Sands Ocean Club #1601 (p) By Redawning

That beach location is the only reason this place gets a star from me. Our first room was filthy, with stained floors, grimy chairs, a strong bad smell, and residue all over the bathroom cabinets. They did move us after we asked for a supervisor, but wouldn't let us speak with one. The next day, our trash hadn't been taken out and we had no fresh towels when we returned at 5 PM. After asking again for a supervisor, someone eventually left towels in a bag without setting them up. My husband ended up taking the trash out himself. The front desk staff were unfriendly and unwilling to help. I wouldn't stay here again or recommend it.

The room I rented through VRBO and property manager VACASA is why I gave this stay three stars. It needed repairs: the refrigerator was rusty, the baseboard was missing, paint was peeling on the closet door, the bedding was old, and a bathroom hook was missing. I wouldn't book that unit again. The resort itself is older but seemed reasonably maintained. During our short visit, the pool was cleaned and the deck pressure washed. Front desk staff were efficient and friendly, and the bell staff were quick to open the door. Having restaurants on site was convenient for a quick bite after the beach, and Ocean Annies had live music.

The staff were amazing and really accommodating, and the beach access helped make up for some of the room problems. But the cleanliness was still unacceptable for what we paid. The lobby smelled of smoke and chlorine the whole time we were there. Our first room smelled strongly of mold, had raised carpet, stains on the couch, crumbs in the kitchen chairs, and a very dirty oven. The mildew made it hard to breathe, and the balcony door wouldn't open. We moved to a room on the 17th floor. It was a little better, but smelled of urine, so we bought cleaning supplies to make it acceptable. The hotel has good bones, but it needs new investors or management to update the rooms and make sure they're clean for incoming guests.

We spent four days and three nights here with my family. The rooms weren't very good, though the staff were really nice to me. They weren't as helpful to my stepmom and basically told her to sort out her issue herself. She was also upset about the free meals she'd been offered. The food looked like it had been sitting in water for over two weeks. Who puts burgers in water? And hot dogs shouldn't be yellow.