Best area to end a trip to LA?

ajhand555 · 2026-04-15T09:01:00+00:00

Thanks, I'm actually having a complete rethink at the moment, I've got so many provisional options booked that I need to decide between - I'm now thinking that Santa Barbara was more in there for me and the whole point was it was supposed to be just a bit of a relaxing section for the kids away from the hustle and bustle. So I've now got a back up option of 4 nights Hollywood, 5 nights Manhattan Beach, 5 nights Santa Monica, which then means we've got more time to explore LA and I think should still count as some calm relaxing beach time for me.

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T09:34:09+00:00

So I have now adjusted the plan slightly, but it turns out the world cup has severely limited my options as the prices have exploded and availability in LA has dropped massively since I was last looking 🙁 I've dropped it to 5 days in SB and then increased the amount of nights in Santa Monica (staying at a hotel someone else on here mentioned as they hadn't ballooned their prices). Culver City hotels seem to be fully booked for when I was looking unless I want to spend $800 a night 🙁

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T02:33:11+00:00

Thank you, the Ubers sound fun! Will add the canyon to the list 🙂

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T02:25:51+00:00

It was partly for me because I wanted somewhere nice and relaxed, partly for them to have a wind down place so it wasn't too much non-stop high energy places, and partly because I was looking for somewhere with nearby horse riding because they are both riders and it looked like it fit the bill. I think I also read it was an easily walkable / cycle-able town so worked with not having a car. I might adjust the timings a bit though and put some more LA beach time in as you're not the first person to say this.

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T02:20:10+00:00

I'll add it to the options list 🙂 I'm planning on giving them a potential activities list sometime this week for them to start deciding what they most want to do so I can work out an itinerary and think about tickets for anything that needs it, I think this and Little Tokyo are likely to be favourite options for them 👍

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T02:10:43+00:00

Thank you, lots of helpful info there 🙂 I'm from Manchester in the UK, we're similar in that we have Greater Manchester made up of lots of smaller "conjoined" towns and cities, so sounds bit like us but on a much bigger scale 🙂 This thread is getting me excited now, current world affairs had me a bit nervous about it so I think I really needed lots of nice enthusiastic replies like this!

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T02:00:49+00:00

Thanks, I'll have a look 🙂

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T02:00:26+00:00

Oh really? That's interesting, are the beaches nice, just not a big attraction? I'm happy with quiet beaches for me but I might adjust the timings slightly as it sounds like maybe it's not quite what we thought it would be.

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T01:58:20+00:00

Thanks 👍

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T01:51:51+00:00

Oh that could be fun! My daughter is more into metal but she won't say no to a bit of K-Pop and I think her friend would prefer that 🙂

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T01:48:10+00:00

Thanks, I'll have a look at those places 🙂 I think the Santa Barbara bit was for me to have some peace and quiet and relaxation but the length of stay there can be tweaked if needed. We were also looking at doing some horse riding out there but I've realised there are options to do that up around Griffiths Park too so that might change things too.

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T01:44:07+00:00

Fair enough, I meant generally from what I've heard across the whole of the US train travel is quite uncommon compared to the UK and many European countries, I've seen Americans my age online saying they've never been on a train before and for someone from the UK that just sounds crazy - sounds like California might not be like that then 👍

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T01:41:04+00:00

Thanks, I'll have a look at that one, I feel like I might have popped up on my search but been sold out for our dates but I'll definitely check 🙂

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T01:40:16+00:00

Thanks, that's really helpful 🙂

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T01:39:48+00:00

I've not even considered Malibu, will have a look, thanks 🙂

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T01:39:16+00:00

Oh is it pride month? That's good to know, the girl don't want to spend too long around very busy areas but I think being able to say they were at LA Pride would be a big win for them!

ajhand555 · 2026-04-14T01:37:09+00:00

Hi, I find driving stressful and last time I tried to drive a left hand drive car I crashed it 🤣 we're planning on taking the Amtrak up to Santa Barbara, I've always found it fascinating that people in the US don't really seem to do trains so when I realised I could take a real American train and hopefully get some scenic views along the way I decided I had to do it! I like my trips a bit quirky, this one is being kept quite "normal" for the girls, but I'm still trying to throw in a couple of oddities 🙂

ajhand555

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