Anaheim as a base?

[Thegoatfeeder]

Hey guys, I hope this isn't something that comes up all the time but here goes!

We're based in the UK and know WDW like the back of our hands, but we haven't done DLR....yet. Being from the UK we'd be looking to do a longer trip in Fall 2023, and as well as doing Disney, I guess see what the LA area has to offer (all the tourist stuff I guess, Hollywood, Santa Monica etc).

Flights from our local airport get us as far as Vegas, so we kind of had this vague plan of doing a few nights there, hire a car, drive to DLR and spend 3/4 full days doing the parks (would that be enough time?) before then spending another 3 or 4 days looking round other parts of LA.

So I guess my main question is, would a DLR resort (not Disney owned, but in the area) be OK to base ourselves for things outside of Anaheim? I plan on keeping the car and can see that most things are going to be like an hours drive away, but I guess I am not too bothered by that, I drive a lot for work. To me it seems easier to just stay in Anaheim rather than stay in a 3rd different hotel. Or am I crazy for thinking that and we'd be better moving to a more centrally located hotel once we're done with Disney?

 

[pharmama]

I think your overall plan sounds good but I would advise against using Anaheim as a base for all Southern California touring. I think you will end up frustrated with the wasted time driving to and from LA to a DLR area hotel, especially for multiple days. Even if you don't mind the driving itself, LA traffic is annoying (I live in San Francisco now but grew up in LA) and you'll be spending probably 3+ hours a day just sitting the car. That's a lot of time that could be used for other things, although the nature of the area means you will be doing some driving around regardless. I'd move up to somewhere in the LA area for the last leg of your trip. Sorry I don't have any specific hotel recommendations but I know others on here will.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Hey guys, I hope this isn't something that comes up all the time but here goes!

We're based in the UK and know WDW like the back of our hands, but we haven't done DLR....yet. Being from the UK we'd be looking to do a longer trip in Fall 2023, and as well as doing Disney, I guess see what the LA area has to offer (all the tourist stuff I guess, Hollywood, Santa Monica etc).

Flights from our local airport get us as far as Vegas, so we kind of had this vague plan of doing a few nights there, hire a car, drive to DLR and spend 3/4 full days doing the parks (would that be enough time?) before then spending another 3 or 4 days looking round other parts of LA.

So I guess my main question is, would a DLR resort (not Disney owned, but in the area) be OK to base ourselves for things outside of Anaheim? I plan on keeping the car and can see that most things are going to be like an hours drive away, but I guess I am not too bothered by that, I drive a lot for work. To me it seems easier to just stay in Anaheim rather than stay in a 3rd different hotel. Or am I crazy for thinking that and we'd be better moving to a more centrally located hotel once we're done with Disney?

That's what we did on our first stay. We did 2 park days then spent time in Hollywood, a beach day, an ocean adventure day, then back to the parks. It works decent, but LA traffic is a beast. Try to avoid peak times as much as possible, but even non peak times you could see a random interstate backup

 

[DLgal]

So I would advise doing 5 or 6 nights at an Anaheim hotel and do Disneyland AND the beach from there. Go to Newport Beach. Los Angeles beaches are trash. I'd cut back the LA portion to 2 days. That's more than enough time there, in my opinion. LA is kinda gross too. It's nothing like it looks on TV and movies. There are a few noteworthy places to visit, but you can get them all done in a couple days easily.

I'd recommend the Sheraton or Hilton at Universal City. I'd also highly recommend you do the Warner Brothers studio tour.

I also would not use Anaheim as a base for LA stuff. Move up there. Even then you will spend lots of time in the car going from place to place.

 

[bcla]

It could be done. That's what we did back in 2012. We actually arrived early afternoon at SNA, got our rental car, and spend about 6 hours at Disneyland before heading for San Diego. But after that it was 4 days at the Hilton Anaheim where we also went to Universal one day. I agree that traffic is annoying, but that has to be balanced against having to move stuff between hotels. It's doable, but obviously one has to be realistic that traffic can be anywhere from clear to gridlock - even on a weekend.

 

[Dr. G]

You could base in Anaheim but as others mentioned you'd drive a lot back and forth to LA. We aren't big city types so LA does nothing for us. And "Hollywood" does even less than nothing for us. But, there is a lot to see in the LA area. Anyway, I mention that because depending on what you like, you could consider heading to San Diego as well (or instead of of) as there are fun things there too (La Jolla, Sea World, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, Legoland, etc). We find San Diego more enjoyable than LA. Just something else to consider in your planning.

 

[DizMe]

So I would advise doing 5 or 6 nights at an Anaheim hotel and do Disneyland AND the beach from there. Go to Newport Beach. Los Angeles beaches are trash.

