Los Angeles Friendship Tour

During your stay your group will be based at The Best Western Plus LA Mid-town Hotel which is conveniently located in the Mid-Wilshire district, the only way to fully experience Los Angeles.

Our Los Angeles hotel puts you right in the middle of the action. Browse the trendy boutiques at Melrose Avenue, shop at Beverly Centre or drive down to Santa Monica and take in the California beach life.

The metro station is two ‘blocks’ away from the hotel making it easy to access all of Los Angeles’ famous attractions such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Universal Studios®, Walt Disney Studio, City Center financial districts, dining and entertainment.

Come experience the great amenities and services – this hotel is your perfect home base for visiting Los Angeles and exploring the trendy Korea town neighbourhood.

Thursday: Depart on your transatlantic flight for LAX arriving late afternoon.  After you clear customs you will be met by our local representative who will take you to the van rental office where you will pick up your rental vehicles.

You have a choice of 15, 12 or 8 seater vehicles, or a combination of all three; whatever suits your groups needs.  All vehicles are automatic and come with air conditioning, AM/FM radio, CD Player,  unlimited mileage, additional drivers, full insurance and GPS navigation system.

After you pick up your vehicles you will travel to the hotel.  You will have the remainder of the day free to relax, unwind and settle in to that California lifestyle!

Friday: After breakfast the team will travel to nearby soccer fields for a light training session and then in the early evening we will arrange your first Friendship Match against a local team. This will give your squad an early opportunity to find out what it’s like to play against an American team.

Saturday: A free day to explore the local area. As you are ‘self drive’ you are free to go where you want to.

Our local representative is on hand to make some suggestions.

Sunday: Your second Friendship Match will be played today. All matches are arranged against teams of your own ability level.

Monday: Today you can enjoy all that the Disneyland® Resort Theme Parks has to offer. Magical kingdoms and fairy tales come to life before your eyes.  Discover for yourself why Disney’s enchanting Disneyland® Park is one of the happiest places on earth!  

Venice Beach: With its world famous boardwalk and beautiful beach Venice has became the “Coney Island of the Pacific,” complete with an amusement pier and a miniature steam railroad. It is one of the most popular destinations in Los Angeles for visitors and locals alike. From its days as home to Beat Generation poets and artists, Venice continues to be an important Los Angeles cultural centre.

The world famous Venice Ocean Front Walk (aka “the boardwalk”) is one of the best places in L.A. for people watching—everyone from colourful locals to visitors from around the globe. There’s something for everyone on the concrete boardwalk: on one side there are specialty shops, restaurants and uniquely designed residences, and on the other a myriad of street performers, artists, fortune tellers and much more.

Venice certainly marches to the beat of its own drum. On Saturdays and Sundays, that beat is heard loud and clear at the Venice Beach Drum Circle, an improvisational jam session that takes place on the sand where Brooks Avenue meets Ocean Front Walk. Hundreds of people from around the world gather to play their drums, shakers, congas and more, while others dance and chant. The drum circle begins around noon and lasts until sunset.

Santa Monica Pier: When you think of Santa Monica, the attraction of the Pier inevitably comes to mind. Its red and yellow Ferris wheel is a city icon. The Pier offers Pacific Park, a full service amusement park, combined with plenty of restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops, as well as an entertaining arcade. Pacific Park’s solar-powered Ferris wheel is the only one of its kind in the region. By day, marvel at the historic Looff Hippodrome Carousel or check out the street performers.

The views of Malibu and the South Bay are outstanding and make for the perfect evening when watched with a beer in hand. Stick around past sunset and you might just catch live local music to the sound of the nearby waves.

Malibu: Explore a fabled beachfront town with real star power. Stretching for more than 32 miles along the Pacific, Malibu is a beach town like no other. Hollywood stars and top athletes escape to oceanfront homes here. Considered to have some of the most perfect waves anywhere, Malibu’s Surfrider Beach was named the first World Surfing Reserve; nearby Zuma Beach is a sun magnet for locals and families. You can shop for beach fashions, and maybe even spot one of local celebs, at the Malibu Country Mart and Malibu Lumber Yard, two adjacent and upscale retail centres. There’s dining and fishing on Malibu Pier, which is a great place to watch the action at Surfrider.

