LAX to Hotel Wilshire Plaza at 9 in the night

Hi

We are a family of 4, 2 kids, with about 4 suitcases, arriving in LAX late night at about 8 PM on July 6 after a long flight. What is the best way to get to Hotel Wilshire Plaza at wilshire boulevard? Taxi (can it take luggage) or Private van or shared van?

Thanks for any ideas.

LAX to Hotel Wilshire Plaza at 9 in the night

American taxis are large American sedans so luggage space shouldn%26#39;t be a problem.

LAX to Hotel Wilshire Plaza at 9 in the night

How large are your suitcases? If they are very large (or if you have carry on luggage as well), you have 2 choices:

1. Request a minivan-sized taxi from the taxi dispatcher outside of your terminal. These are larger than standard sedans. There is no extra charge for this vehicle. The fare between LAX and your hotel should be around $40. A gratuity of 15% (or more, at your discretion) is expected. So, the transfer will cost about $46.

2. You can also request a PRIVATE VAN from Primetime Shuttle (redvans.com) or Super Shuttle (supershuttle.com). These are FULL-SIZE vans intended to hold 8 to 10 persons (including the driver) and would afford you the most space for yourselves and your luggage. Prime Time charges $80 for this service (tip excluded) so the entire cost would be $92 -- quite a bit more than the taxi but certainly more spacious. Alternatively, you could select a ';shared van'; from Prime Time. This would put you on the same type of vehicle as the PRIVATE VAN but there would be the possibility of having to share the van with others (which could delay the transfer). This option costs $50.22 without tip. (Of course, there is a chance that there would be no additional passengers. In that case, you%26#39;ll have secured a PRIVATE full-sized VAN for only $50.22. Are you a gambler?

3. Lastly, you can take an express coach (bus) to downtown L.A. The Union Station Flyaway bus pulls up under the Green overhead sign above the ';traffic islands'; in the roadway in front of you as you exit your terminal. This is a large, comfortable vehicle with luggage storage aboard. It picks up at the airport every 30 minutes and the fare is $4 per person (total: $16 for your family). The coach makes only one stop in downtown at the bus plaza behind Union (rail) station. From there, you%26#39;d need to enter the station and descend to the red/purple line metro rail platform. Buy a $1.25 ticket for each of you from the vending machine there (exact money is not needed as the machine provides change).

Get on the next PURPLE line train (which will be marked %26#39;Wilshire/Western'; on it. These trains run every 20 minutes (at that hour) and the ride takes 12 minutes to the Wilshire/Normandie station which is directly in front of your hotel.

This public transit option will be less expensive than a van or taxi, costing just $21 for the 4 of you but it will take longer since the average wait for the bus at LAX is 15 minutes and the average wait for the purple line is 10. All told, it will probably take 1 hour, 10 minutes compared to 30 minutes by taxi. Of course, when you exit your terminal, if you see the Union Station Flyaway bus pulling up, you might consider taking it (since you won%26#39;t have to wait). Plus, when you arrive at Union Station, you can select a taxi instead of the purple line to speed you to your hotel. The taxi will cost about $20 and take 10 minutes to reach your hotel.

NOTE: There are 3 different FLYAWAY BUSES. Be sure to take the one marked UNION STATION FLYAWAY.

Good luck!