Here are some questions which might help us give you better advice.

1) Are you renting a car?

2) How long are you staying in L.A.? I'm not clear if you're staying for only 2 nights and 3 three days.

3) Are you aware there is a very active night clube scene in Hollywood? If you are, are you old enough (i.e. 21) to enjoy it? Do you want to hit the clubs?

4) Is visiting the beach your priority? If it is, I'd recommend Santa Monica as your base over Venice.

You need to learn how to read the reviews. Typically, a bad review is about a mismatch of expectations. People think they are getting some great deal and actually they are getting what they paid for. In my opinion, they are being unreasonable.

One last thought, I think your concerns about safety are overstated. L.A. is a very safe place. It is not like the bad 80's and early 90's. Then, you really had to be careful. That's no longer the case. Relax and enjoy yourself.

HTH

Thanks for your reply I'll try to explain a little better.

We are 21 so theres not a problem there, I would like the night club scene however the days we are staying are a Sunday, Monday and Tuesday so not sure if much would be happening...? (July though...)

In short: Have 8 days in LA. 5 are reserved at Anaheim, after Anaheim there is a tour going to San Diego, Pheonix, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and back to Anaheim. So I have 2 nights left and don't know where to go with it. We won't be renting a car. We would just like to experience a bit of everything and fit as much into the 8 days as possible. I have the entire trip planned except for these last 2 nights and have no idea what to do with them.

I think I'm just over reading and over analysing with the reviews... My expectations are not high though, we just want a nice comfortable place to stay and clean too :)

Inn at Venice Beach maybe ?

Santa Monica is expensive, but you can find something right in the middle of things within your budget!! Look into Embassy Apartment Hotel, Carmel Hotel, Sheraton Delfina and Holiday Inn.

In Venice, look into Cadillac Hotel. Definitely spend those two nights at the beach -- after all those days in Anaheim, in the middle of the summer, in the heat, with those crowds, you'll yearn for peace, quiet, and beach.

And weekdays are the best days for clubs and bars, much better than weekends. SM and Venice are both filled with bars, all within walking distance of hotels, and of each other.

On the south side of LAX are the three beach cities, Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo that all run together. Hermosa has the best nightlife for your age, right at a Plaza by their pier. Hermosa means Beautiful Beach and is a very safe location. Taxi cabs line up, dropping people off most nights in the summer so you could stay at a hotel in HB or another one in MB, called the Sea View Inn, which is very popular. They lend bikes, beach chairs, etc.

www.pubclub.com/losangeles/southbay.htm

http://www.seaview-inn.com/index.htm

Thanks for that info, my original thought was Hermosa Beach but my travel agent told me it's not for tourists? Should I not listen?

That is correct, you should not listen.

Perhaps there is no hotel to give her a commission in Hermosa.

It's just the place for 21 year olds in the summer!

And close to LAX if you are returning from there.

Thanks for that, I'll start looking into hotels. The websites given above were fantastic! And yep, will be returning back to LAX so perfect!!

Thanks for the help everyone!

The Cadillac Hotel in Venice is pretty cool actually. It gets hit and miss reviews on tripadvisor, but they have been remodeling recently. That way you will be also closer to all the attractions in the Los Angeles Area. Plus the hotel is not blocks from the beach, it is right ON the beach

While Hermose is nice, it is really far from anything else that would be of interest. If you just want to lay on the beach and have some drinks at the local dive bars, it will be fine/ Otherwise you will spent more time in the car than actually enjoying the area

A couple things people seem to be missing:

- Definitely don't stay in Hermosa without a car. I don't know how people are recommending that, given that detail. It'll take hours to get around LA to sightsee by buses via lots of connections. Only stay there if you're planning to only see that area and Manhattan Beach and relax

- Don't bother with travel agents. I travel constantly and have talked to plenty to know that the majority doesn't know what they're talking about. The best they can do is recommend places they have contract with, which would usually not fit your needs anyway. They're concerned with making money, not helping you figure out the best way to do things, especially now that they don't get much commission of plane tickets. You can do all the research you need yourself on the internet. www.frommers.com is a great free site. You can print details and suggested itineraries for every place you're going to.

- Now about that....Are you seriously doing all of those places in 6 days? Please tell us that this is not the case. Those place are all over, 5-14 hrs away. There is absolutely no way to see all of them. What kind of tour even offers that in 6 days? Why Phoenix? Grand Canyon can be easily seen from Vegas via an overnight trip without going all the way to Phoenix. How is this tour done? By bus? You will spend 5 of these 6 days on the bus and about 2 hrs at each destination. San Francisco is an entire city that needs 3-4 days to see. So is LA. Anaheim just has Disneyland to see - 1-2 days. Vegas takes 2 days to see. Grand Canyon 1.5 days. That's without the commuting times. You really need to reconsider your itinerary.

- Cadellac hotel in Venice is in your price range, has good reviews, and good location. If it's available, grab it. If not, you can bid on Priceline and get the Sheraton Delphina for around $150. Or the Holiday Inn for around $95. Read biddingfortravel.com to see what others won. Bid only on 3 star and up.