I have to respectfully disagree with this. We've stayed at several LA beaches (Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan, Santa Monica) and loved them. Have to admit I'm not a big fan of Venice, but LA does have some pretty spectacular beaches IMO.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

I second considering going down to San Diego instead. Unless the plan is just to be able to say that you have seen LA. You will likely have a better experience in San Diego.

 

[DLgal]

I have to respectfully disagree with this. We've stayed at several LA beaches (Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan, Santa Monica) and loved them. Have to admit I'm not a big fan of Venice, but LA does have some pretty spectacular beaches IMO.

Have you been to Orange County beaches, though? They are much nicer and the water is much cleaner. I really hate seeing the refineries from the LA beaches. Really kills the vibe.

 

[dina444444]

I have to respectfully disagree with this. We've stayed at several LA beaches (Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan, Santa Monica) and loved them. Have to admit I'm not a big fan of Venice, but LA does have some pretty spectacular beaches IMO.

I concur about the beaches in the South Bay (Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan), one of them is my hometown. These beaches are also not tourist traps its mostly locals and you can usually find free parking a few blocks up from the beach in Manhattan Beach as long as you are not going down to the beach right at the pier.

 

[Pluto468]

I think it's worth doing a split stay and getting a hotel in the LA area. Anaheim as a base can work, but it's not very convenient and traffic can be a real drag. We've done it a couple times and I always vow never to do it again lol. Last time we did a split stay and it was much better. We did 2 nights in LA, then 5 in Anaheim.

LA is huge, as I'm sure you know. For instance Santa Monica to Hollywood is like an hour, maybe more with traffic. So if you're trying to drive back and forth to Anaheim and cut across LA to different tourist spots all in one day, that's alot of driving. Maybe you could decide exactly what you want to do in the LA area, and that could narrow down potential areas to look for a hotel. I think if you were only going into LA one day it would be ok, but spending 3-4 days there makes switching hotels worth it.

About park time- I'd go with 4 days or even 5. I like to have more days so you can go at a more leisurely pace.

 

[DizMe]

Have you been to Orange County beaches, though? They are much nicer and the water is much cleaner. I really hate seeing the refineries from the LA beaches. Really kills the vibe.

Yes! I do love OC beaches for sure. My mom grew up in Huntington Beach and my grandma lived there so I spent a lot of time in that area. Grandma lived a block from the beach in a cottage that is long gone now. I had a fabulous trip to Laguna Beach with my sister 1 1/2 years ago, and Newport, of course, is grand. DH and I stayed at this Newport Marriott on a hill above Crystal Cove (thanks to my sister-in-law) last year and that was the first time I remember seeing Crystal Cove. Absolutely awesome.

I was simply trying to point out that I find many of the LA beaches fun and gorgeous. We used to take the girls down every summer and stay a week at the beach. We stayed in airbnbs in all of those I mentioned in LA and OC beach towns, and they were all great in different ways. One thing I don't like quite as much about HB is not being able to stay on the beach side of the street.

We also stayed twice in the Mission Beach area of San Diego. It was great, also, but I honestly preferred OC and LA. That's partially because our condo turned out to be both oceanfront (great!) and right next to a public parking lot (a lot less great). When the weekend hit, it was a madhouse in the parking lot and all of the beach in front of it. There was some pretty raunchy/illegal/yucky activity once the sun began to set and I didn't want to go past with my little girls. The other condo we rented on Mission Beach was NOT like that at all. So...don't book a place next to a big public parking lot, LOL.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Hey guys, I hope this isn't something that comes up all the time but here goes!

We're based in the UK and know WDW like the back of our hands, but we haven't done DLR....yet. Being from the UK we'd be looking to do a longer trip in Fall 2023, and as well as doing Disney, I guess see what the LA area has to offer (all the tourist stuff I guess, Hollywood, Santa Monica etc).

Flights from our local airport get us as far as Vegas, so we kind of had this vague plan of doing a few nights there, hire a car, drive to DLR and spend 3/4 full days doing the parks (would that be enough time?) before then spending another 3 or 4 days looking round other parts of LA.

So I guess my main question is, would a DLR resort (not Disney owned, but in the area) be OK to base ourselves for things outside of Anaheim? I plan on keeping the car and can see that most things are going to be like an hours drive away, but I guess I am not too bothered by that, I drive a lot for work. To me it seems easier to just stay in Anaheim rather than stay in a 3rd different hotel. Or am I crazy for thinking that and we'd be better moving to a more centrally located hotel once we're done with Disney?

Your post mentions 3 places I always advise against (Las Vegas, Hollywood and Santa Monica). Better beaches are Redondo or Manhattan in LA County, just about anywhere in Orange County (Newport, Huntington and Laguna all about 30 minutes away from Anaheim). Only go to Hollywood if you are going to see a show being taped (highly recommend Kimmel if they are "live" and you can get tickets - easy to find on Google). If you can catch a live performance at the Hollywood Bowl I HIGHLY recommend that!

