I moved into Marea during the midst of renovations, and as expected with new apartments there were more than a few bumps in the road. My AC unit and washer were not working and it was extremely hot during the summer. The same day I put in a maintenance request, Fernando Vargas came to fix it and stayed late to make sure a new unit was put in. Fernando has helped with every single request within the same day and made me feel like I made the right choice in apartments - they really do have your back! If it wasn't for his quick turn around with the issues I had moving in, I wouldn't be renewing my lease this summer! Thank you Marea maintenance and Fernando! read more

This review is solely based on lack of customer service; as we have never lived in this complex before. The lease is up for my husband and mines apartment so we spent the day driving around Dana Point seeing if there was anything better out there. A lot of search engines brought up Monarch Coast and people seemed pretty happy about it besides the whole construction/remodeling aspect. We called ahead and no one answered, so then we decided to just drive over having not found a specific statement that we needed to call ahead or reserve to get a tour. Arriving at the complex, it is in complete disarray with the construction. Even in our truck we heard all the drills and hammers and yelling from the workers. Living there must be terrible for the current residents. The leasing office was moved to apartment 101 and so we followed the slightly confusing signs to the building location. When parking there was a strange man just sort of watching us and walking around us, so when we got out we asked if this was the leasing office, he quietly and slowly said "Yes... you just go... inside..." I tried the door only to find it locked, knocked a few times and waited, and the strange man said "they must be... out..." then disappeared up some stairs... kind of creeped out we went back to our truck and called again. We saw no movement inside and heard the phone ringing in sync to ours. No one answered. A guy in a gold car was coming toward us, made eye contact, then swiftly went the other direction. Irritated and confused we just left. We went and looked at another complex near by, Sea Brook at Bear Brand (which is very nice), called Monarch Coast again, no answer. Went then to The Villas at Monarch Beach, called Monarch Coast again (making this the fourth call in five hours) and they did no answer. If the leasing team really wanted new residents then they would be in their office or have more staff. The poor residents currently living there must be tortured by lack of management and the terrible construction that was overwhelming the complex. ***A rebuttal to managements reply to this review: Having called four times within five hours and a visit in one day tells me that there was no one in that office all day on a Saturday. There should be more than two people working in a leasing office to operate smoothly; also it takes more than two people to have a team of people. It has been a week and yet no calls have been returned and no one has reached out for a "private tour". Count us entirely uninterested. At least this got a small response from probably corporate, not actual on location "management" by how every bad review has gotten the same general response. read more

All I have to say is...... If you asked me almost a year ago what review I would give, I would not have had a single positive thing to say. After a horrible move in experience (specifically due to the past manager and the unprofessional, condescending manner in which she handled our situation), we were second guessing our decision to make monarch coast our home. If it weren't for Krystal from day one, we would have decided to cancel our move in altogether. Since then, our opinion of the community has completely changed for the better. With a change an office staff, came major improvements throughout the community! The landscaping looks absolutely fantastic; the grounds are better maintained; the office staff is so nice and a joy to chat with..... especially Krystal who leased the apartment to us and who always has an answer for everything; the new manager Jonnie is actually kind and doesn't make you feel like a moron; and the maintenance staff are always very friendly and helpful. The community's location is everything and central AC this close to the coast is almost unheard of. Overall the community is relatively quiet for how big it is and how many pets there are, or at least it is very quiet near our building. Parking is also always available. Dog friendly with no size restrictions, a huge plus! The access to the trail is especially awesome if you're a runner or if you need to tire out your pup while taking in some scenery. No apartment community is perfect but if I had a recommendation, I would say that the shared laundry rooms could house a third laundry unit (or at least the room near our building could). It would also be awesome if there was some way to install a coin dispensing machine since I imagine I can't be the only one who is always forgetting to get quarters (lol). My one and only complaint about the community right now is that I am always finding dog poop which is not the fault of the staff and is completely 100% that of irresponsible, lazy animal owners. I will say it has improved a little since we moved in and since the office sent out emails. New poop bag dispensers were installed recently and you would think people would be considerate enough to use the bags they dispense. People don't care. One can dream.... Overall, we are very happy here and we are glad to call Monarch home even if it only ends up being short term. A special thank you to Krystal for all of her hard work and assistance with all of our requests and questions. She is the life saver in any situation! read more

