LAX or Redondo Beach area ?

Hi All

I am visiting Los Angeles for two nights and 3 days in mid July. Initially I was planning to stay at a friends place but my plans have changed. I want to book a hotel and do not want to spend much as I will be using it just for few hours of sleep.

I am getting cheap hotels only in either LAX area or Redondo beach area. So my question is which one will be more convenient to drive to places considering the following factors:

1) I will be having a car.

2) I am planning to visit Hollywood and places around like Sunset strip, Beverly Hills/Rhodeo Drive, Movie stars houses etc. on day 1.

3) On day 2, I am planning to go to Universal Studios (half day)

4) I will also have a short trip to the Santa Monica beach area.

So considering the above factors, which out of the two areas would be convenient for me to stay for 2 nights: LAX area or Redondo beach area. Also, are cheap hotels in these areas safe enough to just stay for 2 nights?

Any comments/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Chirag K

LAX or Redondo Beach area ?

Both of those areas are quite inconvenient, unless your days are Sat %26amp;amp; Sun when traffic is down 50%.

Try the Wilshire Motel in West L.A., or the Claremont Hotel in Westwood. The second place is a bit of a fleabag place but the neighborhood is great. Parking can be tight in the area, but not too bad at night (until Sept when the University students return. )

LAX or Redondo Beach area ?

To echo the above poster%26#39;s remarks, neither LAX nor Redondo is convenient for what you want to do. Universal is near the northeast corner of the giant L.A,. metro area. Santa Monica is at the western end of this same area. Even if you stayed in CENTRAL LOS ANGELES, you%26#39;d still be doing a lot of driving to see the sites you are interested in. By staying at LAX or Redondo Beach (southwest of the city of L.A.), you will be spending hours and hours in the car every day.

How much do you want to spend for a hotel?

Travelocity.com has a special on the Wilshire Plaza for $111.31 per night. The hotel is at 3515 Wilshire Bl in the Koreatown business district that is west of downtown.

Here are the reviews for the hotel (link and scroll down):

tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32655-d7785…

Wilshire Bl is a great location for a tourist since the street goes throughout the metro area:

1. To the east, it goes into downtown (12-15 minutes)

2. To the west, it goes:

a. To Beverly Hills (10 minutes)

b. Westwood %26amp; Brentwood (25-30 minutes)

c. Santa Monica (30-40 minutes)

Universal is northwest of the hotel (15 minutes via the Hollywood Freeway). Hollywood is 12 or 13 minutes from your hotel -- on the way to Universal).

This is a good solid location for you. If you wish to leave your car at the hotel, you can take the metro rail or metro buses to all of your destinations.

Travelocity is also offering the Travelodge on Vermont Av near Sunset Bl (just east of downtown Hollywood) for $95. This is a %26#39;motel style'; property that gets decent reviews here on TripAdvisor. Here are the reviews: (Link and scroll down for the reviews)

tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32655-d7728…

This hotel is just minutes from downtown Hollywood (10 minutes to Universal -- you can drive or take the nearby metro rail), 15 minutes to downtown (by car or metro rail), 15-20 minutes to Beverly Hills and 40-50 minutes to Santa Monica. (During %26#39;high traffic periods'; -- 6 to 9 in the morning and 3 to 7 in the afternoon on weekdays) the drives could take longer.

Good luck!

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