Hotel recommendation pre-cruise in LA?

My wife and I will be taking a California Coastal cruise on Princess out of Los Angeles. This is our first time in CA and would like to do some sight-seeing in LA pre-cruise. We'll be flying in a day or two early and were looking for hotel suggestions? I'm thinking we'd like to stay in Beverly Hills if possible (probably a 3.5-5 star hotel for approx. $400-$600/night?) Any suggestions? And I'm open to other suggestions outside of Beverly Hills since I've never been and have no idea what LA is like...

Also, is renting a car a necessity or are there enough things to do around Beverly Hills to kill 2 days? If we rent a car, can we drop off the car at the port of LA?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

My wife and I will be taking a California Coastal cruise on Princess out of Los Angeles. This is our first time in CA and would like to do some sight-seeing in LA pre-cruise. We'll be flying in a day or two early and were looking for hotel suggestions? I'm thinking we'd like to stay in Beverly Hills if possible (probably a 3.5-5 star hotel for approx. $400-$600/night?) Any suggestions? And I'm open to other suggestions outside of Beverly Hills since I've never been and have no idea what LA is like...

 

Also, is renting a car a necessity or are there enough things to do around Beverly Hills to kill 2 days? If we rent a car, can we drop off the car at the port of LA?

 

Thanks in advance for all your help!

If you want to stay in BH, I'd say a car might be necessary depending on what sights you want to see. Depending on who you rent from, the drop off would not be bad, but I am not sure where the drop off is.

Hotels to look at for a start would be the SLS, Sofitel, Beverly Wilshire, Montage and L'Ermitage Beverly Hills Hotel. See what kind of rates you can get from them.

If you want to stay in BH, I'd say a car might be necessary depending on what sights you want to see. Depending on who you rent from, the drop off would not be bad, but I am not sure where the drop off is.

 

Hotels to look at for a start would be the SLS, Sofitel, Beverly Wilshire, Montage and L'Ermitage Beverly Hills Hotel. See what kind of rates you can get from them.

Thanks for the advice!

Search this forum for posts by Bruin Steve, he has the best advice regarding where to stay.

Perhaps if you posted what you want to do, shopping, museums, Disneyland, Universal Studios, it would help us locals give you better advice.

My wife and I will be taking a California Coastal cruise on Princess out of Los Angeles. This is our first time in CA and would like to do some sight-seeing in LA pre-cruise. We'll be flying in a day or two early and were looking for hotel suggestions? I'm thinking we'd like to stay in Beverly Hills if possible (probably a 3.5-5 star hotel for approx. $400-$600/night?) Any suggestions? And I'm open to other suggestions outside of Beverly Hills since I've never been and have no idea what LA is like...

 

Also, is renting a car a necessity or are there enough things to do around Beverly Hills to kill 2 days? If we rent a car, can we drop off the car at the port of LA?

 

Thanks in advance for all your help!

You can easily "kill" two days anywhere...but the real question is "what do you want to see or do?"

Beverly Hills is very nice for CERTAIN things...like shopping (assuming you have a very thick wallet)...But, aside from the attraction of Rodeo Drive, a lot of shopping and some high end restaurants, it's not necessarily the best place to stay...It IS fairly centrally located betwen Hollywood and the Beach...so, it is not too far from a lot of things...but you need a car to get to most of them...People in Beverly Hills don't use public transportation...and, if you have a car, you will fing parking there to be quite expensive...

I will give you a very attractive alternative...and one that is a little more "touristy", pedestrian friendly, less urban with a little less traffic--Santa Monica...

Rather than being in the middle of the city, Santa Monica puts you on a very scenic stretch of beach...There is quite a lot to do there--even without a car...And there are some EXCELLENT hotels that will fall into your stated ranges...

And Santa Monica is very much the stereotypical Southern California lifestyle...

