El Segundo's DoubleTree

El Segundo tops few dream destination lists, but many travelers will find their way there. Its proximity to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) makes it the gateway to Los Angeles, Hollywood, the South Bay, Disneyland, Temecula Wine Country and surrounding regions.

El Segundo received its name as the site of Standard Oil's second west coast refinery (¿Comprende?).  The refinery, which now operates under the Chevron brand name, is a powerful economic engine and supports many community activities, including schoool sports and academics as well as arts and music events like Manhattan Beach Concerts in the Park.

El Segundo has a pleasant downtown area with bars and restaurants, none of which have ocean views.  Nearby Dockweiler Beach is popular with locals and also hosts RVs. The fire rings at Dockweiler set it apart from some of its more famous neighbors, drawing teens and young adults for weenie roasts and s'mores parties. It's the kind of place I would have gone with my guitar on summer evenings at that age.

El Segundo's DoubleTree by Hilton caters to people flying in and out of LAX with a complimentary shuttle bus.

If you want 6-star property perfection, this is not the best choice, but when Julie and I recently stayed here on a Sunday night while our house was being tented in preparation for close of escrow, we found a warm, welcoming staff and comfortable accommodations.

At the front desk, we were each handed warm chocolate chip cookies.  We don't eat many cookies these days, but I think DoubleTree's treats would stand up well against most challengers, especially if you like your milk chocolate chips melted into what seems like a chocolate filling.

Our room probably hadn't been renovated for a few years, but it was clean and well-designed, with a great flatscreen TV and ample cable channels.  I have to give them a strike for an internet surcharge, but we decided to just use our smart phones without hooking into their network, and that worked fine, both in the room and the restaurant.

We obviously are familiar with the area and could have gone to any of our favorite restaurants, but we opted to go down stairs to the East Grand Bar and Grille on site for their extended happy hour between 4 PM and 9 PM.  I ordered a local draft beer, for which the bartender might have substituted Shocktop, if my tastebuds don't deceive me, and the first attempt at Julie's rum and diet came in as a rum and Coke, which they replaced without incident.  Otherwise, the drinks were good.

We shared an order of chicken tacos off the appetizer menu, and they were delicious.  The guacamole was spicy, not a bland green paste that you might expect from a chain hotel.  In fact, the tacos were so peppery that Julie was done after one, leaving the other two for me.  Now it may be due to the fact that we were coming off a weekend in San Diego where we ate huge meals, but this split appetizer plus one drink each left us sated for under $13 plus tip.  Not a bad deal at all.

The air conditioner in our room was noisy, and the sliding bathroom door, apparently ignored in the last remodel, made slipping into the restroom a noisy event, but we slept well overall.

The next morning, we headed down for the buffet, which was a $10 add-on ($5 per person) to the cheapest advance purchase rate.  It was terrific. 

Chunks of fresh watermelon, canteloupe, honeydew and pineapple were all sweet, as was the banana I took from the bowl of whole fruits.  From great bread choices, I tried some kind of delicious bran and fruit muffin plus some banana bread.  For our entrees, our waiter delivered made-to-order omelets that were terrific.  Having enjoyed the tacos the previous evening, I asked for salsa on the side of my Denver omelette, and I had no hesitation dousing my eggs with the fire roasted salsa.  With large goblets of orange juice and rich roasted coffee, we gave breakfast two thumbs way up.

We chose the DoubleTree partly because Julie's office is across the street, so after breakfast I walked her to work under the morning sunshine.

If you're flying out of LAX to catch a cruise or other extended vacation, you might look into their park and fly program. Better service leads to better trips!