Shanye2233

So I'm coming to america. Never been always wanted to go and thanks to US airways im on my way. I arrive at lax at 10pm so probably stay in a hotel at the airport . Some input to which one would help. I have a Marriott cert 1-4 catergory I have a hyatt diamond suite upgrade and I'm a HH diamond member. So I'm looking to get the most out of my stays , lounge access , upgrades ,breakfasts etc.

So far I have booked 2 nights at the beverly Hilton , 3 nights at the JW Marriott l.a and have 2 nights at las Vegas with the HilTon grand vacations. They offered me 2 nights for $99 and get back $200 so that's good I hope.

What do I plan on doing there , well Definately want to take the kids to Disneyland they are 4 and 2 . Where to stay I don't know what's the best cheapest option for me . One day enough or need two days? For me I want to watch a lakers game . Maybe rodeo drive what else is there. What's my best option for a rental . I checked out fox rentals at lax and I can get a decent car for $500 for the two weeks but then parking is approx $40 so I need a cheaper option.when renting the car I need two car seats as well which bring the price up.

So ATM I'm arriving late night at lax need a decent place to sleep the night maybe two doubles then I have 3 nights before I'm in the JW .

So what to do ??

camargo

There is a very nice Marriott just outside the airport on Century Blvd. Easy trip by cab.

Are you renting a car for your stay? Are you sure that you want to take 2 kids, 4-2 to Disneyland? Legoland in Carlesbad (San Diego, CA area) might be better for them and probably not as expensive. It also includes a waterpark. The world famous zoo and SeaWorld are both in the area. Just some thoughts.

Does the Hilton deal require a timeshare tour? Just asking. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that. Hilton has some very nice properties.

Check www.hotwire.com for possible car rentals. It's a third pary site but I've gotten deals from them as low as $13.99/day plus tax and airport fees (totaled about $18.00/day but that's still half of what you are looking at from Fox). You won't know the vendor until you book it but twice the vendor was Enterprise and another time it was Hertz. Both better, IMO, than Fox. One of the rentals was a four door sedan that easily seated 4 and only had 11 miles on it when it was delivered to me (even though I was traveling by myself).

In Southern California most hotels do charge for parking because if they don't 'freeloaders' will take up valuable real estate. It's just the market. Sometimes, depending on where you are, there is reasonable street parking but, when I'm traveling, I like to know where my car is each night, even if it belongs to someone else.

If you go to Disneyland for a couple of days you might skip the initial car rental and take a shuttle to Anaheim (although it probably won't save you a lot of money from LAX). If you decide to spend a couple of days there, grab a hotel that's 'walkable' to the park or take the ART Shuttle (Anaheim Rapid Transit) back and forth.

If you are willing to use some of your Marriott 'Chit' there is a newer Residence Inn near Disneyland. It does't have a lounge but they serve a free breakfast everyday, and a 'Manager's hosted dinner' several times a week. Also has a full kitchen so if you want to store some snacks/beverages (kids want to eat when they want to eat) that's handy. There are plenty of places around there to pick up 'groceries'.

You didn't say what dates you will be visiting and that would be helpful to know in terms of recommendations since weather, conventions and other events may be going on.

http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors
http://california.legoland.com/

bloodyeyeballs

First of all, welcome to LA.

If you are landing at 10pm and you are jet lagged from Australia, why not just go to the Beverly Hilton or another hotel away from the airport. That way you do not have to unpack for one night and the $$ difference is not that substantial.

I would definitely rent a car. Public transportation in LA is terrible. If you are nervous about driving on the right side of the road, I understand. But I have driven on the left side of the road many times and while not easy, you just need to maintain focus.

There are many other threads and blogs about LA with kids, but aside from Disneyland, I would recommend the rides on the Santa Monica pier as well as a drive to Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu. The only suggestion is to get there early, especially on the weekends. The same holds true for Disneyland. Do NOT go there on a weekend.

