Is Marina Del Rey a good Idea?

Hey Guys, I will be in the LA area this weekend with my BF , We wanted to do some touristy stuff and shopping, but I was going to pick a hotel in the Marina Del Rey area, Is that a good idea. We would be renting a car as well. Also any suggestions on Hotels in the area at a pretty descent price range.

Is Marina Del Rey a good Idea?

Marina Del Rey is a nice area, a little off the beaten path though. If you have a car you should be able to get around easy although the traffic around Licoln Blvd can be a mess

If you are looking for touristy things to do aka Hollywood/Beverly Hills/Santa Monica you will spent a lot of time driving. If that is ok with you, Marina Del Rey will be fine

Otherwise i would look into Santa Monica and Hollywood which are more conviniently located, plus you can walk around at night to various restaurants or bars

Is Marina Del Rey a good Idea?

I will let the area experts address what hotels they would suggest. I will only offer the warning... though it looks tempting due to price and location, do not stay at the Marina Del Rey Hotel. It is a total dump. Read the TA reviews!

Marina is more affordable, and that makes it enticing. but as Alex says, you%26#39;ll spend much of your vacation in your car.

However, it is close to Venice restaurants, bars, and some great shops (Abbot Kinney, Main Street, Washington Blvd, lots of great restaurants off of Pacific...).

If you just want to spend the weekend at the beach and in Venice and Santa Monica, it%26#39;s a perfectly good location. Your money will go much further, too.

Really? What was your experience there as i would never have considered Marina Del Rey to be a ';dump';

I think that person was refering to that specific hotel in MDR to be a dump.

OP, what price range do you consider decent? Marina del Rey is relatively quiet and residential, but it does have many restaurants and parks right there. It%26#39;s definitely quiet at night. It%26#39;s a 10-15 minute drive to Santa Monica and a 5-10 minute drive to Venice. Traffic in the area has gotten a bit worse since they build a lot of new housing, but it%26#39;s really not bad outside of rush hour, i.e. if you avoid driving 7-10am and 4-7pm, it%26#39;s perfectly fine. If you want an area that is more touristy and lively at night, Santa Monica would be better if you want to close to the ocean. If you%26#39;re planning to spend a lot of time in Hollywood/West Hollywood and going out at night in those areas, it%26#39;s probably best to stay there. Beverly Hills is sort of in between Santa Monica and Hollywood areas, and it%26#39;s nice with many restaurants and shopping as well, but it%26#39;s pretty dead at night.

SmartCooki is correct. It is only the Marina Del Rey Hotel that I consider to be a dump. It is sad because the location is incredible and with a ';little love'; it could be an amazing place. I have stayed there twice out of necessity and granted the last time was 2 years ago. There was mold, paint peeling in the shower and broken light fixtures. The brightest spot was the wonderful shuttle van driver who was a total doll. Have they done renovations? I didn%26#39;t expect The Four Seasons for the price I paid but it was pretty bad.

Thanks for the input, i was somehow worried that you considered the area a dump. Glad you did not feel that way. I am sorry about you hotelexperience, I am sure there are plenty of hotels you could choose from in the same area the next time that would satisfy you a lot more

I have to agree with Mrsbab, the Marina Del Rey Hotl is a dump. I was by there yesterday and was not impressed. How about reasonably priced Hotels in The Santa Monica Area?

There%26#39;s really no such thing as a ';reasonably priced'; hotel in Santa Monica. This is an area where even the Travelodge is about $180/night, and it%26#39;s a pretty awful motel.

Hotel Carmel gets mixed reviews here, Cal Mar suites is well located, you%26#39;d have to read the reviews and see the pictures to see if it%26#39;s for you. That%26#39;s about it for ';reasonable';

I should add: Ambrose is well reviewed, and very reasonable, but it%26#39;s not in ';downtown'; Santa Monica, but on the outskirts, at 20th and Wilshire. You can easily use it as a base, but it%26#39;s not at the beach, or the Promenade. There are two Best Westerns, one is far from everything, one get%26#39;s so-so reviews but is well-located - Ocean View Best Western.