How's the Buena Park area?

[goodml]

My husband and I are coming to LA with our two teens to sail on Monarch in March and are spending three days prior to the cruise and one day after in the area. I've been researching where to stay for the past couple of months and because of all the great advice on these boards by our wonderful west coasters, had booked rooms in Santa Monica. Now the wrinkle....

 

Friends, who have children the same age as ours and whom we have cruised with a number of times before have decided to join us and they are a bit (cough cough) more frugal :) than we are when it comes to the cost of hotel and other things. Now don't get me wrong. There are definite plusses to them coming with us. We all get along and travel very well together. Our kids have an absolute blast together and that certainly takes the uncertainty away for us in terms of whether or not ours will meet anyone on board and therefore not be cranky to their parents:) .

 

So, they can't/won't do the Santa Monica hotels, don't think it's worth the extra $ to stay at the beach in March, etc etc. Whatever. Our family are very very relaxed travellers and willing to stay elsewhere to have them along with us. Our kids and their entire family have never been to California and they're thinking they'd like to do Disney or Knott's. I found a Radisson all suite property near Knotts in Buena Park where we can get poolside suites including breakfast for a really good rate. Tripadvisor reviews are very good. I'm wondering if anyone has any input on staying in that area. Just wanting to make sure that the area itself is safe as a home base.

 

We will have two rental cars and will spend one day touring around as my husband and I did last May when we were there, following some of Curt's awesome driving tours and just driving along the coast. We know we'll be located about 35 miles from the beach area but we really don't mind driving as long as we know what areas need to be avoided.

 

If anyone has any input I'd be really grateful.

[Bruin Steve]

Ahhh...Buena Park...

 

Well, first, let me say that for 12 years, earlier in my adult life, I lived a couple of towns up Beach Boulevard from Buena Park in East Whittie...So, I guess I know the area as well as anyone...

 

I will tell you that it is NOT among my favorite towns in SoCal...Buena Park is, basically, a working class suburb with row after row of small post-war stucco tract houses...there is an industrial zone in the north along the 5 and 91 freeways...And there is Beach Boulevard (so called because it heads TOWARD the Beach in Huntington Beach, several miles away and not because it's anywhere NEAR the beach while going through Buena Park. Beach Boulevard is the major north/south transportation corridor of west/central orange county--since there is no north/south freeway anywhere nearby...

 

Along Beach Boulevard, you have Knott's Berry Farm and several other minor tourist attractions...Medeival Times, for one...all sort of cheesy...You also have several mostly chain restaurants (I'd recommend "Claim Jumper" as the best)...

 

Disneyland is in Anaheim...only about 10 minutes to the Southeast...

 

Knott's is a long established amusement park founded way back by Walter and Cordelia Knott...a farming couple who grew berries on their farm and were the developers of the "Boysenberry"...They used to sell their berries and preserves from a stand out on Beach Boulevard and soon opened a small restaurant to sell homemade fried chicken dinners...It became very popular and to keep the kids entertained while families waited for tables, Knott built a small kiddie railroad...which over time, grew to an entire theme park complete with all the requisite thrill rides...It's not quite Disneyland, but it tries...

 

Now, if you were 4-14 years old, staying in Buena Park would be wonderful...You'd never go into "LA"...You could spend your entire time between Knott's , Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure and Medeival Times...

 

Of course, I for one, would stay at Disney, not in Buena Park--but, of course, that would run more money...

 

But, as an adult, this would all wear thin really fast...I actually went to Disneyland for the first time in years last week when both of my daughters were home for Winter Break...12 hours in the park at a cost of $66 a person for five plus $11 for parking, $60 for a chicken strips and fries lunch, more money for snacks and we spent nearly $500...to go on EIGHT rides...Most of the time was spent waiting in lines...

 

Were I an adult from out of town, I might want to see more of the real city: Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Venice, MAlibu, etc...and those places are a LONG drive from Buena Park...over an hour in each direction, depending on traffic...

 

And, basically, Buena Park is just not very charming at all...unless you are infatuated by amusement parks...

[ianmerc]

I believe you will be absolute fine. The area you going to be staying is perfectly safe. It is certainly very central for 2 of the biggest attractions in Southern California, more notably Disneyland. As bruinsteve noted it is rather pricey at the parks mentioned. However it is well worth the money if you have never been there.

My advice? Because of the kids stay at the Radisson and have fun at the parks. Places like Hollywood and Malibu are just famous and that's it. There really is nothing fun about those places for teenagers. Actually Hollywood is one of the most disappointing places of all. Depicted as glamorous by television it is in fact far from it. If you just want to say to folks back home that you have been to those places then you can easily drive and see them in a day because there really is not much to do there.

Good luck and have a wonderful time.

[goodml]

Thanks so much to you both. Hmmm...what to do, what to do....

 

I've actually been to Disneyland and Knott's a couple of times - the first time about 30 years ago :eek: when I was around 13. We'll really only do one park or the other. I have no intention of spending more than one day in the commercial snakepit that is Disney (no offense Disney lovers:D.) The hotel actually offers free shuttle to and from either place.

 

The driving part doesn't bother me. My husband and I stayed in San Pedro last time and quite enjoyed heading out in the car and driving. When we picked up the rental car at the airport we said to the guy, point us towards Santa Monica. Went to the pier, had some lunch, wandered around the promenade. Then we headed north up the coast for a while just sort of checking things out and stopping when we wanted to. We decided about 4 pm to head back the way we came and just stick as close to the ocean as possible all the way to San Pedro to check in. Drove around Palos Verdes and past Trump's golf course etc. Checked into the hotel and then headed over to Long Beach and had dinner somewhere down near the water.

 

I suppose the appeal for me at the Buena Park spot was the two room suites (huge for me) poolside (heated pool) for a very decent price, incl. buffet breakfast, free parking, free shuttle (incidental because if we didn't stay there we likely wouldn't go to a park.) I definitely welcome the insider info though. Maybe I'll keep that reservation and then keep looking for something similar in another location. If all else fails I know the property is decent according to Tripadvisor and the area sounds safe enough.

 

I am definitely still reading all of Curt's reviews and all the helpful info from BruinSteve and the rest of you so any further ideas are certainly welcome.:)

[goodml]

:) Thanks Dave. I'll have a look.

[Curt Jerome Wild]

Aww bummer!

And wow, (suite/balcony whore;) ) you sound like me!:D

So, I deifnitely get the appeal of that hotel.

(Because you could always lounge poolside at some point, while the rest take the shuttle to the parks!:cool: )...

At any rate, for your OG question...

It is a safe area, right near the parks, that's a decent hotel (been near, not stayed in)...

(just not overly "interesting" in general as BruinSteve said)...

It would work in your plan, so there you go.

And driving is not too bad if you learn to use the 91 Fwy!

But, if you do decide to take in a cheesy dinner show, I will recommend the Pirate Adventure over Medieval Times now.

Just don't walk out to go to the bathroom in the middle, you'll miss the best part (as my brother did!)...

[goodml]

:D As always, thank you Curt. I can live with uninteresting as long as I have a car! Still looking, but I'm thinking we'll likely end up there as our home base. If we do I'll report back and let you all know how it is.