Admirals Quarters 802

We stayed in unit 609 at Admiral’s Quarters condominiums. It was a magnificent condo, and the Orange Beach, Alabama location is great. The sunrises are stunning.

I got invited for a weekend, and it was nice having friends with a place like this. It’s much like the other beachfront condos nearby, with good views, a pool and other amenities, and a beach that feels almost private. I had a guest pass, so parking was fine at first. They do check, though. I turned mine in while packing, and less than 20 minutes later there was a nasty note on my car. I can’t say what rentals cost. The noise was a problem for me: you hear sounds from the surrounding rooms, and even traffic reaches the sixth floor.

The building and shared spaces at Admirals Quarters looked good, including the lobby, elevators, pools, and pool areas. Unit 1005 was a very different story. When we walked in, it smelled like mold or mildew. There are signs of water damage inside, including water lines on trim where the walls meet the floor, swollen boards and quarter round that haven’t been replaced, and a split, swollen panel beside the refrigerator. There are also large patched areas of white spackle throughout, left unpainted, plus big cracks in the foyer and dining room ceilings. The furniture is old and dated. Several dining chairs felt loose and weak, the chandelier had mismatched shades of white in its bulbs and still gave too little light for a meal or a game, and a small table in the family area had a broken leg that left it sitting unevenly, with one leg about three or four inches off the floor. A chair that looked like leather was filthy. In the bedroom we used, which wasn’t the master, the furniture was dated and there was only one nightstand. The bathroom paint was peeling near the shower, and the toilet needed constant plunging, thankfully there was a plunger. The queen bed’s dust ruffle had a roughly 15 inch tear. Areas behind and beneath furniture and beds looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned in a long time. Kitchen utensils were sparse and the drawer was a mess. The owner has locked the pantry, leaving only the kitchen and island counters for drinks, snacks, and other food that doesn’t need refrigeration. The balcony furniture is rusted through. A table leg is missing a screw, and the remaining screw is rusted loose and close to falling out. The chairs look ready to collapse, and someone could get hurt. I took photos of all this and will share them with anyone who asks. The owners are getting a healthy weekly rent, but they aren’t putting it back into the condo.

For the price, this is one of the best condos around. It’s spacious, the pool is great, the staff are friendly, and the location is terrific.