Wednesday: Your final day today see’s you visit Knotts Berry Farm. Looking for California’s best theme and amusement park? Look no further than Knott’s Berry Farm. It’s Fun. Grown local and offers rides and experiences that will thrill and entertain the entire family!  The rides available here are split into three sections;

There are 12 “Thrill Rides” which include the The 52 foot high Coast Rider which will have everyone clinging to the handrails for the ultimate family coaster experience. The adventure aboard this ride gives guests the feeling of riding the California coast, but once they reach the crest, it is a harrowing journey down the 1,339 feet of track filled with hairpin turns, twists and spins.

Or maybe The new GhostRider, the longest, tallest, and fastest wooden roller coaster on the west coast, with new coaster trains that gallop over 4,500 feet of smooth new track! Looming 118 feet over historic Ghost Town, GhostRider is the largest attraction in park history and one of the longest and tallest wooden roller coasters in the world.

Brave riders enter a mysterious mine, only to be strapped into gold, silver and copper mining cars and sent along 4,533 feet of twisting timber.

There are 14 “Family Rides”, for example Bigfoot Rapids,  a thrilling, outdoor whitewater river raft ride that will bounce, toss, spin and splash you as you brave fast moving currents and dodge soaring geysers as they experience the unforgettable fun of shooting the rapids.Towering cliffs, huge boulders, cascading water falls, soaring geysers and trees, shrubs and wild flowers — all indigenous to California — combine to create an authentic setting for Bigfoot Rapids. Also why not try piloting  your own Surfside Gliders. From a height of 28 feet, these two-man aircrafts zip through the air providing a bird’s eye view of the Boardwalk area as they glide over the newly expanded Boardwalk.

There are also 12 “Kids Rides” for the younger members of your group including  Grand Sirra Scenic Railroad, a four-minute ride is a miniature replica of an actual steam locomotive similar to the one operating in Ghost Town. The beautifully decorated train takes guests on a scenic trip where they can take in the sights of Camp Snoopy® and Fiesta Village. In addition There is also Knotts Soak City, Orange County’s largest waterpark featuring the all-new seven story plunge of Shore Break to the soak and splash of Gremmie Lagoon, the slides and attractions of Knott’s Soak City are sure to please every water lover!

Thursday: Its time to drop off your rental vehicles and say goodbye to Los Angeles today as you head for the airport and your return flight back home.

We will arrange for you to play as many games as you wish during your stay. We will take care of the pitch hire and referee expenses, all you need to do is turn up and play!

Los Angeles soccer teams range from purely recreational to national championship winners, but whatever your level of play we will match you with teams of your own ability level.

We don’t book flights instead we pass your details on to a company called AVIATE GROUPS who are specialists in obtaining the best group flight prices out there. They use their experience of the market and relationships with major airlines to guarantee you the very best fares.

If you want to book your own flights you are more than welcome to do so. Below you find some of the airlines that fly Directly to LAX. If you would like us to get a quote from Aviate on your behalf please ask.

Aer Lingus from Dublin.

Air New Zealand from London-Heathrow.

American Airlines from London-Heathrow.

BA from London-Heathrow.

Norwegian Air Shuttle from London-Gatwick.

Thomas Cook Airlines from Manchester.(seasonal)

United Airlines from London-Heathrow

Virgin Atlantic from London-Heathrow plus from Manchester (seasonal)

There are many other airlines you can fly to LAX with from all over the UK that have one stop over. Here are a few examples:

From Birmingham via Amsterdam with KLM and Delta.
From Birmingham via Paris with Air France
From Birmingham via Munich with Lufthansa.

From Manchester via London-Heathrow with BA
From Manchester via London-Heathrow with American Airlines

From Edinburgh via Amsterdam with KLM
From Edinburgh via Amsterdam with Delta

From Glasgow via Dublin with BA
From Glasgow via London-Heathrow with BA

When you arrive at LAX our local representative will meet you and help you with the pick up of your hire vehicles.

We’ve found that this is the best way for groups to travel around, however if you prefer not to ‘self-drive’ we can offer private coach travel but this tends to be expensive.