You can use Anaheim as a base; Los Angeles is about an hour away, San Diego 2 hours, Santa Barbara 2 hours. You can get to all 3 of those locations on a train from Anaheim too (travel times considerably higher of course). Las Vegas is about a 4 hour drive to Anaheim and, not gonna sugar coat it, a pretty awful drive at that.

 

[GoingSince1990]

Yes, Anaheim as a base is just fine, with Hollywood, beaches, and San Diego all in fairly easy reach. Yes, you will be doing a bit of driving, but that would be true wherever you stayed, and you will be able to use the carpool lanes which speeds things up a bit. And anyone from the UK will find beaches like Huntington and Laguna to be spectacular.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Your post mentions 3 places I always advise against (Las Vegas, Hollywood and Santa Monica). Better beaches are Redondo or Manhattan in LA County, just about anywhere in Orange County (Newport, Huntington and Laguna all about 30 minutes away from Anaheim). Only go to Hollywood if you are going to see a show being taped (highly recommend Kimmel if they are "live" and you can get tickets - easy to find on Google). If you can catch a live performance at the Hollywood Bowl I HIGHLY recommend that!

You can use Anaheim as a base; Los Angeles is about an hour away, San Diego 2 hours, Santa Barbara 2 hours. You can get to all 3 of those locations on a train from Anaheim too (travel times considerably higher of course). Las Vegas is about a 4 hour drive to Anaheim and, not gonna sugar coat it, a pretty awful drive at that.

I have not been able to do the Vegas drive in 4 hours since college (20+ years ago!). Construction and traffic makes it nearly impossible unless you are driving in the middle of the night (just my experience, I’m sure others have been more lucky!).

 

[DLgal]

I have not been able to do the Vegas drive in 4 hours since college (20+ years ago!). Construction and traffic makes it nearly impossible unless you are driving in the middle of the night (just my experience, I’m sure others have been more lucky!).

You can get TO Vegas in 4 hours. It takes a good 6-8 to get back though. Took us 8 hours last time we did it.

 

[kristensideaoffun]

You can get TO Vegas in 4 hours. It takes a good 6-8 to get back though. Took us 8 hours last time we did it.

I was going to say this exact same thing. Coming back is what takes the longest.

OP, you will be spending one full day driving in from Vegas. It’s a miserable drive often in bumper-to-bumper traffic a good majority of the way. And it is not scenic, at least not scenic enough for a 6-8 hour drive. If you can fly into LAX or even San Diego, you’ll save yourself the drive and have a much nicer trip. Or take a cheap flight from Vegas to Santa Ana or San Diego and go from there. You could save money on the rental + parking fees while at DLR by flying into San Diego, spending a few days there, then taking the Pacific Surfliner train to Anaheim. If you want to go into LA for a day, you could rent a car for the day.

 

[finchy3]

We're from the UK and most times base ourselves in Anaheim for 2 weeks, then Airbnb it in the Hollywood Hills for 4 nights to finish the trip off.
We leave the LA and Malibu area until we head to the hills, there is so much to see and do in Orange County that we don't feel the need to constantly be driving up the 5 to LA.

 

[heathpack]

SoCal traffic is not to be trifled with, I would not use Anaheim as a base for visiting LA. I would not fly into Vegas and drive to Anaheim, unless I was also interested in visiting Vegas.

I think where you stay, where you fly into, and how long you spend at each place depends on your interests and available time.

Vegas is basically gambling, eating at restaurants that are replicas of LA restaurants, and seeing various shows. There’s also strip clubs and lots of alcohol.

Disneyland is utterly charming and also annoying- well worth visiting. I’d say 3-4 days is sufficient.

OC is more upscale than LA, lots of shopping malls, strip malls, etc. Nice beaches and a relaxed vibe.

LA is a thriving multiethnic community. Some parts are shabby but it’s the very definition of an American melting pot, a place of almost infinite possibility. The OC is for folks who have “made it” and are living the good upscale life. LA is full of folks trying to make it, so it’s not as polished but it is very real. Not everyone “gets” LA, or likes it. It’s an incredible food town, culturally fascinating, chock full of interesting and unique places to visit, interesting history. Did I mention the food?

San Diego is swell, weather is amongst the best anywhere. It was a conservative city with a huge US Naval presence but is becoming more multicultural. Great beaches, amazing zoo, good food scene, manageable size and scope.

I personally think a trip that is LA- Anaheim- San Diego is a better bet than Vegas-Anaheim/OC. You‘d get a great slice of SoCal culture. If wine is at all your thing, I’d drop San Diego in favor of Santa Barbara. But it so much depends on your interests/priorities/values.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

If you are driving from Las Vegas you also might consider stopping by Joshua Tree National Park or Palm Springs. The park is very unique and Palm Springs has a fun retro vibe, the gondola there is a little scary for those afraid of heights but the area at the top is pretty.