I've lived at Apple Blossom for a few years and while it's not the newest apartment complex, it's still suitable for a small family just starting out or a couple in early retirement. It's a relatively quiet complex.



The apartment complex was built in the 70s, so some of the fixtures are old. Items like stoves, refrigerators and AC units are replaced as needed, so there's quite a mix over the complex. Apartments are equipped with heat pumps for your heat and AC - no worries about pilot lights going out. The apartment to apartment noise is weird - you can frequently hear the person in the apartment above or below you (not good for CIA operatives or terrorists), but the guy next to you can have the music relatively loud before you hear it (unless you have a huge sub-woofer).



The apartments are spacious compared to others I've been in. You can't have washers or dryers in your apartment, but there is a set in each building on the first floor.



Apartments come in 1 or 2-bedroom and only have 1 bathroom. The master bedrooms have walk-in closets. They are the same square footage, but the one bedrooms have a huge living room. You have to pay your electric, phone, water and cable yourself.



THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE COMPLEX:



The resident manager is nice and tries to get things repaired as soon as they can be. She's pretty easy to reach unlike bigger complexes. The maintenance man is off-site, so you can't expect them to be there in 5 minutes, but they usually try to get him out there by the evening if something urgent has to be taken care of. She has a set of professional companies (plumbing, electric, rug, etc.) she works with if the situation warrants.



The complex is near the old Linkhorn Elementary School on Laskin, so it's relatively close to the beach. Hilltop Shopping Complex is within walking distance, which includes the Super K-Mart, Big Lots, Target, Kroger, Fresh Market, Blockbuster and the post office. There's a great chinese buffet in the K-Mart shopping center and all of the traditional fast food places (McDonalds, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Chic-a-Fila, KFC, Dairy Queen, Panera Bread, Schlotzky's and Sonic). We also have an Outback Steakhouse and Applebees. The Harris Teeter at the beach also has a good selection of prepared foods if you don't feel like cooking. The Heritage Store (organic food) is also down Laskin at the oceanfront (the Kroger has a good selection of organic food as well). Virginia Beach General Hospital is down the street from the KFC. There is a summer trolley that stops on the service road, but you have to walk down the road a little ways to get there. The main bus stops are at the Hilltop complex.



One of the tributaries from the bay is at the end of the parking lot, so you can sit under the trees in a lawn chair and enjoy the water.



The entrance to the individual apartments is inside the building, not on the outside. You can rush into the building with groceries and stay out of the rain while you're trying to get in the door.



The 2-bedroom apartments have the bedrooms at opposite sides of the apartment so you can have some privacy - the kitchen is in the middle.



Heat/AC controls are yours to set year-round. You don't have to wait until the apartment complex makes either available for use when the season changes.



It's a smaller complex, so you can see everything that's going on in the parking lot.



You can walk down Fremac and turn right onto Reynard Drive all the way to the end and back without much auto traffic for exercise. That path is all residential.



You are allowed to have up to 2 small pets. (You DO have to pick up after your dog.)



There's a dumpster so you can throw out big items and be done with it.



THINGS I DON'T LIKE:



There is a tributary from the bay at the end of the parking lot. You have to keep your weather alert thing on your computer when you're home. If tidal flooding goes over a certain amount (usually only noreasters and direct hurricane hits) the parking lot floods.



The apartments are right under the flight path for Oceana. If you're used to it or from California, it won't bother you. When the guys are fooling around and fly too low or too fast (sonic booms), the apartment vibrates.



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For a basic apartment, it's a pretty good price being so close to the beach. It's not the Ritz however, so if you have grand illusions about everything being perfect and new, leave them at the door. You can decorate to your hearts content, but there's only so far an old building will go short of tearing down the walls and starting over again. If you spend a lot of time working and playing and just need an apartment to rest your head, this is a great place for the money.

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