We are a family of 4 planning to visit New York this September/October. On the way home my two sons aged 20 and 16 will be stopping off in Los Angeles for a few days on their own before we meet up with them to fly home.
Could you recommend a hotel that would be suitable in a central and relatively safe area of LA?
Thanks in advance.
Right hotel in the right area
Since they will be relying on public transit, we recommend staying in the Hollywood area. Here is a link to hotels there, listed in order of preference (first is best) based upon reviews submitted to Trip Advisor by your fellow travelers.
tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g32655-zfn6-Los_Angel鈥?/a>
If they stay within a few blocks of the intersection of Hollywood Bl %26amp; Highland Av, they will have access to the metro rail, a number of metro buses and a tour coach company (starlinetours.com, click on LOS ANGELES on the left side of their homepage for tours departing from their Hollywood location in front of the famous Chinese Theater).
In the above list, hotels that are near Hollywood Bl %26amp; Highland Av are in postal (zip) code 90028. Look for this code at the end of the hotel%26#39;s address.
Good luck!
Something to consider if you have not made your domestic air travel plans as yet. If you fly from NY to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California -- airport code BUR -- (rather than LAX), it will be a much more pleasant experience. The airport is 1/10th the size of LAX and is very close to Hollywood.
Good luck!
Right hotel in the right area
Thanks for that.
They will be arriving at LAX as their stop over is part of our international air fare.They will be arriving late at 22.10pm. At this time would the best thing be for them to catch a cab to their hotel in the area you have recommended and approximately how much should they expect to pay?
I wouldn%26#39;t want my 16 year old wandering around Hollywood with his luggage at midnight...looking to check into a hotel. I%26#39;d book them into the Hilgard House Hotel in Westwood, near the UCLA campus. The public transportation here is pretty good (mostly bus connections...but the students seem to find it quite adequate)...they will be halfway between Hollywood and the Beaches, and short bus rides to major shopping centers and many attractions/museums etc. Lots of students in the area, restaurants, shops, movie theatres etc. Check with the hotel, as some might have a minimum check-in age of 21.
www.hilgardhouse.com
Cab from LAX runs about $35-$45, but they should get the cabbie to quote them a ';flat rate'; before they leave LAX. Better yet you could set them up with supershuttle.com before arrival. PrimeTimeShuttle is another service that%26#39;s dependable.
Cab to Hollywood would be more in the neighborhood of $55-$60, but there is Flyaway Coach to downtown L.A. and then subway connection up to Hollywood. This route would be about $6 per person, but they might not be comfortable riding a subway late at night with much luggage, then walking to a hotel.
A taxi would be the most direct and simplest means to get to Hollywood. The fare for all taxis is based upon mileage and waiting time (the time the taxi is waiting in traffic or at a red light).
The ';flat fees'; referred to by the prior poster are for trips to downtown Los Angeles and points outside of the city. All other destinations are ';on the clock'; as follows:
1. $2.65 initial charge (when you get into the taxi). This charge covers the first 1/7th of a mile.
Since Hollywood %26amp; Highland is about 14 miles from LAX, the cost of the taxi ride would be:
2. 14 x $2.45 (per mile charge) = $34.40
3. Waiting time: It is unlikely that there will be much waiting time at this hour (low traffic) so, assume 5 minutes x 44 cents per minute = $2.20.
4. A surcharge of $2.50 for all taxi rides originating from LAX
5. An optional 15 percent tip
Total fare: $2.65 + $34.40 + $2.20 + $2.50 + $6.25 = $48
I don%26#39;t agree with the prior poster as far as taking Supershuttle to the hotel.for a number of reasons:
a. The fare is $16 per person which would amount to $32 for the two of them, a modest savings given the following inconvenience:
b. Since they will be arriving late in the evening, ';shared van services'; (like Supershuttle) are not very busy. These companies are ';on demand'; -- not scheduled !! -- which means that they don%26#39;t leave at a specific time; instead, they solicit passengers by stopping at all 8 terminals in the airport. They are allowed to circle the airport twice which means stopping as many as 16 times before they leave the airport. Then, they will begin dropping off passengers on the way to your children%26#39;s hotel. This might take the van ';out of the way'; since -- at that late hour -- the company will ';lump together'; passengers from different neighbohoods.
At that hour, I wouldn%26#39;t want my kids driving in circles and riding all over Los Angeles just so save $16.
Yes I think a taxi straight from LAX to the hotel will be best. I%26#39;m starting to have second thoughts about letting them go on their own in the first place although my oldest son has done alot of his own travel since he left school.
