Sandy Bay Apartments

"Couldn't have found a better home away from home while we were job and apartment hunting. Mauri and Gill are so attentive with any requests and made us feel very welcome, especially the dogs. The location couldn't be better and felt like we were living in our own little community, everyone is so friendly."

"The management provide great attention to detail. The apartment had plenty of clean linens. We had a couple of minor issues with the washing machine or dishwasher and they were attended to promptly. Special thanks to Ms Maurie."

"I stayed at Sandy Bay Apartments for 70 nights. Had I not been locked in by the lease, I would have left after the first week. The noisy environment and lower quality accommodations left me dissatisfied. I essentially received the quality of a $40-$50 per night hotel room but none of the services (hospitality, housekeeping, etc.) that one would receive at a regular business. I don't think my "corporate" apartment was a good value, and I will stay elsewhere the next time I return to the Norfolk area. Pros: - Off street parking. Security cameras at the front entrance. - Landlords accept credit cards. - Landlords worked with me while drafting the lease to convert a monthly rate into a daily rate for my recordkeeping needs. - Landlords were responsive to repair or replacement requests. - Good water pressure. Furnishings are generally clean but old and worn. - I had a wide variety of kitchenware that served all my needs. - 3 minute walk to the beach. - Quarter operated laundry service onsite. - A couple rolls of toilet paper and some basic toiletries (soap, loofa sponge, etc.) provided upon arrival. - Towels and linens provided. The lease requires a separate $150 cleaning fee, which covers final washing of sheets, towels, vacuuming, cleaning, etc. I appreciated being able to "walk away" from the apartment at the end of my stay. Cons: - The interior pictures on the apartment website appear to be stock photos of high end apartments and are not even close to being representative of the accommodations I received. This appeared downright deceptive to me and I wouldn't have stayed at the property had the landlords posted real pictures of the property and rooms. - Old building and furnishings. I had a 1970s era dining set--complete with yellow fiberglass chairs--in my apartment. Dirty, old, painted-over windows and screens were frustrating to operate. Entire apartment is whitewashed with flat white paint. The carpet in my apartment was worn and stained. Patched drywall holes throughout. The countertop and kitchen drawers were delaminating from wear and water damage. Rather than placed in professional channeling, the cable TV coax was simply stapled to the walls and door jambs, then painted over. Key locks were old and worn and required jiggling to get them to operate properly. The landlord acknowledged many of these wear and tear items but offered no recompense. - No trash bags present upon arrival. I couldn't dispose of my trash until I bought trash bags the next day. - A landline telephone is an extra $30 per month charge. - Very noisy environment. Thin exterior walls and windows permit persistent road noise from the 4-lane road. Gaps around the air conditioner also let in a significant amount of outside noise. Traffic noise (35-50 mph) is persistent from 4 am to 11 pm. - The wall mounted air conditioner is in the bedroom. It is very loud and ran nearly 24 hours per day in September to keep the apartment at 71 degrees. Combined with the road noise, it interfered significantly with my ability to sleep. - Poor attention to detail while drafting the rental contract for my stay. I had to correct rental prices and terms on two contracts before signing. - Landlord, in violation of the contract, charged my credit card before I arrived. - I didn't feel safe outside in the immediate area after dark."

"Excellent location. Walk to the beach. No outdoor shower to wash off sand. Apartment could be updated but otherwise nice."

"Great location, great places. Love it, just love it. Greatest apartments ever."