Hi David

As recommendations are posted have a look at our reviews HERE. If you'd like any hotels added just post here to let me know

If you do a search you'll find quite alot of LA info and a huge amount of LV info!

Pippy

David,

It's pretty obvious why people go to Vegas but it would interesting to know what you intend to do in LA, i.e. are you going for the theme parks, beaches, Hollywood or all.

With that info you should get recommendations from people specific to those areas because LA is one huuuuuuge city.

As for accommodation in Vegas, plenty of budget options but try and stay on the strip. I would opt for somewhere like the Excalibur which is very cheap at times but also gives you a good Vegas experience....plus the slots are pretty loose there!!!!
J

I think with vegas, I'm pretty much sorted by reading through the information I've found on here. However I'm a bit more vague about LA, mainly because it is such a big city and I dont know where to start!

The only reason I'm thinking about going to LA is because from what I've been told, 2 weeks is too long in vegas so in that case I've opted to do a week in each city connecting too and from vegas on us airways.

When we're in LA we're looking for a young and lively area, perhaps even slightly student orientated. Which part of the city do people opt for in terms of the main tourist location?

Thanks for any replies so far!

David,

It's a tough call because as I mentioned LA is so vast. I think you have made the right decision to split because 2 weeks is too long in Vegas, especially if you are not planning to venture too far away from the strip. Of course 2 weeks can easily be filled with trips to Utah and visiting the national parks there, as well as the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park.

My only criticism is that you should have split with San Francisco. We did both LA/LV & SF/LV in 2 years and have been back to SF twice since already, it truly is a marvellous city.

Are you planning on hiring a car in LA? I don't know what we would have done without a car in LA, especially being based in Anaheim.

We based ourselves in Anaheim because we did Disney first over 2 days and then filled in the days with other stuff. One day we did a tour of LA, which took us to Long Beach, Santa Monica, Venice Beach (Muscle Beach), Hollywood (a dump), Beverly Hills and LA downtown. It was a good trip and lasted all day and basically enabled us to see all the sights in one fell swoop.

After that we also visited Universal Studios Hollywood (very good) and Six Flags Magic Mountain (lots of roller coasters, lots of them broken down).

Aside from some shopping at the Block at Orange this basically filled our 7 nights in LA and we drove over to Vegas.

With regards to your question, which part of the city do people opt for in terms of the main tourist location? Take your pick from about 5 areas. It really is so different to a lot of USA cities due to it's size.

Hi

You will find some tips on the thread by williamrobb on here - he is looking for accomodation advice, and some of those replies may be of interest.

Of course if you post your dates and requirements there are some people on here who will have a good shot at finding you a good deal!

You must have gone to Magic Mountain at a bad time because the rides are not usually under repair. In any event, it's better than all the theme parks in England if you are after thrill rides.

I would also advise splitting LA with SF. SF has much more to do and see for the average tourist, whereas LA is more of a working city.

A car is not 100% essential in LA but I would highly recommend it. There is public transport available but I think most Brits are not prepared for how spread out things are in the US. People in LA think nothing of driving an hour or two for work... most people in England would faint just thinking about the prospect.
In all seriousness, hire a car if you can. Just get a cheap compact if price is an issue.

We've visited Six Flags parks on two occasions now, Magic Mountain and Marine World Vallejo and both times have been seriously disappointed by the amount of rides down for repair.

What was really annoying at MM was that we really wanted to ride Superman and queued for 45mins and guess what? It broke down and didn't re-open all day.

Marine World was a huge let down. They debuted two new rides that year and both were closed.

Bad timing or just bad parks. Six Flags may have the biggest and best coasters in the world but their parks overall leave a lot to be desired...i.e. dirty, no cans in vending...it's a world away from Disney.

I've not actually booked any connecting flights from vegas yet but I just thought LA would be the most accessible from vegas, I'd go anywhere so I'd certainly consider San Francisco instead of LA.

