Sandcastle Condominiums & Event Center — Hotel in Port Aransas

I have been coming here a couple times a year for 20 years. The rules/changes they have made are VERY customer unfriendly and finally I will not be back. There is a new board that has changed the cancellation policy to 2 weeks prior, so one time I got caught spending my vacation 4 days in the pouring rain. the sun came out as I was leaving and I asked for a little later check-out time. Even though i could see almost no other cars in the parking lot, they would not budge on the check-in & out times. Then the cleaning staff does NOT do a good job. I mentioned to the staff/manager when I checked out that most of the kitchenware had old food, like it had never been washed, and I had to wash everything in the kitchen. No adjustments were made. The elevators are "hit & miss" as one or more always seem to be out. And there is ALWAYS some major repair making noise or going on. This time was big AC unit replacement which blocked the walkway to the elevator where our car was parked. This last visit when i checked in I thought I had booked a one bedroom with a full kitchen. I had trouble with the website, so I even called for help while booking. When we got to the room, it was a VERY small efficiency. I went down to the front desk and explained it was supposed to be a one bedroom, and that I even had some friends coming over for dinner the next night and we all could not fit as there was no where to sit and eat. I also explained these friends come down to Port A 4-5 times a years, and I wanted to introduce them to the Sandcastle. The gal was matter-of-fact, and not empathetic at all, and said I could make a brand new reservation and book another unit, but only a manger could decide if I would get a refund on this unit. And of course there was no manager in until 9:00am the next day. I begged for her to call someone (surely there is someone on call who can make decisions) but she refused. All I got was " you signed the rental agreement...". then when my friends came over for dinner the next night, we sat outside by the pool, since we could not fit in our unit. We got harassed for wristbands, even though the gal at the front desk was the one who checked me in and knew me. My guests all had to put on wristbands! Needless to say they will not stay here, and neither will I. Mustang Towers here I come!!! This is sad as I have been a loyal 20 year customer/guest. I was patient after the hurricane, and understood the large increase in prices and work/maintenance always going on. But, enough is enough especially when they do not...

For the price you have to pay this place is not recommended. Promotional material fails to admit the poor location of this hotel. To even get to the place it is necessary to drive through a dense urban neighborhood. The hotel is right in the middle of the City of Port Aransas. When we visited there were people everywhere over, under, in, around, near and inside this hotel. This includes the residents from the nearby neighborhood who walk to the beach right by this hotel all hours of the day and night. I don't know how old the building is but it already showing wear and tear like it has been through several hurricanes. On the patio chunks of concrete were missing on the exterior facade due to poor construction and thermal expansion. As for the room - the bed was not comfortable and the wicker headboard beat against the wall if anyone moved on the bed at all. The television is small and poorly installed with cables everywhere. The remote control had no battery cover. The bathroom was the worse part. The toilet barely flushed at all and the shower head was installed at just the right height for a midget. The shower valves were installed to operate ass-backwards. There was no soap or shampoo available. The hotel has so many rules about their sheets and towels and having any visitors or guests in your room it is offensive. The bathroom does have a window that does not open, only offers a view to the unairconditioned hall and admits no light. The elevators are not air conditioned and in August they are a miserable ride. The establishment obviously has no respect for ADA handicap requirements. There were no carts available for transporting luggage from the room back to the vehicle. Parking is a challenge with all the guests competing for parking slots underneath the building and out of the sun. On the bright side the pool, hot tub and boardwalk to the beach were in good condition and the grounds in this area are well kept. However, the outdoor showers used to wash beach sand off had broken chains and only would work if you constantly held the short piece of chain left hanging. The hotel desk staff (all female) were rude and unfriendly. This hotel suffers from a bad case of Texas tacky and was built and is operated like the fact they built the place at all they were doing us a big favor. I have seen lots better facilities and paid a lot less for it. A big thumbs down and...

Very disappointed! We booked a 3 bedroom ocean view room a year in advance for accommodations for the end of January until March 1, 2025. Prior to arrival we received an email that there was construction going on. Arrived January 25 and experienced the following: (could deal with some but it just added to the whole negative experience) covered parking closed elevator closed near us - next closest sometimes closed Jack hammering during the week closed courtyard during part of the stay(where all the amenities are)

On February 17 we were told we had to move out of our condo or we could leave. They offered us a 1 bedroom condo overlooking the parking lot. (We could also have an adjoining condo which would make it a 2 bedroom) They did offer our money back for our remaining time and often emphasized we should be grateful, normally they don’t give money back. We were so done being here and do not agree the condo we were offered compared to what we had. So we left and asked for additional money to cover our inconveniences. Answer was no, we gave you your money back, be happy we don’t normally do that. (Heard that several times) We weren’t asking for much. I felt they should compensate us for all the disappointment they caused us along with additional expenses we occurred like: Had tickets for shows coming up in Port A We had guests flying in from out of state to stay with us. We no longer had the room for the guests in a condo we reserved a year in advance We had a monthly discount and now had to leave and find another place to stay with no discount.

Compared to last year, these were other things that were negative: Pay $190 if you want your room cleaned during your stay, last year we didn’t have to pay. But we tipped housecleaning well. Bring your towels and bedding to front desk if you want clean ones. What!! That seems crazy, I paid big bucks to stay here Courtyard when it was open was not as clean as last years experience. (I understand there was construction but could clean bird crap up)

I felt there hospitality this year was very negative. We don’t plan on ever returning. We left and had to find alternative places to stay for the rest of our...