Review for Lakeside At Campeche Apartment

Lakeside at Campeche is a gem tucked away in a peaceful, quiet corner of Galveston.

In May of 2006, I moved into a second-floor apartment in the E bldg of Lakeside at Campeche. This was my first apartment, so I didn't know what to expect. I did a lot of apartment shopping in the area, and -at the time of my move in- Lakeside was the best deal for the price. I found a great one bedroom with a view over the pool, the lake, and the ocean was in the horizon (barely visible). I expect that you will run into problems wherever you rent. I was told that the Lakeside buildings are about 20+ yrs old. That said, I think theyre in great shape.

Building E: Living in Building E was great. We were near the entrance, the office, the mailboxes; we always had a great parking spot on one of three sides.

During my stay in the E bldg, I had a little bad luck. The first maintenance problem we had in bldg E was a dishwasher that wouldn't work. I went to the office to report the issue, and was sent back with a maintenance man who resolved the issue in minutes (immediate service).

I had a minor problem with what the office staff called sugar ants -this issue was also quickly resolved.

After a few months there, a man moved upstairs into the third floor with three children. The children were left unattended and were noisy all night. One night, (from what I understand) the children let the tub overflow or caused a leak somehow&? Anyways, their bathroom was directly above my bathroom. Water leaked through the ceiling of my bathroom and filled the light fixture. I called the emergency maintenance number included with my move-in paperwork, and a man showed up within thirty minutes. He took a look at the both apartments and told me that it would be worked on the next day. It was. The next day, they fixed the water leak. I later found out that the guy below me had water come through his ceiling, too. The day after that, they sent an electrician out to replace the light fixture and ventilation fan. It wasnt long before mold started appearing on the ceiling. I reported this, and the staff worked with my work schedule to have painters come in and cover the mold. They had to paint it two or three times. The office staff worked with me to make sure that the painting didnt interfere with my schedule.

It was a bad situation, but the Lakeside staff handled it very well.

Building F: The office staff didnt change much over year I lived there. Every employee and resident I met was very friendly. After a few noise issues with the previously mentioned upstairs neighbor, the Lakeside staff worked with me to find another apartment within the complex. In December of 2006, I moved into the F building. The rent was much more expensive, but it was worth it. The new apartment had brand-new appliances and light fixtures (new stuff=price increase); It was on the first floor (less stairs=price increase); It was larger that my previous apartment (bigger place=price increase); and it was on the lake (better view=price increase). All upgrades included, I paid $170 more each month.

In the F building, my bad luck continued. At first, the shower had low water pressure, and the garbage disposal didnt work. I reported this to the office, one day while home for lunch, and both issues were resolved by the time I got home from work (same day service).

We had an ongoing issue with the heater during the winter. When the heater was set to 72 or higher, the breaker would flip, and the heater would turn off. This matter took more than a month to resolve and left my girlfriend and I under stacks of blankets on many cold nights. The matter was finally resolved, after submitting the repair request three times, in writing. The electricity bill for that month was outrageous for the size apartment I had. But, we have not had any more problems since.

The patios on the F building offer a beautiful view of the lake. I think the lake looks better than Galvestons ugly beaches anyway.

The parking for Building F wasnt always great. Sometimes I was twenty feet from the door, sometimes I was 150 feet from the door. If youre home before 5pm, you can get a great spot. Otherwise, youll be walking.

I have read some reviews about the stray cats and the dog excrement in the grass. Stay on the sidewalk and youre ok. If you walk in the grass, (like I ALWAYS did), just pay attention to where youre walking. We have a young dog that gets walked constantly, and Im always running with him through the grass. I have never stepped in dog mess here at Lakeside. The cats are everywhere, but they keep to themselves. The maintenance guys also lay out birdseed and food for the ducks and geese we have on site. You can see turtles in the lake on most days. We took the paddle-boats out on a sunny day. They werent really impressive, but they are available. I have also read reviews about the stickers for parking and the gate never working. The gate has not worked since I moved in, and Im glad. There is only one entrance to the complex, and there are speed-bumps on every turn and straightaway. I think the purpose of a gate is to feel safe. I feel safe with one entrance at Lakeside. Also, (when I lived there) there was an officer that lived near the front entrance. His police car was parked right around the first turn into the complex, in the same spot every day. I have not heard anything about parking stickers nor seen them- until reading reviews online. I also read reviews about the maintenance guys coming into the apartments unattended, and failing to leave notes after their visit. This is a very minor problem. The maintenance was quick to address any problem we had. From what I understand, the guys are supposed to leave a note that explains who came by and what was done. I havent seen them do this. Honestly, the guys seem to stay so busy, I dont blame them for skipping the notes.

I have spent the past year living at Lakeside at Campeche. We have never had a problem with roaches in my [two] apartments. Now that my [second] lease has expired, I have to either renew my lease, or continue on month to month, with an additional $40 month to month fee. I think every apartment complex has a similarly lame charge. We found a loft on the east end of the island for a little more than we paid in the F building. Were closer to downtown, but downtown is much noisier than Lakeside. Also, we dont have a patio, a lake, a pool, or an on-site office/maintenance staff.

What I like about Lakeside: -Friendly staff and residents -well-lit stairwells and grounds -nice pool and hot tub area -great view -quiet surroundings -far from tourists, traffic and the noise of Galveston, which is nice, but&.

What I dont like about Lakeside: -Far from fun: Minor complaint--It is nice to be in a quiet corner of the island, but when you want to enjoy what the island has to offer, you have to drive to the East side of the island. All of the great restaurants and shops are between 61st and 6th. Lakeside is past 99th.

-No Gym: They dont have an on-site fitness center. Instead they give you passes to a gym on the island. I havent been to the gym. Im sure the gym is much better than any apartment fitness center, but it would be nice to have something within walking distance.

-No On-site Recycling: The nearest recycling is on 45 and 61st Street, by Target. This makes recycling glass, plastic and aluminum quite a chore. Paper can be recycled at any of the schools on the island. The nearest school to Lakeside is an elementary school on 81st St. I asked the office manager about starting an on-site recycling program. She said that it has been tried in the past and people just threw trash in it. I dont know how long ago that was, but I think on-site recycling should be made available.

-No assigned parking: Parking is usually lame.