Actually I am in a similar boat, I%26#39;m 20 from Australia also.. and I will be by myself in LA for almost a week, I am doing a contiki tour for most of it, but the first three days I haven%26#39;t got anything planned. I fly into LAX at 10am on a Friday (next month) and I wanted to stay the first two night somewhere close to Universal so I could go there on the Saturday. I went to book a hotel (a place that I had actually heard of!) but it said I have to be 21 to check-in! I couldn%26#39;t beleive it, but I guess 21 is the legal age. Can anyone suggest where I can go? I don%26#39;t want it to be too dodgy because I am by myself and I want my cab driver to know where I am going :) I don%26#39;t even mind if I have to pay extra.
Also, what is the rule for tipping people at hotels etc.? and how do you know if you have given to less or two much for a cab etc?
Where is somewhere close to Universal Studios that would be best for me? I also want to shop etc. and have access to do other things.
Thanks, your help is appreciated. :)
Hollywood should be perfectly fine for them, especially if your kids have a good head on there shoulders. They can safely walk around at night and enjoy the bustle and happenings along hollywood blvd around the hollywood/highland area
JKE720, finding a place that accepts guests under 21 (without an adult) is hard unless you stay in a youth hostel or guest house. There are 3 in the Hollywood/West Hollywood area:
1. USA Hostels -- Hollywood
tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32655-d1193鈥?/a>
This a dormitory-style property (6 or 8 people of the same gender in a room together). They have some cool benefits: free airport pickup. organized shuttles to attractions, etc.
It%26#39;s well-located in Hollywood. Walk to the corner (which is Hollywood Bl) and turn left. Five blocks later is the corner of Hollywood Bl %26amp; Highland Av which has a metro rail that goes to Universal (4 minutes) and downtown (city center) Los Angeles. There are also lots of buses from this corner as well as a tour coach company (starline tours) that is 1/2 block west of Highland Av on Hollywood Bl (in the courtyard of the Chinese Theater). Info at STARLINETOURS.COM (click on LOS ANGELES on the left side of their homepage for tours that depart from in front of the Chinese Theater).
2. The Secret Garden Bed %26amp;Breakfast:
tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g33252-d1194鈥?/a>
This is a 5-room guest house (private rooms) that is ';head and shoulders'; better than the above youth hostel but you will pay more for it. It is located in a residential area of Los Angeles (west of Hollywood). To get to Universal, you%26#39;d need to walk to the corner of Sunset Bl %26amp; Fairfax Av (about 4 blocks from the guest house) and catch a bus northbound on Fairfax which would drop you at Hollywood Bl %26amp; Highland Av in about 6 minutes. Transfer to the red line metro rail as mentioned above.
3. The Orbit Hostel in West Hollywood
tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g33252-d2544鈥?/a>
If the Guest House is too expensive, this hostel is a little bit tamer than #1 above but it%26#39;s a little bit further from the Hollywood action. You would need to hop on a northbound bus on Fairfax Av -- adjacent to the property -- which would take you to Hollywood %26amp; Highland -- about 10 minutes, and then transfer to the red line metro rail to Universal.
As far as tipping in hotels, if you stayed in one of the above properties, there wouldn%26#39;t be any tipping (since there isn%26#39;t one helping you with your luggage). You can leave a tip for the person who tidies up your room (if there is such a service in the guest house). A reasonable tip is between $2 and $3 per day. Leave it at the end of your stay. I always leave a note that says: THANK YOU by the money. Of course, if there is no one providing this service or they do a poor job of it, then no tip is necessary (Actually, lots of Americans don%26#39;t tip for this service but I feel it is a worthy one).
As far as restaurant tipping, the standard tip is somewhere between 15 and 20 percent. It%26#39;s easy to calculate the tip at a restaurant because the bill (what we call ';the check';) will have the SALES TAX for the meal listed at the bottom, just above the TOTAL. Since the tax rate here is 8.25 percent of the meal cost, then if you simply double the tax figure, you%26#39;ll get an amount equal to 16.50 percent of the bill, which, is a reasonable tip amount. (Feel free to adjust this figure up or down as you see fit).
Have a great holiday.
That would be news to me. It is not like you rent a car. I was traveling all over the states, including Los Angeles when i was 18 and never had a problem renting a hotel room, not once.
You are a legal adult when you turn 18, so on what reason would they not rent you a room for your vacation. As long as you have a credit card i am sure they will be fine
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