Hillcrest Apartments

When I first moved in it was a very pleasant place to live. Shortly thereafter management changed and things went downhill. They removed the rent box from the building and said we either had to mail, drop off or pay online for rent in Clearwater. Wouldn't be a big deal, but when we went to pay online they charged us $20 extra to pay our rent online. So now we waste stamps in order to turn our rent in. Certain owners of dogs living in the apartments do not pick up their dogs waste and the... dog area has become a minefield of dog waste. The fitness room could barely be called a fitness room. There is only one bike, one treadmill, one elliptical, and one multi-purpose arm weights machine. The intercom system that is connected to your phone would be nice, if it worked. It broke several months after I moved in and has not been fixed since. Therefore when guests come over, or packages are being delivered, if you are not home to walk to the door to let them in, they won't get in. In order to get packages you wait an extra day to sign the slip that says your okay if the package company drops it off and leaves it out in the open for anyone to take. I would not recommend renting here due to the lack of attention this building gets now that management changed. However, the caretakers of the property are very nice and do what they can to keep the building and outside clean and welcoming. Read More

Like all things in life this apartment complex has good and bad things about it. I really like the location of the building. It is far enough outside of St. Cloud that it feels very safe. The fact that all entrances require an access FAB to gain entrance is also plus in my mine. There is also a nice running/biking/walking trail with paths that lead down to the Mississippi about 1 block from the apartment. Adjacent to that trail is a road that leads down to a boat launch onto the river if... you're interested in fishing, boating, canoeing, or kayaking it's great place to go. The location is also only a couple minute drive to I-94 so it is very convenient for travel to the Twin Cities.
The until I'm in is a 1 bedroom apartment with a den. For a single woman, like myself, that is plenty of space with some room to spare. The den is large enough to act as a second bedroom if guests were ever to come. The master bedroom has a very large walk-in closet that any girl would be jealous of. There is a large kitchen with plenty of cupboard space that was lacking is apartments I've previously lived in. Every apartment has a walk out patio which is a great place to sit and enjoy the weather in the warmer months of the year. The apartment complex also has a fitness facility with a treadmill, weight machine, and elliptical for resident use.
The thing I like least about this apartment complex is that there are no units with a washer and dryer in them. This was one requirement for an apartment that I had to sacrifice in order to get into an apartment quickly that would allow pets. While I love the fact that the apartment is pet friendly, the cost of having a pet is a bit outrageous in my opinion. There is a $300 pet deposit and on top of that you pay $50 a month to have a pet in the apartment. I think the rent is otherwise reasonable at $680 a month for my apartment. While there are some nice indoor amenities at the apartment the only outdoor amenity is a playground for children. The apartment complex directly adjacent to Hillcrest has an indoor pool and outdoor basketball court as well as grills, and a playground, which makes Hillcrest seem small in comparison. Noise from adjacent apartments is pretty limited in my experience so far, but I can hear the child in the apartment above me running around very easily.
Overall I would recommend Hillcrest as a great starter place to live, but I would not recommend it for someone looking for a more long-term living situation. Read More