If you want to go to a Lakers game, check their schedule on http://www.nba.com/lakers/schedule/index.html You can go to ticketmaster.com and get tickets and sometimes if you look a few days before the game, some better seats open up. If not, check ebay or stubhub.com for seats. If you can afford it, avoid the 300's and get seats in the 100's, 200's or premier seats.

bzcat

First night - go straight to Beverly Hilton. No need to stay near the airport.

Rental car - Normally, I would suggest you skip rental car for the first 2 nights that you are staying at Beverly Hilton. However, since your kids are small, you may have to carry a lot of stuff with you during the day, a rental car may not be a bad idea. Beverly Hilton is walking distance to Rodeo Drive (one of the place you want to visit), and is located next to a major transit hub (intersection of Wilshire Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd). You might end up paying for parking for 2 or 3 days (at $40 a day) and not even use your rental car very much. The 720 (Wilshire) and 704 (Santa Monica) buses are 2 of the most popular and frequent bus lines in LA and there is usually a bus every 3 or 4 minutes. The 720 especially will be very useful for you if you want to take the kids to visit the beach/pier in Santa Monica, or other kid-friendly attractions like La Brea tar pits, Petersen Automotive Museum or the Children's Museum.

JW Marriott - You can visit Hollywood area from JW Marriott by subway so your rental car may end up spending a lot of time in the garage. You should buy tickets for Lakers game ahead of time. If you find Lakers prices a bit expensive, you may want to consider catching a Clippers game (LA's other basketball team, which many here think is having a better year than the Lakers), or Kings game (LA's ice hockey team). All three teams play at the Staples Center, right next to your hotel. However, you'll need a car to visit Disneyland (see next).

Disneyland - You can stay in Beverly Hills or Downtown LA (JW Marriott) and just take a day trip to Disneyland. This is best done with a rental car. Leave your hotel around 9 AM after the worst commute traffic is over and drive down to Anaheim. You should get there in about 1 hour. Disneyland is not as big as people tend to think so you can cover the entire park in one day with plenty of time to spare. Your admission ticket also gives you entry to California Adventure. It is up to you if you want to hit up both parks but I think your kids will be tired after a few hours at Disneyland given their age. You can stay until after dark for the fireworks and then drive back to your hotel in LA, again after the worst of the commute traffic is over. DO NOT attempt the Disneyland trip on weekends... it will be a miserable time for all.

Las Vegas - Keep your rental car for the Las Vegas trip (I assume you are driving). The Hilton Grand is located a bit far from the rest of prime section of the Las Vegas Strip so you will end up driving to the big casinos at the southern end of the strip. Hilton Grand is family friendly hotel and a good choice for young kids.

Edit: Just wanted to add that since your AUS$ is at parity with US$, everything will be literally on sale here. Feel free to "shop til you drop" and help out our economy There are lots of shopping options both here in LA and on your way to Las Vegas.

DJ_Iceman

You gave some great advice on the other topics, but I have to disagree here. One cannot "cover the entire park in one day with plenty of time to spare", especially not with two little ones. Even beginning to enjoy all that Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have to offer takes a full three days, which is why I think spending a few nights right there (either at one of the Disney hotels or at the Anaheim Marriott or Hilton, both of which are within easy walking distance) is a much better idea.

Remember that experiencing Disneyland is more than zipping around to a few big attractions. To actually take the time to soak in the atmosphere, enjoy the shows and parades, let kids meet some characters, etc. makes for a much more memorable experience. That can simply not be done in a single rushed day.

schwarm

2 weeks in LA?

I would spend 2-3 nights at least in Las Vegas and 2-3 nights in San Diego, which is great for kids.

I assume that with 2 small children you won't be much for nightlife.

1 day to recover from traveling, lunch in Venice
1 day total for Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Mulholland Drive
1/2 day Downtown, including basketball game (Clippers tickets are less expensive than Lakers, and they have a more entertaining lineup)
1 day Malibu, Santa Monica, Getty Center (for the trip up and views)
your kids are probably too young for a studio tour or even Universal theme park.
1 day to explore - Griffith Observatory (If you miss the Getty), museums - recommend LACMA and Petersen automotive museum (across the street from each other). Or something else entirely.
Each of these is not even a full, packed day. You won't be able to do a full day with small kids.
Can't think of much else in LA proper except just exploring neighborhoods, shopping, eating - not easy with small kids

I would recommend 2 days at Disney - definitely not on a weekend or holiday. This will be the highlight for both kids. I would stay in Anaheim.

