Best Western Long Beach

We are staying at the Best Western Long Beach in February and have now been advised that it may well be in a bad neighborhood? The address is 1725 Long Beach Blvd. and E. 17th. Can anyone advise if this is true? We have two small children with us and I am not willing to take any risks. Please be candid. Thank you.

Best Western Long Beach

Dear CanCam:

No, it really isn%26#39;t a very good neighborhood. You wouldn%26#39;t want to do much walking in the area. If you want to stick with Best Western, a better bet would be the one at 517 E. 1st Street, which is closer to the shopping and entertainment areas of Pine Street, Shoreline Park, the Long Beach Aquarium (which kids love), etc.

Best Western Long Beach

Thank you for the info. We cancelled. Would you suggest the E1st Long Beach or would you stay in Redondo Beach or Seal Beach? We would like a moderate hotel in a good area that is central as we only have one full day before departing on a cruise out of San Pedro? Again, thank you sooo much.

If you have just a day, the First Street location in Long Beach is a pretty good bet for travel with small children. There are plenty of things to do in the area, including a Ferris Wheel, harbor cruises, whale-watch trips, the aquarium, shopping, a movie theater, etc., and you are also reasonably close to a fine beach if the weather is good (which it usually is around here).

The King Harbor area of Redondo Beach is also very nice for travel with children. Of course, the beach there is wonderful for a walk or a bike ride (there are bikes of all sizes available to rent). The pier at King Harbor has lots of kid-friendly restaurants and shops.

One thing you%26#39;ll want to think about a little is the travel time to the Cruise Terminal in San Pedro. From Long Beach, it is a drive of about 15 minutes, and traffic generally isn%26#39;t much of an issue on the drive across the harbor. From Redondo, it will take around 30-40 minutes if you go the ';short way'; slogging through Torrance traffic, or about the same amount of time if you take the far more beautiful ';long way'; - - the coastal road around the Palos Verdes Peninsula to San Pedro. You can wave at the Point Fermin Lighthouse (a particularly nice spot!) on the way.