los angeles

we will be in L.A. 29th dec to 2nd jan. was thinking of staying on the queen mary at long beach. cant seem to find the distance between long beach and central l.a. also we want to go to the mgm studios and dont know how far that is either.

if we would be better off staying in l.a. can anyone suggest a central location to stay, as iam baffled by all the districts mentioned in the brouchures.

thanking anyone who takes the time to reply

los angeles

Please read our FAQs at the top of the LA Forums. It%26#39;s a great place to start when deciding where to stay.

Long Beach is 35 miles from LA (there is no ';central LA';), but often about an hour by car. MGM the same (why MGM?)

What is your budget per night, and what else do you want to do besides visit the old MGM studio (now called Sony)

los angeles

thanks for reply. I think I meant universal studios tour/theme park. have just been looking at santa monica, that looks good. Only just booked flights, so am just starting to look at accomadation. budget maximum ￡100.per night for the two of us.

never been to america before so it all new to me.

While staying on the Queen Mary might be something you%26#39;ve always dreamed of doing, then it is ok to stay there. However Lpng Beach is a a bit distant to Hollywood, Santa Monica, and other places where you might find yourself spending more time. It is a good location if you want to do Long Beach and Orange County. The freeway (405) is a major trucking route, as the port of Long Beach is a major shipping area.

If you are with a car, there are a lot of possibilities. If you are without a car, then the Hollywood area is a good place to stay as its easy to get tours, the metro, dining options, as well as several tourist sites are right there. What is your price range?

Long Beach is very inconvenient to sightseeing LA. You%26#39;ll be about an hour away from central LA and will often have to take some of the most congested freeways to get to central LA, which can make this trip even more unpleasant during your vacation.

Santa Monica is a great place to stay, assuming you will have a car. 100 pounds is about $200. It won%26#39;t get you anything extravant in SM, but you can get something simple like the Travelodge or Cal Mar Suites. If you can up it to $250, you can possibly stay at Loew%26#39;s. LA is not a huge New Year%26#39;s destination, so I think the rates should be fine if you book ahead. You can also try Priceline. $150 usually gets you a pretty good 3 star hotel in SM if you bid.

Universal Studios is a studio and a theme park. If you%26#39;re only interested in the studio part, you may want to consider Warner Bros or Paramount Pictures instead.

after spending about 5 hours looking at los angeles, i have decided we would be better suited stay at a beach resort within 5/10 mile of lax airport.

looked at santa monica,marina del rey, that sort of area.

can anyone suggest a beach resort, (does not have to be a main resort,) but we prefer beach front location, great views, somewhere we can have a stroll round. (not used to cities).

we still want a day trip to universal so assume we can get there from that type of location.

any advice would be welcome

Santa Monica has several hotels on the beach, great for strolling around and only about 30 minutes from Universal (this is nothing). But these hotels are pricey, so don%26#39;t be surprised when you do the search here for Hotels in Santa Monica.

Marina del Rey has nothing to stroll to, but is a lovely area with great views (some hotels, not all). It%26#39;s a very remote area, you%26#39;ll have to rely on the freeways to get everywhere.

Have you had a look at googlemaps.com? A map is handy.

There are no beach ';resorts'; per se, here. Laguna has many, but is about 90 minutes from LA by car. Although it%26#39;s a great strolling around town.

What is your budget per night? What exactly do you mean by a ';resort'; - what kind of amenities and feel are you looking for? Will you have a car to get around LA (not sure if the line about getting to Universal Studios means that you won%26#39;t)?

You stated you would have a budget maximum ￡100 per night, which when I checked, is $195 USD, today. You won%26#39;t find any large resorts for that price, but it sounds like you%26#39;d really like to stay by the ocean and in a small town.

Another choice for a beach stay in your budget, is the Sea View Inn, in Manhattan Beach, 3 miles south of LAX. It is a block or so up the hill from the beach, some rooms have an ocean view. The property consist of 5 buildings, some standard, some larger and with kitchen. The Strand (boardwalk) runs for miles in each direction, where you can stroll, ride bikes, be near shops and restaurants. There is a lovely pier in town to walk and watch the surfers.

http://www.seaview-inn.com/

If you are keen on seeing the Queen Mary in Long Beach, it is a 25 minute drive from the hotel. Other sights in LA take a half hour to 45 min. to drive to, if you are hiring a car. I%26#39;ve driven to them all from this location. Of course you do not drive during work commute times in LA, but after 9:30 am is fine and avoid freeways around 4-7 PM

honestly, i am not impressed by the queen mary--it%26#39;s old and run down, i think.

I suggest that you add at least thirty minutes to ETA of mapquest--wherever you travel in l.a--traffic really stinks around here!

Thank you to everyone who replied. we have a short list in SANTA MONICA. CARMEL HOTEL AND EMBASSY HOTEL APARTMENTS. which would you recomend, most replies have been from residentsof santa monica. ALSO what is the sunset times there IN LATE DECEMBER. (IN THE U.K. IT IS DARK AT 4PM)

How can I keep the blankets on my baby?