Check out these hotels:

http://www.santamonicaloewshotel.com/?chebs=ppc_google_brand_309&src=ppc_google_brand_309

http://www.shuttersonthebeach.com/

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxlm-jw-marriott-santa-monica-le-merigot/

http://www.hotelcasadelmar.com/

http://www.fairmont.com/santamonica

Those first four put you on the beach, just south of the Santa Monica Pier...

I once stayed in the Santa Monica Suite (Room 801) at the Loews--and I can vouch for one of the most incredible views from any hotel room you will find anywhere--looking at the coast clear up to Malibu with the Santa Monica Pier in the foreground--all lit up at night...Of course THAT suite would more than stretch your budget...but other rooms on that side of the hotel have similar views...

The fifth one on that list--the Fairmont Miramar--is up on the bluffs--above the beach, but right across from Palisades Park and right next to the Third Street Promenade...

Here are a few Santa Monica-related links:

http://www.santamonicapier.org/

http://www.santamonica.com/visitors/what-to-do/attractions/santa-monica-pier/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Street_Promenade

http://www.seeing-stars.com/shop/thirdstreetpromenade.shtml

Just a short ways down the beach is the Venice Beach Boardwalk:

http://www.venicebeach.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice,_Los_Angeles

This area is represented in virtually every TV show or movie you've ever seen about Los Angeles...

Venice is the stretch of beach with the muscle-bound body builders lifting weights right on the beach, the girls in bikinis roller skating down the boardwalk, the street artists and break dancers and sidewalk musicians...

Santa Monica Pier is home to amusements and attractions...That Carousel building they used as Chicago in the Redford/Newman movie the Sting? It's really on the Santa Monica Pier...The end scene to Falling Down with Michael Douglas? Santa Monica Pier...and so on...

The Third Street Promenade comes alive at night with all sorts of restaurants and nightlife...

And, should you want to tour Hollywood and Beverly Hills and so on and you don't have a car? All of the tour companies will pick you up at any of these Santa Monica hotels...

Plus, with the tempering force of the Pacific Ocean and the prevailing breezes, the weather is the BEST in the entire area--never too hot, never too cold, no smog...

For a couple of relaxing days taking in a classic LA adult lifestyle (ie not exhausting yourself at Disney or Universal), this would be my number one choice...

You can easily "kill" two days anywhere...but the real question is "what do you want to see or do?"

 

Beverly Hills is very nice for CERTAIN things...like shopping (assuming you have a very thick wallet)...But, aside from the attraction of Rodeo Drive, a lot of shopping and some high end restaurants, it's not necessarily the best place to stay...It IS fairly centrally located betwen Hollywood and the Beach...so, it is not too far from a lot of things...but you need a car to get to most of them...People in Beverly Hills don't use public transportation...and, if you have a car, you will fing parking there to be quite expensive...

 

I will give you a very attractive alternative...and one that is a little more "touristy", pedestrian friendly, less urban with a little less traffic--Santa Monica...

 

Rather than being in the middle of the city, Santa Monica puts you on a very scenic stretch of beach...There is quite a lot to do there--even without a car...And there are some EXCELLENT hotels that will fall into your stated ranges...

 

And Santa Monica is very much the stereotypical Southern California lifestyle...

 

Check out these hotels:

 

http://www.santamonicaloewshotel.com/?chebs=ppc_google_brand_309&src=ppc_google_brand_309

 

http://www.shuttersonthebeach.com/

 

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxlm-jw-marriott-santa-monica-le-merigot/

 

http://www.hotelcasadelmar.com/

 

http://www.fairmont.com/santamonica

 

Those first four put you on the beach, just south of the Santa Monica Pier...

I once stayed in the Santa Monica Suite (Room 801) at the Loews--and I can vouch for one of the most incredible views from any hotel room you will find anywhere--looking at the coast clear up to Malibu with the Santa Monica Pier in the foreground--all lit up at night...Of course THAT suite would more than stretch your budget...but other rooms on that side of the hotel have similar views...

The fifth one on that list--the Fairmont Miramar--is up on the bluffs--above the beach, but right across from Palisades Park and right next to the Third Street Promenade...

