Stay in Santa Monica or Marina Del Rey or somewhere else?
 

We looking to stay somewhere near LAX for a stopover in September travelling from the UK on route to/from Tahiti. We think we would like to stay in either Santa Monica or Marina Del Rey and would prefer not to hire a car on this occasion. We enjoy shopping, eating and just wandering around.

What are the pros and cons of each location or should we stay somewhere else? Any suggestions for hotel around $150 - $200 a night would be welcome.

You can easily stay at Marina del Rey, and just take a cab from LAX. It's not that far from LAX. There's a Ritz Carlton at Marina del Rey, which is expensive. Also a Marriott Courtyard, which is nice enough and within your budget. We usually pay about $169 for a double at the Courtyard.
You can walk around the Marina and there are plenty of restaurants there.
:)>-

uktravelover-
This thread may have some of the answers you are seeking:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35105196

I recommend staying at Redondo Beach. A 15 minute cab ride from LAX. Nice restaurants both on the pier and in downtown Redondo. First choice hotel is the Crown Plaza. Walking distance to the pier and the beach. Downtown Redondo has nice shops. A long, but safe walk from the Crown Plaza. The Crown Plaza has a shuttle you can probably talk into dropping you downtown. I like Kincaid's restaurant on the pier.

Thanks for the suggestions. We might look at staying at one location on the outbound trip and somewhere different on the way back.