The Bowie

Please think long and hard before moving here. I will start off with the positives of The Bowie. The location is convenient and close to everything you could want downtown and it has great amenities. Pool area on the 36^th floor is really nice. The concierge desk employees are wonderful. This is where is stops. They closed the gym for 3 straight days after sending a notice saying it would be closed for a few hours for painting. Not that big of a deal however I got kicked out of the gym mid workout so they could paint at a time they were supposed to be open. A notice would have been nice. There is a construction site next to the Bowie and while we were told by the office staff the noise starts around 730am and ends around 5 and no construction on Sundays, this is not the case. Construction starts EVERY SINGLE MORNING between 6:30 and 7am at the latest. Yep, even on Sundays. Christmas Eve? You bet. While I understand the Bowie doesn’t have control over the construction it would have been nice if they were honest about the real hours of construction as I know they get constant complaints from their residents. Oh, and I should mention the construction site also runs a generator ALL NIGHT LONG when they feel like it which will keep you up the entire night. You have to expect construction and noise when living downtown but beware of this as it’s not the normal construction noise. It will slowly drive you insane. I have lived downtown in other places and I’m used to noise and can pretty much sleep through whatever or so I thought. This is on another level noise. The staff encouraged us to call 311 which we did but lets be real, the city doesn’t really care if you get sleep. The second issue is with the problems in the unit. In just 2 months time, we have had our dishwasher break and leak all over the floor which required replacing our kitchen floors, a light fixture had to be replaced in the bathroom, a/​c vents had to be worked on, and the list goes on and on. If you like to cook you better not live here. Every singe time we cook, and I’m not exaggerating, the smoke alarm goes off. I thought my vent above the stove wasn’t working so another thing maintenance came for. They told me the vent is designed to collect grease not smoke. The staff suggested we turn our ceiling fan on. Hmm, that would be helpful if I had a ceiling fan. It’s a major problem. I just gave up and stopped cooking but I know every time my neighbor cooks because I can hear his alarm going off. I step out in the hall and all the smoke and smell of food is terrible. They were prompt in fixing the other issues but they DO NOT give you any notice when they send maintenance nor does maintenance always leave you a note when they come in. I would come home and just realize that someone had been in my unit because things would be messed with and moved around on my counters, etc. I reported the issue to the staff and they did apologize however they continue to do the same thing over and over. For the sky high prices you pay here you expect safety and luxury but it’s far from that. I don’t even have hot water. In 2016 they decided to open to parking garage up to people other than residents. Enough said there. The point is, yeah some of this is expected in apartment complexes but not when you pay a premium price and they advertise luxury. So, be prepared to pay 3500 or more a month for a 1 bedroom. Parking is 200 for the first car and an additional 150 for the second car. Extremely disappointed. The assistant manager attempted to help with some of these issues but we were told she cannot make any decisions and we were advised to email Rebecca. Rebecca does not respond to emails. Not worth your money. I don’t normally write reviews but I just couldn’t help it. I hope this saves someone from going through the headache I’ve been through the past couple months.
*****UPDATE***** While I appreciated the response to my review, that’s only helpful if you do what you say. No one has ever contacted me from the Bowie. I have not heard from Rebecca.

I have lived here for four months and I don’t plan to leave. The location is amazing (although I lived next door at the Monarch, so that wasn’t enough!) It is all about the experience to me. The other residents are educated, interesting, well traveled, from all over the country… I love the light that makes my apartment so spectacular, the appliances are amazing (did I mention the gas cook top and raised washer and dryer?). The concierge makes you feel like you are living in the Austonian and the leasing staff always addresses me by name! You won’t find me in my apartment though… I am probably at the gym because my husband loves the Espresso (sp?) bike and the view from the 36^th floor is over the top. Hope to meet you by the outdoor fire, the pool or at one of the sponsored events!

This time I stayed in the «guest suites» here which will run you $ 250 a night on the weekends… For that price one would expect at least a clean room right? WRONG. I walked into my «suite» (which is a studio apartment) and immediately noticed that the waste baskets had not been emptied. I went to use the bathroom, a drop of hand soap left in the dispenser, NO soap in the shower, and the towels looked as if they had just been used! But wait it gets better, there was a little black book next to the bed… It was labeled «the guest book» and had memos of past hotel guests sexual experiences! Whoever in their right mind came up with this brilliant idea? No one wants to think about the hundreds of people that slept in their hotel room before them. Perhaps someone thought they were clever coming up with this, but it sure made my skin crawl to say the least. Finally when I went to lay my tired head on my pillow, to my dismay there was no pillowcase :(If I could give this a negative rating I would. Staff in the building are lovely and tried to make up for it with excessive apologies, but really there is no fixing this place. Go to the W or a more well established building where they have their «you know what» together. This will be my final visit here. Bye bye Bowie.