Very nice place to live. Just moved in, the whole rental process was quick and easy. The only thing that would make the place 5 star perfect is to get the existing chargers for electric cars actually wired and operating. read more

Shoutout goes to Diego for helping my girlfriend and I find our ideal place to call home. We were having trouble filling out the online application and decided to come in for assistance. He was more than happy to help us out to finish the process. It all seemed overwhelming to us but Diego put our minds at ease and made it seem so easy. We really do appreciate all the help, thank you so much. read more

Again, Monarch Coast is amazing! After getting a complementary ChikFilA breakfast this morning, the good vibes have continued today! Jonnie with Monarch Coast has been incredibly helpful setting up some work orders today for our garbage disposal. After having some time issues, Jonnie was able to reach out to the maintenance guys to work something out. Jonnie is the bees knees and the great customer service here makes living here a breeze! And thank you Fernando for willing to work with me! read more

We just submitted our application, so excited to live in this community and enjoy the location and the future ahead! Thank you Tan for being awesome showing us around and answering all of our questions. read more

I lived at Monarch coast for many years and the office staff is getting worse everyday ,Krystal is treating people according their background this is not what you would expect from a professional ,this is an overrated community with old buildings ,everything is tearing apart .I would never ever recommend this place to anyone . read more

We have an upgraded model which is nice. Views of the ocean and golf course would seem quiet and peaceful, but it's not. Tenants are loud. We have a mini "Regal Cinemas" in the apt across from us with one of the loudest surround sound systems ever imagined. The tenants above us have animals for children that bang on a piano, not for lessons, literally bang the keys and run/jump at all hours of day and night. They water their plants excessively or wash off their deck and it all runs down onto our furniture. Complaints to the office went unnoticed and we found out that one of the women in the office has a relationship with him so nothing gets done. Not sure of her name, but she's the old blonde that takes care of the apt ledger. We had issues with our BoA account and the billpay checks and she had no problem discussing all of our personal issues regarding being late as a result of that in front of people who were prospective renters. They saw us afterward at the mailbox while they were walking around the units and asked if that's "the norm". Hopefully they chose another place. Came home one night and our bedroom window was busted out, maintenance did come to fix that night, which we appreciated. Air conditioner and heat does not work properly, only sends out neutral air. Repeated calls to fix and are always told that "it works fine". Smoke backs up into our apartment from other tenants using wood in the fireplace. Other people's dogs come on our patio and pee on our patio furniture or the sliding screen doors. We have had packages stolen from our front door. Bottom units always smell like stale mildew because the water sits on the concrete making a slimy mess. There was a fire next to us and our fire extinguisher was used to help put it out back in July, it still has not been replaced. We keep getting told "its on order". Parking is a joke, you get one covered spot and fight for a spot unless you want to park at the very end of the complex. The gates are always open and people come in to park so they can access the path to the ocean who are not residents. There seems to be a lot of young Marines and section 8. Cops are around very often on domestic disputes. Walls/floors are thin, I can hear my neighbor peeing when I'm putting on my makeup in the morning. So yes, the apartment and views are great. It should be for $2300/mo. However, that money is better spent elsewhere without the ghetto feeling. When our lease is up in March, we are gone. Lyon has other great properties that we loved, which is why we came here. This one is definitely not one of their shining stars. read more

