Galveston Beach Condos — Hotel in Galveston

This was our first VRBO experience and it did not disappoint. The condo was just as advertised and more. The view is something out of a travel guide with seagulls circling and the waves rolling in. A beautiful way to start your morning to just sit and sip your coffee. Another way to end your day with a glass of Merlot. The beds have fresh linens and different pillows so you can choose the right level of soft or firm. This small detail really impressed me because we worried about not bringing pillows. The kids bunks are conveniently located and the top has the protective bar. The shower in the bathroom is beautiful with the tile details. It is longer so you have room and isn’t cramped. The kitchen has every convenience of home. There are glass and plastic options for drink-ware which is wonderful when you have kids. It was nice to be able to cook hamburgers the first night since there were also pots and pans. A money saver so you don’t have to eat out. The microwave is just like ours at home. The fridge is a side by side with an ice and water dispenser. The resort does have an ice machine handy and sells bags of ice if you need more. The living room has a comfy couch and we were able to log into our Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon accounts when we were in for the night. The floors are all tile, laminate wood so they are easy to clean spills and sand from the beach. The balcony has four chairs and a table. My daughter ate all of her meals here. We easily dried our towels and swimsuits on the chairs. The wind coming in from the gulf kept the air cooler. You also look over the pool which is nice if you like to people watch....or keep an eye on family. The condo is also very quiet inside. There is a lot of activity going on outside and I could barely hear any of it if at all. Even your condo neighbor, really quiet. I also love the key code access. I don’t have to worry about a key or losing one. We were able to change it to something the kids could remember. The WiFi and key-codes for the gates change monthly and the front office staff are really friendly. They suggested we take a pic of the code card since you are normally never without your phone. There are two pools and a hot tub area. One pool is great for the older kids and adults while the other caters to the younger ones that can’t quite touch 5 feet. The palm trees and umbrellas are great shade as you relax in a lounge chair. A couple of things we learned. Invest is a collapsible wagon. You need to stock your groceries. You are on the third floor and even though there are elevators you won’t have to strain carrying in all of your bags. It also comes in handy for the beach. Walmart is literally next door, it is also super busy. Next time I’ll order groceries and use the pick up service. Saves money and time so you can enjoy beach time faster. We have not taken the car out in a few days because there is so much within walking distance. The gates to the condo have codes, so it feels safer. There is a walk in gate we used to get to the road and a crosswalk right next to the resort to get to the beach. Everyone here have been friendly and courteous. Galveston has been a wonderful experience and having this wonderful condo to come back to made it even better. We...

So let me start by saying I was so excited to get this rental then...it took us 1 hour to get into the front door because no one seemed to know the correct code for the door or the lockbox. Then when we do get in, I had to use the restroom so bad, went to flush the toilet and nothing! I looked down and the water was off. Some people turn there's off if they'll be gone for a while so I very slowly turned it on and it immediately started leaking so I turned it off and called host. They proceeded to tell me that if it kept leaking to use towels and if I run out they'll bring me some in the morning, as there was no one to come out and fix the toilet until the next day. I said that was absolutely not acceptable, I want I refund, and I am leaving! Which they promptly agreed to.

Now my issue is with Aurbnb! And I will NEVER use them again. Vacasa refunded my money to the host after that Aurbnb is supposed to send it to me. This reservation was April 14-15, I have NOT SEEN A DIME.! I tried resolution chat but got nowhere and they were extremely rude. I called customer twice now they say it's been issued to my bank. I saud I'm sorry but it has not been. Then they proceed to argue with me about that, and I find out they're not refunding my "service charge" service charge for what your poorly maintained property with no working toilet and me having to find a place with my friend and 2 dogs at midnight? HA. So they say they'll refund that. Again that was this past Monday, the money us still NOT IN KY ACCOUNT!

Airbnb is a bunch of jerks with absolutely NO customer service skills. I was Appalled and very offended by the way I was treated by their customer service as they were making me feel like I had done something wrong. Who would expect anyone to pay 200 plus dollars to stay in a condo with no working toilet and I know for a fact that it's also against the health code for the state of Texas. Vacasa refunded my money to Airbnb but Airbnb failed to refund it to me That in my definition is theft. I thought air B and B had higher standards in both their customer service and their policies but apparently they don't and I for one will never use urbian B again if it is the last possible choice I have just based on principle. Mind you I had to leave at midnight and go find another place to stay with my 2 dogs and roommate and the only place I could find ended up costing me $600 for 1 night. I am of the opinion the air B and B should refund me that money too since technically it was their fault that I couldn't stay in the original condo that I had booked but I'm not even gonna try that. Not to mention the fact they had to know the toilet was not working since the water was already turned off so essentially they rented me a condo with a non working toilet that they were fully aware of which again is against the Texas health code.

Last Airbnb booking for this girl. Vacasa I'll use...

Pros: Fully stocked Great towels Great view Unit full of upgrades Upgraded security lock Proximity to beach Full size W/D

Cons: This was booked and paid for months in advance, and a week in advance He sends a welcome email with instructions. I checked, no where in those instructions said that I had an outstanding balance due for a cleaning fee....so that when we arrived the fancy updated door security didn't respond to me.

My 4G mobile data died on the property, not sure what the building materials might be but I couldn't get any signal. So after calling him, his emails with the link to pay this fee couldn't drop, and the link he texted to me wasn't connecting. We had to stand out in the heat awhile before I asked him yo just unlock the door so we could get into the A/C, connect to the wifi, and pay the fee. He was accomodating in fixing that.

Then after all that to get inside, when we tried to leave, the fancy upgraded door lock wouldn't lock. Turns out he never programmed my code in. He was accomodating in fixing that.

I felt very unsatisfied with having to pay the extra $80 cleaning fee on top what was already paid....and then to be told we have to take all the trash out ourselves, and wash the dishes before we leave. Then, on Alarrival we noticed when we took our shoes off the floors were a bit sandy/gritty which turned the bottom of my feet black. I dont know who's getting that cleaning money.

Oh...and some of the other tenants...it was...interesting here. A lot of families you could tell, summer vacations....but some of the units on our floor were really shady looking. I felt uncomfortable being outside the unit sometimes.

The property office says that every car, even short term visitors have to pay $15 to park and keep their tag visible. Most of the cars were not tagged, and no one was checking....so I really felt like they were just saying that to me to make money. I didnt want to invite anyone...and this was a birthday party.

He asks repeatedly in all his emails not to leave less than a 5 star review without talking to him, and yet, HE didnt notify me of the balance...HE didnt program my code in, and HIS cleaning policies/service leaves a bit to be desired. He is quite accomodating, which is nice since all the things that went wrong went back to him.

Oh and the location....not close to any of the features of Galveston. Can't rent a bike...cant rent water craft, and when the tides up, theres literally no beach to even sit on, all rock. You have to drive toward all those hotels anyway, to get to any of the fun stuff.

I would give the unit 5 stars. Management 2 stars. Be prepared for that. Good luck. For the price I really expected better....I'll stick to booking at the hotels with kitchenettes on future stays I think, and...