For most families, the best place to stay in Los Angeles is the San Fernando Valley side of the city, close to Universal Studios Hollywood and the studios, with a private house or inn that has a kitchen and a pool rather than a hotel room everyone has to share. The beaches and Anaheim each make sense for one specific kind of trip, but if your plans mix theme parks, Hollywood and a few lazy afternoons, the Valley puts you in the middle. Here at The Enchanted Manor in Valley Village, 4.9 miles from Universal, our guests tell us the same thing every summer: the hardest part of their LA trip was getting the kids out of the pool.
Start with what your family actually wants to do
Los Angeles is not one city so much as a string of them, and the distances between the famous places are real. Before you compare neighborhoods, write down the three or four things your family would be sad to miss. The answer usually points straight at a part of town.
- Universal Studios, studio tours and the Hollywood Sign point you to the Valley and the Hollywood Hills. Universal City, Burbank, Studio City and Valley Village are all within a short drive of each other.
- Beach days, the pier and bike paths point you to Santa Monica and Venice on the west side.
- Disneyland points you to Anaheim, which is a separate city in Orange County and a long drive from almost everything else on this list.
- Museums, Griffith Observatory and the zoo sit between Hollywood and the Valley, and work well from either side.
If two or more of those bullets are on your list, you want a central base rather than a perfect one. That is where the Valley earns its keep.
The four areas families usually choose
Valley Village, Studio City and Burbank
This is the quiet, residential side of the hills, and it is where most of the film and television industry actually goes to work. The streets are leafy, the houses have yards, and you are minutes from the 101 freeway. From here Universal Studios Hollywood is a short hop, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank is a little further, and Hollywood itself is on the other side of the Cahuenga Pass. The Metro B Line runs from North Hollywood and Universal City down into Hollywood and Downtown, which is a useful trick for families who would rather not park on Hollywood Boulevard. Hollywood Burbank Airport is small and calm, and if you can fly into it instead of LAX you will thank yourself at the end of a long travel day.
Hollywood and West Hollywood
Staying on the Hollywood side means you can walk to the Walk of Fame, the Chinese Theatre and the Dolby Theatre, and Griffith Park is close. The trade-off is that central Hollywood is busy, parking is expensive, and hotel rooms are small for the price.
Santa Monica and Venice
If the beach is the point of the trip, stay by the beach. Santa Monica has a wide sand beach, the pier, a beachfront bike path and a walkable downtown. Venice is livelier and quirkier a short ride south. The catch is distance: from the beach, Universal Studios and the studios are a serious cross-town drive, and Disneyland is further still. Choose the west side if you are happy to spend most days near the water and treat the rest of LA as one or two excursions.
Anaheim
Anaheim exists for Disneyland, and if you are doing two or three park days it is sensible to sleep there for those nights. It is not, however, a good base for seeing Los Angeles. Many families split the trip: a few nights in Anaheim for the parks, then a few nights in the Valley or near the beach for everything else.
Hotel room or vacation rental?
With one child and a short stay, a hotel can be fine. With two or more children, or a stay of three nights or longer, a house or private inn almost always wins, for reasons that have little to do with the price per night.
- Space to spread out. Children go to bed earlier than parents. A separate sleeping area means you are not sitting in the dark at 8pm whispering.
- A kitchen. Breakfast at home, snacks on hand and the odd simple dinner save money and, more importantly, save the meltdown that comes from a hungry child in a restaurant queue.
- Laundry. Theme parks and beaches produce an astonishing amount of damp, sandy clothing. A washer and dryer let you pack half as much.
- A private pool. In Los Angeles, a pool is not a luxury. It is the thing that turns a tiring day of driving and queuing into a holiday.
- Parking. Hotels in Hollywood and on the west side often charge nightly for parking. A house on a quiet street does not.
We wrote a longer comparison in our guide to family friendly places to stay in Los Angeles, but the short version is this: the more children you bring, the more a private place pays for itself.
The Inn at The Enchanted Manor: a family base in Valley Village
We are at 5235 Goodland Avenue in Valley Village, on a quiet cul-de-sac minutes from the 101 and 405 freeways, with the LA River running behind the house. Georgia, who owns the manor and lives on the property, spent 25 years turning her home into the storybook place you see today, with a brick path, a stone archway and large arched wooden doors at the front. Her motto has not changed in all that time: "They come as strangers and leave as friends."
The Inn is our private vacation rental on the grounds. It has a large living room with a fireplace and two down couches, a queen Murphy bed with a plush mattress, and a full kitchen with a fridge, stove, oven, microwave, blender and coffee maker. Coffee and tea are provided. The octagonal breakfast room has French windows on every side and two skylights, and looks straight out onto the pool and the outdoor fireplace, which makes it the nicest place in the house to plan the day over cereal.
For families, the details that matter most are these:
- Room for up to 6 guests. The Secret Room is a finished attic hidden behind a bookcase with 4 twin beds, reached by a ladder. Older children find it the best part of the house. It is not for very young kids, the elderly or very tall adults. The Great Room, with its stone fireplace, adds another 1,000 square feet. With both opened the Inn sleeps 6.
- Baby and toddler kit. A crib, a high chair, toys and games are already here, so you can leave yours at home.
