Monterey by Windsor Uptown Apartments – INSIDER REVIEW

LOCATION

The Uptown Dallas location is one of the Monterey by Windsor Uptown’s best features. The apartments take full advantage of their West Village location in every way, without sacrificing comfort for proximity, I might add. Living near the West Village is very desirable for young professionals, but it gets seriously crowded, especially at night. Uptown residents, tourists, college students, and Dallas residents of all ages enjoy the West Village each night. So, although living near the West Village is great, there can be such a thing as “too close for comfort.” The Monterey by Windsor apartments get around this problem nicely by being located a 5 minutes walk from the West Village, instead of right next door. They are happily situated beside the vibrant Cole Park — one of the few Uptown parks and the only public place to play free tennis here! Cole Park also has basketball courts, spacious green fields for picnics or walking a dog. If you are the kind of person who needs a little nature in your urban life, this park is terrific.

On the other side is a small school that initially caused me some noise concern. The school lets out at 3, so the school is empty and noiseless by 3:30. No problem there! One of the biggest draws to Uptown is that if you live in the right location, you can walk to everything, and still sleep soundly! We are a quick WALKING DISTANCE from the 3 of the 4 keys of Uptown (see below), so the Monterey by Windsor gets two big, deserving thumbs up on location!

1) Uptown Trolley – A 3 minute walk to a pickup spot for the free Uptown Trolley

2) Katy Trail – A 7 minute walk to the nearest Katy Trail entrance on Blackburn.

3) West Village – It’s right there, 3 minutes away, and you can see clearly from your doorstep how busy it is.

4) Night Life in Mid-Section – The middle section of Uptown Dallas on McKinney Avenue is the most popular area for nightlife. This hub is the most distant of the four keys — but also the noisiest, so you may appreciate the distance, which is easily solved by the Uptown Dallas Trolley (above) a five minute walk away. It has a drop off in the heart of McKinney Avenue activity. It’s also a super quick drive by car. Also within walking distance are two grocery stores: A Kroger (about 5 minutes walking) and an Albertson’s (about 8 minutes walking). So almost everything you need is accessible with just your two feet!

SOCIAL SCENE

The Monterey by Windsor apartments were built with a California design in mind. It can be difficult to balance good design with a more “casual” feel, but I’m happy to report that the Monterey Uptown apartments definitely succeed in this regard. You just feel wonderful walking up to this place. It’s spacious, bright and enticing. The attention to detail and welcoming atmosphere definitely sets it apart from other nearby apartments. The five story mid-rise style of the Monterey by Windsor adds to its welcoming feel. So do the amenities — which are present everywhere, including a full outdoor kitchen (which is huge!), a party room, a hot tub, and a large pool with pool chairs in the shallow water. It’s definitely not your typical “walk-up” apartment, with direct street access. You walk through the same doors every time and get your mail from the same place. This turns out to be a terrific way to meet your neighbors.

The Monterey by Windsor residents seem to have a natural tendency toward social interaction. You can find many apartments in Dallas with monthly social activities of some kind. But the Monterey by Windsor apartments go above what’s expected by having numerous OUTSIDE events, where you can also get to know, say, the cool dinner spots on McKinney Avenue, or a good place for happy hour. One of the local night clubs even has a drink named after the Monterey by Windsor! So we have a reputation… The design of the BIG POOL helps with social stuff as well.

You can think of the Monterey by Windsor like being two large rectangles facing inward. One rectangle looks out over the big pool, while the other rectangle looks out over a courtyard section that includes outdoor, large screen TVs with exceptional shade and large, comfortable outdoor chairs (also shaded). Monterey by Windsor also hosts a unique Date Auction for charity once a year, typically held in October. The former manager came up with the idea, and it’s since grown to epic proportions! The Monterey by Windsor is one of only a handful of places that have an interior dog park in Uptown. This makes it easy for your dog, and even easier for you to meet your neighbors. Most of the residents seem to be consultants and young professionals (accounting firms, finance, etc.) working downtown or nearby. Most residents tend to be successful, fitness-minded, and pet-friendly! It’s a fun crowd.