The good: this place possibly has the nicest complex for an apartment in downtown Austin. Rooftop gym and pool are awesome, and there are a lot of different layouts within the building.
The bad: like many other reviews stated, I tried multiple times to get a tour as well. Walk ins are rarely available and the first day I scheduled a tour I had to wait over 30 minutes for an agent to help me. Not the best way to start but sometimes things happen. As part of a special The Bowie was offering, applicants who apply within 24 hours of a tour get a free parking spot. I emailed some questions hours after my tour and did not get a response until two days later. The first thing the response mentioned was that since I did not apply within 24 hours, the free parking spot no longer applied. I’ve since emailed them several times and the responses seem to be very rigid and borderline insulting. The Bowie also requires your Internet traffic to go through their account which is unsafe and unheard of in Austin.
Strange: The first 6 months this place was on Unilocal,it got four 1* reviews and one 5*. Now, in the past month, 10+ 5* reviews come in, mostly from users with one review. Why does this complex need to incentivize reviews at best or fake them at worst? I get a strange feeling from this place and will be staying away.

Beautiful property with some of the best views in town. Excellent resident service thus far. Can’t beat the pool on a hot Texas day.

The Bowie is an exceptional building. Including the architecture, the quality of construction, the interior build out and the friendly staff. This building is by far the best highrise in Austin. I lived in Chicago for many years living in highrises and working fo a company who built them. This is a very high quality building.

I’ve loved this place from the beginning! Beautiful setting and views, amenities are top notch, friendly staff and great location. Whole foods is a block away, my gym –Pure is across the street, town lake is a warm up jog away. I’ve found myself just walking to the bars and restaurants and saving me on Über’s. Lucky to be here!

The Bowie is a beautiful oasis in downtown Austin that exceeds my every expectation in a rental property. The building exemplifies exquisite design and architecture inside and out. The rooftop pool boasts the highest in Texas & has the best views in Austin. Denise at the front desk somehow knows everyone by name and always has a tip on where to go and who to know. And the location cannot be beat. They even preserved a huge live oak on display. The Bowie is my Austin.

Bowie is a fantastic place to live. The convenience of having Whole Foods across the street –great neighbors– the best views in Austin. #TheBowieLife

I moved to Austin 8 years ago and have never lived anywhere as wonderful as The Bowie! There have been numerous cons at all 6 previous locations I have lived at in Austin. I moved in The Bowie mid-​April and am beyond happy with every aspect. Besides the fabulous amenities (dog park, club house, roof-​top pool, full workout room, concierge, etc), the staff is always available ²⁴⁄₇ to help you out or answer any questions. Our appliances are the best you can ask for, the views on all 4 sides of the building are spectacular, and the residents in the building are turning into a close community. The Bowie holds events for the residents to enjoy themselves at, including happy hours, dog events, live music, and more!
I could go on and on about the POSITIVES of this luxury apartment building, but I’m not looking to write a novel :)
*****5 STARS*****

This is a great place to live. I love all of the extra amenities that come with it. The security and concierge are great and friendly, always willing to go the extra step for YOU, the resident, and your guests as well, if you have any. The grounds and the building itself have astounding looks to them. The roof top pool has the most amazing view which was spectacular 4^th of July and the intimate cabanas allow you the extra touch of relaxation. The pool is not only great for having my girlfriends over, but I enjoyed numerous splash days with my four year old. The club room held a beautiful wedding reception for my girlfriend with plenty of room and the outside provides an area for everyone to dance the night away. Since living at The Bowie I enjoy my walks to Whole Foods, and my gym memberships are no longer as the gym provided for residents has all the equipment needed for someone new to working out, or someone such as myself that competes in fitness competitions. It truly has the best location and if you are a fan of ACL… You can walk! I was afraid after moving to Austin that my son would have a hard time not being surrounded by my family but with guest rooms available on site his nanny and papa can come and stay anytime they want. The other day I happened to be in the elevator when the owner was there and what I found so interesting was that not only did he know his tenants he listened to their concerns. Very rarely do you see an owner of a property out making sure it is kept up to standards for its tenants let alone do they know who you are. I have seen firsthand if there is a complaint that it is taken care of immediately.
I highly recommended living here whether you are a single young professional to a family with kids– you will love living at The Bowie!

