A short shortlist for the two places we still need to pick: our San Diego home base, and the Hollywood stop. Nothing is booked yet, so this is for you to weigh in on.
The convention nights (Jul 23 to 25) are already sorted at the Carte Hotel downtown, with a shuttle to the convention center. These two choices cover the rest of the trip. The first couple of days in San Diego are kept gentle on purpose, so you can settle in after the flight from Helsinki.
It's the best of both worlds for us: right in the middle of everything (dinner, the waterfront, Little Italy all on foot), a proper suite that comfortably sleeps all three of us once Haseeb arrives, and a small kitchen. It's also the cheapest of the central options and earns hotel points we already have, so it stretches the budget the furthest.
Your Little Italy studio is lovely and the one Airbnb that's properly walkable and central, so it keeps the location we want. The honest trade-offs: it's about $650 more than the Residence Inn, and as a studio it's cosy for three once Haseeb is in. If the Airbnb feel matters more than the extra cost and space, this is the one.
Your other three finds (Mt. Helix, Tranquil Cabin, the Loft Cabin) are genuinely beautiful and the most restful, with near-perfect ratings. The catch is location: they're a 15 to 20 minute drive out, so ride costs climb and we'd be away from the downtown buzz. Worth it only if we'd rather have peace and quiet than be central. (Two of them also don't have firm prices or open dates for our nights yet.)
It puts us right where the Hollywood things are: walkable to the Walk of Fame and only about five minutes from Universal Studios. It's also the best value of the LA options, which leaves more room for the fun stuff.
If we feel like treating ourselves for the Hollywood leg, this is the nicer, more spacious hotel, right on the Walk of Fame. Same great location, just a step up in comfort for about $220 more.
There's also citizenM downtown, a very stylish design hotel, but it adds 15 to 20 minutes to every Hollywood stop, so I'd skip it for this trip.