APARTMENT

One thing I loved is that you walk through an air conditioned, secured hallway to get to your apartment. It gives it a very luxurious (and safe!) feel. It can also cut your utility bill, because you are not paying to heat or cool the outdoors when you open your door. The actual apartments found in the Monterey by Windsor are typically high end and I was delighted by the price! The standard inside of each apartment has hardwoods, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, all included at no charge. The hardwoods actually come in 2 choices, a lighter version (my preference) and a darker version. I felt like the darker version might make things look smaller. But that’s just me. All of them also had washer/dryer sets, at no charge. This is rare in Uptown…most other places charge $40 a month on average to have these installed for you.

The floor plans I looked at have open kitchens and typically a kitchen island. They feel bright and warm and perfect for your company. The kitchen cabinet has ample (but not large) spaces for dishes. All of the appliances shine and I couldn’t wait to think about playing some great music and making some great Italian dishes with friends! Most of the floor plans have a balcony or patio as well, great for a candlelight dinner. The closets were HUGE, walk in, with plenty of delicious space! They really got this design right. I also liked the bedroom dimensions overall and the BATHROOMS. So great.

The bathrooms not only have a stand up shower (a MUST!) but also will have a “rain forest” like huge square dripping shower head. When I looked at the floor plans, the one bedrooms were a perfect selection I felt. They start with a studio apartment that actually looks much bigger than it is due to an exceptional design. They went all the way up to a gorgeous one bed with a study. This particular plan with the study would allow for a perfect spot for overnight relatives, friends etc., and would be easy to convert back to an office…and the price was right! The 2 bedrooms, however, were a bit inconsistent…let me explain.

If you are looking to be with a roommate, and you both want equal space bedrooms, then only one of the 2 bedroom floor plans has similar size bedrooms. (The starting 2 bedroom actually was the lowest square foot plan and this was the one that was the perfect roommate plan.) Other larger plans sometimes differed enough in bedroom sizes to be noticeable. Also, occasional design glitches popped up, like the oddly shaped section of the living room in one of the larger 2 bedroom plans. They also had a few select large 2 story lofts and townhomes. These were on the high end of the pricing scale, but they were definitely intriguing. I could see some serious art work hanging on the walls while at the same time envision my perfect Superbowl party…with the tv projecting a 20 foot image on the wall! I got excited thinking about it…

Amenities

The Monterey by Windsor doesn’t disappoint with basic amenities present in most Uptown apartments, such as a pool, gym and business office. But Monterey by Windsor apartments take things to a great new level with extended features not found in other similarly priced residences. I’ve mentioned some of these already, including the huge pool and its related outdoor kitchen and grill. This pool seems to always be busy and it’s a perfect place to meet people, or relax for a slow Saturday.

For those who want to meet a lot of new friends, locate your apartment to be facing the pool inside. For those who are noise sensitive, the windows facing the pool are double paned and block out sound very well. If you want a more laid back section, then the cave/court section in the “2^nd” rectangle is also great to live around. Another thing I love about the Monterey by Windsor apartments is the parking and related convenience. First of all, because it is a mid-rise with an attached garage, you enter this Uptown apartment through the garage, which is secured by a parking monitor device (toll tag) on your car. You can also enter the apartment through the leasing office if you have a key fob, but those are the only ways. An unwanted neighbor can’t (easily) enter.

The parking also allows you to drive all the way up to your floor, which obviously convenient. The gym inside has a great feel. I wouldn’t say it’s the largest in Uptown, it definitely isn’t. But, it’s got enough room to take care of cardio with an ample amount of free weights and some boxing gear! I liked the ATM and movie rental there as well. When I have visited, I’ve noticed that it is a great balance…it’s easy to find a spot to work out almost anytime, but it’s also used enough to where you can meet other residents…including some (gulp) very attractive ones…! The dog run is also very nice, handy and extremely rare in Uptown…soooo convenient. It also provides a nearby social setting so you can meet plenty of other residents as well. The one thing I wish they would add is a 24-hour concierge service. I realize this would make the apartments cost more, so maybe this is one of those things where you just are grateful for what you have….

Summary

The Monterey by Windsor apartments delivers the promise of casual yet contemporary resort-style living. The price is a mid-level bargain for Uptown, which includes many amenities found in only luxury, high-end and much more expensive neighborhood residences. The social connectivity of the Monterey by Windsor apartments makes it easier to meet people, get acquainted and feel at home, while the location makes for a very convenient “walk to” lifestyle. For those coming from out of town who like a busy professional setting in a safe, social area, you will definitely want to take a good long look at this Uptown delight.