One off visit to LA area. Please helped confused Scotsman!

My wife and I are visiting LA area mid July. Arriving by car mid afternoon Sunday. I%26#39;m confused and don%26#39;t know where we should be based. Happy to stay 1 night somewhere and 2 nights elsewhere or vice versa. Need to be close(ish) to LAX for early flight Tuesday morning. Could dump rental car Monday night and taxi/shuttle to airport in morning or return car in morning.

We want to do the obvious tourist stuff Chinese Theatre, Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive, look at rich and strange people in town and/or beaches.

Some say Hollywood is OK for visit but don%26#39;t stay there?

Beverly Hills area?

Santa Monica?

Marina Del Rey?

Hotels around 150$ per night.

Quite happy to drive around.

Please, please help. It%26#39;s doing my head in!! (as we say in Scotland).

One off visit to LA area. Please helped confused Scotsman!

Did you see our FAQs page at the top of the LA Forums? Look at the FAQ on Where to stay.

$150 a night will limit you, you can strike Beverly Hills and Santa Monica off your list. MArina del Rey is about an hour from the sights, because of traffic. Hollywood is perfect for you, and it%26#39;s fine and safe.

Don%26#39;t shuttle to the airport, keep your car and drop it off at LAX.

One off visit to LA area. Please helped confused Scotsman!

Consider Hilgard House near UCLA campus. While not close to what you want to see, it%26#39;s about equidistant from Hollywood, the beaches, etc...and very close to Beverly Hills. Parking is included but no swimming pool. The area is great for walking around day and night. Return to LAX should only take about 20 minutes, plus 5 minutes at the car return and 5 minutes shuttle to your terminal.

I dont%26#39; think Hollywood is great for tourists.....though it is worth a visit. Westwood is much cooler in July, also.

www.hilgardhouse.com

Hilgard House is a good option. The room rate will be a little above your $150 price though. If you stayed in Hollywood, you%26#39;d find rooms that are less expensive (around $125 or less).

Here is a link to Hollywood Hotels:

tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g32655-zfn6-Los_Angel…

BTW, I found some interesting statistics about weather variations between Westwood and Hollywood. Weather.com points out that while July in Hollywood has average temperatures of 89, Westwood is a bit cooler at 77, But, the biggest differences appear to be in midday. For example. right now (at 6:15 in the evening) the temperature in Westwood is 75 degrees and the temperature in Hollywood is actually a little cooler at 74 degrees.

Since you will be driving from one attraction to the other during daylight hours (in an air conditioned car), it would appear that the hotter average daytime temperature in Hollywood wouldn%26#39;t have that much of an impact. (Of course, if you have plans to laze by the pool all day, that%26#39;s a different story).

If your departing flight is very early, I%26#39;d recommend transferring to a hotel near LAX for the last night. Why stress about traffic and possible delays at the car rental lot when you can simply get on the hotel%26#39;s free shuttle bus and be there in no time? If you want to get the most of the city before checking into your airport-area hotel, do just that: Have dinner, go out for a drink, etc and then check in to your 2nd hotel in the late evening.

Have a great holiday!