Los Angeles , San Francisco and Las Vegas where to stay?

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Both my husband and I are 60 next year and thinking of going to a 3 centre holiday. Problem is we don't know where best to stay in the cities .
We went to a travel agent today came home and checked the hotels she would have booked for us. SAN Francisco and Las Vegas looked okish but the Los Angeles one looked decidedly dodgy .
Can anyone recommend where to stay ?

Low Angeles is huge without great transports links. So it depends on what you'd like to do there and if you'll have a car?

For San Fran check out the hotel reviews on TripAdvisor. Some nice hotels are right on the edge of some pretty sketchy areas. But if this is the case people will say in the reviews.

No car so would like if possible to be near to the main tourist attractions . For San Francisco we were thinking near a Union square is that ok & Las Vegas on the strip so presume that would be ok . I'm a bit scared we spend a lot of money & end up in a dodgy area especially in L A . Some of the reviews are putting us off .

Should add we've done all these places and stayed:

Marriott Grand Chateux in Vegas: 2minute walk off the main strip. Reasonable priced, clean, 2 basic pools, plus had a kitchen and a shuttle to the local supermarket so you could buy supplies and cook. Doesn't have a casino and isn't as extravagant as some of the big hotels but suited us well.

Axiom Hotel in San Fran: Really nice modern hotel, quite small rooms but that's expected, really good location for transport links around the city.

An AirBnB in Malibu LA: Was awful! But drivable to Santa Monica and could do a day trip in the car to Hollywood.

Pasea Hotel in Huntington LA: A really nice hotel on the beach with a pool. Lovely laid back surfer area with good restaurants, a nice beach and a weekly market. But miles away from everything if you want to sight see.

The Los Angeles hotel they wanted book us was Hollywood stars inn not staying there , looked at the Dixie it looked a bit better . Don't want to be somewhere I'm scared to go out at night . Beginning to think we might just go a cruise instead .

Blueberry thanks for your reply , Los Angeles seems to b the problem

You can't easily see LA without a car.

We were surprised by how dodge and run down the Hollywood area was, we almost stayed there and after visiting I was glad we didnt. For LA you might be best off in Santa Monica which is quite nice and not too far out, then look into tours or Uber's from there.

we stayed in burbank when in LA, was about 15 mins to hollywood bowl driving

Burbank is a lovely area, that's where we based ourselves.

In San Francisco we stayed at Fisherman's Wharf. I liked it down there for the evenings etc

Maybe try looking at some escorted holidays in that area and see which hotels they use? Even if you don't want to stay in those exact hotels, they should be an indication of an OK area. Titan holidays is the only company that springs to mind at the moment but there are others.

Thanks for the replies we had good think about it last night and have decided not to go Los Angeles but to go ahead with San Francisco and Las Vegas .

Lowes Hollywood in la.

Stay on strip in Vegas, not off strip.

For me, it’s all about location in all 3 cities.

I’d definitely stay on the strip in Las Vegas, last time I went we stayed in the Wynn. LA is vast and sprawling, I’d head to Santa Monica, can’t remember where we stayed. In San Francisco we stayed in Fisherman’s Wharf

West Hollywood is lovely, I've been several times. But you do have to pay good money to stay somewhere nice. Check out the London or Petit Ermitage. There are several very nice places to eat within walking distance, shops/boutiques too. It's a nice, upscale area but it feels a bit more real than, say, Beverly Hills, which is over-manicured and odd.

In LA everyone drives or gets Lyft/Uber. Lyft is brilliant; like Uber but more ethical. It's pretty much the only way to get around if you're not driving yourselves. It's surprisingly cheap to get around. And you meet some fascinating people.

LA has some great parts, it's just huge and the good bits are all very spread out. First time we went I wasn't sure but it's grown on me. I would happily live in West Hollywood now.

San Francisco, anything around Union Square is a good location. The Taj Campton Place is good, as is the Triton (although I've not been since it changed hands).