- Laundry, Wi-Fi, AC and ceiling fans, plus premium cable and a DVD library for the evenings.
- A children's playhouse in the garden that is a mini version of the main house, with two twin beds, a fireplace and cable TV.
One of our guests, Malaya G., put it better than we can: "My kids didn't want to get out of the pool. They loved the secret room behind the book case."
The grounds: why families stop leaving
The grounds cover more than 18,000 square feet. The centerpiece is a saltwater lagoon pool built like a grotto, with three waterfalls and no harsh chemicals, and a raised Jacuzzi beside it. Both the pool and the spa light up in a choice of nine colors after dark, which is the single most requested feature from every child who has ever stayed with us. There is a thatched gazebo bar with a refrigerator, sink and barbecue, a lava-rock fire pit, a tri-level deck, an outdoor shower and a private patio with an outdoor fireplace, plush couches and a second BBQ. At night, fairy lights in the trees make the garden feel, as Georgia likes to say, like walking in dappled moonlight.
Nerio R. summed up a pattern we see often: "Because of the beauty of the Enchanted Manor, we spent most of our time in the property itself." Andrew W. added, "It was hard to believe it was actually Los Angeles." For parents, the practical result is that a day with nothing planned is not a wasted day. It is the day everyone remembers.
A few house notes so there are no surprises: the Jacuzzi is open from 9am to 11pm, we ask for quiet after 10pm out of respect for the neighbors on the cul-de-sac, pool heating is optional at $10 per hour, and the pool is not fenced from the garden, so small children need the same supervision you would give them at any private pool.
Family days out from Valley Village
These are our actual driving distances from the front door, so you can plan honestly:
| Destination | Distance |
|---|---|
| Universal Studios Hollywood | 4.9 miles |
| Hollywood Sign | 7.2 miles |
| Warner Bros. Studio Tour | 7.4 miles |
| LA Zoo | 8.3 miles |
| Griffith Park | 11 miles |
| Santa Monica Beach | 19 miles |
| Venice Beach | 19.5 miles |
| Six Flags Magic Mountain | 26 miles |
| Disneyland | 37 miles |
Universal is close enough that you can be back in the pool by mid-afternoon on a hot day and return for the evening if you like; our Universal Studios Hollywood tips post covers how we would plan that day. The zoo and Griffith Park make a gentle second day. The beach is a real outing, so give it a full day and leave early. Disneyland from here is a long drive each way, which is exactly why we suggest sleeping in Anaheim for park nights if you are doing more than one.
What a family stay costs
We would rather you see the numbers before you enquire. The Inn is $575 per night Monday to Thursday and $595 Friday to Sunday, with a 2-night minimum. The base rate covers 2 guests, and each additional guest is $50 per person per night. The Secret Room and the Great Room are $100 per night each. There is a $185 cleaning fee, a $190 admin fee and a $300 refundable deposit. Pets are $85 by prior agreement. Check-in is after 3pm and check-out is at 11am, the booking guest must be at least 21, and bookings are non-refundable once made, so do check your dates before you confirm. There is an alarm in the rental and exterior cameras on the grounds only.
If you add up a family of four in two hotel rooms, nightly parking and three restaurant meals a day, a private inn with a kitchen and a pool often comes out close, and the holiday itself is not comparable.
Planning a celebration while you are here?
Many of our families come to LA for a reason: a grandparent's milestone birthday, a reunion, a baby shower or a small wedding. The manor is first and foremost an event venue, hosting celebrations for up to 100 guests on the grounds, with your own caterer and your own drinks. If your family trip has a party in the middle of it, see our events page, and ask Georgia about combining the two.
Check your dates
If the Valley sounds like your family's kind of base, have a look at the Inn and the photos of the grounds, then call or text Georgia on (213) 999-3050 or email stuntlady@me.com with your dates and the ages of your children. She will tell you honestly whether the Secret Room suits your crew, and what the pool will be doing while you are here.
Frequently asked questions
How many people can stay at the Inn at The Enchanted Manor?
The Inn sleeps up to 6 guests when the Secret Room and the Great Room are both opened. The base rate covers 2 guests and each additional guest is $50 per night.
Is the Inn suitable for young children?
Yes. We provide a crib, a high chair, toys and games, and there is a children's playhouse on the grounds. The Secret Room is reached by a ladder, so it is not for very young kids; little ones sleep in the main rooms with you.
How far is the Inn from Universal Studios Hollywood?
Universal Studios Hollywood is 4.9 miles away by road. Warner Bros. Studio Tour is 7.4 miles, the Hollywood Sign 7.2 miles and the LA Zoo 8.3 miles.
What does the Inn cost per night?
Rates are $575 per night Monday to Thursday and $595 Friday to Sunday, with a 2-night minimum. The Secret Room and Great Room are $100 per night each, and there is a $185 cleaning fee, a $190 admin fee and a $300 refundable deposit.
Can we use the pool and Jacuzzi during our stay?
Yes. The saltwater grotto pool and raised Jacuzzi are part of your stay. The Jacuzzi is available from 9am to 11pm, pool heating is optional at $10 per hour, and we ask for quiet after 10pm.
