The Island on Lake Travis — Local services in Lago Vista

First a little rant about rentals and the sites that rent them. The owner fees, cleaning fees, and taxes about doubled the actual cost of this unit. I could understand having taxes listed separately since taxes vary greatly from location to location, but owners fee of over $300 and cleaning fee of over $200 should be really included in the listed rental price. End of rant.||||A few red flags before we ever arrived at the unit. The VRBO listing clearly stated that because of covid19 issues to check and be sure any amenities that were important to you were available. I emailed through the listing asking who or where to check for this information. I waited 6 days without a response and emailed again. I never received a reply. The second issue was in trying to gain access to The Island. The instructions we received included a code to enter to open the gate. The touch screen had definite malfunctions. We tried for 20-30 minutes with no success at opening the gate and so called the number included in the instructions. They could not help but said they would contact the appropriate person and we would get a call back. That call never came. As far as the help number is concerned we could still be trying to gain access to the property. After multiple tries and about a hours time we finally got the touch screen to work enough for entry. This was an issue our entire stay. We saw many cars going to the left of the entry and through a drive with no gate or code required - it was also the exit. It appears we were the only ones using the actual entry. Also, just about all the info on this unit was contradictory. From the website, to the emailed info, to the info book in the unit just differences in amenities, allowed guests, parking, etc... ||||The lake around The Island was about dry (see pictures below). Not very pretty to look at so that was disappointing. So, no boat ramp, no swimming, no lake access. The pools were open. The gym was open. The hot tubs were not.||||The overall property and the unit itself are showing their age. Not totally unloved, but needing much maintenance. ||||Patio/balcony of our unit was a little crumbly. Wear shoes as the floor is not pleasant to bare feet. The patio furniture was clean. |||| Our unit was what I call surface clean. See picture below of woodwork. Bugs in the light fixtures - dead bugs. Walls very scuffed and you can see where the scuffs were painted over as the new cover paint didn't exactly match the old wall paint. Grout on floor and shower tiles needed a deep clean. The trash can needs a thorough cleaning inside and out. So there was much to be desired on the actual structure.||||The linens, while worn, were nice, clean, and abundant. We were much pleased that dishwasher pods, washer pods, dish soap, hand soaps were well stocked. Also, paper towels and trash bags enough for our stay. A little stingy on personal care items - shampoo, conditioner, toilet paper. Coffee maker and Keurig with pods were nice. Kitchen was well stocked with utensils, pots and pans, dishes - again things showing their age, but they were functional. The second bedroom closet is full of fun things - games, beach towels, extra linens, and sports equipment. The mattress' on the beds were comfortable.||||Of course the unit is much smaller than the pictures advertising it portray it. The second bedroom is very small. There is no where to set anything. There was no rack to set luggage on (we had to use the floor), no nightstand by the bed. The dresser top was full of TV. And the closet is very full of fun things so that there was no place to unpack and store a suitcase. The master closet is very empty and I would suggest maybe dividing things so second bedroom closet is less full. A luggage rack is a definite need in this room. I would suggest that the second bedroom might be ok for small children, but not comfortable or functional for adults. The pullout couch bed has a very thin mattress. Not very comfortable for full sized adults.||||The furnishings in the unit appear to be very new. The furniture was comfortable and clean. It was decorated nicely for a rental.||||I would stay here again except for the cost. Very overpriced for the condition of the unit and...

We stayed the weekend in Condo 3309 at The Island. I am not impressed with the building or accommodations. Especially for the premium summer rate that we were charged.

Upon entering the unit, we were hit with quite a musty smell. Smells like old apartment that was smoked in years ago. The carpet in the bedroom has stains on it. This is a dog friendly condo, but for $250/night plus a pet fee I’d expect the carpets to be cleaned after a dog has an accident. The shower light in the Master bath is hanging by the wire and the shower head will not stay up - the Mount is broken and it falls down. The kitchen has been updated and has everything needed for a weekend away. The TVs have cable, but there are wayyy too many remotes to get it all to work. There really isn’t a view from this unit - it’s surrounded by trees, so you can’t see out.

The condo complex seems like it has seen better days. The elevator floor had a hole in it. The pools are fairly small. Some units do have a nice view, but others are covered by trees. The paver walkways have caved in in certain areas. All of the fountains are kinda pathetic and the courtyard landscaping seems like they did the bare minimum. Overall it seems like the building management is doing the bare minimum to get by, and in no way would I call this a luxury condo complex. I think the best thing going for this complex is it’s location on the lake and it’s views.

Management hasn’t really impressed me either. They do have a nice system setup to send out automated emails with all the info you will need, but they have been totally non responsive to me. I emailed them a few days before our stay with a question. (Their communications to us did say to call or email them) I never got a response. I also emailed them the issues we had with the unit and never received a response. I don’t get the feeling that they have been swamped, the parking garage was about half full. Also they do not seem to change the door codes. A previous renter from four months prior had left their check-in paperwork in a basket and their door code was the same as ours. Seems like a pretty big security concern to me. Pretty much the only thing stopping me from getting back into the unit we stayed in is...

I haven’t been to the Island at Lake Travis in 4 or 5 years and unfortunately this place is really aging out of its beauty and charm and is in need of some major updates as it is definitely starting to show its age. CAUTION: ANY PHOTOS ONLINE ARE MOST LIKELY SEVERAL YEARS OLD!!!! The water levels are extremely low and actually completely dried up in some areas. Most pictures show water driving into the island. But that water is completely gone due to droughts! Also there is a very intense sulfur smell coming from the lake or property somewhere. Unless the owners really takes great care of the unit, they are old and outdated. It’s disheartening that no one has updated photos of this place. It’s actually quite deceptive to use photos from 20 years ago when the lake and island were at their peak. The indoor pool, Spa, fitness facility and restaurant are all really really old. This is a retirement place where owners rent out their units so In complete transparency all owners should stop advertising this as a resort. It is not. Yes the actual area has beautiful scenery in some areas looking at the houses in the hills, but this place’s heyday is long over and it’s singing it’s swan song. Still if you want just peace and quiet (it is EXTREMELY QUIET), don’t mind the seriously strong sulfur smell coming from the diminishing lake levels, you will be okay. Also, they do not keep the pools consistently open and clean. Major issue for travelers as well. This is our last and...