ademanuele

We will be stopping over in LA for 2 nights (from Japan) on our way home from a round the world trip. We will be flying from LAX to Oslo via JFK and Doha and looking for a location by the beach to chill for a couple of days (after 2 months away from home!) preferably with places to walk to including restaurants. Venice look close by (if the place to go what end of Venice should we be looking at?)

Assume we can get an Uber from the airport?

Thanks in advance.

kodyandgracie

Proper Hotel Santa Monica, Fairmont Miramar, and Shutters on the Beach are a few to consider. Getting an Uber to LAX should not be a problem.

dlaue

If you like live music, good food, live comedy (Comedy Magic Club) and happy families I recommend Hermosa Beach. You can get hotel rooms right on the Strand (beachfront walking/biking path).
Manhattan Beach is an alternative, although most restaurants and hotels are not on the beach and, instead, are up a hill from sea level. This makes walking a tad of a challenge.

If you want the funkier side of LA beaches, then Venice is your choice. There's an edgy, adult-only vibe and is more crowded than other beaches.

For families with kids, Santa Monica is the best choice due to the carnival activities on the pier.

All locations have lots of dining possibilities within walking distance.

Taxi and Uber/Lyft service is available from LAX and all are dispatched from one off airport location, "LAXit." Prices vary quite a bit due to traffic conditions.

corky

If I just wanted to relax after a 2 month trip I would head to either Manhattan Beach or Hermosa Beach.
Manhattan Beach is the more upscale of the two...so many wonderful restaurants and shops in downtown Manhattan. The only hotel I can think of there is Shade. It is about 3 blocks to the beach and going back is all uphill so if you are opposed to some walking, I wouldn't stay here. If not, this is your best bet...bars with entertainment & high end fancy restaurants as well as burger bars and taco places. You don't need a car if you stay here. It is about a $25 uber from lax.
My next choice would be Hermosa which has more of a bohemian and younger vibe. There is lots of fun people watching. Restaurants are plentiful but not as fancy as MB. Way more bars & live music. Shopping is walking distance in Hermosa but MB is much better. Again you will have a hill to deal with if you decide to go further up Pier Ave. If you want to stay directly on the beach---the Beach House is your place...it is situated right on the walk/bike path so you won't have much privacy on your balcony if that matters. It also might be a bit noisy at night as it is only a block from the pier which is where all the action is.
Other Hermosa choices that are only a block from the beach would be H20 and SW Beach Hotel---I don't know anything about this one but it looks fun and funky. H2O is more quiet/spa ish. Hermosa is about a $30 ride from LAX.
Both beaches are clean and beautiful and wide. There are lots of volleyball nets so you might catch a game. The surfers are in Redondo Beach so you won't see many of them. You will see beautiful sunsets and there are a few restaurants with a little view.

bzcat

Santa Monica has more hotels on or near the beach so it that is what you are looking for, book there. It's also better situated if you want to explore other parts of LA.

Venice Beach doesn't have any large hotels but there are a couple of boutique places a block or two from the beach. The south end of Venice Beach is Marina Del Rey... there are more hotels there and it is a short walk to Venice Beach pier.

Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach do not have fancy hotels right on the sand but as already mentioned, they have small town vibes that maybe what you are looking for.

All locations will have lots of restaurants and bars in walking distance. You will not go hungry.

corky

I think Shade in MB is kind of fancy. The same with Beach House in Hermosa. Maybe not fancy in the Four Seasons way but nice beachy properties.
https://mb.shadehotel.com/
https://www.beach-house.com/hermosa-beach/
It all depends on what they want to do. I think Santa Monica is more like a busy city with traffic etc but their are far more restaurants and stores and tourist stuff with the pier. And a much bigger selection of hotels.
For doing nothing and just chilling I wouldn't pick it or Venice.
For sitting on the sand or walking along the beach or bike riding (there are rental places) Manhattan & Hermosa would be my choice. Redondo too but a bit further south.

corky

If you decide on Santa Monica these are hotels where I would stay. I have eaten at all 3 but never stayed. I was in SM today and it was lovely driving along Ocean Ave.
This would be my first choice just because I love the architecture and style. Small boutique hotel. https://www.thegeorgian.com/
Both of these are lovely --Shutters is more beachy and casual vibe & Casa del Mar is more big and elegant
https://www.hotelcasadelmar.com/
https://www.shuttersonthebeach.com/

Gardyloo

I seem to recall you have a couple of RTWs planned. When would this stopover take place?

ademanuele

I am transferring without a stopover in my June RTW but stopping over in March 2025...

Gardyloo

I'd definitely go with Hermosa Beach in that case. It will be something of the "off season," although that doesn't mean a lot, but prices should be more affordable than in the summer, and if you're staying on weekdays you'll probably have things pretty much to yourselves. The Beach House is right on the sand, but there are a couple of other small places - boutique-style lodgings - within half a block of the beach.

I grew up in Manhattan/Hermosa and it's still my favorite part of LA. Hermosa is a little livelier than Manhattan at the beachfront, partly due to the slight elevation difference between the beach and the commercial cores of the two towns. To me, the area of Hermosa around Pier Avenue is the most interesting; there can be places that are a little funky and down-market, but also some landmarks. The Lighthouse Cafe on Pier Avenue is/was something of a local legend in LA for hosting jazz musicians and groups going back to the postwar years. and was featured in the film La La Land. (Across the street was a legendary bookstore/coffee shop, the Insomniac, which hosted regular beat generation visitors like Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg, and where Linda Ronstadt sang while waiting tables. Sic transit gloria. Hermosa has always had a strong counter-cultural vibe.

If you stay at the Beach House or similar, you can enjoy what is (IMO) one of the best breakfast experiences in the LA area, at Martha's on 22nd. Massive omelets, great vibe, and then you can walk off the carbs on the Strand, the oceanfront bike/pedestrian path that runs along the beach all the way from Redondo Beach to the El Porto (north) end of Manhattan Beach. Walk or bike along the Strand while you decide which bank to rob so you can buy one of the houses facing the ocean. Or if you feel energized, walk up to the Manhattan Beach pier, something of an icon. Some of the best of LA in my (biased) view.

Map - https://maps.app.goo.gl/FeSvkf8dzRVPfVJq6

The Strand on a very busy summer day -

ademanuele

Thanks Gardyloo and everyone who have contributed, much appreciated.