Esprit Marina del Rey

I have been living at Esprit since 2013 and I can’t see myself living somewhere else. I used to live at a studio, now upgraded to 1 bedroom panorama. I don’t think, where I live can get better than this. Front desk people are awesome! Debby, Diane and Ashley are very kind and helpful! Maintanance people are very fast and hardworking people. Some people mentioned here before that the walls are thin. I really don’t think that the walls are thin here. I play my baby grand all day long and nobody complains or I don’t here any disturbing parties or voices. Some people, they don’t clean up after their pets but Esprit can’t do anything about it other than warning the residents. What can they do? Give them a credit! I think it’s an amazing management. They throw parties a few times in a year, such as Christmas party, 4^th of July party, Resident Appreciation Day — Wine and Cheese. They offer so many treats for free. Such as Starbucks coffees and all kind of teas at their lobby. Amazing gym (full cycling studio, yoga and boot camp included), free wifi, free bikes, free paddle-​boards and free kayaks! Additionally, as a resident, we can reserve the movie theatre, massage room and business center for free! Really? What else they can offer to satisfy us? Maybe they can lower their prices a bit more, but it’s all worth it!!!

We dock here. No complaints! Kandi, Jose and Briana are good people.
Other boaters are pretty awesome too.

I moved into Esprit October 2010, I’m still living here and very happily. I cannot say more my time here speaks for how nice it truly is.

I love The Esprit. The people who work here are terrific. They are very friendly and go out of their way to be helpful. Leilani and Debi who work in the lobby are fantastic. Leilani went above and beyond recently to help me out with an issue. Debi always has a smile and remembers my apartment number from memory! (there are hundreds of apartments here) and Robert who heads up maintenance is always fast, friendly and helpful.

I lived in the Esprit for 12 months. I was going through a divorce and moved from Hancock Park to be closer to my friends. I was really excited about a new beginning, the beautiful property and the location. That excitement was short lived…
When I was touring the property the sales woman was great but shortly after I moved in I realized that most of the questions I asked her she told me what I wanted to hear rather than the truth… the old bait and switch. I was SO upset.
My number one priority was parking for my guests and I made that really clear when I was touring. 2 weeks after I moved in I invited 10 friends over for dinner and that is when I learned the only guest parking was under the main building and I was in Bldg 1. The call box for them to reach me is located on the passsenger side of the vehicle so they had to get out of their cars to call me, really odd. Once inside the garage and parked they had to call me to come get them because there was no door out (there is an elevator to the lobby that requires a FOB but the lobby was closed at that time anyways). So I went down 10 times (in the middle of cooking) to let people in. After dinner when my guests went to leave I was called from the garage. They were stuck inside, no motion detector on the gate. So I went down 10 times in the middle of entertaining my other guests to let people out. Needless to say that was the last time I had a dinner party and my friends preferred having me over rather than dealing with the hassle which was upsetting.
When I moved out (because my rent was being raised over $ 300) I emailed the Esprit office to find out approx how long it would take to get my deposit, or part of my deposit back. I was met with a bill for $ 2200 dollars in cleaning fees. TWENTY TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!
I own a furniture store and am a designer. I take a lot of pride in my personal space and kept it pristine. I painted the walls and my unit was carpeted so I expected a paint fee and a steam cleaning fee. Most of the high traffic areas in my unit were covered in flatweave carpets over the wall to wall so there was very little wear. I tried to negotiate this bill with them and rather then talk to me they sent a lawyer after me. I was HORRIFIED and left with no choice but to pay.
I not only can’t recommend Esprit but I truly believe they are crooks. They have a great property in many ways but kicking off my stay by outright lying to me about parking was really upsetting and charging me $ 2200 in move out fee’s on an apartment that sustained below average wear and tear should be illegal.
When I told the sales woman who I signed the lease with that I was moving she had less than pleasant things to say about the property and told me I was making a smart move. Very telling to say the least…

