South Ocean Suites

The condo looked okay when we first entered, but the rest of the stay was a poor, unsettling experience. The surfaces, including the dining table, chairs, and bathroom sink, had stains that could have been wiped off. There were small hairs that looked pubic in the bathroom sink and hair in the refrigerator. The bed was very low, with just one mattress. We barely slept because it felt like we were being watched, and even with light music on, we could hear every little sound from the neighbors above and next door. The listing pictures made it look like a beachside condo, but it’s located before the bridge to A1A and the beach. Check-in took about an hour. The manager/owner, who stayed anonymous, demanded copies of my credit card and ID while we were standing there with the cards. I think digital copies should be requested before payment, not after confirming a reservation. There’s no parking, not even handicap parking, according to the receptionist. The owners have assigned spaces but didn’t make one available to renters, so we were sent to a garage to pay an attendant. He wouldn’t take cash and said he’d process payment on his cell phone. We weren’t comfortable with that, and when we asked again about handicap parking he didn’t know of any. We ended up parking on the street about two blocks away. This wasn’t a luxurious or relaxing stay. I strongly recommend booking with a reputable hotel chain along the beach instead.

Check-in was a mess. The front desk said they couldn’t let me in without an authorization form from the owners, but nobody had sent it to me. They had to contact someone to email it over, and filling it out took another 45 minutes to an hour. That was incredibly inconvenient after a long flight, especially since the form should have been sent beforehand. The room was in terrible shape once I finally got in. There were bugs, dents and stains on the walls, paint peeling all over the bathtub, and a dirty, stained bathmat. Part of the balcony window was completely detached from the wall. I had to track down maintenance to fix it, and it shouldn’t have been like that in the first place. Communication was poor, with no direct host or onsite concierge to contact. The next day, I finally reached customer service and explained the problems. They apologized and said they’d look into compensation, but two weeks later I still had no refund or update. I’d never recommend this place, not even to my worst enemy. One star is generous.

The floors were extremely dirty, and the two elevators took 45-60 minutes to get on. We were staying on the 16th floor for a week, but they wouldn’t give us luggage carts, so we had to make 15 trips.

The room and walls were dirty, and the extra pillow didn’t have a case. There wasn’t an extra blanket either. I asked to move to a cleaner room, but nobody responded. Customer service was the worst.