2-3 days in San Diego (drive) - the San Diego Zoo is spectacular. Could also consider the Wild Animal Safari or Legoland. Sea World would be my 4th choice. (Zoo membership is cheaper than 2 days admission, includes both zoo and safari). San Diego is also simply a much nicer environment for the ocean, although if you are from Sydney, I'm not sure this is much of a draw.

2-3 nights in Las Vegas - kids will detract from that experience, although still worth it. Don't drive there on a Friday afternoon/evening or drive back on a Sunday afternoon/evening.

I believe we are still only up to 12 days or so.

bloodyeyeballs

I actually disagree with the above. The OP's children are 4 and 2, so that eliminates most of the popular rides and leaves just a few attractions such as Dumbo, Peter Pan, Small World. I do agree that if more time is available, 2 days would be better, but if visiting during the week at this time of year, and with the help of a good guidebook, Disneyland can be pulled off in a day. Now if the OP wants to trade off with the spouse for some of the adult rides, I agree that more days would be needed.

Shanye2233

Wow , thanks for everyone's input I will read over the comments a few times . I'm not a fan of rides maybe my wife's go on a few . I guess I would like to spend two days in Disneyland after day 1 telling my kids we goin to Disneyland again can't wait to see the look on their faces .

I'm arriving late at 10pm on the 4th June I didn't want to pay for a full night accommodation at Beverly Hilton was lookin for something within walking distance of the airport and use my Marriott 1-4 certificate or Hyatt (using a suite upgrade cert).
I will definately be driving to las Vegas and yes it does include a tour of some sort .

I'm departin on 17th June so I don't think the lakers will make the playoffs but hopefully the clippers will . I don't know when the playoffs start or finish .

The zoo sounds like a plus , and yes not really much concern for the ocean run from Sydney .

bloodyeyeballs

The hotels near the airport are walking distance, unless you have a bunch of luggage and 2 tired kids. There are free shuttles, but again, stay anywhere except the airport hotels. At 10pm you can get to anywhere on the Westside of LA in 20 minutes. This includes Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Century City, Westwood. At least if you go to a real location, you can walk from your hotel to something interesting in the am.

The NBA playoffs are delayed this year due to a strike earlier in the year. That said, June 17th will likely be during the NBA finals. While it is possible for the Lakers or Clippers to be there, don't count on it this year. If the finals are here and if it is game 1, 2 or 3, 4, expect to pay $300 per ticket just to get in and much more to get a decent seat.

Why not consider a baseball game? You may not understand what is going on but the Angels should be good this year, having signed one of the best players, Albert Pujols to play. They play in Anaheim, about a mile from Disneyland. They are home from June 17-24 and tickets are not that difficult to get. Go to angels.com for more info. The Los Angeles Dodgers play just north of downtown, and while historically a great franchise, they are undergoing an ownership change and are not expected to be that great until the team is sold. They are home from June 28 to July 4, and tickets would be easy to get on dodgers.com.

CDTraveler

Be prepared for the possibility that your kids may hate Disneyland and be absolutely miserable there. Some of the best advice I received as a parent was not to take my son there until he was at least 5, because Disneyland can be a terrifying, exhausting place for very little ones, and when we did take my 5 yr old there, and on several trips to DisneyWorld since then, I have to say I've never seen so many miserable toddlers. They have to be kept under tight control all day, or you'll lose them in the crowds, it's noisy, characters in costume are larger than life and kind of scary, and there's no quiet place for a nap. There are also hundreds of things they can't touch and or do at the ages of your kids.