I love living at Esprit and frankly, we never want to move. My BF lived here for 2 years before we moved in together and then we moved into a larger unit together almost a year ago. We looked at every other complex on the marina (and some off) that were pet-​friendly and had A/​C and W/​D in-​unit and Esprit is far and away the best value.
We have free bike, paddleboard and kayak rentals, a huge pool overlooking the marina with lots of pool furniture, a fire pit, TVs and a grilling area, hot tubs in every building with another fire pit table, a renovated gym, racquetball court, saunas, massage rooms, pet potty patches outside each building, and ample guest parking. Seriously, it’s awesome. Every apartment has a marina view, the walls are pretty thick as far as apartments go, and resident services and night security are great at toning down any noisy neighbors.
The only downsides of the complex is the layouts have crazy angles which is sometimes inconvenient (ours is great!), the prices are really high (but you’re right on the marina, so what do you expect?), and the people in leasing services are pretty terrible at follow-​up. But all-​in-​all, I love Esprit! And Debbie in resident services is AWESOME!

Be aware before you consider a lease at the Esprit. It’s a nice complex, but it is in the middle of a massive construction zone. The Esprit itself has been under construction for seven months with no end in sight. The Villa Del Mar complex (which occupies the entire east side of the street) has just launched a complete remodel and has shut down part of street and public promenade. Tenants at the Esprit just received notices from the City of LA that they will be digging up the Marquesas Way for the final phase of a water line replacement project. My car is covered in dust at all times. It is difficult to navigate, made worse when delivery and moving trucks block the street. The rental staff does not disclose these projects.

I signed for a third year lease because I have a hard time justifying other locations in Marina Del Rey and Santa Monica. It is a nice place to call home!
Pros:
–the views, the boats, it’s on the water.
–It is very clean, bright, white. They do a very good job of keeping it clean.
–fairly priced for the rest of Marina Del Rey. In my opinion the location can not be beat.
–dog friendly, dogs are everywhere
−24÷7 gym comes in handy in a pinch
–it is quiet. I have no idea why people complain about noise. I sleep with my glass door wide open.
–hot tubs are everywhere and clean, and there are fire-​pits next to each of them
–pool and pool deck are clean and pleasant. Sometimes it feels like a Las Vegas day spa! I love watching planes coming and going from LAX.
–free Starbucks coffee 7 days a week is pretty awesome
–the promenade is nice for walks, views.
–covered and gated parking
–closets the size of small bedrooms A+
–nice appliances, d/​w, washer/​dryer in every unit, outside deck
–maintenance is prompt to anything that goes wrong in your unit.
Cons:
–the only reason I can’t give it 5 stars is because you can’t really walk to anything.
–carpets are kinda cheap but not a deal breaker.
–dog parks smell heavily of urine. I hold my breath walking by!
–fire alarms randomly going off. It is rare, but it happens.
–it is a maze. I’ve lived here for over 2 years and I still get lost. It is part of the charm I suppose.
–the gym is in the basement with no windows. If they put it upstairs overlooking the Marina, more people would use it. 90 or 100 pound dumbbells would be a great addition! wink

Came back after 2 years as a guest. Still beautiful but sadly seems to be turning into a police state with rules and limitations over and over, like ID controls at the pool!
I am not sure if I would move back under these conditions even though they did very nice remodeling at the lounge area and upscaled the apartments with hardwood floors.

