Regent's Park bills itself as a "luxury" apartment community, and the rents are accordingly quite high. This is a joke; there is nothing luxurious about these apartments. That said, it is a passable place to live, and VERY convenient to Metro. So, if you'd like Regent's Park or not probably just depends on your priorities.
The good news:
* I've never seen any roaches or other "scary" bugs in my apartment.
* Staff is very friendly.
* The pools are quite nice when they're open.
* The grounds are neat and well-tended.
* The Pan Am Shopping Plaza is very convenient, less than half a mile away, with Safeway, CVS, several banks, Starbucks and a ton of restaurants.
* Ample parking for residents and visitors - just don't forget your parking pass, because they DO tow!
* Noise isn't a particular problem. Aside from a very occasional barking dog or neighbors giggling through the hallway after a night at the bar, this place is pretty quiet.
* Maintenance is fast. They can't always fix your problem, but they at least show up quickly and they're friendly.
* They don't harass you about putting stuff on your balcony. Good thing, too, since the apartments are very small and don't have much storage space.
* If you do have kids here, they'll go to great schools. Considering how expensive it is to buy property in these school districts, that's a really nice break.
The bad news:
* Like I said, these are NOT luxury apartments, even though the rents are very high. You get the cheapest quality, industrial beige carpeting that isn't even installed properly. The kitchen appliances are quite worn and dated. The cheap countertops are always peeling and the linoleum comes off the kitchen floor in big chunks. That's a lovely look when you have guests :) The walls are cracked, and the windows are *insanely* drafty. You'll spend a lot of money on heat here in the winter. These apartments are serviceable, to be fair. They're not dilapidated or anything. But for what you pay the quality is surprisingly shoddy.
* The fitness room is tiny and the treadmills are ancient.
* The smell. I can't speak for any other building, but there is a STENCH on the first floor of my building that just sets my hair on end. It follows you right up the stairs. This may not be management's fault, of course - maybe some slovenly tenant lives down there and never cleans up after his cat, or something - but it hardly gives you that "happy to be home" feeling when you walk in the front door. Ventilation is poor overall, and if your neighbors have any strong smells in their apartments (cigarettes, pungent cooking, a whole lot of perfume) you will smell them, too.
* Security is a big problem. A couple of months ago, a very serious Memo went out to all the tenants: there had been some apartment break-ins, and everyone should be very careful to lock their doors, have renter's insurance, keep tabs on their valuables, etc. Well, that very same day - I kid you not - I discovered one of the exterior doors to my building was broken. And it took them over TWO WEEKS to fix it! During that time, *anyone* could have walked into my building! Then, just the other day I found a different broken door on this building. Sigh. I don't think this is a particularly dangerous area, but still. Break-ins do happen here. For what you pay, a secure building is not too much to ask for. In my opinion, keeping the door locks in good shape is management's absolute #1 priority, but Regent's Park hasn't really proven up to the task. In addition, my bike was stolen from the bike rack in the covered parking area, and I know 3 other people to whom this has also happened, even though we all had the sense to lock our bikes up. This is why many tenants feel like they have no choice but to keep their bikes on their balconies.
* The recycling bins are tiny and *always* overflowing. Which gets kind of nasty.
* This just isn't a very pleasant place to live. Look, if you're just out of college and you basically need somewhere near Metro to sleep and store your stuff - if you spend all your time at work and out with your friends - this place will definitely do the trick. In fact, you'll probably like it, if you can afford it. But as a *home,* it kind of lacks. Other than Metro and the Pan Am Shopping Center (which is convenient, but still...it's a strip mall, it's not Tyson's, you know') there is nothing really walkable from here. If you go one direction, you bump into I-66, which is highly unpleasant. Just try to walk along there, you'll be dodging car bumpers and dead deer! (These are real examples I've encountered, by the way.) Go in the other direction, and the sidewalks magically all disappear on you, and then you hit the shopping centers of Fairfax Circle - which are dirty and smelly and unpleasant. It's just not a nice area to live in, unless, like I said, you pretty much just come here to sleep.
* Okay, this is petty, but it has to be said. REGENT'S PARK IS NOT IN VIENNA! Many of the company's advertising materials claim they are in Vienna. I guess it sounds classier than "Fairfax." But the Vienna town line is on the other side of 66. It's very close by, but this is still technically Fairfax. Yes, you're next to the Vienna/Fairfax Metro station, but you're on the Fairfax side of that line, not the Vienna side! This doesn't impact you in any real way, but it annoys me nonetheless. I don't like it that they lie to prospective tenants like that.
The bottom line is that I can rent a single family house in a beautiful neighborhood 10 minutes away in Fairfax City for what I pay for this entirely unimpressive, poorly built, tiny apartment. However, if access to Metro is a huge priority in my life, then it might really be worth it. You can get more living space, and better living space for your money - but you would not be able to get it right next door to Metro.
I wouldn't warn anyone away from here - I've lived in truly bad apartments before, and this place is not one of them - but I didn't renew my lease, either.

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