I'm flying into vegas on nov 28th and aim to stay one night then fly out again, returning on dec 5th.

To be honest, I've never been to america before, or indeed out of europe! I think when it comes to vegas, I know what I'm going to get, presumably lots of entertainment and gambling!

For the other week, I'm looking for somewhere with a good night life, and perhaps some sight seeing in the day time, and maybe beaches if they're hot enough that time of year!

Had some good food for thought so far from your posts so thanks once again!

Go to San Francisco. You will not regret it.

You won't get the beach as such but you will find a better more accessible nightlife and of course some of the best sightseeing in the world.

The list really is endless for San Francisco and also you don't need a car as the public transportation system (cable cars, buses, trams) is first class. Get a 3 or 5 day pass and everything is covered including cable cars which are $5 for a single ride anyway. I think we paid $18 for the 3 day pass.

It really is a better bet than LA. If you were theme park fanatics it might be closer as the parks are good in this area, but I honestly think you will have a better experience in San Francisco.

You will not get a better view from a harbour in the world, except for Sydney maybe. It really is very close in my mind as to which city is my number one Sydney or San Francisco.

I think you would have to go way South to find any beach resort that you could swim/sunbathe at that time of year (Dec). California may have nice weather then,but not for ocean swimming.
You could stay somewhere like Santa Monica and do some sightseeing of the LA area from there...
South Florida would probably be your best bet if you were interested in going that far.... South Beach has all the things you are asking for.

I've never been to Marine World so can't comment on that. Again, you must have been unlucky when you went. However, it's true that they aren't up to Disney's standard in terms of sweeping up, keeping things stocked, and what have you. More like Thorpe Park really, only with better rides.
BTW You didn't miss THAT much with the Superman ride. It isn't as extreme as it looks. I think there are other, better rides. Was Tatsu open when you went to MM? It's fairly new.

I would agree that, given a choice, I'd go to SF over LA. However, there is no reason not to take in both cities if you have the chance. jwhiting is correct that there is much less need for a car in SF too. One would be nice, since then you could go to other places outside the city, but you can get around perfectly fine without one. You can get around LA without one too but not so easily. LA is much more spread out too.

HOWEVER... there is one thing that no one has mentioned and that is the weather. SF is colder than LA at all times of the year, and Nov/Dec is obviously going to be no exception. That may or may not be a factor for you. Personally, it wouldn't matter that much to be because I am not much of a beach person (I like going but I wouldn't make a holiday out of just going to be beach) and the weather will still be warmer than the UK anyway!

Still not decided what to do yet! Actually thinking of doing a few nights somewhere in LA then moving on to SF.

Just in the process of looking for accommodation for the first night (28/11), need to stay in vegas for the night before flying out again.

Been having a look at a few posts on here from the williamrobb88 posts. Out of all the hotels recommended Bills gambling saloon looks a good deal, its 70 dollars per night and seems right in the centre of everything.

Before I book this, does any one have any other recommendations/offers, heard some good things about the luxor who are also offering a good deal, also posted on this site...

"¢ One $20.00 Food Dining Credit good at Fusia our Asian inspired restaurant or The Luxor Steakhouse*
"¢ One $10.00 Beverage Credit at FLIGHT Bar.
"¢ One $25.00 Spa Credit for Spa services*
"¢ One 2 for 1 admission to The Spa at Luxor*
"¢ One 2 for 1 IMAX Movie theatre ticket*
"¢ $10.00 in Free Slot Play for New Player Club Members.*

Both seem good hotels in a good location, for 35 quid a night, is it too good to be true?!

I would choose Bill's for the location as the Luxor is quite far south. I would also suggest booking soon as I'm surprised there are still rooms available, especially at Bill's, with the big fight coming up. Maybe it's far enough away from that though.

luci

I would recommend Bill's too. It is much nicer than Luxor IMHO. Bill's doesn't have a pool, but I have heard that you can use the one at Flamingo, which is really nice. I will let you know if that is true after we stay there in November.