Compared to other apartment complexes nationwide, Port Royale is average and overpriced. Compared to everything else in Sierra Vista, this one is absolutely superior. Unfortunately, accommodations are horrific here as owners shamelessly take advantage of the fact that this is a military town, which means they'll always have tenants no matter how pitiful the living conditions are. OK, here are some specifics.
We have lived in Sierra Vista for 2,5 years and thoroughly researched every apartment complexes available. This place is the only one (!) that has new appliances. Not upgraded, as they advertise, very basic in fact, but new. All other apartments have some unbelievable junk that is my age or older. Here are some financial implications of this. We lived in a 650 sq ft apartment at Mountain Steppes before. Now we live in a 950 sq ft apartment (oh, yes, their apartments are the largest in town too). There were no washer and drier hookups before (almost all apartment complexes here skip this necessity), so we had to pay for their extremely lousy facility ($1.40 per load, 16-17 loads a month=$25) yet our clothes were never clean and, moreover, stunk. At Port Royale, they provide washers and driers in every apartment, so finally we enjoy clean clothes. Now, what's our electric bill' Before, living in a much smaller apartment w/t a washer and drier and using A/C very sparingly, we paid $140 a month plus $25 for laundry. Now, living in a much bigger apartment and using A/C very liberally, we pay $90 per month at most. That's the huge difference appliances can make. After all considerations, I doubt this place costs more than the previous one, while the quality of living conditions has increased dramatically.
Other good things. Port Royale has very nice looks both on the outside and inside. Lovely balconies/patios. Nice features, like the kitchen bar, mirrored closet doors in the guest room (which is great since we use it as a work-out room), tiled entries, premium linoleum, ceiling fans in the master bedroom and the living room, large bathrooms, huge walk-in closets, etc. Really, really great pool area. Picturesque views, quiet, gated location. The first night we spent here it was so unusually, almost scary, quiet after the bedlam we experienced every night at Mountain Steppes. We were adamant to get the second floor, so we never hear any noise from our neighbors. At Mountain Steppes, we were quite aware of our neighbors from above and the three adjacent walls. One of them always pounded on the wall if my wife turned on the blender in the morning. The staff is courteous and no problems with the maintenance.
Not so good things. They try to conserve water by watering the lawn only once in the morning, so not much vegetation here. What they call the state-of-the-art exercise room is a joke. The dishwasher is connected to the food disposal in such a strange way that unless you clean the disposal very thoroughly before doing the dishes, your dishes are going to have junk all over them. Also something weird about the water: you open the hot tap, but the water is cold for a while, and vice versa.
All in all, the only apartment complex is Sierra Vista where living conditions don't take a toll on your sanity.

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates