Santa Monica - A few questions from the UK

Hi - my wife and I are staying here soon - using Marriott points at Le merigot.

1) What%26#39;s Le merigot like? A good choice (I guess so for free!)

2) How long will it take us to drive to Universal Studios?

3) What are the best organised tours of Hollywood/Stars homes etc (for my wife, of course!)

4) Good restaurants in SM? (Seafood, Italian)

5) How much will a taxi be from SM to Long Beach as we are going on a carnival cruise after our stay at Le Merigot?

Thanks everyone! :-)

Santa Monica - A few questions from the UK

1) tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g33052-d84330-R…

look at the travelers photos.

2)anywhere between 30-60 minutes depending on the day of the week and time of travel

Santa Monica - A few questions from the UK

Within walking distance to your hotel are about a dozen fantastic restaurants - in fact, some of LA%26#39;s best. Catch at Casa del Mar is a great seafood restaurant, as is The Lobster - both with great views. Capo, just next door to your hotel is great italian, or walk to Via Veneto on Main Street.

On Ocean, you have Ivy, Boa, Abode, Whist at Viceroy. On Main Street you have Chinois, Chaya Venice, Hidden, Library Alehouse.

I don%26#39;t ever recommend organized tours - you%26#39;ll see hedges and gates, but see our FAQs regarding tours (at the top of the LA Forums).

Le Merigot is a good hotel, I believe it is 4 star.

Universal is about 30 minutes away, maybe more with traffic.

A taxi to Long Beach could be close to $100.

If you%26#39;re interested in more casual dining, SM has that too - Montana Ave has Louise%26#39;s Trattoria, 17th Street Cafe (both dinner places) and the absolute must for a casual breakfast - Marmalade%26#39;s.

Popular tour companies are:

starlinetours.com/hotels-santa-monica.aspx

www.amazinglatours.com/ourtours.php…

For the transfer to Carnival, consider using Prime Time Shuttle. They offer:

a. A ';shared van'; service for $46.50 for the two of you.

b A ';private sedan car'; for $74.34

Both of the preceding costs do not include gratuity (ordinarily around 15 percent).

These are fixed rate services (whereas the taxi fare is subject to traffic: the more traffic there is, the higher the taxi fare). The taxi fare is computed based on mileage (31.89 miles) plus ';waiting time'; due to traffic, as follows:

a. $2.65 for the first 1/7th of a mile

b. $2.45 for each additional mile = $77.78

c. 44 cents per minute of ';waiting time'; (when the taxi is stopped at a red light or stuck in traffic. In light traffic, expect about 5 minutes of waiting time = $2.20.

So, your total taxi fare is around $82,63 + 15 percent tip ($12.39) = $95.02. With traffic, it will be more.