freeatlast 0 #1 February 24, 2013 Hi Guys I'm flying into LAX for a holiday with my (non jumping) girlfriend. We're planning on visiting San Diego and will be picking a car up from Los Angeles airport and driving down to San Diego before heading to Vegas. I'm wondering if any of the locals could suggest a good place to stay somewhere en-route between LAX and San Diego. Thanks!! James Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #2 February 24, 2013 The best hotels are in LA or San Diego. Between the two is 100 miles of bedroom and beach communities. Your choice should not be based on finding a place to stay between the two, but based on your arrival time and traffic leaving LAX. Ultimately you want to minimize your time wasted in sitting in traffic. There is absolutely no guaranteed way of doing this, but there are certain times to avoid to minimize it. For instance, if your plane arrives, you pick up your rental car and it's 3 pm, you might as well spend the night at a hotel near LAX. Driving at that time will absolutely drive you insane and make you hate ever having thinking of coming to the US. So spend the night in LA and leave at 11 am or thereabouts the next day. On the other hand, if your travel finds you able to drive after 9 pm, you really ought to just drive down to San Diego. It's only about 2 hours away if traffic doesn't do anything stupid. So...timing is EVERYTHING when it comes to driving out of LA. When is your plane scheduled to arrive?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeatlast 0 #3 February 24, 2013 Good point and exactly the sort of info I was hoping to get. We're due to arrive at 16:05 so by the time we get our bags and pick up the hire car it's probably gong to be 17:00 - 18:00. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #4 February 24, 2013 Two more questions; Do you want to see any of the nightlife of LA? What kind of budget are you looking at?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #5 February 25, 2013 http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32684-d119480-Reviews-Foghorn_Harbor_Inn_Hotel-Marina_del_Rey_California.html Head to the Fog Horn Motel in Marina Del Rey ~ it's 15-20 mins away from LAX. It's relatively inexpencive for a room in LA. They are right on the beach over looking the marina...lots of great restaurants there...and it's minutes away from the boardwalk by Muscle Beach Venice....THAT's worth seeing! Next day jump on the freeway to 405 S and Sandyeggo here I come! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeatlast 0 #6 February 25, 2013 I'm not too fussed about seeing the LA nightlife, but would like a restaurant or two nearby so we can get some food and a beer or two... Budget - $200 max (it is the first night of our holiday, however, a nice $100 place is better than an expensive $200 place with no atmosphere)... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeatlast 0 #7 February 25, 2013 Thanks Airtwardo I'll take a look at that place Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #8 February 25, 2013 Quote http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32684-d119480-Reviews-Foghorn_Harbor_Inn_Hotel-Marina_del_Rey_California.html Head to the Fog Horn Motel in Marina Del Rey ~ it's 15-20 mins away from LAX. It's relatively inexpencive for a room in LA. They are right on the beach over looking the marina...lots of great restaurants there...and it's minutes away from the boardwalk by Muscle Beach Venice....THAT's worth seeing! Next day jump on the freeway to 405 S and Sandyeggo here I come! This may be the right choice. I was going to suggest some other hotels in the area, but all of them were way over the budget he was looking at.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piisfish 135 #9 February 25, 2013 IHOP in Perris scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #10 February 25, 2013 Quote IHOP in Perris At that time of day? Are you out of your freakin' mind?!?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeatlast 0 #11 February 25, 2013 Which Hotels were you going to suggest?? I'm presuming that the LA congestion is bad at 5.30pm then!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #12 February 25, 2013 Quote Which Hotels were you going to suggest?? I'm presuming that the LA congestion is bad at 5.30pm then!!! Traffic @ 5;30 is worse than bad, but at least it starts to thin out by 7 or so! IF you decide on the Foghorn in Marina Del Rey, you can get there either by the freeway or on side streets from the car rental row at LAX... Side streets may actually be quicker at that time of day, you may want to Google map the directions and print it out, or GPS it. We've stayed there dozens of times for the very reason I suggested it - close to LAX, relatively cheap, it's a nice area with every kind of restaurant you can imagine & the next morning you're minutes from the freeway. It's no 5 star luxury hotel but it's clean, quiet, safe, literally right on the beach. Booking through 'trip adviser' might get you the best price but if you have any 'membership type' discounts I'd call them and try to work a deal. Depending on capacity they tend to work with ya some...we get 'airline discount' and sometimes get a rate at the 100$ +tax range. I don't think you'd be disappointed going that way...you can land, get the car, check in & dump your stuff, take a 10 minute ride to Venice Beach and be walking down the boardwalk in time for sunset and couple chilly beers before dinner. Heck ya can even get a medical marijuana card and matching tattoos right there on the boardwalk before a fancy dinner & monkey sex on the balcony! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #13 February 25, 2013 QuoteWhich Hotels were you going to suggest?? I'm presuming that the LA congestion is bad at 5.30pm then!!! You do not want to drive in LA at that time. It's entirely possible you could spend upwards of four hours just to make it a quarter of the way to San Diego. I'm not kidding. The hotel I was going to suggest was near the one suggested, but costs about twice as much. Beautiful hotel, but busts your budget. http://ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/MarinadelRey/Default.htmquade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,396 #14 February 25, 2013 >but would like a restaurant or two nearby so we can get some food and a beer or two... Pizza Port in San Clemente has some excellent beer, decent pizza - and is on the way. It's right off the 5. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
