The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey

This Ritz-Carlton property sits directly on the marina, eight kilometres from Los Angeles International Airport and three from Venice Beach — practical for arrivals, and a straightforward base for the coast. The outdoor pool has a sun-lounger terrace looking out over the water, with a poolside restaurant alongside. The main restaurant serves Californian cuisine with Pacific Ocean views; a lounge occupies the lobby.

Rooms have private balconies, polished wood furnishings, and LCD televisions. The fitness centre is large for a hotel of this kind, with eucalyptus steam rooms and a full suite of Precor cardio machines. Guests can rent bicycles at the property; the flat coastal path running between the marina and Venice Beach is the most direct route to use them.

The property sits between the airport and central Los Angeles. Melrose Avenue is roughly twenty-four kilometres away and Universal Studios Hollywood roughly thirty-seven. For guests whose main interest is the water, the marina and the beach path begin at the hotel's edge.