Archive | Los Angeles

Finding a Hotel in LA without Spending a Fortune

Generally, there are two major obstacles that one must overcome when booking a hotel in Las Angeles.  The first is figuring out what part of the city to stay in.  The reason for this is that LA is such a big place, and unless you’re very familiar with the city, you could end up spending more time sitting in traffic than actually enjoying the town.  The second obstacle is finding a hotel that doesn’t cost a fortune.  LA is not a cheap city, and there are plenty of hotels that book for upwards of $400 a night.  Sound intimidating?  Don’t worry!  Here’s your guide to finding a great hotel in LA without spending a fortune.


Cheap LA Hotel
Image courtesy of kla4067

Area:  Santa Monica/Venice Beach
Hotel:  Sheraton Delfina Santa Monica Hotel
Price:  $169 per night 

Santa Monica has one of the highest costs of living in all of Los Angeles, and this spills over to hotels prices too.  That’s what makes the Sheraton Delfina so appealing.  Granted, $169 is not cheap, but the rooms do come with comfortable amenities and amazing views of the Pacific Ocean.  The hotel is also within walking distance to many of the coolest places in town, like the pier and 3rd Street Promenade.   If you’re set on staying in the Santa Monica area, this hotel is a really pretty good deal.

Area:  Hollywood
Hotel:  Best Western Hollywood Plaza Inn
Price:  $110 per night

What makes this hotel so excellent is its location.  The Best Western is close to the airport, but also within walking distance of the Walk of Fame, Universal Studios, and other A-List attractions.  Rooms come with free high-speed internet, cable TV, a microwave, and a refrigerator.  Their property also has a swimming pool and spa, and an on-site restaurant.

Area:  Beverly Hills/West Los Angeles
Hotel:  Hotel Angelano – A Joie de vivre Hotel
Price: $148 per night

Located right in the heart of Brentwood, this hotel serves as a convenient access point to much of West LA.  Guestrooms all come with great views of downtown and finely appointed linens and amenities.  For dinner, their Italian steakhouse is a great dining option, and offers one of the best views in LA.  There is also a fitness facility and swimming pool on site, and plenty of free parking.

Area:  Downtown
Hotel:  The Standard
Price:  $139 per night

Downtown LA is a world of its own, and having a good hotel can make or break a stay there.  That’s what makes The Standard such a special hotel.  Trendy, chic, and at times over the top, the hotel is located in the heart of bustling downtown and provides access to all that the area offers.  Guests will love the elevated platform beds, mood lighting, iPod docking, and complimentary WiFi in their rooms.  They’ll also likely enjoy the Rooftop bar, which is a great place to grab a drink at the beginning (or end) of a night, and has excellent music, food, and skyscraper views.

There are, of course, a lot of parts of LA that aren’t included in this article.  For most out of town visitors however, these four regions should be more than sufficient.  They all provide easy access to the most famous landmarks in LA, and each can be booked for under $200 a night.  That should leave some change in your pocket for all of the great attractions!

 

Stefan Georgi is a Southern Californian who spends a lot of time in LA.  He highly recommends using a Travelocity promo code for LA hotels when booking a room in the city.

Posted in Los Angeles4 Comments

Two of the Best Penthouse Hotel Suites in the U.S.

Penthouse suites are the cream of the crop.

They may take over entire floors and include unbelievable, over-the-top extras.

Here are two of the best Penthouse Hotel Suites in the US by BlacBook.com


Wraparound Terrace Suite - The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Image courtesy of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is one of the Strip’s newest (and most expensive) casino resorts.

It has stunning views due to it’s central location right in between the City Center and Bellagio. And it also has 3 completely different pool experiences which are perfect for the hot, summer months.

They also have an entertainment line-up that’s second to none. This year’s New Year’s Eve headliner? Stevie Wonder.

But the crowning jewel is the Mandrake Suite. It spans 4,395 square feet with Strip and city views out of every window.

