Southern Seas Resort On the Ocean — Hotel in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

It hurts me to write this review as my family loves coming to Southern Seas. We booked our vacation there a year in advance as we love the convenience of the location and the units we had rented previously.||We were a little upset to learn prior to arrival that each stay now carries a $155 cleaning fee due to new management. We were staying 8 nights, at two units, so we decided that wasn't too bad (for those staying a night or two, the cleaning fee is the same and likely keeping people away). However, the rate we booked at the year prior included housekeeping with no cleaning fee and now there is a cleaning fee and no housekeeping - so we weren't getting what we committed to and were being charged more.||When we arrived, it was clear occupancy was very low. I would say perhaps another three or four units were occupied and there were only three cars in the expansive lot. I initially chalked it up to being a later week in July. It was odd, however, there did not appear to be vacancy available online, but the vacancy sign was on in the window. I told the man checking me in we were excited to be there. It perhaps should have been an indication that he said nothing in return. The exterior of the buildings had been spray painted in orange around cracks and falling stucco in numerous locations throughout the property, nothing we had experienced before or seen in the photos on Facebook. One stairway was also blocked off. It seemed someone should have told us there was maintenance going on. That work did not impede access to our units, but looking at a building where the exterior was literally falling off was not exactly what we anticipated on our vacation. When I asked about it, I was told they were awaiting permits to complete work.||The man checking me in asked where my other family members was and if she was still coming. We were there right around check in at 3:00 pm, however apparently he had to leave for a dinner in Orlando he was worried about missing and it. It seemed we were inconveniencing him (even though we were funding 50% of their total occupancy). The units were being cleaned when we arrived. I'm not sure to what extent they were cleaned as my five year old niece's feet were covered in dirt when she just walked a few steps inside. The units appeared fairly clean otherwise. I had a few ants in my bathroom that were clearly coming from a crack in the caulking of the sink.||There was another family staying in an oceanfront unit and the AC was not working. Several days in, that AC unit was being repaired. ||Our first day, we walked to the beach and then got in the pool. The family in the front unit said the pool had not been cleaned. It was full of sand and very dirty. There was also feces on the side of the pool. I do not know where that came from. There were also places in the bottom of the pool where the sealing was cracking and someone could cut their foot. It took us a moment to realize the pool motor was also not working. This was on a Sunday. We decided to ask about it on Monday as no one was in the office that day. Despite having a maintenance person on staff and a visiting maintenance manager, apparently no one had noticed the state of the pool, which honestly at this point was a health hazard. Abi, part of the office staff, was nice when I mentioned it to her, but when I told her we had been in the pool the day before she said "you got in the pool?" and I said "yes, no one told us not to, it's not blocked off" I was a bit concerned as to the true state of the pool and how long it may have been sitting without service in addition to a broken motor. She told me everything was fine on the fourth of July and it was now 13 days later. Note to Southern Seas , you are also in extreme violation of code without having any rules posted at a commercially operated rule.||After getting the run around for a few days, we were told the pool man was coming tomorrow, then he came and needed to run back and get a screw, then a new part, Abi told us the pool would most likely not be repaired anytime soon and we would need to speak to the General Manager, Sammy, who is Samuel Hernandez, regarding our request for a refund for an early check-out. He was very rude on the phone, eventually honored our request, but then hung up on me when I called back to verify we should be refunded 4 of our nights (nights we were not staying). Not a good ambassador for the property.||I noticed online the Southern Seas website is not functioning. Perhaps this is why no one is booking stays? Perhaps they are not looking for business given the state of the property? We honestly felt like the 4/8 nights we stayed should have been discounted as we did not get what is being advertised nor what we committed to in July 2023, but felt at least we recouped something and tried to save the remainder of our vacation.||To the owners and board of Southern Seas - you need to have your management team get it together unless you are truly not interested in renting units. Abi was helpful and responsive. Your general manager was rude and disrespectful. Ultimately it is his responsibility to see that the property is being kept up and it is clear much has fallen into disrepair. I hope it can be restored to the property we have...

