Overnight hotel LA for layover?

[justme0729]

We are thinking about taking a late flight to LA that maybe arrives around 10:00pm, sleeping at a hotel near the airport, and taking an early AM flight to HNL the next morning. This way, we will get to HNL by 11:00am instead of 4:00pm like we would if we took a nonstop the next day. Last time we did a nonstop and arrived at 4:00pm, we were so exhausted and didn't get to the resort until 6:00pm. It would be nice to get there earlier and enjoy the resort for extra time. Has anyone done this? Any recommendations for an overnight hotel in LA close to the airport?

 

[alohamom]

We have and it was great.
We stayed at the Sheraton Gateway LAX and you could walk to it if you needed but we took a taxi. They also have a shuttle but when we stayed our kids were little so we had our stroller and all the extras that come along with travelling with little kids so we just took the taxi LOL

 

[cedricandsophie]

We go to aulani every year for past six years and going again in may, we do a nonstop from Chicago and usually arrive mid to Late afternoon. Personally I would not stop Overnight. Getting off the plane that late, getting to A hotel around 11 or midnight, getting up early to get to the airport by at least 9 am, would not be worth it to me And would be more exhausting than just flying all the way through. LAX is not the easiest airport to get around and is usually very busy and waiting for luggage can be long. I tend to avoid at all costs. plus there is just more chance for flight delays,

 

[Karebear]

We have done this sort of the opposite way....going to the Caribbean from California. We would sometimes spend the night at a hotel near the Miami airport to break up the trip. It was great if we got into Miami in time for dinner and then spend the night at the hotel. If we got in late, it just wasn’t worth it to get up ealry the next morning and we would just prefer to go straight through. Maybe if you get a flight that gets into LA a bit earlier?

 

[nkereina]

People do this often, but I tend to agree with PPs that it seems like unnecessary hassle and cost to go to a hotel room for just a few hours during the overnight. Since you're able to swing the extra day to fly into LA, why not just take an early morning flight to HNL that day instead? Then you have an extra day in Honolulu, rather than arriving at 11am.

I do understand wanting to break up the long flight, but we flew nonstop from Atlanta and it actually wasn't as bad as I thought. Our Delta flight was very comfortable with the 2-4-2 seat configuration, and even though we were in coach, we received free alcohol, free hot meals, and there were hundreds of current movies and TV shows on each seatback TV to watch for free. It really helped pass the time quickly and easily.

If you decide to stop in LA, I would caution that you would have to book your flights separately so if there's any trouble with your first leg (i.e. lost bags, cancellation/delay, etc), it could impact your leg to HNL and you would incur the cost of any changes to it. I'm not sure if trip insurance would cover something like that, however.

 

[mkb3]

LAX Gateway was an awesome experience for us. Saved a ton of money flying to LA then HI and I felt more relaxed.

 

[justme0729]

People do this often, but I tend to agree with PPs that it seems like unnecessary hassle and cost to go to a hotel room for just a few hours during the overnight. Since you're able to swing the extra day to fly into LA, why not just take an early morning flight to HNL that day instead? Then you have an extra day in Honolulu, rather than arriving at 11am.

I do understand wanting to break up the long flight, but we flew nonstop from Atlanta and it actually wasn't as bad as I thought. Our Delta flight was very comfortable with the 2-4-2 seat configuration, and even though we were in coach, we received free alcohol, free hot meals, and there were hundreds of current movies and TV shows on each seatback TV to watch for free. It really helped pass the time quickly and easily.

If you decide to stop in LA, I would caution that you would have to book your flights separately so if there's any trouble with your first leg (i.e. lost bags, cancellation/delay, etc), it could impact your leg to HNL and you would incur the cost of any changes to it. I'm not sure if trip insurance would cover something like that, however.

We can't take an early morning flight the day before because it is Christmas day and we need to be around during the morning/ daytime but we could leave later that evening. Otherwise, that would be our plan!

 

[rubyfalls]

We stayed at the H Hotel Los Angeles. It's right outside LAX. The rooms were spacious, there was a restaurant in the hotel along with a sundries store, and there was also a shuttle back to LAX. The hotel shares the building with a Homewood Suites. The room was super clean and the staff was very nice. I'd stay there again.