Sugar Beach Condominium Association — Local services in Orange Beach

Well, I don't want to go down an emotional path, so I am stating our stay in condo 127 at Sugar Beach from a totally truthful approach. We rented this condo directly from its owner. We arrived to find this condo filthy. Dirt was caked on all 3 ceiling fans. The plastic plants were caked in dirt and dust as well. We wiped down the kitchen counter to clean the sand. The closet in main bedroom had old pillows (not usable) thrown in the corner with the iron. We tried to use the vacuum to clean up after ourselves, but it spread more dirt out and picked up nothing. So how did the cleaning people clean? We found their dirt under the main throw rug in the kitchen. We swept then used wet paper towels to get the sand and dirt. Other stuff: dirt in the corners of bathroom counter tops, moldy shower curtain in bedroom bath, receptacle in kitchen not fastend to box, just hung there, balcony had old food on it when we got there and the furniture in and out is filthy. I approached one of the family members who own this condo. I told Don T. he should really re-evaluate his cleaning crew. I also told him the refrige did not go below 60 degrees. He did go get us a mini-fridge to use. Here it is, the big one. We heard water in the bedroom bath shower about 10 pm, it was coming through the ceiling, it was not the first time evidenced by the rusty old crack in the ceiling it lasted about 3 to 4 minutes. I approached Don T. the next day about that he said. " oh we think that is coming from the dish washer from the unit above we have another family coming in after you, will fix it after they leave". I said " I guess you don't want to be in there when it ejects dishwater" he laughs and says. " no you don't." (Is that a health code violation?) You know, I feel really embarrassed for Don T/owners, I believe his immediate family owns it. It is so plain to see at this point they are investing no money in upkeep or upgrades and it really has gotten away from them. Age is ok, but it is not even kept clean. Obviously we will never rent from this family again and I will always use a larger real estate company in the area to rent through, they care about...

You get what you pay for is usually accurate and you need to keep that perspective when choosing to stay at Sugarbeach. I will also be keeping that perspective when writing this review. These are not 5 star accommodations, if you are looking for luxury go somewhere else. The bones of Sugarbeach are solid and worth a trip if you are budget conscious. When pulling up to the small concrete building you are met by extremely friendly guard staff. The condo complex itself is run down and in need of some TLC and you can almost envision what it looked like when it was shiny and new. When you venture down the concrete hallways, there are units that have been lovingly taken care of, attention paid to the door fronts, some had fresh paint, welcome mats, wreaths, even a few ring cameras. Those units are the ones you want to rent as I can only imagine the insides are just as well preserved. There is a lot of rust, there is need for paint and repairs, the elevators need a refresh, the wood needs to be replaced and stained, the tennis courts need maintenance. But there are three pools, a kiddie pool, a hot tub, and all were clean. The complex is steps from the beach. There is a snack shack (cash only!) and it does serve alcoholic drinks. The atm did not work while we were there. This is on the quiet end of the beach which we loved, but not within walking distance of shops or restaurants. The units were relatively sound proof. Our unit lived up to the overall theme of the resort, needing a refresh and some TLC, but it was clean and suited our needs. The management company Liquid Life was an absolute pleasure to work with and I cannot recommend them highly enough. I truly wish I had the funds to refresh this little place as it has so...

I stayed here in unit 279 from July 31st-August 7th. I have to admit that I really enjoyed the unit and my stay at the condo association, but there were a couple of drawbacks that my family encountered during our stay.

Pros:

3 pools and a kiddie pool for the little ones. This was a major plus for us!

Access to the beach.

The carts in the parking area to use for transporting luggage/groceries to and from the car to the unit was a massive help.

Friendly management/security guards.

The room we stayed in was clean (besides the stains in the carpet) and the air conditioning worked well.

The beds were comfortable.

Convenience of nearby stores and attractions.

Cons:

The entry to the condo could be better. There is only one way in and one way out. Do not think about turning left from the traffic island into the complex! You will be waiting forever due to the cross traffic turning right into the complex. If they added another entry point for people who have checked in, the flow of traffic would be much more efficient.

Our refrigerator reeked of fish from the previous family.

The sliding doors leading to the balcony could use some work. They were incredibly stiff to push and pull to open and close.

The TV in the guest bedroom didn't work.

Not a fan of the jute rug in the living room. It looked pretty gross.

The elevator broke down on us once during our stay.

The parking area floods during heavy rainfall.

All in all, we really enjoyed our stay and we will definitely consider staying at Sugar Beach Condominiums in the future when we travel to the Orange Beach/Gulf...