Long overdue review…
I’ve been living @ Esprit since 2010 and would definitely recommend it.
If you want to live on the water away from the beach bums then come on down. Most of the residents are biz professionals or yacht owners zipping in/​out. The vibe isn’t snobby LA– it’s relaxed LA.
We all know MDR is expensive and Esprit is no exception. But I do believe you get something for your $. Can’t find another spot where you can live on the water with your pooch– have access to the marina (my paddleboard & kayak are right on the dock) — mingle with good mix of people — large patio options with huge windows showcasing the marina.
I have not had a bad experience with the walls being thin (previous posts). I do know that every bldg is a bit different but definitely don’t think it’s any different than another apt.
The staff is quite friendly and the maintenance crew is amazing! They are always working on the property– beautifying in some way. I do agree that there are some dog owners that are irresponsible and don’t clean after their animals but most of us are more respectful.
The only negative would be the layout and lack of signage for the property. it is not convenient for guests. In fact many residents still get lost. They are adding more signs so I’m hoping this will get solved soon. And they have been doing upgrades so it seems they are looking to ensure the property stays premier.
Overall I would suggest checking it out but only if you want to enjoy glorious sunsets with the sea lions and herons :)

This place, though not inexpensive by any means, has it’s pros and cons.
Before you move in, just make sure you make a list of everything that you want changed or done. Most likely, the staff and management will do their best to get things just the way you want them. And for the people complaining of the noise, just try to make sure that the position of your apartment has as few shared walls as possible. My place when I close the windows is super quiet.
On the down side — there is absolutely not enough maintenance staff for a property and community this size! Especially since they permit dogs! They clean up all nicey nice just before the property owners make an inspection, and one falsely thinks, they hired more people and are actually finally taking care of the place at the level they are charging us for. But sadly, it’s not true!
I HOPE THE NEW OWNERS OF THE BUILDING READ THIS. Because I get the impression the new owners are really trying to make a nicer community. Yet for some reason, the property managers totally don’t allocate enough budget for cleaning staff, and only put on temps to spruce up the environs before the owners walk through.
Also — SECURITY is terrible. No cameras in the resident gated garage, and repeated bike thefts have been rampant, yet management does not care enough to do anything about it!
Re the smoke detector complaint on here — yes, sometimes the smoke detectors go off for no reason in the halls all night. Have earplugs handy!
So what’s the biggest draw for me? The ocean vibes and views, the boat docks, and sea lions barking at night. I’ll put up with the negatives for a little nature!

Been living in Esprit for a few months now and can sum up the experience as a great looking place with very cheap build for the money and a poor value overall. The place looks great with many hotel like amenities, is right on the water, and I have a hot tub I can hop into at the end of the day right outside my patio. The concierge staff have been great when I see them (rarely due to lay out of the place). I enjoy walking along the dock and views of the boats from my two level apartment. Pretty spacious apartment with two parking spots.
All that being said, for the amount of money the Esprit charges I have certain expectations. 1) That I not be able to hear my neighbor beside me when he watches TV (at a reasonable volume mind you). 2) that I not hear my upstairs neighbors EVERY time they run around, fall down, play basketball, or wtf they are doing. 3) I have nice finishes and carpet. It’s as if they built the place, ran out of money on the interior build, so skimped on everything including dry wall, sound proofing, carpet, cabinets, finishes. the carpet is not nice, like cheaper than the cheapest choice at Home Depot. The tub and shower is cheap. Closet finishes cheap (painted wood pole to hold your clothes… because i love having white pain flakes on my clothes when i move around my hangers). I know builders, and man Esprit chose the cheapest material around. Sub par for the price. Also, it takes about 5 minutes for the water to warm up in the morning for a shower. At the price point people ($ 4,500), you should cater a bit to the people you are targeting.
The place is also a maze. each section looks identical, so it may take a while to get used to that. You’re not having dejavu, you’ve just reached the next building. And beware of any grass area, people let their dogs $hit everywhere and don’t pick up. Come on dog owners, you’re giving other owners a bad name… I didn’t ask you to get a dog so don’t ask me and my kids to hop around your dog’s $hits.
They do cater to corp housing folks, hence why there may be some comments on more transient folks.
Pros: Great location on the water, great amenities (gym, heated pool, several hot tubs in common areas, racquet ball, movie room), great concierges (Debbie is awesome), great for boaters, and walking/​biking distance to many areas.
Cons: Thin walls, cheap & poor quality finishings and carpet, people don’t pick up after dogs, and over all a poor value for the money.

