I was scheduled to meet a group of people mid-week at Villamare in Palmetto Dunes. I rented this place at Breakers so that I could work with an ocean view for two days before the rest of my group arrived.
The apartment has a BEAUTIFUL ocean front balcony. I put a small umbrella over my laptop and enjoyed getting a tan on the balcony and a paycheck simultaneously! The internet was perfect for working.
The apartment is small, but perfect for a couple or solo traveler. It had everything I needed to live there for months (washer, dryer, dishwasher, stove, etc). It is on the third floor, so I would recommend considering how you pack, super heavy suitcases are not fun to hall up the stairs. Aside from that, it's so well located that you have the pool, ocean, shopping, and restaurants only steps away.
Cleanliness: the apartment was really clean, except the floors. The floors looked clean but need a really deep scrubbing. My socks turned black within a few hours of being there. Also, the indoor/outdoor carpet on the balcony is victimized by birds and needs to be replaced - it was quite dirty and had an odor. Other than the floors, the place was very clean.
The complex: I wasn't in love with the complex. It's extremely well located. However, it needs a more aggressive maintenance team. At Villamare, there were always people working outside and as such, the complex was spotless. At Breakers, I never saw a maintenance person - even during the day on Monday and Tuesday. There's a green dust all through the hallways on on everything - the hallways need to be kept clean (so that the floors I mentioned above don't get trashed). Also, there's leaves, mud, and rocks everywhere in the parking lot. It wasn't pleasant. True, they are under construction, but I feel sweeping, dusting, and leaf blowing are sorely neglected.
Safety: My door kept spontaneously popping open. My guess is that I didn't push the door enough to engage the lock. I felt scared when I kept waking up to the door wide open. I would suggest putting some sort of lock on the inside so that guests can feel securely locked in when they are sleeping.
Overall, I really loved this apartment and wish I could afford to live there each winter (instead of in MI). I was there by myself. It was easy for me to work, eat, and find activities. I would definitely recommend it, if you can overlook major construction, dusty hallways and a messy parking lot.
