We usually fly into SBA (Santa Barbara airport) to avoid LA traffic and the chaos of a large international airport. It is about 35 miles away...however, Santa Barbara may not work for everyone, as it is a smaller airport. If you can plan to spend some time in Santa Barbara, it will be worth your while. It is very quaint city, that looks like a European seaside town. Also, LAX is only an hour or so away, depending on traffic of course. We recommend renting a car to be able to get to many destinations near by the home. If the PCH is open (check with your local traffic ), then we highly recommend taking this highway (Pacific Coast Highway) from LAX, where you will see beautiful coastal views and drive through famous beach towns.