The suite was designed by David Rockwell, and includes his use of natural materials and contemporary furniture. It has wrap-around terraces, outdoor soaking tubs, a private dining area, and 24-hour service.

The Mandrake Suite is top-notch, with a price tag to match. Pricing starts at $25,000/night.


Four Seasons Beverly Hills
Image courtesy of Loren Javier

The Four Seasons Beverly Hills

The Four Seasons Beverly Hills is located directly in the middle of Beverly Hills on Wilshire Boulevard.

They recently went through a $35 million renovation, replacing the entire 4th floor pool deck and fitness center.

The Presidential Suite East is 3,235 square feet of modern traditional luxury. They have views, a custom kitchen, several marble bathrooms, and is complete with contemporary art.

Oh, and you also get to use a brand-new luxury car while you’re in town (like the Maserati).

The Presidential Suite East starts around $9,850/night.

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Posted in Las Vegas, Los Angeles1 Comment

Palm Springs Airport Now Accepting New Flights

Palm Springs is a beautiful place.

It’s a picturesque, small desert town full of charm and personality.

It’s long been a vacation destination of celebrities and Hollywood elite who favor the quiet, calm escape.

But it’s difficult to get there.

It’s a short drive from Los Angeles, Ontario, San Diego, and Orange County. But it would be nice to fly straight in.

They have a great airport, but it’s small and doesn’t take many flights. Fortunately, several airlines are expanding or adding new services very soon.


Palm Springs Airport Palm Trees

  • Denver: Frontier Airlines will fly three times a week beginning on November 17th.
  • New York & San Francisco: Virgin America will fly a seasonal service to New York with a stop in San Francisco
  • Winnipeg: WestJet is adding a seasonal service.
  • San Jose: Horizon Air is resuming their seasonal service (it was cut during the recession)
  • Stockton: Allegiant airlines will fly nonstop Mondays and Fridays

Palm Springs is the perfect destination for a relaxing getaway or weekend escape.

They have outdoor activities like Golf, hiking and horse back riding. And they have some awesome spas to kick back after a long day.

If you like shopping and dining, then you can venture Downtown and visit all the boutique shops and quaint restaurants.

Palm Springs is also within a short drive from the huge Cabazon Outlets (by Morongo Casino).

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Posted in Burbank, Los Angeles, Ontario, San DiegoComments Off

The Top Haunted Hotels in Southern California

California’s hotels are almost as famous as their occupants.

They’ve hosted lavish events and been featured in movies.

But they’re also popular for another reason.

Some are reportedly haunted from unsolved mysteries and former celebrity ghosts. These urban legends have surrounded these hotels for decades.

Here are the top haunted hotels in California.


hotel del coronado
Image courtesy of stallio

Hotel del Coronado, San Diego

The Hotel Del Coronado is one of the nicest hotels in Southern California.

It’s been around for over a century, and has been featured in numerous Hollywood movies.

However on November 29, 1982, the body of Kate Morgan was discovered on the hotel steps. And some say she’s never left.

She suffered a gun-shot wound to the head, and it was later ruled a suicide. However Alan May, a San Francisco laywer who wrote a book about the subject, says that her death was no accident.

He says the bullet found in her head did not match the gun.

Most of the reports about paranormal activity are from Kate’s old room, 302 (which is now 3312) and a former maid’s room (3502).

Guests have reported lights going on and off, objects moved, murmuring, and even sightings of Kate’s ghost.


Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
Image courtesy of nino63004

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood is another legendary hotel.

It hosted the first-ever Academy Awards in 1929, and is still a hot-spot for celebrities.

Two famous celebrities have even called it home since their deaths.

The ghost of Marilyn Monroe is said to haunt her old room, Suite 229. She’s also been seen dancing in the ballroom.

Montgomery Clift stayed at the Hollywood Roosevelt during filing of From Here to Eternity. He haunts his old room, 928, and apparently walks the hallways playing his bugle.

What do you think? Are you brave enough to stay in these hotel rooms?