The views are great. They offer $ 8 AMC Gold movie tickets. You can reserve a massage room and give/​get a massage. Unfortunately, I think it’s overrated and over-​priced. There were many things we were told prior to move-​in that have not materialized.
Bikes — they say they have beach cruisers available for use. I’ve never been able to use one. They’re either not available or missing. The concierge desk couldn’t even tell me who had the bike or when it was due back even though there is supposedly a 24 hour return policy. They claim they’re getting more but I got fed up and bought my own. They provide a bike storage room.
Fitness Center — does not have WiFi even though they said it did before we moved in. Tenants keep this place a mess. The water in counter area is usually warm or old. The apples they put in the water go brown. I bring my own water.
Maintenance — first week we moved in and had quite a few issues. We called Resident Services and did not hear back for DAYS! Unheard of. When they did finally send someone, they were not able to fix the toilet issue. They sent another guy and he did a better job, but it’s still not fixed. Bottom line is they use cheap toilets, and they do not flush properly. Our washer/​dryer broke and they wanted me to wait over the weekend to have it fixed. I told the maintenance guy that’s unacceptable, and he begrudgingly agreed to swap it out with one from an empty unit. Our front door lock is loose. They came to fix it and basically said that’s as good as it gets. The hot water takes over 2 minutes to warm up before you can take a shower or wash your face at the sink. What a waste of our resources. Whenever you call for maintenance they don’t call back. You have to call multiple times. Bad customer service IMO.
Resident Services/​Concierge — it’s hit and miss depending on who you get and what the issue is. Their follow up is average at best and competency level is sub par, outside of Winona. They have too many available email addresses to contact, and they don’t check some of the email boxes. They may not even return your voicemail! At times I feel like I’m inconveniencing them, when they are there to assist residents! I specifically asked them to notify me of package arrival on Christmas Eve as I was expecting an important gift for my boyfriend. They were closing at 3pm and called me a few minutes before 3, leaving me a message the package had arrived. I called back immediately, left a message, and ran to the office. At 3:04p the lady was on her way out, and had the nerve to say out loud to other people/​employees in the lobby, «why isn’t the front door locked?» Really?! She had her purse in hand ready to roll out, and had to go in the back office to get my package. She did not appear happy about it at all.
Residents — pet owners need to do a better job taking care of the place. Someone also threw up in the elevator the other day. I feel sorry for the grounds crew.
I have not experienced the thin walls or rowdy neighbors. Maybe we just have good neighbors.
I would say it’s very unlikely we will renew our lease. The location is great but not worth the hefty price tag, poor service by the maintenance staff, and sub-​par concierge service. I expect more when I pay for «luxury.»

Reading these reviews now after we have lived here for 9 months couldnt be more true, which is sad considering how amazing the views of harbor are. The carpets, dog poo, paper thin walls and transients are as bad as advertised. Not to mention there are no security cameras here so when there are thefts or accidents in the garage there is nothing that management can or is willing to do. My car has been hit 2x in the parking lot by the same person which theyve done nothing about. His car doesnt even fit into his space. Add in that the people living here either sublet or airbnb their places and you have a revolving door of people living here. From a lady who lets her cat roam the courtyard to the people seemingly living as hoarders out of their car this is the furthest thing from luxury living. I wont get into the noise which is intollerable, seeming like people are coming through your ceiling and walls at all hours of the night. Throw in the old people complex which they dont tell you about (probably legally) and it has the feelings of a senior center.
Kudos to the maintenance staff and the groundskeepers for diligently picking up after these people. Thats the only plus i can really think of outside of the view. All of the «amenities» they offer upon moving in include bikes are a complete sham. They claim that they are all broken or stolen but they are «ordering more».
Stay away by all means, especially for the outrageous price. We will be moving out asap!

