Please help me plan my LA trip

[CoolShoeshine]

We’re considering staying in LA as part of a longer trip to the USA. We’d use LA as the place to fly into and the place to fly home from, with internal flights to other places.
We know nothing about LA apart from people have said it’s big/seedy/expensive but we’d still like to go there to say we’ve been!
So planning 2/3 nights after flying in and will probably do a tour of the sights on the first day and a beach day on the second day. Where would you recommend we stay? We’ve heard Santa Monica is nice but our budget is around £200 per night and the reasonable Santa Monica hotels were way more expensive than that. Manhattan beach looks cheaper and convenient for the airport, would this be an ok choice although it looks far from the city. Would we be better to stay more centrally for such a short trip? If so where would be safe and central to attractions, shops etc?
On the way back we’d like to stay at Anaheim- how easy is it go get here from the airport without a car?
Any other recommendations gratefully received!!

I have stayed in Santa Monica and centrally. I think, if I was you, I would look to be nearer to the Airport.

I think “sights” in LA are very taste dependent and all need a car! Some of the popular sights are hugely tacky. Some are wonderful!

I’ll say what I think is great and you can see if it accords with your ideas. The most wonderful building is the Getty Centre. It sits above LA and is stunning. Another great way to get views is to drive along Mulholland Drive. It’s long and it follows a ridge with great views. We also liked Santa Monica and Malibu has the Getty Villa. Another gem in LA is the Max Factor factory which is a Hollywood costume museum as well as retaining the Art Deco makeup tables.

Central LA can be tacky. Some people find this fun but it’s not us. I am not a beach expert but there is Malibu, Santa Monica and Zuma to the North. Plenty of others though! We also had a decent trip around Paramount studios.

LA is a huge sprawl and you need to plan your days.

Thank you @BubblesBuddy, airport hotels seem a bit more reasonably priced but I’m wondering if it would be difficult to get around each day from that location?
I like the idea of seeing some clsssic Hollywood link the Paramount studios and Max Factor museum
!

We found the best places via Lonely Planet. Airport hotels are always cheaper but I think you would need a car. Choice of restaurants might be limited too. Just not overly pleasant place to stay - more functional.

I love Santa Monica bc of the pier & walkability. There is a hostel there that had family rooms, walking distance to the beach & pier. There are plenty of shops & restaurants of all price ranges. There are cheaper farther hotels in Redondo Beach.

We love the Griffith Observatory (where parts of Rebel without a Cause was filmed). Downtown is interesting. There's the Bradbury Building where parts of Bladrunner were shot. Olvera Street is a historic Mexican Street & Chinatown is nearby. The Public Library is a cool building.

Have a fab trip.

I live in LA, feel
Free to PM!

The Westin close to the aiport is cheap...loads of car hire places nearby....you need to visit the observatory (on the hill not far from the sign). Being in UK time you can get in and out of there before the choas of rush hour starts (unlike anything you see here).

Redondo beach is just down the coast from Santa Monica and you can cycle between them. Aneheim is a long drive from the airport. (Over an hour) but there are buses. San Diego airport is almost as close! It’s a funny place. Good beaches nearby though. I wouldn’t waste time in LA though, there are much nicer places in California to see.

I’ve stayed at the Westin at the airport and it was fine. For doing the sights - including the tacky, but fabulous “tour of the stars’ homes” - all the tour buses pick you up from the hotel anyway.

I loved Venice beach which is a marmite place, hated the Hollywood walk of fame.

We stayed at Redondo Beach which was lovely, we used to go to a little cafe on the pier for breakfast. We had a car and did Hollywood in the morning and Warner Bros studio tour in the afternoon. I agree the Walk of Fame was a bit meh.

Yeah don’t bother with Hollywood Boulevard, not near anything else you’d want to see and it’s a shit hole

So many other great things to do and see in LA instead:
Griffith Observatory and Griffith Park
Hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains
Getty Museum and Getty Villa
Exploring all the little villages areas (venice, larchmont, silverlake, North Hollywood etc)
Huntingdon Gardens and Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena
Self guided architecture walking tour of DTLA, Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Broad, MOCA and grab food at Grand Central Market and mooch around the Last Bookstore
Tons of galleries both huge and small
Venice Canals
And that’s before you hit any of the beaches (I personally stay clear of Santa Monica and venice - so many other lovely beaches without as many tourists)

One more thing if you do decide to stay in the Westin....don't turn right out of the hotel. The area a few hundred metres in that direction is fairly dodgy as a tourist.

Do you have to have a car on a trip to LA?

It’s probably easier- it’s such a vast place and public transport isn’t always great.

Thanks @Honeyroar