After moving to Austin we really knew we wanted to be downtown, and we wanted to be at the Bowie. Not only is it the only truly luxury rental property on the west end of downtown, but the community of residents makes it a wonderful place to live. The staff is very polite and strives to make your day better. The multiple amenity decks give plenty of places to relax after a long day of work. Definitely one of the best places to live, and take a swim in all of Texas

Moved into The Bowie in April and thought I might miss my last apartment, but ever since I moved I haven’t looked back and it has been the best decision I have made in choosing luxury downtown living. The amenities are amazing, friendly competent staff, and location is perfect with easy access to the running trail, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and tons of restaurants and bars all within walking distance.
The Bowie is the nicest luxury apartment building in downtown Austin by far and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

My husband and I LOVE our place at The Bowie! We primarily live in the suburbs of Austin but decided to get a second home downtown to stay part-​time. We toured all of the great, new residential high rises but the Bowie was undoubtedly the best! It is new and impeccably clean with beautifully modern décor and spectacular, panoramic views of the city, Lady Bird lake and lush hill-​country. We were especially fond of the super hip interior design and how it incorporates the city of Austin with details related to local music and attractions.
We’ve grown to appreciate the classy and professional concierge staff who helps without hesitation with various requests since we are not there all the time. They also have an online portal that makes paying rent, scheduling maintenance or even renting a kayak easy as a quick click! Other factors that drove us to choose The Bowie are the convenient location, the amazing roof-​top pool, the dog park on the 10^th floor and the beautiful club room and deck on the 31^st floor. We hosted a very special family event in the clubroom for 200 people and the Bowie staff and clean up crew were fantastic. It was a gorgeous event that we will always remember.
Speaking of parties– since moving in, we have been pleasantly surprised by all of the great events that The Bowie provides its residents. The grand opening in July was nothing short of SPECTACULAR with live music, cirque du soleil style aerialists dancing down the outside of the building and fabulous food and drinks. The mayor even gave a speech! They have also hosted wine tastings, dog socials, happy hours and more which have provided perfect opportunities to get to know our downtown neighbors. There are some pretty fascinating residents there! Honestly, we have so much fun there and jump at any opportunity to head downtown to stay at our fabulous home away from home at The Bowie. It’s the best!

I would like to start out with a positive, the place is beautiful! The finishes are great, the pool and view is spectacular, actually all the amenities are top of the line.
That unfortunately is where my positive review stops.
My fiancé and I were looking into getting our first place together, Bowie being the leading contender. We excitedly went on a first tour and my fiancé called to get in a second time. No one called him back, ever. We had to have our realtor call and make the appointment. After that tour our guide said we would receive an e-​mail the following Monday, no e-​mail. For such a high end complex, we did not feel like they even wanted us to live their. Sadly it was enough to completely turn us off from The Bowie.

Called in to request information on the property — simply pictures and rates for 3 units. That was a few days ago and I’m still waiting. From the guys tone on the phone and the lack of follow-​up, I get the impression they don’t put customer service high on the priority list.

I’m not sure how anyone lives here. I went to tour the property today and was told there were no tours available. How do you not have tours? Are you open for business? Are you 100% leased? Do you not allow leasing on Mondays? I’m so confused. Imagine how I would be treated if I actually lived there. Anyone considering this place needs to move on. You’ll find me at The Catherine.

I’ve lived at The Bowie for 3 months and absolutely LOVE IT! The building is awesome and Management is THE BEST! Concierge Service is totally professional and equivalent to that of the swankiest hotel. This place really takes care of you and pampers you. Yes, it is expensive, however you really get your money’s worth. The occupants are professional and well mannered. The entire community has an upbeat attitude. It’ a Great Vibe living at The Bowie. Socially there are functions and mixers to meet your neighbors. The amenities center has food and drink and freshly brewed coffee just the way you like it. I moved from The Burbs to The Bowie, and have not been happier in Austin than I am now. I highly recommend this place. It feels like you’re living in a hotel!
One last thing, yes, the pool can get congested with people on weekends but not with floats and not with unattended children. During the week, one has the pool to themselves. I’ve re-​upped for a year.

Watch out for ‘bait and switch’ pricing… called one day and 2 days later called to start the leasing process and was given another price — went from a 15% to 30% premium on short term lease –really couldnt you be gentlemen and honor the original price i was quoted 48 hours earlier?