Island Retreat Condominiums

We are having the loveliest stay in this little one bedroom rental. It's the perfect size for the two of us. Close to the beach.... close to the shops. I miss the 'sitting out on the deck' aspect of renting a beach house or larger condo. But for the price, this place is great!

We were in unit 064. It was newly renovated and nice enough...building was old, outside looks very dated, but the unit was decent. I like that it was on the second floor, and that it was closest to the ocean. Unfortunately, due to covid-19, the pool was closed (we stayed here the first weekend the state was open after the lock down). They called and told me after I made reservations about the pool, would have been good to know before the reservations, as I was considering an Airbnb, but chose here for the pool. Alex, who called was nice and considerate, sounds like I could have cancelled at that point, but I decided not to.The kitchen was well stocked, but one of the bathroom sinks was clogged when we got here, and supplies where chincy. There also wasn't a lot of room for food in the kitchen (cupboards and drawers were all well stocked)...the door that appeared to be the pantry was locked. There were only a couple dish washer tabs and no extra toilet paper anywhere, with 8 people for a couple days we ran out and had to use paper towels and thrown them away (no answer when I called the office to request more, but strange I would even need to call for that).Took a few mins to figure out the TV's, but we couldn't get the cable box in the master bedroom to work at all even after restarting the cable box. Found men's underwear behind the master TV while trying to troubleshoot cable box issue. WiFi was good, easy to use and fast.Their emails after registration were strange, one even looked like spam and lacked information.Our kids had a good time here and enjoyed the stay. It was a decent home base for playing at the beach.Overall we had a good time, was decent, staff (Alex) was nice, but not sure we'd stay here again.

Disappointed because the dishwasher and microwave did not work. I called the office. Reported to Alex. He was pleasant but no one showed up to check it out. Reported the issue a second time (24 hours later)...maintenance showed up. It was an issue he couldn't fix. Felt it was wiring. Would report to office. After he left, I noticed the refrigerator light was off. Not working. Called the office a third time to report the 3 appliances not working. The maintenance guy returned quickly to check it out. He was very pleasant and apologetic. Hoping it is as simple as a breaker.

Just. Don't. Do. It. Plenty of other accommodations on the island. The office was moved to the community center, which was also under construction. Entering the room. The smell. Could not put my finger on it. A mix of urine and stale bar food? All of the decor and vents were covered in dust. Floors had multiple layers of grime on them. Not sure where the cleaning fee goes to?The beds were loud and were hard as a rock. The couch was a well used pleather that was cracked and deflated. The closet was made of pressed wood that was warped and flaking. The foam stripping around the fridge door was loose and flopping around. The shower head is adequate for the average height and was not attached to the wall well. Not one notice of ongoing construction. The construction started at 7 am and lasted until 6ish every day. The noise is one thing. But the parking. We had to unload our things and trek it across the lot due to all the spots consumed by the crews. Access to the beach? Quick and easy with a nice shower to rinse off with. The pool? Quite nice. Except for the last night. The lawns were cared for that day and left all of the clippings on the walkways and pool deck. A green layer of clippings were left on the pool and there were burrs on the walkway. The best part was checking out and leaving the 'resort'. Very comparable to section 8 housing.

Spent my second New Years in a row staying in Island Retreat Condos. Excellent value for the price, friendly condo owners, and a beach view! They have become part of our Port Aransas tradition. While some places are not open yet after Harvey, Island Retreat has opened a lot of their condos for business, and I highly recommend them! Worth every cent. In both units I stayed in, they had tile walk in showers, which me and my wife really liked. Bring a book, and sit on the balcony facing the beach! Good times had by all, and we will return.

