Desert Spa Apartments

Update: the plumbing here is horrible! They have to come in every month to snake and we still have used everyday. Also, you are not allowed to let kids play with chalk or have a lot of fun or the upper management will say something. Let’s not forget no Christmas lights on the outside of your windows. We have also had several stuff stolen off our property even though they had video cameras installed. I still like my manager Vivian she is still a sweetheart. We have been here for over three years now. They also expect us to have our carpet stretched which means we move all of our own furniture outside or we will be charged when we move out. Umm, no ! Rent went up too. It’s still a huge size apartment for a good price.

I lived at Desert Spa for about a year and a half and have nothing but nice things to say about the complex and the staff there. Vivian is, easily & hands down, the best Property Manager I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with — to the point that she’s now the bar against whom I shall judge all future property managers. I tend to be pretty quiet and don’t ask for much in regard to requests but the few that I had — a clogged drain here, a leaky fridge there — were all taken care of within a day of the filing. Moving in and moving out was an absolute breeze thanks to her and the few times I couldn’t get the rent check right in at noon or *cough* that time I was hung over and accidentally dropped it in the outgoing mail rather than the office box… she was more than cool.
The price was right — I was paying $ 1035 for a large one bedroom with vaulted ceilings, and all utilities were included. It would have been nice to be able to pay in cash or credit as I have no need for a check book other than that… but, hey, minor gripe. While you can tell that the place isn’t the newest, I appreciated being able to cook on a gas stove and the gas heating was a dream in the winter. The water pressure is pretty fantastic — decent on the shower head that they provide but once I opted to put in my own — DAYUM! The hot water seemed to last forever as well. I would complain about the heat in the summer months, but with paying no utilities it was my own damn fault for not buying a portable AC unit… don’t be mistaken, though — it gets HOT.
The only reason that this wouldn’t be a 5 star is because the neighborhood around the complex had started to deteriorate over the past 8 months or so. Loud kids, cops zooming around in squad cars and chopper announcements aplenty, you might as well just leave your cans outside of the recycle bin as they’re going to get checked by shady characters several times during dusk anyway, and one morning I went out to my car to find a doped out tweaker using the shade of the building to ward off demons — she sat there with giant blood-​shot eyeballs clawing at the air and speaking in tongues. Fantastic. Despite all of this I never felt like I was in danger — I was very thankful of the nightly security patrols that the complex provides. I never had any problem with break ins to my apartment or my car. Nor did any of my guests; who had to park on the the street.
I also reserve final judgement to see how much of my deposit I get back — I opted to use their cleaning service, which I was given a $ 130-​$ 170 estimate for… which is fine, I just didn’t want to deal with it — but if it’s over that… we’ll see, as I didn’t cause any damage. Just basic wear and tear stuff.
If you want a decent place on a budget and want to be centrally located in SD — I would absolutely recommend Desert Spa. Just go in with the appropriate expectations (this is Clairemont — not Rancho Santa Fe; there’s no squad of lavender scented ex-​Navy Seals patrolling around to beat the homeless away) and a sense of humor about the characters you’ll meet and you’ll have a grand ol’ time. And a safe one at that.
Vivian, you rock!

I’m a simple guy and this was all I needed.
These apartments are cheap and it’s of fair quality. IMHO, a bang for your buck during college.
With the smallest of the three bedroom in our three bedroom/​2 bath apartment, I paid around $ 430. There were three of us and I remember the highest a person paid was somewhere around $ 520. Not sure if prices have gone up but they don’t change too often or steeply here. Since the new manager came, renting from here have been very professional and maintenance is done in a timely manner. She was doing a great job improving the buildings and apartments before I left.
I recommend checking this place out if you want your own bedroom during college and don’t want to pay $ 700−1200/month like I have.
Tip: Living upstairs is way better than living downstairs if there’s ever a plumbing issue.
FYI, it’s decent post-​college too. Vivian is one of the best managers and that makes all the difference.