Hotel in la not far from cruise terminal

[swanssupporter]

Can anyone suggest a medium priced hotel in LA close to the terminal for departures by Azamara cruise line.

Would like somewher close but not so far away from the usual tourist destinations.

[Bruin Steve]

Can anyone suggest a medium priced hotel in LA close to the terminal for departures by Azamara cruise line.

Would like somewher close but not so far away from the usual tourist destinations.

 

Unfortunately, this answer is going to be VERY complicated...

 

First, you have to understand that LA is a VERY BIG place...

The "usual tourist destinations" are pretty spread out as well...

 

The other big question revolves around budget/expectations..."medium priced" in LA means something entirely different than "medium priced" elsewhere...LA is a very expensive hotel town...at least in any area of LA in which you would feel comfortable staying...and you don't really want to compromise by going to a lesser neighborhood--that usually means great inconvenience or worse--sometimes seedy or even dangerous...In the better parts of the city, be prepared to pay a rather steep price for even a mid-level hotel.

 

So, a lot depends on how long you are planning on staying and what you would like to see...

 

The pier Azamara uses is the World Cruise Terminal in San Pedro...

For those merely staying overnight, I usually highly recommend staying in San Pedro at either the Crowne Plaza or the Doubletree...but, in that event, you likely would not have much time to see any of the typical tourist sites...It is a considerable distance from the harbor to the major tourist sites.

 

For multiple night stays, my number one choice for tourists is Santa Monica--though nice hotels in the priome part of Santa Monica can be quite expensive. But Santa Monica is a VERY attractive part of town--upscale, very nice weather, no smog, ocean views, beaches and a number of attractions and restaurants...plus a very nice area in which to just walk around. Also, it is on the route of the HOHO bus tour--which gives you easy access to Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and all of the main tourist sites...Also works very well if you are here without a rental car. The best hotels in Santa Monica are the Loews, Le Merigot (I'll be staying there in two weeks for a weekend thing), Shutters at the Beach, Casa del Mar and the Fairmont Miramar...Of course, those can be fairly expensive...The Wyndham is well located (as long as you get a room away from the freeway)...The Doubletree and the Sheraton Delfina are a few blocks away from the action, but lesser in price if you are willing to walk a bit...

 

An alternative is to stay in the Marina del Rey/Venice Beach area...check out the Inn at Venice Beach, Venice Beach House, Marina del Rey Marriott, Jamaica Bay Inn, MdR Doubletree, Hilton Garden Inn Marijna del Rey...There are a lot of restaurants around here, the famous Venice Beach Boardwalk, weather is nice...it's a little less pricey than Santa Monica Beach, but you also aren't on the HOHO bus line, but other Hollywood tours will pick you up here...

 

Another alternative, for people really wanting to see a lot of Hollywood, Universal, the studios, etc. is to stay in the Universal City area--Universal Hilton, Sheraton Universal, Beverly Garland are among the choices here...Hollywood proper is a little seedy...I don't recommend much other than the Loews and the stately old Roosevelt, though there are some smaller hotels in the immediate area of Hollywood and Highland which may be passable...

 

Of course, there are numenrous other areas of the city--some worthwhile for specific purposes, others to completely stay away from...

[Cruisin' Chick]

And definitely stay away from LAX area hotels (think strip mall in the literal sense:eek:for the surrounding area) or downtown Los Angeles (not a safe area to be in at night, plus the few touristy spots there -- Olvera Street, Disney Hall -- will be seen on some city tours if you book one).

[Donray]

The cruise port is a long way from say the Hollywood and Vine area and even further from Universal City.

 

How many days early are you coming and what tourist thing might you want to see?

[swanssupporter]

Thank you to all who have given great information.

We have been to LA before and so have done the usual fare. Have not done Universal studios. We arrive on the 16th Feb and leave the 18th

So will have possible say 2 days max.

I am thinking the Santa Monica area.

Would there be any major sporting events - say baseball, football or am I in the wrong season.

 

Teresa

[Bruin Steve]

Thank you to all who have given great information.

We have been to LA before and so have done the usual fare. Have not done Universal studios. We arrive on the 16th Feb and leave the 18th

So will have possible say 2 days max.

I am thinking the Santa Monica area.

Would there be any major sporting events - say baseball, football or am I in the wrong season.

 

Teresa

 

Wrong season for Baseball and Football...Baseball runs, roughly, April to October...College Football (no NFL in LA) runs September to New Years (NFL-pros- are in San Diego, but that's over by that time as well...the Super Bowl is February 2 in New York)...

 

It IS Basketball and Hockey season...but the Lakers are not at home those dates, the Clippers play the Spurs in Staples Center on the night of the 18th, but sounds like you're gone by then...neither local NHL hockey team plays those dates either...neither do the local major college basketball teams...

[iceleven]

Does the Double Tree have free parking for the duration of a cruise or just for the night? If not, what is the cost, per day, to park car at the pier?

[mrbill62]

Does the Double Tree have free parking for the duration of a cruise or just for the night? If not, what is the cost, per day, to park car at the pier?

Were staying at the bestwestern golden sails hotel in Long Beach.It's 150.00 for room, parking for 7 days, full breakfast,shuttle to the pier and pick up when you return. I think it's a good price for what you get.

[Donray]

Were staying at the bestwestern golden sails hotel in Long Beach.It's 150.00 for room, parking for 7 days, full breakfast,shuttle to the pier and pick up when you return. I think it's a good price for what you get.

 

I don't think they have a shuttle to the LA port in San Pedro.

[mrbill62]

I don't think they have a shuttle to the LA port in San Pedro.

Your right, they only go to Long Beach,which is where we depart from.Thank you for the heads up on this. mrbill

[iceleven]

Since we are driving down from SF we decided it really didn't make that much difference how close to the terminal we would need to stay overnight. We decided to try Priceline and snagged Doubletree (Hilton) for $70 + taxes. I thought that was a great deal and we also believe it will be a quieter location that most of the other hotels in San Pedro. It's a couple miles away by the marina.

 

We plan to drive into town for dinner and will drive to the pier the next day and pay to park for the three days because we want to be able to get out of there and back on the road as soon as we can get off the ship. If we parked at the hotel we would be at the mercy of when the shuttle would arrive at the ship.

 

We're looking forward to this short get away and are regarding it as our little appetizer for our Thanksgiving sail to Hawaii on the Grand next month. :)