Acacia Cliffs — Attraction in Austin

I really wanted to love this place. It was recommended highly by friends and the realtor I worked with, but I really just thought it was okay. I moved here to be on the UT Shuttle Route, and the price was cheaper than other shuttle routes. However, I went with Acacia Cliffs over the Westdale apartments because the reviews were better and I figured you get what you pay for (Westdale is even cheaper). However, I was not super impressed over the past year. I didn't necessarily hate it here, it just doesn't feel like home. I got spoiled when I lived at Villas of La Costa because I had a patio, so I missed having that...although that's not really the apartment's fault, just the construction of the building. The walls are super thin and I could hear my neighbors (ESPECIALLY my downstairs neighbors) all the time. In general, most people that lived here were friendly...I just had some noisy downstairs neighbors.

The upgraded kitchen is very nice, however the gas stove got so hot that even on the lowest setting it was hard not to burn things. The oven was fine, except there must have been a barrier missing between it and the pull out drawer on the bottom of the oven, because it got so hot I couldn't use anything stored in there. The cabinet space is another problem. There are a million little drawers, of which maybe you need 2 or 3 for silverware and utensils, and there are only 2 real functional cupboards (one suspended and one near the floor). I had a huge problem with storing dishes, cups, coffee mugs, etc. Pantry space is fine, fridge, etc. everything else worked fine.

The bathroom was not great...the cupboards and drawers were all warped and it was an awkward set-up between the door and the closet. The shower had been sloppily repainted and looked pretty awful. There was calk everywhere when we moved in that I was able to remove, but it's just one of the those things that should have been taken care of before I moved in.

Also, the model I was shown had nice tile for the bathroom, kitchen, and entry way, but mine had gross laminate wood. :( Disappointing.

I will say that I loved the bedroom--two closets for two people. This is surprisingly hard to find in a one bedroom, which is nice to have if you live with someone. Plenty of space. Also, this is a strange things to notice, but the amount of outlets was awesome, and they were in convenient locations. I've have trouble with this in other places.

The management is...weak. They go through employees so frequently I can't imagine that they are able to establish I routine, and why is everyone leaving so quickly? Since signing the lease to moving out, I've seen change-over in staff 5 times. They are usually nice people...but pretty clueless. They never know how to find your packages.

The pool tastes strange too. It's super salty...which kinda weirded me out, and I never saw it being cleaned. I get there are trees around it, so leaves don't bother me so much, but it is really filled with them and sometimes even garbage.

If you want to live here and haven't been spoiled by a closer-knit complex with nicer amenities, you will probably like it fine here. I would definitely recommend living on the first floor though. I don't know if it's worth the $100 more a month than Westdale though. You get a nicer courtyard, but less...

Over the last 2 years there has been a concerted effort by new ownership and new managers to improve all of the faults that are listed here in the older reviews. I moved in just 12 months ago and I have personally witnessed the final stages of the full-scale renovations, expansion, and improvements that have undergone here at Acacia Cliffs.

There was apparently, good reason to be upset with the.. previous management of these very nice, very up to date apartments. The new owners and new managers are much more pro-active in resolving problems. They helped me with a serious bathroom issue and I was very pleased.

I love my apartment. It's huge! I have a single bedroom unit with a vaulted ceilings look that makes the living room feel even bigger than already is. My fav part is the view through my northward facing window. It's unobstructed view and all that I see is lush greenery. The larger community around the apartment is peaceful, quiet, safe, and trustworthy.

The gym was finished about 8 or 9 months ago. it has weight machines and a full set of free weights - as well as 2 treadmill, 2 elliptical, 2 stair climbers, and 1 bicycle machine. This is a fully-functional 24 hour gym for me and I love it!

The basketball court is well-maintained and is generally very clean. The swimming pool is a rectangular model that actually gets very deep at one end. it's obviously designed for swimming laps. My specialty!

UT Shuttle route bus stop is right at the front gate entrance. You don't even need an ID to ride this bus. Unfortunately, it will not take you straight downtown. You need to transfer to the #1 to get a straight shot down to Congress.

I love the look of the place, I love the larger community,.. and I can't even imagine another apartment community like Acacia Cliffs (huge apartments, reasonable rent, full-scale gym and billiards room yes even a pool table!) ...... I can't imagine another one anywhere else in Austin that competes. This place is so charming and it feels so at-home? You will actually see dear crossing the road (Hart Lane) about 9 months of the year. They start coming by at about 9pm and they can be seen as late as 4 or 5am. omg! I love seeing this dear family grow up over the year. It's so damn charming!

tell me, where else can I live in Austin in a large scale apartment complex (I say large because I want all of the best, most comfortable amenities.I want. all of them!) but then also - an apartment where I can see dear crossing my street during summer months.. and oh ya one more thing? pay far less than 1k per month?

Ha! The answer: Nowhere. Unless you want to live closer to downtown austin? In which case you could be looking at twice the cost of rent. Or, if you are comfortable in South Austin - there are of course deals to be found but most of the best Barton creek land is actually very valuable now.

in conclusion? - There is no better place than...

If you ever consider moving here, JUST DO NOT!

0 OUT OF 5 STAR

I lived here from December 2022 to November 2024 in 7201 (the nicest building/area of the three). I regret renewing my lease after the first year, because I just had a baby at that time. DO NOT BELIEVE ANY NEW 5-STAR REVIEWS—THEY'RE FAKE. I experienced some of the worst living conditions here:

German Cockroach Infestation: A week after moving in, I found several German cockroaches and their eggs in the cabinets and kitchen. I requested pest control, but they did nothing. They just sprayed something, and the issue persisted. They came several times, but the cockroaches kept appearing every day. I even regularly bought traps and sprays, but nothing worked. I had to deal with dozens of cockroaches running through the kitchen every single day.

Ceiling Leaks in the Bathrooms: The ceiling in both bathrooms leaked from the second floor almost every month. Maintenance came frequently to fix it, but it was never actually resolved. This apartment is beyond repair.

Leaking Ceiling in the Hallway (April 2024): The ceiling in the corridors leaked, flooding the carpets in the hallway and living room. I had to evacuate with my sick baby for several days while repairs were being made. The noise from the vacuums and machinery was unbearable.

Constant Police Activity: Sirens and police cars were a daily occurrence. Some neighbors were also incredibly loud, contributing to a stressful living environment.

Ineffective Maintenance: The maintenance team rarely actually fixed anything. Repairs took forever, and sometimes they just marked issues as resolved without actually addressing them.

Gaslighted by Management: If you express frustration about the maintenance issues, damages, or repairs, the management will gaslight you. They’ll accuse you of not reporting issues sooner, even though I reported everything immediately. They’ll make you feel like the problems are your fault, when in reality, the management is failing to address any concerns

Poor Condition and Unfair Charges: The apartment and surrounding area were consistently dirty. The walls, bathtubs, and fixtures were poorly repainted multiple times with low-quality materials, and the existing damage was beyond repair. When I first moved in, the apartment is not spotless clean, several areas were dirty (window, cabinet) and damaged. After moving out, I was charged $775.16 (minus $250 from my deposit) for damages I didn’t cause. I had thoroughly cleaned every inch of the unit (even the area that were previously dirty when I moved in), rent a carpet cleaner to deep clean the carpets, and paid the last water bills. Still, I was charged for cleaning, carpet cleaning, water bills, and painting.

Save your sanity and money by looking elsewhere. There are much better apartment options in the Far West or...