 

Here are a few Santa Monica-related links:

 

http://www.santamonicapier.org/

 

http://www.santamonica.com/visitors/what-to-do/attractions/santa-monica-pier/

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Street_Promenade

 

http://www.seeing-stars.com/shop/thirdstreetpromenade.shtml

 

Just a short ways down the beach is the Venice Beach Boardwalk:

 

http://www.venicebeach.com/

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice,_Los_Angeles

 

This area is represented in virtually every TV show or movie you've ever seen about Los Angeles...

 

Venice is the stretch of beach with the muscle-bound body builders lifting weights right on the beach, the girls in bikinis roller skating down the boardwalk, the street artists and break dancers and sidewalk musicians...

 

Santa Monica Pier is home to amusements and attractions...That Carousel building they used as Chicago in the Redford/Newman movie the Sting? It's really on the Santa Monica Pier...The end scene to Falling Down with Michael Douglas? Santa Monica Pier...and so on...

 

The Third Street Promenade comes alive at night with all sorts of restaurants and nightlife...

 

And, should you want to tour Hollywood and Beverly Hills and so on and you don't have a car? All of the tour companies will pick you up at any of these Santa Monica hotels...

 

Plus, with the tempering force of the Pacific Ocean and the prevailing breezes, the weather is the BEST in the entire area--never too hot, never too cold, no smog...

 

For a couple of relaxing days taking in a classic LA adult lifestyle (ie not exhausting yourself at Disney or Universal), this would be my number one choice...

Thank you very much Bruin Steve for that very in-depth response! We will definitely look at Santa Monica!

One more question- How far is it to the Port of Los Angeles from Santa Monica?

Thank you very much Bruin Steve for that very in-depth response! We will definitely look at Santa Monica!

 

One more question- How far is it to the Port of Los Angeles from Santa Monica?

The question in So Cal is never "how far", but "how long" and how long depends time of day and day of the week. It is about 30 miles, which 25 minutes away at 6AM most days, but 90 minutes on a Friday at 3PM.

When do you need to be at the cruise port? And it is LA right, not Long Beach?

The question in So Cal is never "how far", but "how long" and how long depends time of day and day of the week. It is about 30 miles, which 25 minutes away at 6AM most days, but 90 minutes on a Friday at 3PM.

 

When do you need to be at the cruise port? And it is LA right, not Long Beach?

And don't count on the 90 minutes! Rain or a wreck can make it an awful drive--but you would be entitled to be in a carpool lane in a cab or shuttle.

It is around 30 miles...

...and MOST times you would probably be going from Santa Monica to the pier in San Pedro, you'd probably be very safe figuring 45 minutes...and leaving yourself an extra 15 for logistics...

You are likely NOT going to get a cruise during Friday afternoon rush hour...

But the key ANYWHERE in the world with which you are unfamiliar is to leave yourself plenty of cushion...The possibility of a freeway accident or construction or other unexpected traffic snarl can happen ANYWHERE...not just Los Angeles...

Assuming you are taking a taxi or shuttle, nowadays your driver should know how to get around any issues...With shuttle companies, you usually tell them when you need to be somewhere and THEY figure out when they need to pick you up...With a taxi, you will need to determine a time...

Say your cruise leaves 5:00 pm on a Saturday--the cruise line will want you onboard by 3:00 pm...but, really, there is no problem getting to the ship way ahead of that...you get to relax onboard, eat something in the buffet, etc...

So, don't worry about the time...target getting to the port between noon and 2:00 pm...leave Santa Monica between 11:00 and 1:00...If you get to the ship a little early, no big deal...IF there is some unexpected traffic issue, you will still get there with time to spare...IOW, DON'T target the latest possible boarding time and the minimum non-traffic drive time...in Los Angeles or in ANY embarkation port...

As usual, I'm going to agree with Bruin Steve.

