The playground at Marina del Rey Mother's Beach is beautifully framed by a healthy row of red geraniums. The beach appears empty in this photograph but the location is quite busy, especially in the summer, on weekends and holidays.

Sitting next to the 10-story hotel, Marriott Marina Beach, this is the perfect spot for a kids vacation. Give the kids  some colorful plastic buckets and shovels, sand, water (visible in the picture), and the playground and you may satisfy the children for hours. Just don't let them get burned with too much sand.

Located on Admiralty Way, this protected bay also provides kayak rental facilities and is the launch point for kayaks. The bay is a perfect location to learn to kayak or windsurf. It also features several volleyball nets with sand court play for locals and tourists to enjoy. Southern California is a hotbed of volleyball activity with some of the Olympic volleyball greats training and growing up on these sandy beaches and in the gyms locally.

Marina del Rey's playground and sand courts are located near many high rise condominiums, the largest manmade marina in the US and dining and shops. We consider this spot a great weekend getaway for those seeking a convenient location near Hollywood, Disneyland and best of all, the Los Angeles International Airport. Many families and single guests have chosen Marina del Rey as a tourist  home-base because they can to and from the airport in short order.

While you may opt for a visit to Santa Monica beaches, you can easily stay in Marina del Rey and ride bicycles or blades to Pacific Park. It is not recommended with small children, however, as the beach path trek is several miles. There's pay parking on the Santa Monica Pier, where you'll find a Looff Carousel (a classic) that kids will enjoy immensely.

Where to stay in Marina del Rey depends on your budget and tastes. However, there are plenty of great Marina Del Rey Hotels  to select.