Where to stay in LA with Kids
June 19, 2022 8:57 AM   Subscribe

As part of a road trip with a 11 and 13 year old, we will be in LA from July 8-11. We will be flying into LAX. What part of town should we stay in? My first thought was Santa Monica but I keep hearing that Venice and surrounding areas aren't a good choice anymore. I'll leave it at that but would love to hear from people who are in the area. Other LA contacts have recommended Manhattan Beach, Silver Lake, or Culver City as good options.

We will have a car, don't mind driving, but expect to only see the smallest sliver of LA while we are there. I'd rather just pick a good "home base" and see enough in the nearby area as opposed to pretending I am going to drive all over the metro area and frustrate my family. We don't need to see touristy stuff. Just stuff we might find cool/interesting, good food, good people watching, etc. Ideally we can walk quite a bit and minimize car time. Yes, I am aware of LA traffic and the sprawl so am realistic that car time is unavoidable.

What part of LA should we stay in? Don't mind paying a premium for nice hotel or Airbnb. 3 nights. Two tweens. What's your recommendation?
posted by jasondigitized to Travel & Transportation around Los Angeles, CA (7 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
We will be going to The Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach in July
posted by waving at 9:13 AM on June 19, 2022


I've stayed at the aka serviced apartments in Beverly hills--north of wilshire on a residential block--on most of my past trips. there's also a location on sunset but people were racing down the boulevard every night when I was there.
posted by brujita at 10:02 AM on June 19, 2022


Santa Monica and west LA are great, so close to nice beaches, the boardwalk and Santa Monica pier, LAX, and fairly well located for other attractions like the Le Brea tar pits, Griffith park, etc. My sister lives in west LA, and my daughter is about a mile away in Santa Monica, a few blocks from the beach⛱️. Very residential, and safe. Parts of Venice Beach are fine too.
posted by j810c at 10:37 AM on June 19, 2022 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I also would just stay in Santa Monica, and I have stayed there happily without a car at all (also used to live in Silverlake, and it is also walkable, but I prefer being near the ocean given the chance). Crime is up in LA (as it is in a lot of cities), but I would feel as safe in Santa Monica as anywhere else around there.
posted by pinochiette at 11:21 AM on June 19, 2022 [4 favorites]


consider one night at the magic castle. staying at the hotel gets you into the castle itself.
posted by wowenthusiast at 3:21 PM on June 19, 2022


Sea Shore Motel, Santa Monica. Here's a family owned motel in Santa Monica that is reasonably priced and close to the beach and the Promenade. Check out the site and availability to get a sense if it would be a good choice for you and your kids.
I hope it's helpful.
posted by effluvia at 4:50 PM on June 19, 2022 [1 favorite]


It sounds like many folks are still recommending Santa Monica. So, for what it’s worth, I don’t have a neighborhood recommendation but do want to chime in to say crime is higher, and unfortunately families and tourists are frequent targets. It’s a good idea wherever you go to not leave any possessions in your car, which is not the easiest thing to do if you’re traveling with kids.
posted by hampanda at 11:52 PM on June 19, 2022


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