I'm not saying don't go at all, but it would be better to scale back your expectations and be happily surprised rather than deeply disappointed at your kids' reaction to the park.


p.s. consider the La Brea tar pits and the museum there - my son loved those age 4

VickiSoCal

The Renaissance is a cat 4 and is the best Marriott property near the airrport. Do not try to walk it at ten pm with two small children. Take the free shuttle.

I think shopping with a 2 and 4 year old sounds like a nightmare- especially in Beverley Hills. Maybe one parent can take the kids to a park and the other can shop.

The train museum at Griffith Park is GREAT for kids that age and if you go on Sunday they can also ride the live steamers little train- which has a signifigant Disney connection.

2 days at Disney/CA is just about perfect with that age. I would splurge a little here and stay on property.

Las Vegas with kids that age- personally I wouldn't do it.

Definitely try to get to the Natural History Museum and California Science Center (next door to each other), La Brea Tar Pits is great as well and you don't even have to go inside.

Kidseum in Pasadena is awesome for little kids.

I reccomend a couple of days in San Diego- especially f you skip Vegas. Do Legoland on the way down and the zoo the next day.

Oh- and if your older kid is a girl- tea at the American Girl Place is a blast. I think mine was 4 the first time she went. But expect to walk out with your pckets signifigantly lighter.

TWA884

I agree.

We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for my now college student second birthday celebration. During the day, were able to take the monorail back to the hotel for rest breaks and, at least back then, hotel guests were admitted into the park a couple of hours before it opened to the general public. That was a real bonus on the second day - no lines at that hour.

Shanye2233

I think we stay at disneyland hilton for two nights.

So far i have booked and paid for
8-11th june jw marriott
15-17th june bevelery hills hilton
12-14th Hilton grand vacations Los Vegas.

I think i will stay at the marriott near the airport on the 4th checkout the 5th .Its only $99US per night is it worth using my catergory 4 certificate?
From the 5th i want to stay in Disneyland hilton check out the 7th. Then try for another night at JW marriott downtown and we come out of there on the 11th . Not sure where to stay yet for that night maybe the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, most probably i will buy a premier certificate and then use 6k points to upgrade to suite if thats possible.
It seems the kids space museum is on the way driving to las vegas so probably stop in there. Im guessing the kids will like vegas they like the lights and probably crush out early then my wife can go for a play and then the next night i will hit the slots.

So rounding up im going 2 nights disneyland . 4 nights JW marriott ( la lakers / clippers game , then not sure what else to do in the area. ) then 2 nights los vegas coming back into beverly hills hilton 2 nights ( shopping , hollywood ).

Does the beverly hill hilton offer free shuttle bus to the airport , and is there a hertz , fox or any car rental places i can drop the car off nearby. It seems im going to get stung with parking and paying $40+ per day which is more than the costs of the car !

TWA884

Here is a link to the L. A. Live website.

And from the New York Times:Another source for Downtown Los Angeles activities is Downtown LA Walks. With two young kids you may find the Toy District of interest.

The Beverly Hilton does not provide an airport shuttle. You can take a taxi, a limo or Super Shuttle.

I believe that the nearest Hertz location is less than a mile away at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City (map). The car rental closest to the hotel is Budget Rent-a-Car on the opposite corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards from the hotel (map). The hotel's Services & Amenities webpage lists a Car Rental Desk, but does not mention which agencies are represented.

By the way, it is Las Vegas, not Los Vegas.

CaliforniasCentralCoast

To really add value to your trip, you owe it to yourself and your family to see more of California than LA. Don't get me wrong, LA offers visitors A LOT.

But there is more to Cali than LA.

Statewide info:
www.visitcalifornia.com

Or hire a car, or ride the train, etc. and go a bit north to the hearst and soul of the state: the Central Coast

www.tourthecentralcoast.com

Channel Island National Park
Santa Barbara
SLO
Hearst Castle
Big Sur
the Monterey Peninsula
Monterey Bay Aquarium
National (John) Steinbeck Center

All of these are great experiences for the family.

Welcome to California!

California also has a tourism promotional office in Australia you can ring them at +61 2 9356 294