Unfortunately my last review was taken down by Unilocal.Therefore I am re-​posting this. I don’t know what caused my initial review to be taken down. I am a current resident in Esprit and such review should be relevant for Unilocal.Let’s see, if my post will appear again.

My husband, our 2 fur babies & I lived at Esprit for a total of 18 months. We were enticed by the beautiful buildings and amenities, magnificent views, proximity to Venice and Mother’s Beach, proximity to great restaurants, & their dog friendly policy. Everything seemed perfect for us.
But then we moved in… :\
I wish I would have read the Unilocal reviews before we signed the lease. Everyone’s complaints about super thin walls, loud parties, overly sensitive smoke detectors, theft, foul carpets, irresponsible pet owners who do not pick up after their pets, etc are all unfortunately too true.
I felt schizophrenic living there because I was never able to get a good night’s sleep due to the all the noise coming from outside the apartment and the disrespectful neighbors who moved in above us 4 months into our lease. These awful neighbors would play fetch with their dogs from 9pm-​midnight every night. It was like stampede every. single. night… to the point of knocking pictures off our walls! We asked them to stop repeatedly. They told us to do anatomically impossible things with ourselves. So we had to get management involved. Unfortunately, management only gave them a warning and allowed these jerks to torment us for the rest of our stay.
If we knew that we would be in LA for a long period of time, we would have moved in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, we didn’t know how long my husband’s work contract would last there. So we stayed.
I do have to give credit to the Esprit maintenance staff and grounds crew. They worked very hard to keep the buildings and grounds in tip top shape. Whenever we had to put in a work request for anything in our unit, it was taken care of right away. They also had to add pooper scooper to their long list of responsibilities. Made me upset whenever I’d see them having to clean up after entitled, irresponsible pet owners.
It’s too bad I can’t recommend Esprit. The location and views are spectacular. But for the price (about $ 2,500-$ 13,500), I don’t think you get what you pay for here.

I moved into Esprit about two months ago. At first it was bliss: I had a beautiful view, hot tub right outside my door, it was great. However, as I got settled in, I began to notice all the poor qualities of the building. The walls are paper thin. I can hear my neighbor’s television on a regular basis. I think there must be children living or regularly visiting above me because it always sounds like someone is running around or bouncing a ball. Outside, in the courtyard, parents/​grandparents/​aunts/​uncles, whomever they may be, bring their children down first thing on Saturday and Sunday mornings to play. They roller skate, bounce balls, ride bicycles, splash and scream. While I appreciate the need for children to run around and play, this is not the place to be doing it. Take your kids to the park or the pool where there aren’t apartments 6 inches away! The countertops, which seem to be made of some sort of laminate, retain oil and grease. You can wipe, scrub but it won’t come out. The tiles they used in the kitchens and bathrooms are of incredibly poor quality and trap dirt and grime and no amount of swiffering will get it out. The carpets are a living nightmare. Who puts beige carpet in a rental unit? You’ll never be able to keep it clean. But that’s the point, then they can charge you an arm and a leg for cleaning fees when you leave. The shower/​tub combination is some sort of plastic cover, made to look like tile, and it traps the pigments from my color-​depositing conditioner, essentially staining the plastic cover. I had to change out my faucets because they were so gross, grimy, and leaked. The shades they have installed do nothing to block out any light in the early mornings and the company the recommend charges ridiculously amounts in order to get blackout shades installed. The «stainless steel appliances» are definitely not real. They look like an HGTV hack I saw where they stuck panels of stainless steel on black appliances. There is a fly problem: they come up through the garbage and down into the open air courtyards and slip into the apartments. They’re a living nightmare. The water takes at least 15 minutes to heat up to a reasonable temperature to shower in. The people who work at the main office have lost packages on numerous occasions. One was a box that contained a chair, it was massive, and somehow they managed to lose it. And when I insisted that they had, and the delivery company confirmed that they had signed for it, they simply denied it and refused to take responsibility. When I went to the woman I worked with on my lease to ask about the terms and potentially breaking it she immediately became incredibly helpful and responsive. However, they should act like that all the time! The only pros to Esprit are the views of the Marina and the short commute time to LMU and LAX. However, Playa Vista has an even shorter commute time and many of the apartments there are much nicer. It is also incredibly overpriced for the area and the amenities they offer. Avoid Esprit.

