Marina del Rey the Kids' Way

MARINA DEL REY — When I moved to L.A. from New York, living near a beach was a profound novelty, and I used to spend my Sunday afternoons at Temescal Canyon beach in a sand chair, reading. Twelve years later, seven of them in Pasadena and Eagle Rock, my family of four makes it to the beach twice a year, tops.

Not that we don't try: I often look for deals in Santa Barbara (as if!), San Diego or Santa Monica, but they can be hard to come by, especially this time of year. Tipped off about summer promotions offered by the Marriott chain, I found a hotel it identified as a "resort" in Marina del Rey and booked it for the Fourth of July holiday.

The hotel, between fairly busy Washington Boulevard and Admiralty Way, is across the street from Mothers Beach and row after row of fancy boats, and a reasonable walk to the ocean. My husband, Sean, and I didn't have extravagant plans: unlimited pool time, biking, beaching--just being away.

Standard rooms come with a king bed and a rollaway or with two doubles. With Devin, 8, and Susannah, 5, we needed a second full bed and, if possible, separate sleeping areas for kids and parents. I asked the reservations clerk about possibly upgrading to a suite, and she said she would make a notation on my reservation.

Our trip date rolled around, and when we arrived at 4 p.m. for check-in, no upgrade was available. But still swept up in the excitement of a hotel stay near the beach, we headed to our room on the ninth (top) floor. This began the weekend's running argument between the kids: who got to push the elevator buttons.

Though Sean and I were underwhelmed by the size and stuffy air of Room 925, Susannah, for whom any night away from home is an event, pronounced it "small but good." And the view north, encompassing the coast, would be great for that night's fireworks. (Our rate, $129 per night, was part of a "Come Out and Play" promotion that has since ended, but other promotions--including weekend "leisure rates" and specials for AAA members and American Express cardholders--were still available as of the Travel section's press time Tuesday.)

We went down to the pool and saw at once that the photo on the hotel's Web site had been shot with a wide-angle lens. The pool is barely 20 feet long, but it is comfortably heated, never gets deeper than 5 feet (perfect for kids) and is in a lovely landscaped pocket off the lobby. There's a spacious Jacuzzi and towel service as well.