I%26#39;ve been coming to Port Aransas for 15 years for a week in the summer. This year, they changed management companies and the price nearly doubled. I think it is because of the demand, as Port Aransas has been ';discovered.';
We have stayed at the Lost Colony condos for the past 5 years. (the 1-20%26#39;s) We know that everything tends to rust and decay at the beach, so we always bring hammer/nails/duct tape. We thought they would upgrade the condo decor and maintenance with the extra money. NOPE. Still the same garage sale furniture. Old, OLD food in the cabinets that has to be cleared out to put your stuff in. Garage too full of old junk to put a car in. A/C too small for unit. Blinds missing. Doors sticking. Commode running almost continuously. The gate that allows you in to the complex quit working. They advertise it with a full, queen and king bed, but there is no queen (it%26#39;s a full).
We knew it was shabby, but expected some upgrades in maintenance, etc with the 5 star price they are now charging. We were very disappointed that all they are doing is pocketing the extra money. Management is unresponsive and they sincerely do not care if you are happy. For years, their response to any maintenance issue has been that the maintenance man just quit. Oddly, he does this just before our stay!
My friends stayed in one of the units that was advertised as 2 bedrooms and a loft. It actully had only 2 bedrooms. There was no loft; only an extra twin bed in the upstairs master bedroom. One person had to drag a mattress into the livingroom for privacy. Their A/C quit working the first day. Their kitchen sink was stopped up, so they could not run the dishwasher. This was not fixed until their final day.
These maintenance issues should be addressed BEFORE someone begins their vacation. If they are not going to use the extra money to upgrade the condos, why can%26#39;t they at least use some of it to inspect them before ruining someones hard earned vacation?
I guess we will have to find a different beach. For what we paid, we could have been pampered at an exclusive resort!
Lost Colony - 5 star prices, 2 star condo
Mizscarlett, I feel your pain! I love Port A, too, and have been vacationing there all my life. I expect rustic and weathered beach facilities. However, neglect and filth are different. I had a similarly disappointing, ruined vacation, ';I don%26#39;t know if I even dare to return'; experience in June. It was that bad. I don%26#39;t know what you paid, but we paid $150./night for a weeklong stay. That was the most affordable price I could find ';on the beach';. I did not expect luxury, but I expected decent, clean accommodations. It was filthy and disgusting. I wanted to post a review on the motel%26#39;s review page, but couldn%26#39;t find one, so I just copied it in a couple of places. Please read ';Seaside Motel and Condominiums on Sandcastle Drive'; for further details. I hope you have a better experience next time. I think it%26#39;s wise to trust the collective advice on TripAdvisor in order to prevent this type of vacation disaster. Thank you for the warning!
Lost Colony - 5 star prices, 2 star condo
If you go to the ';overview'; page for port aransas, you%26#39;ll see it in the top tabs, then go halfway down the page to the reviews and post your own review. You really should do this for both places as not everyone reads the forum.
Thanks, found the proper place to post the review. I just really want to warn fellow travelers, who are spending their vacation time and hard earned dollars. It%26#39;s horrible to have your vacation spoiled!
Sorry to hear that you had a bad stay, cause that can definitely put a damper on your vacation. I suggest you check out the Sandcastle next time you plan a trip to Port Aransas. The condo are very clean and management are very nice and helpful. The condo are very close to the beach. They have a boardwalk to the beach which is real nice and all the rooms face the gulf coast. It is shaped like a
(U ) horseshoe so you get a nice view of the beach and the pool.
It is so comfortable that you feel like you are at home.
Any updates here? I am considering a condo at Lost Colony in June. I really want to be close to the water, and their front ones appear to be the closest of any I%26#39;ve seen to the beach. It would definately be a splurge and I%26#39;m looking at a 3 bedroom condo for 2!!!!
This review is making me reconsider, but I%26#39;m just not finding much that is appealing to me. I am worried about all the grundge. I would also like to be somewhat isolated and away from the crowds.
Are there any good beach houses out there that are small? $200 a night fits my budget better than $400 to $500.
gottagettomexico ... check out Starkey Property Management ... we have rented a cottage on the beach for June and I%26#39;ve gotten some positive responses concerning the way management handles things as well as the cottages themselves ... worth a shot ... can%26#39;t remember what we paid, but it was in the range you have specified ... good luck ...
am88--Thanks for trying to help! I did see some cottages at Starkey, but they are all booked. They were right on the beach and looked great! They look like the ideal laid-back beach vacation. I just don%26#39;t think many seem to be offered....
We just got back from a week stay at PA, Lost Colony. It was very expensive and we had maintenance issues from the time we walked in the door. It had a grubby worn out feel. Air conditioners didn%26#39;t work or were insufficient. There was a bucket under one bathroom sink because the faucet leaked. I kept asking if the properties were inspected before they were rented but never got a truthful answer. The location is wonderful, almost right on the beach but I felt we were ripped off. It was advertised as a 3 bedroom 4 bath with 2 car garage. There was no garage. One bay had been very poorly converted into the third bedroom, which reeked of mothballs. The other garage was closed off. There were goathead stickers everywhere, ants everywhere and even a rattlesnake. Yikes!
I just noticed Trip Advisor has a new category ';Vacation Rentals'; and says they are recommended by travelors. I looked for a way to move my post to the specific condo I am talking about, but there was no option for that. FYI, I was in 18 and my friends were in 21, and the same ';professional management'; (Ha!) company had them in 2007. I haven%26#39;t been back, but I see from a recent post, it%26#39;s the same old crap.
I agree - we stayed in Lost Colony #20 and it was not in great shape when we got there. Certainly when they are charging $3,000 a week the accommodations should be pristine, clean, and well maintained. They are definitely not putting the extra money back into the units.
At #20, the master bedroom had holes in the wall over the bed where the headboard used to be (in the photos it shows a headboard). The AC unit was too small for the house, and so the master bedroom upstairs was extremely stuffy and my husband and I ended up avoiding it, which is unfortunate because it had a great view of the beach.
My mom and sister arrived at the house before us and could not find the third bedroom - turns out that part of the garage had been converted into a tiny room with bunk beds (which were falling apart) and no working AC. Though the maintenance company did come and fix the AC, while there they found a rattlesnake right under the back porch. Not the kind of welcome we wanted.
Also, the beach is so small that when cars drive by they are literally a foot away from the people on the beach. Kind of scary. I like Port A but it would be much better if cars were kept off the beaches.
