Sandy Bay Apartments

The apartment had lots of clean linens, and management paid great attention to detail. We had a couple of small problems with the washing machine or dishwasher, and they were taken care of promptly. Special thanks to Ms Maurie.

I wouldn't have stayed the full 70 nights at Sandy Bay Apartments if the lease hadn't locked me in. After the first week, I wanted to leave. The apartment was noisy and low quality, more like a $40-$50 a night hotel room, but without the hospitality or housekeeping you'd expect at a regular business. It didn't feel like good value for a corporate apartment, and I'll stay somewhere else next time I'm back in the Norfolk area. There were some positives: off-street parking, security cameras at the front entrance, and landlords who accept credit cards. They worked with me to convert the monthly rate to a daily rate in the lease for my records, and they responded to repair and replacement requests. Water pressure was good. The furnishings were generally clean but old and worn, and the kitchenware met my needs. It's a three-minute walk to the beach. Laundry is available onsite for quarters. They left a couple rolls of toilet paper and basic toiletries like soap and a loofa sponge on arrival, along with towels and linens. The lease has a separate $150 cleaning fee for washing sheets and towels, vacuuming and cleaning at the end. I appreciated being able to walk away at the end of my stay. A major concern was the apartment website. Its interior photos looked like stock images of high-end units and were nowhere near what I got. That seemed downright deceptive, and I wouldn't have booked if they'd posted real pictures. The building and furnishings were old. My apartment had a 1970s dining set with yellow fiberglass chairs, dirty painted-over windows and screens that were frustrating to operate, worn and stained carpet, patched drywall holes, and a flat white paint job everywhere. The countertop and kitchen drawers were delaminating from wear and water damage. Cable TV coax was stapled to the walls and door jambs and painted over instead of put in proper channeling. The old, worn key locks needed jiggling. The landlord acknowledged many of these wear-and-tear issues but offered no compensation. There were no trash bags when I arrived, so I couldn't dispose of trash until I bought some the next day. A landline costs an extra $30 a month. The thin exterior walls and windows let in steady road noise from the four-lane road, and gaps around the air conditioner let in even more outside noise. Traffic going 35-50 mph kept up from 4 am to 11 pm. The bedroom wall unit was very loud and ran nearly 24 hours a day in September to keep the apartment at 71 degrees. Together with the traffic, it seriously interfered with sleep. There were also problems with the rental paperwork. I had to correct prices and terms on two contracts before signing, and the landlord charged my card before I arrived, against the contract. I didn't feel safe outside in the immediate area after dark.

A great place to live. The apartments are clean and comfortable, and management is very professional.

The location is excellent, with the beach an easy walk away. There's no outdoor shower to rinse off the sand. The apartment could use an update, but it's otherwise nice.