Mariposa at Playa del Rey Apartments — Attraction in Los Angeles

I've lived at Mariposa for three years and I've truly enjoyed my time here. Unfortunately, I've taken a job in another city and can't stay longer.

Apartments: The apartments are very spacious for the size and I love the upgraded appliances. I only had one "issue" since moving in with the hot water heater and the maintenance staff quickly resolved it. The complex switched to a keyless entry and I wasn't a fan right away, especially since the battery on my lock would drain ridiculously fast, but eventually I actually preferred it. I could open my door from phone and I could create a temporary code for visitors. The layouts of the apartments make sense and although I lived alone, my two-bedroom could easily make great roommate accommodations.

Amenities: The resort styled pool is amazing in the summer. I'm not a fan of how some residents will layout towels early in the morning to save a seat, but that's not the complex's fault. The hot tub is very relaxing and I think I used that more than pool. In my opinion, the gym is pretty standard for an apartment complex. It's perfect for a quick workout when you don't feel like driving to the gym. There's a terrace above the gym that is nice in the summer. I've sat out there on occasion when I worked from home to get some sunshine. I think the best amenity is Food Truck Wednesday. This was really impressive to my visitors. Different food trucks park right in front of the leasing office and sell food to the residents. It's pretty cool.

Location: You can't beat Mariposa's location. Five minutes from the airport, walking distance to the beach, and plenty of restaurants and convenience stores nearby. When I first moved in, Pershing Dr. was littered with campers but they moved the along and now it's really nice.

Security: There was a brief stint when people were getting their cars broken into and packages were stolen, but I really felt like the response was quick and appropriate by the management team. They placed a guard in the garage and encouraged people to pick up their packages sooner than later. I never had an issue with security and always felt safe in my home.

Cost: It is pricey! However, when you consider the location, amenities, size of the apartments, and appliances, it actually not that bad. They are luxury apartments, so a luxury price comes with it!

Leasing Staff: I won't lie, this is where Mariposa really shines in my opinion. I don't have the unreasonable expectation that I become best friends with the leasing staff. They all have jobs to do and I'm one of several hundred residents. Having said that, I always felt welcomed when I came into the office with a question or concern. Jennifer, the manager, is very kind and accommodating. I never really chatted with her or anything, but when it came to addressing my issues, she was always very professional. Denia has a great personality and was always warm when she saw me in the office or on the property. She always greeted me by name and I really appreciated that. Markesha is great too! She is very thorough and has followed up with me on more than one occasion when I had an issue. Jose and Ignacio from the serviced team are great guys who are always very professional.

I'm sad to leave Mariposa but I'm glad I had the experience. I highly recommend this complex to anyone who wants an upscale...

We lived here for 2 years, having only recently moved out to be closer to family. Overall we had an excellent experience at Mariposa, and would highly recommend it. See below for highlights and some things to keep in mind

The highlights: The units are well designed and comfortable, with many high end features (keyless entry, Nest climate control, etc) and good quality appliances. I don't get the reviewers that don't view this as a luxury complex... it most certainly is by any realistic standard. This is a very dog friendly place. If you have a dog, I couldn't recommend it enough. The dog run is as big as any dog park I have seen in Southern California, and is perfect for a more active dog that loves playing fetch and running around. It also rarely gets crowded, and quite often you'll have it all to yourself if you go at off hours. The other amenities such as the pool and gym are kept in good shape and also rarely get too crowded, save for the pool on peak summer weekends (think July 4th, LDW etc). This is in contrast to many large complexes where I have seen the pool be in terrible shape or the jacuzzi to be closed constantly. They also just did a pool/jacuzzi renovation project, so would assume that this will not be happening again for a long time. Markesha in the leasing office is professional, courteous, and responsive, and I would definitely recommend working with her in particular. She is awesome. Building management hosts events every now and then with catering and drinks, and there is a weekly food truck that comes by. We only started going to these later into our time at Mariposa and regret it, as they are quite fun. Rents are very solid for what is an excellent neighborhood. Playa del Rey is a very friendly place, and can be great for young families, couples, singles, etc; we met all types of people of all ages living in the building and all of them seemed happy. There's something for everybody here, and it is truly a unique community in the middle of a big city. Parking lot is large and easy to maneuver, and there are plenty of guest spots at least in our building. Overall, parking in the area is great as well, again, unusual for a beach city in LA.

That said, this is a large apartment complex, which can come with large apartment complex problems like the following: By far, my biggest complaint of living here was the fire alarms. They seem to go off every ~3-6 months, and are extremely loud, far louder than any that I have ever heard before. While not something that happens nightly, it can definitely be a bit anxiety triggering when it occurs especially if you have a young child. You hear lots of complaints of packages getting stolen, though I don't recall it having happened to us and it is a VERY small % of the packages that get delivered daily. Amazon drivers also routinely drop packages in front of the mailboxes despite being explicitly told to deliver to the unit directly. Security seems to be somewhat lackluster (I never saw the on-call guard, despite walking my dog often at late night hours), though again, we never had issues with theft, homeless people, or anything like that.

Ultimately, we had an incredible time living at Mariposa and despite some modest imperfections, would highly recommend...

HORRIBLE!! I never write reviews, so this is how appalled I am with Mariposa and hopefully someone will get this warning. Over $3,000 a month for a small one bedroom on the top floor. No view or anything. If your unit faces west, you deal with the motorhomes running generators all night. If you face east, there is a huge yellow wall and the dog park, so barking dogs or people yelling at their dogs to stop barking. If you face north, you get like zero natural sunlight. The only decent side is south facing, however you face LAX, so planes. Laminate cupboards are peeling. Elevator was broke down for a month, so carrying groceries and such, up 4 flights of stairs. Several times the fire alarms went off in the middle of the night, for no reason. Every door for the stairwells slam VERY hard and actually rattle the walls. The drain for the AC condensation is over the tub and drips rusty water into the tub, stains it orange and drips on you while taking a shower. The water also quickly develops this nasty black gooey mildew that clogs the faucets. Someone broke my lock to my truck trying to break in, in the "gated and guarded" parking garage. They said there is nothing they could do because there is only one security camera that only faces the elevator. They have issues with mail getting stolen and 3 times my paycheck went missing. You live right next to LAX also, so hearing planes take off every minute. When they perform a move out inspection, they will say the apartment needs to be cleaned, even if you hire a professional cleaning company to clean every inch, just to keep your deposit. After reading the bad reviews, I am not going to bother bringing in a cleaning company because I am confident I will not see my deposit back, even if I leave it better than I moved in. I purposely didn't hang anything on the wall to not have holes, but I am sure they will charge paint. When I moved in, the carpet was musky and smelled of pets. They probably charged the previous tenant carpet replacement and did not replace it. There are some tenants that will leave trash bags outside their door because they are too lazy to walk to the garbage chute. Not my definition of "luxury". If you need to break the lease, even in an emergency situation, they will charge 2 months rent, on top of what you owe for that month, so breaking the lease is gonna cost upwards of $9k. I gave them 20 days notice to vacate, instead of the "required" 30, and they are charging me $1,500 for "insufficient notice", on top of 21 days worth of rent (vacating on 21st). If you pay your rent even a day or two late, they charge a late fee of like over $100, while most places give a grace period. Please be aware of this ABSOLUTE RIP OFF!! I actually found a place in Long Beach for $1,000 less for a 2 bedroom with a view. I noticed most of the good reviews are for maintenance, which I will admit is pretty good and quick. It is someone's job to write replies to these reviews saying how "sorry" they are for a bad experience. All lies! They aren't sorry and they absolutely DO NOT CARE about you.....