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Posted in Los Angeles, San DiegoComments Off

Get the Most Candy in the Least Amount of Walking in These Cities!

Is your city trick-or-treat friendly?

Zillow.com has ranked the top 20 cities to trick or treat this Halloween. From their blog;

Now in its third year, the Zillow Trick-or-Treat Index is designed to help kids (and parents) use data to identify cities that will boost their Halloween haul.

How are they ranked?

Zillow uses their home value index, “walkability” rating of the city, people per square mile and the rate of violent and nonviolent crime.

All of that adds up to the most candy with the safest and least walking.

Is your city listed below?


Halloween Costumes
Image courtesy of Transguyjay

1. San Francisco

San Francisco Trip for the Whole Family

4. Seattle

5 Things to Do in Seattle with Kids

6. San Jose

5 Things to Do with Kids in San Jose

8. Los Angeles

Things to do in Los Angeles

13. San Diego

Free Fun for Kids in San Diego

16. Denver

6 Denver Activities for Kids

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Posted in Denver, Halloween Events, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, SeattleComments Off

Bring on Fall with these California Oktoberfest Events

On October 12th, 1810, the Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

The people of Munich celebrated in front of the city gates, with horse races that marked the close of the event.

The horse races became an annual event, and Oktoberfest was born.


Oktoberfest Impressionen
Image courtesy of sanfamedia.com

California temperatures are still soaring, but Fall is finally rolling in. Come celebrate with these California Oktoberfest events.

Alpine Village Oktoberfest

The Alpine Village in Torrance, CA is the oldest and largest Oktoberfest is Southern California.

It’s the 44th consecutive Oktoberfest celebration and has been picked by the USA Today as “one of th best Oktoberfests in the world!”

The Alpine Village Oktoberfest is a traditional festival with real German music, food and beer.

It’s held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until October 23rd. The hours are 6PM to Midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 1PM to 6PM on Sundays.

Fridays and Saturdays are meant for adults, while Sundays are a little more calm and great for families.

OktSoldierFest

OktSoldierFest takes places in Downtown San Diego on Saturday, October 22nd.

The Mission Brewery is hosting it to benefit wounded soldiers of the the Warrior Foundation

San Diego is home to some of the best craft breweries in the entire country. You can enjoy tastings of over 40 local breweries, local food, and three stages of music and events.

It’s a huge event, taking place over 60,000 square feet and tickets include unlimited tastings and food voucher. VIP tickets are also available for early, private tastings.

For more information, please visit their Facebook page and event website.

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Posted in Los Angeles, San DiegoComments Off

Five Must See Highlights on a California Road Trip

This is a guest post by Kieron, one-half of the team at travel blog Don’t Ever Look Back. With the support of Fox Rent a Car, Kieron and his partner Amy drove around California for 12 days last month and will be sharing some of their stories on the Fox Rent A Car Blog.

Our Fox Rent A Car California Road Trip has come and gone and we look back at our 12 days on the road with wonderful memories. As with any great road trip, it was filled with plenty of highlights as we navigated the roads and highways of the Golden State with ease in the Chevy Cruze provided by Fox.


California Road Trip

There really is so much to see and do in California that you could take a lot longer than we did and still miss out on so much. Here are 5 of our favorite destinations – hopefully this can inspire you to follow in our footsteps, rent a Fox Rent A Car and explore this magnificent state.

1. South Lake Tahoe

Whether it’s summer or winter, there’s always something to do in South Lake Tahoe. If it’s warm, give the fast-growing sport of stand-up paddleboarding a try out on the lake. And if there’s snow, world-class skiing is right on your doorstep.

2. Yosemite National Park

Words can’t even begin to describe how beautiful Yosemite National Park is and you definitely want to spend at least a couple of nights here. Base yourself in the spectacular Yosemite Valley and explore the park from there.

3. Los Angeles

LA is the second largest metropolitan area in the United States and a must-visit on any trip through California. Some of our highlights? Santa Monica/Venice Beach, the Hollywood Sign and the area of Beverly Hills.