Dear All
The Administration Dept. of Esprit came to our rescue and promptly returned our Hold Deposit Money. Cheers to the upper level management of Esprit
Ciao

This place is horrible. It is a bait and switch. The staff is very cordial and supportive when you are perspective. When touring the grounds they look great. THEN you move in. Staff is virtually non-​existent, the place is very poorly built, they have a theft and security problem.
The tennants are mostly transient and therefor do not care about the place. They treat it like a garbage can. You can’t cook in your apartment without setting off alarms. The place is dirty, carpets are gross, mold
If you are transient this is the place for you. If you want to live like a human being. this is not the place for you.

I am usually not one to rate on Unilocal,I prefer to read the reviews and kind of leave it at that. However, I lived at the Esprit for a fairly short amount of time and it was definitely long enough… Do not misunderstand, the location is absolutely beautiful — the grounds are well-​kept and the view of the marina is great! Here comes the «but» — the Esprit staff and tenants leave much to be desired.
Like I said, I only resided there for a short time (approx. 3 months) but was rarely greeted in a nice manner by the staff upon entering the Office. Very moody. I had a person at the desk roll their eyes at me when I asked about using the computer lab (I then asked if they had something in their eye… she was not amused). There is a specific staff member who is very labile in his service to the residents — one day he is very helpful, the next I felt as though I was inconveniencing him. Please note: I am not the type of person to complain about a leaky faucet (I’ll fix it myself) or the exact time that I would like the buildings newspaper delivered. I would like to think I’m fairly easygoing.
The apartment that I resided in had damage from the previous tenants — upon moving in, management was aware of the misc. damages and stated that they would note them in my file. Strangely enough I was billed for all said damages on my way out. When I called to speak with management regarding this matter — they were unavailable and a voice mail was left. Five days passed without a return phone call… needless to say, the management took over two weeks to sort out the paperwork and fix the charges.
We had a package accidentally delivered to the wrong tenant (patient-​specific eye glasses sent from Japan) and the tenant then tried to keep them (they were really nice glasses, I must say). I had to get Management involved and they were little to no help. Long story short, I got the glasses back — but due to my own tenacity.
The carpet in these apartments is foul. Cannot be cleaned even with the company that they promote for cleaning. Ick. Walls are paper-​thin, the lady above our unit had an exciting personal life, or so I heard (again and again).
The grounds are beautiful, but often littered with dog poop. There are many irresponsible dog owners who refuse to pickup after their pooch… even though the apartment provides poo-​bags. Granted, the promenade by the marina is public — but I have seen the same people leave their dog doo-​doo (after looking to see if anyone is watching and stealthily walking away, of course).
Also, there are many residents that I have spoke with that moved into the same building that I am in now (all were living at the Esprit as temporary housing while it was being built). Interestingly enough, all have very similar complaints — this makes me feel better about writing a poor review.
Hey, at least there’s a great view.
Oh! And I cannot forget about the free (or, pseudo-​free, as I’m sure it is included somewhere in our rent amount) Starbucks coffee every morning, it’s delish.

My husband and I have happily lived at Esprit for over a year. We absolutely LOVE it! The apartments have the most beautiful views of the Marina and the building amenities are incredible. The staff is very friendly and they’re extremely accommodating. The apartments are super luxurious and they’re very spacious. We have amazing neighbors that we’re close friends with. We feel lucky to live in such a great community. :)

I’ve lived here over a year now and I LOVE it! What a view… what amenities… what a great place to live!