in your budget, it has the balconies and views you like but you won’t go wrong with any on that list I think. Just check Tripadvisor reviews before booking.

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Thanks. Forgot one though - Hollywood Roosevelt?

[landandword17]

The Roosevelt is right around the corner from Loews in Hollywood. The basic rooms are small because it’s a renovated older hotel but I think the more expensive rooms have patios. I remember we settled on Loews because the basic rooms with bigger and had more light than the Roosevelt and the Roosevelt was more expensive and out of our budget. It’s supposed to have a gorgeous pool area that’s has a good party scene.

[fatblokeflorida]

Originally Posted by landandword17

The Roosevelt is right around the corner from Loews in Hollywood. The basic rooms are small because it’s a renovated older hotel but I think the more expensive rooms have patios. I remember we settled on Loews because the basic rooms with bigger and had more light than the Roosevelt and the Roosevelt was more expensive and out of our budget. It’s supposed to have a gorgeous pool area that’s has a good party scene.

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Thanks for all your help with this. Although the Loews or Roosevelt would be convenient, gritty and pool party scenes doesn't sound very appealing so it'll be West Hollywood for us! Assume Sunset Blvd is a safe area? Checked out the London by the way - that is way out of our budget and there is no way I would even think about spending that kind of money. Our hotel costs for the whole trip need to come down, not go up!

[landandword17]

Yes West Hollywood is an upmarket residential area. Very safe and walkable.

[Bozza]

We stopped in Solvang on our way down the PCH after a couple of nights in Monterrey and our next stop in LA.

it's a lovely town and I wish we'd had more time there. Worth checking out...