LA, 2 kids and 3 days

Been browsing the forums and thought I%26#39;d short circut it with some specific questions. Thanks for the FAQs - maybe another topic could be itinieries for young kids (Ours are aged 4 and 7)- all the fun nightlife stuff is a bit difficult for us:-(

So - for your background - we are doing the PCH drive for 4 days and then arrive in LA for 3 days (13th (includes drive from Santa Barbara), 14th, 15th) and then we go to Disneyland for another 2 days. I%26#39;d like to do Santa Monica and Venice Beach (perhaps bikes), the JP Getty Museum, Universal Studios, Hollywood and Highland area and cruise the Sunset Strip. The 3 day itiniery in FAQs gives me a good start. We have a car. My questions are these:-

HOTEL- given we have just driven the coast - wasn%26#39;t sure whether to stay at Santa Monica or more inland. Your ideas?

Our budget is ideally between $150 - 250 per night. Hotel Suggestions?

3 day plan- any specific changes/suggestions given the ages of our children (4 and 7)? I like to mix it up a bit - something for them, something for us.

If we base ourselves at Santa Monica or West Hollywood area - how long is the drive to Disneyland?

LA, 2 kids and 3 days

Obviously, Santa Monica is a beautiful seaside community. I just noticed your other posting in Santa Barbara. If you are planning to visit L.A., NEXT MONTH (!), It%26#39;s going to be difficult getting accommodations, especially in Santa Monica. Under ordinary circumstance, for $150 to $250 per night, you would be able to find a MODEST accommodation in Santa Monica. If you moved inland (to Hollywood, for example), you would able to get something nicer. So, that%26#39;s the real issue. Do you want to be by the beach or in luxurious surroundings?

The drive to DL is about an hour when you include the time it takes to park the car and transfer to the entrance gates. If you travel before 9 a.m., it will take longer since we have traffic during that time (Mon to Fri). Similarly, we have afternoon/evening traffic between 2 and 7 (mon through Fri) as well as on Sunday afternoons/evenings (4 to 9).

With one day dedicated to DL and one day which includes your drive from SB plus, say, a bike ride from Santa Monica to Venice plus time spent at the beach, that only gives you one more day to spend in our area. I would skip Universal -- it%26#39;s not really designed for young children (more for teens and older) and the neighborhood that it is in (Universal City) gets really HOT in the afternoons -- not very comfortable for the little ones.

Your last day could include a morning visit to the Getty Center, a drive down Sunset Bl into Beverly Hills, a stop at Rodeo Drive, a visit to Hollywood %26amp; Highland and maybe dinner at the Farmers Market / the Grove. I don%26#39;t know what time you are leaving L.A. on the third day so it%26#39;s hard to be more specific with my recommendations.

LA, 2 kids and 3 days

Thanks Hopskipjump. I do have 3 days in LA (well, 2.5 if you take out the drive from Santa Barbara) as after LA we are moving to a disney hotel for 2 nights on 16 and 17 July. I am in LA itself for nights of 13, 14 and 15 July. cheers

The reason we don%26#39;t have a FAQ on family travel, or travel with children, is because TripAdvisor has an entire area devoted to family travel, and LA is well covered there.

With only a month to plan, you%26#39;ll find much of LA hotels in your budget sold out. Santa Monica is out of the question at this late date, so look in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.

Santa Monica won%26#39;t have much in that price range on a summer weekend. See if you can get into Hotel Angeleno near the Getty Center. Big round hotel with rooms looking out over the city, kids that age will think it%26#39;s super cool (and it is!)

Thanks 2cents - We have booked the Angeleno. Did a lot of searching as didn%26#39;t think it was all that central but had to keep going back to it as the price was good - 191 a night and all the reviews were positive. Staying more centrally or at the beach is SOOOO expensive and given we have a car the Angeleno seems like a top choice. Thanks for the tip.

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