The Santa Monica area is lovely so I would add LA back on to your trip and stay in that area and do a day trip into LA. We did that and the train was really easy.

We stayed in the Georgian hotel in Santa Monica in LA which I’d recommend and Santa Monica is lovely. But we had a car which you really need in LA.

In san Francisco union square is a good central location so just check the reviews on trip advisor.

We stayed at the cosmopolitan in Vegas which is a fabulous hotel but depends what you want. It is one of the newest hotels so very modern. The bellagio is right next door and the Venetian has just been done up apparently and is one of the better ones. Bear in mind the strip is really long so you’re better off in one of the more central hotels.

I would say definitely stay on the strip in LV, it's fab. There are lots of amazing hotels to choose from. We've stayed at the Luxor which is fun and 20 years ago was a top choice but now overtaken by much more opulent possibilities! Last time we stayed in the Tropicana because it has the best pool on the city, we loved it. Lovely fresh bright colour schemes. Also the windows open about 3 inches which is great if you're claustrophobic like me. Can't go wrong with the Bellagio. The strip is long but there's a great bus service with aircon where you can get a cheap all day ticket, plus a monorail or two so it's manageable.

In SF we stayed at the Handlery Union Square which is central and quite olde worlde, lovely rooms in the historic bit with giant sash windows that open on to a little balcony. Great breakfast too. And an outdoor pool which is not common in city centres.

I agree about giving Hollywood a miss certainly to stay there but otherwise LA is fab, and as someone has said taxis are good value. As we had kids with us we did the hop on hop off open top bus which is expensive but an easy and leisurely way to see a lot in a short space of time.

Whatever you do it will be completely amazing!

THIS! It's not far from LAX (you'll be renting a car), maybe half hour/forty minutes.
It's on the Pacific. You can see Catalina. It's where I grew up! It didn't exist when I was young. It was all wilderness around there but it is glorious still. If I were going to L.A. I'd stay here with bells on.

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We stayed at the Bellagio when in Las Vegas, with a room overlooking the fountains - you get the music in the room too. Found it was a great location as it was in the centre of the strip.

I'm heading to LA in October and I've booked into Omni Hotel Los Angeles at California Plaza. www.omnihotels.com/hotels/los-angeles-california-plaza/property-details/gallery

It's about £185pn but it looks lovely. Great location and brilliant reviews on Trip Advisor.

We stayed at the Venetian in Vegas, it's fab! Hilarious as so massive and OTT - but that's what Vegas is all about! Easy to see the belagio fountains, get a gondola ride and to get about to see the attractions. Rooms v big - all suites I think (but one big room so not full suites)

A two centre holiday is a good idea; you will get to spend more time in each city that you have chosen to visit.

What hotels have you been recommended to stay at in both LV and SF?.

Union Square in SF is fine and good transport to get elsewhere in the city.

I’d skip LA if I were you. Most of it is run-down and seedy, high crime too. I have never understood the attraction. My husband was born and raised in Southern California and you couldn’t pay him enough to go back to LA, even to visit. He left in his 30s and has never looked back. If you are already worried about safety and going out at night, then you already know it’s not the place for you. There are so much nicer parts of this huge country than LA. Get out to one of our national parks or drive the PCH (pacific coast highway). It would be a shame if your lasting memory of California was LA.

In San Francisco I’d stay around Union Square, not as blatantly touristy as Fisherman’s Warf, but right near the shops such as Saks, Tiffany’s and Bloomingdales. We stayed a the Kimpton Sir Francis Drake Hotel, it’s a lovely Deco building with fab views from the top floor bar and every evening guests are invited to a free happy hour drink reception.
They even posted my cards for free.
In Vegas, we were there for NewYear so difficult to get a room on the strip, but we managed it at a small motel squeezed between New York, New York and the Bellagio.
Have a wonderful trip, its unforgettable.
Tip: book your visit to Alcatraz on line before you go.

Las Vegas - avoid weekends - hotels are much cheaper midweek. Americans tend to go for wknds so you’ll get a much better price midweek.