I've been here for a few weeks and so far -- so good. I was a bit worried based on a number of "bad" reports on this web site, but I haven't had any problems.

If I look out my window, I can see the pool and half-a-dozen beautiful palm trees. Having moved here from where it snows, I've got to say it is great.

Parking wasn?t as bad as I?ve read. There was only one night that it was an issue (the first night oddly enough). I went and bought a covered parking spot for $15 a month (which is pretty cheap) and now I?m guaranteed a parking spot that is mine (as well as well lit and covered). I probably could live without the spot, but for $15, who cares'

There are a lot of cool things here that they don?t tell you about. There are some annoying ones too. Overall, I?m glad I moved here. It is located in a great area (you can get to anywhere in OC pretty easily, and places like Irvine [where most tech jobs are] are so close you couldn?t even call it a commute).

The apartment is well set-up (I got the larger 1-bedroom). I like the fact that the bathroom can be accessed from both the bedroom and the hallway (I hate having guests go into the bedroom to use the bathroom. What if I have a friend spend the night on the sofa' They have to go into the bedroom to use the bathroom' No way.)

The carpet was clean, the stove was clean, and the refrigerator and dishwasher were new. Microwave was pretty new too (and powerful). I am not a big fan of electric cook tops (I?m prefer gas) ? but the unit here wasn?t half bad (heated up quickly). Even the paint scheme (outside the building) was nice. This place reminds me more of a Hilton Grand Vacation Club (resort) than an apartment.

The fact that it is gated is nice. You don?t have a bunch of idiots hanging around in their cars or cruising the lot. They only give you one remote control (to open the gates) which is pretty lame (extras are $50 [refundable]) ? but my new car has a universal remote transmitter built in to the rear-view mirror, so that was nice.

They were also smart enough to put in stepping-stones across the shortcuts (across the lawn) that people use to get between walkways (versus forcing you to either go the long way or walk on wet grass). Some cheap apartments have a well-beaten path across such shortcuts and it looks tacky. I?m glad they spent the extra $5 to do this.

Other things I liked were the built in (gas) grills next to the pool (two of them to be exact). I was going to buy a gas grill (charcoal is not legal on decks -- plus as I said, I prefer cooking with gas) but the built-in grills are about a 30-second walk from my door. You can either cook and eat there? or as one of the employees suggested? cook the food and take it back to your apartment. It felt kind of strange doing so, but many people did so. One less thing to buy. Plus, the built-in grills were big. It is the little things like these that make a difference.

As for things that were less than perfect, I too (as someone else on this site said) felt the plastic faucet (vs. metal) in the sink was a bit cheap. I also did not like the fact that there was no hose attachment. For an extra $5 you they could have used metal faucets with a built-in hose. The first few days of washing dishes was a pain in the butt, but I did find a ?Stream and Spray? swivel aerator (made by a company called Danco) at Home Depot (just down the street) for $5 ? this makes a world of difference.

I didn?t find the walls to be paper thin, but you could sometimes hear people walking. Not very often, but then again, this is an apartment building.

Being near the pool is good and bad. As I said, you?re close to the grills (and girls), and the view is nice (vs. looking at grass, or even worse, a parking lot) ? but as someone else said on this site ? the kids playing at the pool can be quite loud. During the day I don?t mind (I just turn up my radio a bit) ? but at night it is annoying. I spoke to them once so far and they said sorry. Kids will be kids I guess. I?m sure I did the same when I was 9.

Not much else I can think of on the negative side.

Oh, the area is great. The closest place to eat (literally) is In-N-Out. You have to love that. It takes about 3 to 5 minutes to walk up there and they?re open until 1:00 AM or so.

Likewise, you can walk to about 50 other stores and restaurants in 3 to 10 minutes. If you are really lazy, I guess you can drive too, but since I don?t use the apartment?s on-site gym (though I should) ? I?m happy to get the exercise. Heh.

While not all of these are places I like (though many are) they are, nonetheless, nearby: In-N-Out Burger, Souplantation, Islands Restaurant, Outback Steakhouse, Taco Bell, Inka Mamas (Peruvian), Upper Crust Pizza, Natraj's Tandoori (Indian), Rubio's Baja Grill, Philly King, Twin Dragon Chinese Restaurant, Charo Chicken and about 20 other places. For a suburban area, there is actually quite a lot here. While many are chains, there are also some good places to be found. And if you get bored, there must be 500 places to eat within a 10-mile radius.

Target and Home Depot are both nearby ? as is a big scary WalMart (doesn?t seem to fit into the Orange County lifestyle, but sure enough, it is there) and some other things like a large move theater and a bunch of banks.

What else' A mini-storage place is nearby as are a bunch of gas stations and car wash places (it is amazing how well of a job they do for a mere $10. Where I used to live, they did a crappy job for $15).

The local parks are great? and the views in the area are fabulous. Believe it or not, Foothill Ranch is about 1,000-feet above sea level. Pretty high up for Orange County. If you look to the East, you will see the beautiful Saddleback mountain peaks (I think Foothill Ranch is actually part of the base of the Santa Ana mountains ? hence the name ?Foothill?). And if you look to the West, you?re actually looking down on the rest of Orange County, which is pretty spectacular in its own right. You can see Irvine, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and the Pacific Ocean very easily. On a clear day you can even see Long Beach and Catalina Island.

Lastly, the surrounding areas are great. Irvine has some of the best places to eat and shop if you like Japanese, Chinese, and Korean food. I?ve always been a big fan of Asian food (eating and cooking), so that was a big plus for me. There is this chain called ?99 Ranch? that sells stuff that I normally could only buy when on business trips to Asia. That is what I like about this area, its really ethnically diverse. Where I used to live, it was, well, different (in a bad way). Thank gosh for Southern California.

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