Allow me to chime in for a thought or two...

If this is your first trip to LA I would recommend spending more time here and less in the Palm Springs area. However if you plan to spend only one night in LA at the start of the trip consider spending the night either at the Best Western in Beverly Hills (which is right next to a ferrari/maserati dealer) or there is a Ramada Inn in Marina Del Rey. Both places would offer you nice places to walk around, a wide variety of dining experiences and more of what people come to LA to see. The reality is that there is very little to see and do in Downtown LA and you will be driving far and in heavy traffic to see anything.

The Marriott in Marina Del Rey has rooms available for about $250/night which seems kind of high to me. Perhaps you could negotiate a better deal than that with them. The Best Western in Beverly Hills is advertising rooms at $169/night for the night of the 26th. I checked the web site and there is also a Best Western in Marina Del Rey. I have never been inside that place so I can't comment on how nice it is but they have rooms for $139/night. It is in a good location for walking around and has a number of good restaurants in close walking distance.

As I have been typing this it occurred to me that there is a Sheraton at Universal Studios City Walk. That is a very pleasant hotel which has rooms at $169/night (with an Auto Club discount - just reserve it...they wont ask for proof of memberhsip). Take their free shuttle from the hotel to Universal City Walk. While there you have a wide variety of dining choices, shopping, people watching, movies and my personal favorite...the NASCAR experience. That also puts you about 30 minutes closer to Palm Springs the next day.

I totally agree with PNG that you should hire your car at the airport. It will save you a ton of money. Public transportation in LA is a joke and the stuff that is worth seeing is very spread out.

I also agree with PNG that a night in Pasadena might be pleasant. Old town is a nice place to walk around with abundant great food. I can recommend the Westin and the Sheraton there, although both are about $200/night. You might be able to negotiate a better rate with those guys.

Depending on what your flight schedule back home is you might want to consider spending the night before you fly home at a hotel near LAX. Return your rental car the day before you leave and take the hotel's shuttle the very short distance to the airport. That will buy you some less stress on the day you leave and could reduce your transit time home by as much as an hour.

FWIW the Best Western Palm Desert Resort is offering rooms at $98/night for the nights you would be staying there.

I hope this helps!

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