Closest to LA

[Mom2MNEm]

Can anyone tell me which timeshares are closest to LA? Hubby would love to see the sites in Hollywood without too much driving. ( 30 min max).
Thanks.

Lisa V

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Can anyone tell me which timeshares are closest to LA? Hubby would love to see the sites in Hollywood without too much driving. ( 30 min max).
Thanks.

Lisa V

30 min max from Hollywood??? Below is a complete list:

 

[ricoba]

30 min max from Hollywood??? Below is a complete list:

Ouch.....that's cold!!! But way too funny

:rofl: :hysterical:


But to answer the OP question, the closest timeshares to LA are in Anaheim, which is about 45 min to over and hour one way to Hollywood.

You can book Hollywood bus tours out of Anaheim, so you may prefer that to driving.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

But to answer the OP question, the closest timeshares to LA are in Anaheim, which is about 45 min to over and hour one way to Hollywood.

You can book Hollywood bus tours out of Anaheim, so you may prefer that to driving.

Depending on the OPs interest (and dropping the 30 min max restriction), I would also consider Oxnard/Ventura. Nice beaches, not as crowded as Orange County. Plus our favorite So Cal theme park is Magic Mountain, and we've used Mandalay Shores a couple of times as base for MM trips.

 

[Mom2MNEm]

OK--you got me with the theme park--a must these days for the kids.
My husband has always wanted to go to CA. San Diego interests him quite a bit as does Hollywood. I was thinking of staying somewhere kind of in the middle of both, but then thought it would be fun to take 2 weeks and do 1 nearer to San Diego and one nearer to LA/Hollywood.

My husband is not a fan of driving --and esp on vacation. Phoenix to the Grand Canyon was torture for him. And we stayed overnight so he wouldn't have to drive back the same day.

If we could do Hollywood in a day--then he wouldn't mind driving an hour each way. But I wasn't so sure we could do it all in a day and the whole back and forth thing on multiple days would make a very cranky hubby--and possiby the kids too.

So this theme park/ Ventura /Oxnard area--how far are we talking?

Thanks.

Lisa

 

[UWSurfer]

If you stay in Ventura/Oxnard, you can take Hwy 126 to I-5. Where they intersect is Six Flags Magic Mtn. This drive takes 45 minutes on average.

Hollywood is roughly an hour beyond Six Flags, depending on traffic and time of day. The honest to gosh Universal Studios is in Hollywood and you can do a day there easily. The walk of fame on Hollywood Blvd coupled with the Chinese Theater, Belive it or Not theater, and the tour buses could take another day for you. You could either stay over night someplace near Universal studios or chunk up your week; early in the week go to Universal studios and back to the resort. A couple of days later hit Hollywood Blvd for the day and back to the resort. A few days later hit Six Flags.

Santa Barbara is maybe 45 minutes north of Ventura, Malibu maybe 30 - 45 minutes south. Solvang, another day trip is maybe another 45 minutes above Santa Barbara.

You could do all this in a week there.

Then do week two in one of the OC or San Diego resorts and hit the attractions there (D-land, Lego Land, SD Zoo,....)

 

[ava]

I am not sure what you think Hollywood is exactly. Hollywood Blvd isn't really much. If you want to do lets say Universal Studios which is Hollywood to me then Anaheim or Ventura/Oxnard would be ok. There are a number of nice resorts south of Los Angeles.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

If you stay in Ventura/Oxnard, you can take Hwy 126 to I-5. Where they intersect is Six Flags Magic Mtn. This drive takes 45 minutes on average.

Hollywood is roughly an hour beyond Six Flags, depending on traffic and time of day.

If they were going to Hollywood from Ventura/Oxnard wouldn't the 101 be a better route? Or is there a traffic difference that makes it better to get to Hollywood from Ventura by going through Santa Clarita on the 5?

 

[UWSurfer]

I may have got carried away. I was building the legs of the trip...the first being Six Flags.

Yes, Ventura to Hollywood would more likely be made via the 101. However, 126 to the 5 makes for an alternative many wouldn't think of!

Actually, the apeal of 126 is it's many fruit tree groves and there are many roadside stands through a very pretty valley.

 

[ajlm33]

Save money with City Pass

You can also save quite a bit on theme park admissions with a City Pass available at http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/citypass_2008.html. It costs $247 for adults and $199 for kids 3-9.

Again this pass only makes sense if you are going to visit several theme parks in Southern California in a 14 day period. Make sure you read all the fine print on the tickets to see what parks it covers as well as other conditions. Most park admissions run around $50-60 and up per person per day.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I may have got carried away. I was building the legs of the trip...the first being Six Flags.

Yes, Ventura to Hollywood would more likely be made via the 101. However, 126 to the 5 makes for an alternative many wouldn't think of!

Actually, the apeal of 126 is it's many fruit tree groves and there are many roadside stands through a very pretty valley.

Our first trip to MM from Ventura was when 126 was only two lanes all the way from Saticoy to Castaic Junction. Hwy 126 was totally rural then - through orchards, then through small towns. With a couple of places where the road came to a tee intersection.

There are lot of interesting alternate routes to take from Ventura to LA - the PCH, Simi Valley, Topanga Canyon, Malibu Cantyon, Mulholland Highway,

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

If you stay in Ventura/Oxnard, you can take Hwy 126 to I-5. Where they intersect is Six Flags Magic Mtn. This drive takes 45 minutes on average.

Magic Mountain to Harbor Blvd in Oxnard is more than one hour without traffic. I've timed it From the time we left the door at Mandalay Shores in the morning until we reached the ticket window at the park was about 90 minutes.