Beverly Hills has great hotels in a central location. They're in walking distance to shopping an high end restaurants. I've never stayed in one, but I have been to Scarpetta in the Montage and had tea several times at the Peninsula. Both were great experiences and I'd recommend them any time. But guess what, you don't have to spend $600 to stay at those hotels to eat in the restaurants. Of course, if it were within my budget, I would stay in one and walk around Canon and Rodeo for the day, go shopping, eat brunch at Jack n Jill's, and it would be a great day.

But I've also stayed at the Loew's Santa Monica, both in a standard room and a suite with a ocean view. Try pricing it out, because it might be nice (and less pricey) to be at the beach one day and drive into Beverly Hills another day and walk around there.

I agree with Bruin Steve too. Although we weren't in LA for a cruise, we did both the Hollywood/Beverley Hills thing and then spent some time in Santa Monica. Santa Monica is beautiful and it reminds me more of the CA lifestyle, than Hollywood/ Beverley Hills did.

Thanks everyone! I think we're definitely going to look at Santa Monica. Our cruise leaves on a Saturday, so hopefully we don't encounter too much traffic (relative to normal week day LA traffic) heading to the port.

I think our preliminary plan is fly into LA Friday morning, spend most of the day around Santa Monica and maybe try to venture into Beverly Hills for dinner and a stroll down Rodeo Drive after dinner).

And the following morning head to the port area early so that we can check out the Queen Mary in the Long Beach port prior to driving to the port of LA for our cruise!

Bruin Steve,

Of the hotels you recommended above, which would you say would be the best with kids (11 & 14yr olds)? Considering a Century sailing in April 2014 and spending 5 or 6 days per cruise in LA. Would we be better hiring a car from LAX and driving to Santa Monica? I noticed you also stated that most of the tour companies collect from the Santa Monica hotels - something we'd definitely consider.

Going back to the OP's request for a place to "do some sight-seeing in LA pre-cruise", it depends on which sights you want to see if Santa Monica is a good location.

The SLS Hotel and Sofitel are "Beverly Hills adjacent" actually at the Beverly Center, have great public transportation and are close to sights like the La Brea Tar Pits, Original Farmer's Market/Grove, Petersen Automotive Museum, LA County Museum of Art (LACMA), Griffith Park Observatory, Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Hollywood sites.

The Beverly Hills hotels, Beverly Wilshire (a Four Seasons Hotel at Wilshire & Rodeo), Montage, Peninsula, L'Ermitage Beverly Hills Hotel and the Beverly Hills Hotel (a Dorchester Hotel and home of the famous Polo Lounge) are all tops in the ranks of LA area hotels and closer to the above than Santa Monica. For a mature couple looking for upscale and adult, I'd take the Beverly Hills area over SaMo most days of the week. I think Santa Monica is kind of schlocky/touristy these days. The charming shops of the 3rd Street Promenade are gone replaced by your typical American mall stores.

But, with all that being said, where to stay depends on what sights/sites you wish to see. Work out that part first then decide where to stay.

As to where to stay with kids, I think Santa Monica has the edge, but again, which sights/sites you wish to see should come into play here. If Universal Studios is in the mix, that is one more plus for the Beverly Hills and maybe Hollywood area to stay.

April isn't beach weather in So Cal, or more precisely it isn't beach swimming weather as the ocean will be really cold until August usually. I also wouldn't say the beach towns have the best weather, never "too hot or too cold". May and June can have awful weather, "May Gray" and "June Gloom" as we call them. They are marine layers that can blanket in the coast in the early day and not break up until noon or later. It can be 65 at the beach and five miles inland it is 78. This last summer we even had "No-sky July", it seemed like summer didn't start until August and I didn't stop wearing a wet suit to surf until late August.

If I had kids the age of villauk, I'd be going to the Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach, south of the ports of LA & Long Beach and closer to the ports than Santa Monica. Huntington Beach puts you in easy proximity of Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach and the sights of Orange County. It all goes back to choose an itinerary or agenda first, then where to stay.