Marina del Rey, together with Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica, boasts cooling ocean breezes and excellent air quality in a very upscale environment. Marina del Rey offers all kinds of water sports, and beautiful views of the sunset after an easy walk along the marina jetty. For the energetically inclined, a bicycle path that begins at the marina goes along the beach to the north end of Santa Monica, passing the Santa Monica Pier along the way. Bicyclers and skaters can also enjoy eight miles of almost traffic-free paved trail along the scenic Ballona Creek Trail.

The community of Playa Vista, planned to be built near Marina del Rey, should provide an expanding motion picture employment base in future. Near the marina are the very popular Santa Monica Airport for private planes and Los Angeles International Airport. LAX provides a direct and ancillary service industry employment base for surrounding communities such as Marina del Rey. Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital is located in Marina del Rey, and Washington Medical Center is nearby in Culver City.