absolutely HORRIBLE. DO NOT GO. We have been going there for over 10 years. We loved the place because it was always clean, great location, well maintained. In the last 3 years, it has gone so downhill that it is now a health hazard and not secure at all. (go see the reviews on trip advisor).||||I had a RAT in my room in 2022 and when I told the manager about it, she said it was probably just a lizard and completely dismissed me. I had to go see an exterminator myself and spend not only over 150$ buying traps and help but also hours researching on youtube how to set up the trap to catch it because we could not leave and go somewhere else.||I finally did catch it and brought it to HER so she could see what a horrible customer service and job this was.||||I then was given a discount ONLY after I had to argue with them and scream.||||Then, we decided to give it a last chance hoping it changed in 2023. It was an utter MESS. There was a new management which clearly doesn't care about customers nor their safety. Abby that was there was very kind and did the best she could in the circumstances, but management was absolutely terrible. The pool was closed for an entire week and only after much pressure was there a new pump installed which cleared the pool for a week (and made us realize how unsanitary the pool was for the last 3 years) but no one is cleaning it or taking care of it.||The place was EMPTY in the middle of July when it is usually packed.||We were told when we got there that there will be no longer any room cleaning service and we had to clean the room ourselves and not only that but we had to buy our own cleaning supplies which we did not get reimbursed for, and we had to beg everyday for fresh towels which many times they didn't have any because no one was washing anything. So we had to do our own laundry and clean the towels with our own detergent and were told we have to pay to use the washing machine!!!||As for animals, we saw some rats outside but this year we had the displeasure of seeing and killing about 5 coackroches IN the apartment and one giant one when we were sleeping which by pure luck we saw crawling up the wall near our heads!!! we brought it to management's attention but they seem so nonchalant about it.||||there was a snake on the premises as well. To add insult to injury, they charge insane prices and now add an extra fee for additional people using the same room!!! and an extra 155$ for cleaning which we saw none of!! we were told this is the fee for the cleaning at the end of our stay but this is so beyond ridiculous as before daily cleaning was included without the extra 155$||||If this all wasn't horrible enough, we did not even have any covers or sheets and we had to request several times!!!||||as for the beach, the beach chair are all broken. the umbrellas are in a pitiful state. We spoke to many of the familiar faces we have seen every year for 10 years and all of us had the same very disappointed view that we will not be returning there until there is a radical change into what it used to be.||||This is not only bad for staying and relaxing as you're always stressed out and needing to do the work and cleaning yourself, but it is also a safety and health hazard at this...

I have been a return customer to this resort at least seven times over in the past. I have always looked forward to my stay there, and have considered purchasing a unit. |No longer.|First, please be aware that construction is going on at the resort with electric saws and hammering going on from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. It looks like Beirut in the 1980s. If you are a pool person, this will bother you immensely. If you are a beach person, you won't hear it too much. When I made my reservation the month prior, there was no mention made of this.|I wish that was the only issue. Upon arriving, there was garbage in the ashtray right outside our door. My sister and I unpacked, shopped for food, water and coffee at Publix, then enjoyed a late dinner out. When we got back to our room and my sister used the bathroom, we discovered there was no toilet paper to be had. At all. Nothing under the sink. None anywhere. And the office was closed, as it was around 8 pm. Lucky for us, Publix was still open and we bought our own (and weren't reimbursed later by the office). If that was the only issue inside the room, we would have been fortunate.|However, next morning, our toaster didn't work. We had to go to the office to get a replacement toaster. Next issue was the air conditioner leaking so bad that the floor and kitchen mat was soaked. Water also got into the replacement toaster, as the air conditioner is right above the kitchen counter. We went back to the office for a third toaster as well as to ask them to service the air conditioner. The service man was there promptly, and seemed to have fixed the problem. But next morning, we found water leaking from the air conditioner again. |I won't even mention the security light that shined right into our room at night, and went off whenever someone walked on the sidewalk past the resort. Or that our room was not cleaned once, nor were we given fresh towels. And we had to take our own garbage out and reline the can with a new bag. I'm not sure why I was assessed a $155 cleaning fee when no one cleaned our room once during our stay.|I did more work at this resort than I did rest. And when I complained and asked for a discount, I was told that I would receive a return on my $60 registration fee along with a discount (with no numerical amount mentioned) the next time we booked there. I did not receive that promise in writing. |The front office manager was as responsive as she could be, so I can't ding her efforts. But whoever the new management company is that is now running the resort clearly does not care one bit about customer service. It is clearly all about the dollar. |I am sad to say that I likely will not be booking there again after all...