First time here and we're having a great stay! The only complaints I have are 1. The crossing bridge to get to the beach and 2. The lack of urgency to get the standing water from the rain outta here, or treating it for mosquito larvae. The mosquitoes rival the sea birds in size! Crazy! I will say we did see the fogger truck going through spraying for the bugs which was nice, but not starting at the source is a problem. The bridge walkway is flooded. The bridge needs a MAJOR facelift! You shouldn't have to trudge through piss-warm or even hot mosquito larvae infested water for 20-30 ft to get to the bridge....gross. And obv if it ever rains this is a problem. The shower at the base of the walk is nonfuntional and is a super easy fix yet it hasn't been taken care of...come on, take care of easy stuff. PVC pipe and a new shower head and it's ready to go! I know they have a lot of repair from Harvey, but damn the little things should be knocked out with the quickness- Harvey was a year ago! Overall we'd stay again and recommend our space, but hope the next time the couple things are taken care of.

We stayed here in July of 2018. The first thing we noticed was the place was dirty and smelled of cat urine. Turnkey sent someone over twice to clean the place but both times they didn't do an adequate job. The A/C was broken and the repair man had to come over at least 3 times. The guest bathroom light was out and they had to order a special build which took a day to get. The owners don't keep up with this place. Turnkey said they would compensate me for these issues, but that was a lie. To date they have made no offer to compensate me for a miserable experience. I'll never stay here or any at another Turnkey managed property!!!!!

We've been taking annual trips to Port A for the last 15 years (missed last year due to Harvey). Unfortunately this was the first time we've been disappointed in our accommodations.Reservations...Website did not reflect ongoing construction or the possibility of getting a different room. An email was sent with this info a couple of days after the reservation.Arrival...The security guard (?) was seated at the front of the complex, but not quite sure why. The lady at the desk was very friendly and courteous. She reviewed a few details with us, but didn't give us information on towels or housekeeping. We were able to get the room we had reserved. The office was clearly under construction. The only local resource available was cards for Port A Pizzeria (turned out to be AMAZING-see that review).The room...This is where the disappointment started. When you open the doors the ceiling tiles move up (like a suction). The smell was weird- possible mildew? Rust around the many many mirrors. Mildew or mold around the air vent. Not enough seating for the 5 of us to sit comfortable. The kitchen table was literally leaning. It could be expanded for more seating but we were worried it would collapse. AC never quite got anywhere near the requirement of not putting it lower than 70. The beds in the second bedroom sounded like water beds when you sat on them but were not. The pillows felt like cardboard. Fridge and dishwasher were new and clean. The microwave was rusted and looked like a fire hazard. The stove/oven was electric and small but worked. The items in the kitchen appeared to have survived Harvey but need to be removed. Several items were rusted and not usable.On the patio there was a storage bench with beach items (sand items, boogie board, umbrella, etc.View...All you see is the pool. I know I was on the ground floor, but literally can't see the beach at all, even in the distance. The amenities...The pool was a great size and clean. Tables, chairs, and loungers were available at the pool.Hopscotch, basketball, and shuffleboard courts were observed, but unsure if shuffle board discs and such were availablePicnic tables were around, as well as barbecue pits. Beach access...The walkway to the beach was clean and sturdy, but steep in a few parts. Water station available for rinsing prior to entering the main grounds. No options for renting chairs or umbrellas.Construction...Monday morning the construction started. At on point they were working on our patio above the windows... no notice was given, nor did the workers knock to tell us they'd be staring in our windows for hours. Departure...Security guard at the front was not paying attention at all.While in very excited for the places that are open, I worry they may be in such a hurry to make units available that they are slipping on quality.

If you are looking for an updated quiet place to stay, this is not the condo for you. A few weeks ago we rented unit # 102 at the Island Retreat Condos. We were shocked when we opened the door to find an extremely outdated room. The furniture looked like it was salvaged from the storm, the night stand was water damaged and peeling. The ceiling tiles were stained, the closet in the bathroom was closed with a wire hanger and the shower knobs were old and full of mold. To top if all off, the walls are so thin we heard and smelled everything going on in the adjoining unit. We even tried to reach out to the owners of the unit but never got a response. If you decide to stay at this condo, I would definitely make sure you don't get this unit or this building.

Took forever to get ahold of anyone to help us get into the room, and all the electricity went out around midnight so the room was hotter than hell. My little ones were miserable all night long. Will definitely not be staying here again.