 

[ajlm33]

Magic Mountain Opinion

Personally, I wouldn't waste my time visiting Magic Mountain. I live in SoCal and feel that MM is quite run down compared to other major theme parks and has a reputation for rides that are too extreme for most people, teens being the exception. They have also had security problems with gangs of teens roaming the park causing trouble. It is basically a teen hangout and not, IMO, very family friendly.

There is no comparison, quality wise, between MM and the other theme parks such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farm, SeaWorld, LegoLand etc. If I was visiting the area for the first time, I would spend the bulk of my time visiting these parks and skip Magic Mountain completely. This would also rule out staying anywhere north of L.A. because all of these parks are between L.A. and San Diego.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

a reputation for rides that are too extreme for most people, teens being the exception.

In our family, that's about the only criterion that matters at all. It don't have a theme if ain't got extreme. (Sorry, Ella!)

 

[Hoc]

Take a look at the TUG Guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego and figure out what you are likely to want to do. Then, once you know where you are likely to spend most of your time, it is easier to narrow down where you want to stay.

For example, if you are thinking mostly Magic Mountain and Malibu, then Oxnard or Ventura might be a better choice. If you are thinking Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and Newport Beach, then Orange County is a better choice. Hollywood is about an hour to an hour and a half from either, so no difference there. But if you are also thinking about Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice, and some of the things along the top part of the coast, you might think about the San Luis Bay places. If you are thinking about Long Beach, Redondo Beach, Fashion island and the like, then Orange county is better.

If your husband does not like to drive, then stay away from Southern California. Everything is a 45-minute to an hour drive minimum, and almost everywhere you go will require driving, in sometimes bad traffic and sometimes nasty, high stress traffic with people treating it like a race and not wanting the other person to "win" by getting in front of them.

 

[Mom2MNEm]

Thanks all.........

for your great suggestions and insights. It gave me a good starting point. We are already booked for this year so I am looking for 2009-maybe. We usually just pick one spot and that's it, but we are finding that there are so many things to do in each state, but in different areas. Our vacation time is limited ( as are our funds) so we want to see different places rather than visit the same state over again. For example--we had a gret time in Branson, but would have loved to see St. Louis. Loved Cleveland and Sandusky Ohio--would have enjoyed Cincinnati and /or Columbus Ohio.

I figured 2 weeks in Ca and we could cover a lot. I know my husband wants to scuba dive. We want to visit Legoland and the San Diego Zoo--not too urgent to visit Disneyland. Knotts Berry Farm a possibility. Would love a few days at pools and beaches.
Hubby has mentioned that he wants to see Hollywood Blvd, The big Hollywood Sign, Walk of Fame--all the cheesy touristy things one could possibly think of. Not sure what the kids will be like at that time--their ages will be 8,10,and 12 if we go in 2009--so their interests ( and tolerance levels) may be different then.

So I will do more research using all of your suggestions. I will sit down with hubby and map out a reasonable plan. Thanks again!

Lisa

 

[UWSurfer]

If he wants to scuba dive, he definitely wants to hit a one day charter to the Channel Islands or Catalina Island (technically part of the Channel Islands). It's not uncommon to have open boat charters running on Wednesdays for several operators.

There are several dive boats which leave out of Ventura Harbor, so add that to the pluses of a Ventura stay. The kelp forests out there are definitely something to behold. Water temps unfortunately are cold...ranging from the low - mid 50's to mid 60's. A full wetsuit (5 mil) hood, booties and gloves are a must. Also unlike most other destinations, most boats here don't rent gear. A trip to a local dive shop is usually required if you don't bring it along from home. Not really a big deal...just can be a surprise compared to many other destinations.

OC/Long Beach/San Pedro have some boats which go out to Catalina and San Clemente Islands. San Diego has a fleet which goes to the Corrinado (sp) Islands as well as the local wreck alley down there. Lots of diving to choose from.

 

[CalifasGirl]

I figured 2 weeks in Ca and we could cover a lot. I know my husband wants to scuba dive. We want to visit Legoland and the San Diego Zoo--not too urgent to visit Disneyland. Knotts Berry Farm a possibility. Would love a few days at pools and beaches.
Hubby has mentioned that he wants to see Hollywood Blvd, The big Hollywood Sign, Walk of Fame--all the cheesy touristy things one could possibly think of. Not sure what the kids will be like at that time--their ages will be 8,10,and 12 if we go in 2009--so their interests ( and tolerance levels) may be different then.

If Legoland and the San Diego Zoo is more of a priority, I'd look into Oceanside/Escondido/San Diego areas for a place to stay. If you want Knott's Berry Farm tickets, AAA has discount tickets for that at $30 apiece. They are a little less extreme than the Magic Mountain rides, but less waiting in line. Most of the rides have numbers to gauge how scary they are, but I find that the numbers are sometimes higher than necessary. That said, there are some great thrill rides there!

If you plan on spending time on Hollywood Blvd., there isn't much there to do. You might check to see if there is a film festival going on at the Egyptian Theatre. The Arclight Theater sometimes have film festivals there, too. AFI, and various international film festivals book at both theaters.

http://www.americancinematheque.com/indexegyptian.html

https://www.arclightcinemas.com/ArcLight/faces/SpecialProgramming.jsp?eventCode=AFI

Sometimes there are shows at the Kodak Theater or movie premieres at the Mann Chinese Grauman Theatre or El Capitan, so check with Goldstar.com for El Capitan. There are various movie premiere lists for the other two, but you can probably ask around for that.

Anaheim would be the closest to Hollywood, and it's also the closest to Knott's Berry Farm.

 

[Ann]

Hi -- I am looking at a trip to Hollywood as well, and came across this thread.

DO the tv studios film in the summer, what sites are best for checking?

Thanks!!!!