I read the reviews prior to moving in, and was quite hesitant to go through with it. I feel I have pretty high expectations for an apartment, since there are so many things that are not in your control(parking, neighbors, noise, maintenance...) But... after comparing prices from nearly all the apartments in the area, this place seemed to have the best combination of price and location, which are also huge factors in San Diego. I'm not sure who pays the advertised price, you have to be pretty desperate and really like the place not to wait for a "special", which if anyone has been apartment shopping, they know it happens nearly every month.
I took a look at several apartment sizes and locations, and I really think you have to find something that feels right for you within the complex. I ended up choosing the smallest floor plan, and I was very worried about fitting 2 people into 560 sq ft, or however much it is. We had to make some concessions, like only having the couch, and not the chair or love-seat, and for a table, you either need to find something small and folding at Ikea (4 person max) or if you don't need anything too luxurious (After all, you're in an apartment) you can get a card table and spend money on a nice tablecloth.
As far as the amenities inside the place goes, again, you have to choose what's right for you. The renovations in the place look great in the kitchen, the rest of the house looks pretty normal apartment looking, but you can tell that some places the work is pretty crappy. Make sure you're satisfied with the work they did on getting the apartment ready before you accept the place, but I think this should be pretty obvious.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my decision. I'm surprised that I don't miss the extra space of my last place (2 BR,2 BA 1250 sqft), and you can get pretty creative with where to put stuff. Although it forces me to stay organized and efficient, which I know for some people is not easy. The balconies are larger than most apartments, and if you pick the right place, you can get a decent view, which is nice.
Sometimes I have to park a little far (2 minute walk) but if I'm just coming from work it's no big deal. You have to be conscious about which car you take when getting the groceries, otherwise plan on burning a few calories. Oh, and also... if you have a truck that is made for pulling a home or working on a farm, you should probably decide to either buy a home and pull it around on your truck, work on a farm, or sell the truck because you live in an apartment, and you live in San Diego, and if you think about it, you probably don't really need it. I have a medium sized car, some parking spaces are made for compact, and some are for medium, but none are really for larger than a full size pickup.

User Responses
From: MKRrenter7707	Date: 01/28/2009
Yes. The actual apartments are nice and the kitchen renovations are pretty good. We lived in the largest one bedroom floor plan and paid well below asking price. We had a large balcony with an AWESOME view but lived on the 3rd story so it was a trade off. My only qualm about Carmel Landing is the parking. I have a medium sized car and got more dings, scratches and dents in my car during the one year we lived there then in the six years that I owned the car before moving in. My husbands truck was broken into. Our assigned parking spot could barely fit 2 motorcycles side-by-side (yes we did try). We were never able to park close to the apartment. And groceries? I highly suggest you invest in something on wheels because after a while you will go insane at just the thought of going grocery shopping. And yes it is possible to find a place the accomodates trucks. The place we live in now has so much parking my husband could park his truck sideways across 3 spots and no one would care. Also there is a difference between a full-size truck and a truck you would see on a farm or pulling a mobile home. I don't know what prejudice you have against people in trucks but you have no idea what a stranger needs and what he doesn't need. And some people don't buy homes in California because they are over-priced and too hard to sell. But back to the apartment, I didn't think this place was that bad (in fact I liked it) the first six months or so that I was there, but eventually you will get tired of it and the front office and/or maintenance will tick you off so badly you'll seriously consider breaking your lease.
From: Anonymous	Date: 01/28/2009
Sorry, you are right about the difference between full size and even larger trucks (Duallies, and trucks with mud Bogging Tires). I fixed the post because full size trucks barely fit, I see it a lot here. I just don't see the point in having anything larger when you live in San Diego. I still see the utility in having a truck if you are able/need to use it for the intended purpose though.

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