4. The Beaches of Orange County

There are some great beaches along the coast of Orange County so if the weather is nice, head down there! Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach are the better-known ones but there are several others to check out.

5. Disneyland

If you’re traveling with children (or are a big kid at heart!), you absolutely want to stop at Disneyland, located in Anaheim. Get there early, enjoy your day and make sure you stay for the fireworks spectacular at the end of the night.

If you want to read more about our California Road Trip adventures, check out our Road Trip page at Don’t Ever Look Back.

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Posted in Los Angeles, National Parks, Orange CountyComments Off

3 Must See Los Angeles Cities

Los Angeles has much more than traffic and smog.

It’s a sprawling metropolis, made up of a collection of different cities. Each has it’s own distinct nature and characteristic. These cities have personality!


Los Angeles in a good light
Image courtesy of kla4067

Venice Beach

Venice beach is one of the most unique places you’ll ever visit.

They have a lively Art scene including painters, singers and street performers. They also have a bustling entertainment scene where you can enjoy live music or break-dancing!

You can also stroll down the Venice canals. It may not be the real Venice, but it’s close!

Hollywood

Hollywood is one of the most popular tourist destinations. But for good reason!

If you head to where Hollywood and Highland streets meet, you’ll find a huge three story center for shops and restaurants. You’ll also find The Kodak Theater (home to the Academy Awards) and a Cirque du Soleil show Iris: A Journey through the World of Cinema.

You can also search for your favorite actor’s hand prints in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

Beverly Hills

Last but certainly not least, Beverly Hills should be one of your LA stops. They’re home to every fashion designer you can imagine, and more nice restaurants than you can count.

It’s also home to some of the most famous actors and actresses in Tinseltown. What trip to LA would be complete without celebrity sightings?!

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Posted in Los AngelesComments Off

3 Ways to Save Big with Fox Rent A Car

The number one topic people wanted to hear about on our survey was ways to save.

We can do that!

Fox already provides a number of ways to save on car rentals. Here are a few that highlight some of the best ways.


FACEBOOK LIKE
Image courtesy of owenwbrown

1. Last Minute Deals

Score last minute deals with the Fox Hot Deals.

On our main website, you’ll find the lowest rates for the next two weeks.

2. Loyal Customers

The Fox Rent A Car Rewards Program is the best way to save on car rentals.

Earn points with each rental and use them on your next rental with Fox Bucks. Your points are applied directly to your next rental car. You’re allowed to use them whenever you’d like.

You can also redeem points for gift certificates. You can pick a Super Certificate on the Gift Certificates website, for a larger list of stores.

Give By Category

3. Coupons for Friends

Get discounts on a variety of cars and locations from our Facebook Specials.

“Like” us and the discounts will be yours!

You can also Check-In to our locations and receive upgrades and more!

About Fox Rent A Car

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Posted in Burbank, Denver, Fox Rent A Car News, Las Vegas, Locations, Los Angeles, National Parks, Oakland, Ontario, Orange County, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, SeattleComments Off

The Cheapest Months to Travel

Wouldn’t it be great if you knew exactly when to travel.

I mean the right place at the right time.

Well a great article from About.com has given us some clues and detailed when you should travel to specific U.S. cities.


San Francisco Sunset
Image courtesy of BG³Photo

January

New York, NY
San Francisco, CA

March

Los Angeles

June

Phoenix

August

Las Vegas

November

Lake Tahoe, CA/NV
Reno, NV

December

Napa-Sonoma, CA

What do you think?

Do you know of a good time to travel? Let us know in the comments below!

About Fox Rent A Car:

Fox Rent A Car, your discount car rental company, has been providing excellent customer service along with low rates for rental cars since its founding in 1989. Today, our success in these areas has enabled us to develop into the largest independent car rentals company headquartered in California. You will find Fox Car Rental offices conveniently located at major airports throughout the world.

Posted in Burbank, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Ontario, Orange County, Phoenix, San Francisco, Travel TipsComments Off

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