Cheap Hotels - Disneyland

Some great fall deals are going on now as hotels and motels try to stay occupied during the school year. Here are some deals we found on hotels.com, checking out a family of four staying for a weekend (November 13-15) and desiring a place that's within a mile or two of Disneyland:

Anabella Hotel--On Katella Ave., $87/night and kids eat free at the restaurant.
Cortona Inn & Suites--$79/night, easy walk to Disneyland and free Internet.
Super 8 Motel--$53/night, two blocks from Disneyland, gets great reviews.
Best Western Raffles Inn--$72/night, about a 25% discount over summer, free Internet.
Portofino Inn--$58/night, near the Convention Center, free Internet.
Eden Rock Inn--$41/night, near Convention Center, free morning pastries.

Cheap Thrills

If you haven't gone to a Halloween Horror Night at Universal Studios, you've never been really scared. The Hilton at Universal City is offering a special that gives accommodations for two, parking, breakfast and tickets to the event on Halloween night for $349.

Cheap Drinks

It's not easy finding an affordable drink in Hollywood nowadays. But a number of spots in the Hollywood & Highland complex are offering some attractive Happy Hour specials:

The Grill--$4 draft beers, $5 house wines / well drinks, $7 Absolut Martinis and discounts on food. Monday-Friday 4:00 to 6:00.

Koji’s Sushi & Shabu Shabu-- $2 Bud Light, $3 drafts, $4 house wines/well drinks and sushi from $3-$8. Monday-Friday 5:00-8:00 and during all NFL game.

uWink--$2 lager pints, $4 cocktails and $1 food items. Monday-Friday 4:00-7:00.

The Wine Bar & Cafe--Specials on house champagne/wine and 20% off all tapas plates. Monday-Friday 4:00-7:00

Cheap Eats

If you're around downtown and you've got a taste for something unusual, it may be worth a trip to L.A.'s classic Grand Central Market (317 S. Broadway). Here you can truly find foods and flora from around the world, from Central American pupusas to Vietnamese pho. A group of four can easily get very full for under $40. And in addition, there's a 99 Cent Store in the basement if you've got any change left over.

Legally Cheap

If you're running out of things to do the next few days, think about seeing Legally Blonde at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. The "Summer Fun Pack" promotion ends on September 6, and with it you get four Mezzanine seats, four gourmet cookies and drinks for just $99. Splurge an extra $100 and they'll give you Orchestra seats.

Cheap Scenery

One area that doesn't get visited very often is the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the "pig snout" edge of land at the lower end of Santa Monica Bay. It's primarily residential, filled with palatial homes of the well to do, but there are a couple of ways the cheap can take advantage of it. Palos Verdes has some of the most stunning views on the West Coast, which is why it's worth a jaunt. You can take a picnic to Abalone Cove, which has tidepools, beaches and incredible vistas of the ocean and Catalina Island ($5 entry fee per car). And when you're in the area, head down to the Wayfarer's Chapel, a historic, all-glass structure built by Frank Lloyd Wright's son. Before going back to the hotel, stop in at the Original Red Onion, a landmark Mexican restaurant in PV for nearly 50 years.

Cheap Music

This summer on Thursday evenings, you can join a few thousand friends at the Santa Monica Pier for the annual free Twilight Dance Series. Coming up are Paul Thorn, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women August 6; Idan Raichel Project, Elijah Emanuel August 13; Social Action and Surfboards Venice, Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real August 20; Lila Downs, Very Be Careful August 27; Patti Smith and her band September 3.