With a gorgeous view of the ocean from a long balcony as well as from most rooms of the condo, this property has such potential to rate a five-star review. Unfortunately our stay was marred by annoying management issues.
Before going into the cons, here are some of the things we loved about this condo.
* Ahhhh, the view. It was wonderful to sit on the balcony or the couch and look out over the ocean from the 8th floor. When it was too cold to go out, we still felt as though we were on the beach. It was a nice place to entertain our visiting relatives.
* The condo is very nicely furnished and the beds are super comfy, not too soft and not too hard.
* The kitchen appliances, including the fridge, have been recently updated.
* Our last evening we stood next to the beach at the pool and saw a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, very special experience for us all.
* The rolling baggage racks near the elevators were very handy.
And now the cons, mostly due to management issues rather the condo itself
* Our check-in instruction “Upon arrival, please head to the front desk to receive the key to your room” was totally wrong. The office accessible to the public was closed. In fact, we never saw it open the entire time we were there. Luckily the last reviewer had given us a heads up on the key problem and we emailed for alternate directions before leaving home. Even so, check-in was not without complications and there was no one available to ask for help. Finding the keys and navigating the garages and elevators is confusing to an incoming guest.
* Our two Evolve “guest contacts” never answered the phone number supplied. We called four times, twice about check-in and twice about heat issues. Twice it just rang; twice we got the answering service. The wifi network and password included in our email from Evolve were both incorrect.
* The temperature dropped to the 40s but we couldn’t turn up the heat because the thermostat was remotely controlled by the owner. We spent a sleepless freezing night and a day wearing our warm jackets in the condo before we could get help.
* Our first morning we took the elevator down to ground level to take walk on the beach, only to find that access to the ocean level was closed off. We asked the woman in the little inside office how to get to the beach and she told us to go to the 7-Eleven and turn right. She never mentioned that the storm had damaged the Moontide walkways or that the beach near the 7-Eleven was 1/2 a mile away. The public parking lot there was also closed for repairs. If you have small children or lots of beach gear you may want to check whether this is still the case. Repairs are ongoing all along the beachfront.
* One minor thing we wished for was more beach chairs—there were only two and one was pretty worn.
The condo is beautiful and deserves better management. If staffing is an issue, as it often is these days, at least provide guests with accurate, clear directions for check-in and check-out, as well as details on the status of any beach damage and repairs.