The seaside community of Marina Del Rey is known as the waterfront playground of LA. It lies on the Pacific just south of Santa Monica and Venice Beach, close to LAX airport. This location with its access to the city and the coast makes Marina Del Rey a great alternative to its busier and pricier neighbours.
We chose to stay in Marina Del Rey for our last weekend in the USA after driving from Chicago to LA on Route 66. We wanted somewhere to simply relax in the sun after driving nearly every day for 3 weeks. Also, we wanted somewhere to stay with plenty of good bars and restaurants all within walking distance or a short Uber ride away. Exploring the beachside homes in Marina del Rey was a treat as well.
For our weekend break in Marina Del Rey, we also included the neighbourhoods of Santa Monica and Venice Beach which are all within very easy reach along the coastal path. After all, if you are travelling over 5000 miles from the UK why wouldn’t you want to explore the famous beaches and piers just 15 minutes up the road.
We stayed at the reasonably priced Hilton Garden Inn, well reasonably priced for LA standards. It was very close to the marina and only a 10-minute walk to Cafe Del Rey where we had dinner on the first night, highly recommended.
Marina Del Rey Farmers Market
On Saturday morning we visited the Marina Del Rey farmer’s market which runs every Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm. It’s a perfect place to get some detoxing elixir to help you get over any overindulgences from the night before.
The market also features local produce, artisan foods, handmade gifts and live music from singer-songwriters. And don’t worry, as well as the healthy food you can still buy hotdogs!
Santa Monica
After the farmers market, we decided to take the short Uber ride north to Santa Monica and then spend the rest of the day strolling back along the beachside path. Santa Monica is home to the iconic Santa Monica pier with its funfair and end of Route 66 sign.
If you have time, take a walk to downtown Santa Monica and the Third Street Promenade pedestrian mall. We always keep an eye out for film stars when we visit Santa Monica but after 4 visits we still haven’t spotted one.
Venice Beach
It’s about a 2-mile walk south to the more ‘bohemian‘ Venice Beach, although you still need a pretty large bank account to buy any of the beachfront property. Venice Beach is so recognisable with its murals, skate parks and of course, the famous muscle beach.
For the good of the watching crowds at muscle beach, I (Marcus) declined to show my athletic prowess and decided to keep my shirt on.
If the crowds and unusual characters get too much then head over to the wide sandy beaches which stretch along this part of the coast. There is plenty of room for everyone and you can imagine yourself as ‘The Hoff’ in an episode of Baywatch.
Abbot Kinney Boulevard
A few blocks inland from Venice Beach is the hipster paradise of Abbot Kinney Boulevard. This mile-long street is lined with trendy boutiques, organic cafes and farm to fork restaurants. Walking south along Abbot Kinney Boulevard leads you the short distance back to Marina Del Rey.
Marina Del Rey Cruise
Saturday night we tried a dinner cruise on the marina itself with Hornblower cruises. This was our last night before flying back to the UK and it was a relaxing way to end the day. As we boarded, we were greeted by the captain who was an interesting character and really helped to get the evening off to a good start.
Although good, the food wasn’t the highlight of our trip, you really come on a cruise like this for the experience and sailing around the bay at night was very romantic. On the lower deck, there was a DJ for those who fancied a bit of dancing.
So that was our weekend in Marina Del Rey, we found it to be a great location to base ourselves especially for exploring the cool beach neighbourhoods of Los Angeles County. It was a very relaxing 48 hours and a perfect ending to our USA road trip.
Fiona jk42
April 10, 2020 at 10:11 pmThe beaches always look tempting in Southern California, it’s such a shame that the water is so cold.