Dolphin Marina had pretty crappy e-reviews when I moved into it back in 2003. I moved into DM despite the poor reviews because I couldn't find a 1BR with 1000 sq. ft. anywhere else in LA with a wet bar and huge balcony...let alone only a few blocks from the beach and being surrounded by million-dollar yachts all day long. I lived in Dolphin Marina for 3 1/2 years (just moved to East Coast for work-related reasons). Had I not moved, I probably would've stayed at Dolphin Marina for the indefinite future. It is by no means the perfect place to live, but the good outweighs the bad.

The Good - Location, location, location. DM is surrounded on three sides by water, is only a 5 minute walk from Mother's Beach and a 10 minute jog to Venice Beach. It's right in the middle of everything that's great about LA. Unlike the rest of LA, there's virtually no traffic in Marina Del Rey (except for Lincoln Blvd.), and Route 90 (the "Marina Del Rey Freeway") will get you from your front door to the 405 in under 10 minutes. DM sits at the end of the Panay Way cul-de-sac. It appears that most of the people complaining about DM on this site had outside-facing apartment near the street. I lived in the San Remo building (the 2nd building in from the street) and I had an inside-facing apartment, and I never heard any cars or smelled anything funky. The pool is very large and I've never felt that there were too many people using it. Same goes for the jacuzzi/sauna/weightroom/fitness room. The neighbors I've met are all very friendly and intelligent people. Lots of dog/cat lovers in the building, so if you like animals, you'll make friends easily.


The Bad - Occasionally an inconsiderate neighbor would blast their music (sometimes late at night) and it could be heard throughout the complex (the inside-facing apartments create an echo chamber), but I'd usually place a call to the management in the front office and they'd send a security guard to the apartment that was making all the noise and tell them to turn down their music. In my second year living there, one of my screen doors to the patio got warped and fell off its track. I put in a work order for maintenance to fix it, and they never got around to it. But in all fairness, I've put in many other work orders (for bathroom vanity lights that burnt out, for a toilet paper roll holder that fell off the wall, and to get rid of a wasp's nest that decided to perch itself in my BBQ grill...and the maintenance crew found a way to fix my problems within 48-72 hours...so I'm willing to forgive this one oversight). The elevator in my building was broken for like three weeks one time (it worked sporadically, on and off) but after enough people complained, they finally called the vendor and got it fixed for good (at least until I left the building). Yeah, it kind of sucks that they force tenants to use DirecTV and RedWire Broadband internet service, and I even protested a few times to their (clearly illegal) exclusivity contracts...but if you just suck it up and deal with it, the service is good and works well.

All in all, while living in DM wasn't "paradise", it came as close to it as any other good building I've lived at. No place really is really paradise, despite what buildings might advertise. The size of the apartment, combined with the amenities DM offers and its central location to the beach/marina make it a wonderful place to live. My wife and I enjoyed our three years there, and if we ever make our way back to the west coast, would consider living there again.

And for those of you claiming that the rents are too high, get with the program! It's 2007. The rental market in Marina Del Rey is vastly DE-flated compared to other areas of the country (especially NYC and surrounding areas of Connecticut and New Jersey). I paid $1875/month for my 1BR with 1000 sq. feet. The same apartment with the same amenities in Hoboken, New Jersey will cost me $3200 /month, and my new Hoboken apartment doesn't even offer 70-degree Winters or a few blocks proximity to a beautiful beach (as DM did).

DM comes highly recommended.

User Responses
From: HappytobeontheWestCoast	Date: 10/06/2009
I'm with you. You have to experience living outside of CA to appreciate it. Thanks, I think I will be very happy at DM.

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