Thoughts please ? (Anaheim, Burbank, West Hollywood: rentals, hotels, house)

[ThemeParkJunkie]

Hi,

I have been to the West Coast a couple of times on my own, but am now bringing my wife & 12-yo son on a family vacation.

We have been looking at family-friendly hotels with easy (preferably free !) parking and good access to theme parks & main tourist areas.

The HoJo at 7432 Reseda Blvd, Reseda , CA 91335 (close to the intersection with Saticoy) seems to tick all the right boxes, but this is not a neighborhood I know at all (in fact, I'd never even heard of it before today !).

I am most interested to hear from locals if it is safe and suitable for a family to stay for a couple weeks. We live in a big city so are cool with grit - just don't want to walk past gangbangers in the parking lot !

Thanks in advance

TPJ

[JohnG72]

Thats a LONG drive from the main tourist attractions and theme parks. The only place its close to is Magic Mountain and Universal Studios and those are still 30 minute morning drives. Beaches are 1 hour plus morning drives, Hollywood is 30-45 minutes. Disney and Knotts are 90+ minute morning drive.

Safety is the least of your concerns.

[ThemeParkJunkie]

Well, I maybe should've said that we're planning on going to Universal Studios, Magic Mtn, Hollywood (Graumann's etc.), Bev Hills star tour, Venice Beach and Disneyland. I think we'll just have to suck up the long drive on that last one... Still interested in safety & salubriousness of the area

[munchitup]

The neighborhood's fine, but you might want to look for something closer to the freeway. Even though those places are fairly close, they are still long drives and it would be a shame to be another "I spent my entire LA trip in traffic" tourist.

I would look for sometime closer to the 101 or 405 freeways. The area south of the 101 freeway (Ventura Blvd) is generally the safest part of the San Fernando Valley and is generally more tourist friendly. It might be a little more expensive however.

It also might be a better idea to look on the other side of the mountains, in central LA (Hollywood, etc). At this point it is probably safer than the valley (depending on location), is probably just about as cheap and way more convenient to everything you want to do (save Magic Mountain). It may be less convenient to park but that varies from location to location and many hotels in the LA basin have free parking.

Either way I would look for places closer to the freeway - at that location you are 2.5 miles from the 101 and 4 miles from the 405. It might take you 20 minutes just to get to the freeway in the morning.

[ThemeParkJunkie]

Yah, I don't want to be that guy lol

Thanks for the tips - I'll carry on searching...

[ThemeParkJunkie]

I've found a place approximately around Hermosa & 23rd in Hermosa Beach - looks nice and has good reviews, but what is the neighborhood like ?

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by ThemeParkJunkie

I've found a place approximately around Hermosa & 23rd in Hermosa Beach - looks nice and has good reviews, but what is the neighborhood like ?

better than reseda!

[jaypee]

What is your budget exactly? While Hermosa is nice, it's still away from the sights you are interested in. Try Hollywood, West Hollywood, heck, even Burbank, and depending on how long you're staying, consider a hotel in Anaheim for your Disneyland days.

[DCNita]

Originally Posted by ThemeParkJunkie

Hi,

I have been to the West Coast a couple of times on my own, but am now bringing my wife & 12-yo son on a family vacation.

We have been looking at family-friendly hotels with easy (preferably free !) parking and good access to theme parks & main tourist areas.

The HoJo at 7432 Reseda Blvd, Reseda , CA 91335 (close to the intersection with Saticoy) seems to tick all the right boxes, but this is not a neighborhood I know at all (in fact, I'd never even heard of it before today !).

I am most interested to hear from locals if it is safe and suitable for a family to stay for a couple weeks. We live in a big city so are cool with grit - just don't want to walk past gangbangers in the parking lot !

Thanks in advance

TPJ

I'm planning my first trip to LA this summer for myself and my 11 y/o and I will be there for 6 weeks. I used VRBO.com to rent a house instead of a hotel room right in the heart of hollywood with off street parking included. Most prices seem comparable to hotels. If you're going to be in LA for an extended period I would recommend a house. Rentals are going fast so time is of the essence. Take a look at the site and let me know what you think.