I'm finishing out my 1 year lease here and I'm bummed that I have to move. I lived here with my mom as a kid in the early 90s and absolutely LOVED it. It was cool to come back as an adult and experience the place all over again. My unit is the 1 bed/1bath Balboa model. Pros: -2 pools and spas. The main pool by the leasing office is less crowded and more mellow than the 2nd pool by the gym. -Large gym- never crowded. -AMAZING Location!!! Located on the Salt Creek beach path. I was able to walk to the beach in about 20 minutes multiple times per week. Also, very close to local Ralph's and Traders. The location is my favorite part of living here. 5 minutes from Laguna Beach and the Harbor. You are literally surrounded by beaches when you live here--LOVE. -Office staff is really lovely--I usually dealt with Carola and Krystal- both are the perfect mix of friendly and professional. They're funny, smart, and down to earth. No renter likes having to deal with a leasing office--but they make it A-okay. -Great floor plans!- Mine has a nice sized kitchen--as in multiple people can be in there while I'm cooking and I don't want to kick anybody out! I also have a large walk-in closet with built-in shelving and storage in the front of my apt as well as in the laundry room. LOTS of windows--my apt. was light, bright, and airy. I rarely needed to kick on my AC, which was awesome. -Central heat and AC!!! I don't care what people say, you need BOTH in CA, regardless of how close you live to the beach. -For me, a pro was having the ability to use my own appliances. I have a really nice fridge and washer and dryer and I got to use all 3! If you need a place that offers these appliances, they also have apts. like that here. -Dog friendly -Maintenance staff is very nice. Cons: -Pools are not heated in the winter. -Landscaping could use some work- not a fan of the AstroTurf in certain areas--smells pretty bad in the heat. Where there is grass, it is in pretty bad shape-most likely due to dogs. -Stringent rules on patios/balconies- In the time I've lived here, they've done some restructuring and banned things that were originally OK when I signed my lease. Before- you could hang things as long as you didn't drill holes. Now, nothing can hang-no chimes, no bird feeders, no plants, regardless of whether or not you drilled holes to get them in....kind of a bummer because without cute decorations the balconies can look a bit sterile. Their reasoning for the change is that they're trying to keep things looking good, and I get that not everybody does good thinks with their patios and balconies. -A-hole neighbors who let their dogs crap everywhere. Unfortunately, in my area of the complex, we have a HUGE dog-poop issue. The leasing office was super great about trying to handle it, but there is only so much they can do. -Plumbing- almost all of my maintenance issues have centered around plumbing. In the beginning, we would just handle it ourselves- constant clogs in the bathroom toilet and sink, but when it was recurring we decided to call in. Unfortunately, whether maintenance or we try to remedy the plumbing situations, they come back within the month. Overall, I really enjoy living here and would recommend these apartments to others. The only reason I'm moving is because of a pretty steep rent hike--almost $200 :( read more

mold mold mold!!! illegal ventilation for the units read more

The location is awesome, the grounds are peaceful and nice. The appliances are old and tired. But the staff is non-caring and will rarely return a phone call. Treat you like you are an idiot for bothering them. The highlight is Donnie the maintenance man but the gardeners do poor work, always messy. I wouldn't consider this "luxury apartment living" especially since they raise your rent every year like clockwork. Resident parking is okay, guest parking VERY difficult. But again, the location can't be beat. read more

So happy with the outcome of this place. I recently moved in & rec'd excellent customer service from Chris getting everything together & making all processes smooth. Our apartment looks beautiful. Very clean & great amenities. The location is amazing too. I have had nothing but an excellent experience with this property. read more

Awesome community. Incredible location. Fantastic amenities. And best of all, extremely friendly and helpful leasing office staff. With quite a few life obstacles thrown at me, the staff has been so understanding and accommodating. It's nice to have peace at home and feel taken care of. read more

We moved in about a year ago and at first glance I would give this place four or even five stars. Within a years time the pools have been closed a total of three months, and the gym facilities for about a month. All of the weight equipment is severely outdated (80's). Several of the machines actually give users improper form which could hurt them. On to maintenance. We have had several problems in our apartment, three times our garbage disposal has clogged. Maitenencemfixes it, and their response is to not put food in the disposal....if I am not mistaken that is what a disposal is for. Last week our CO/fire detector became faulty so they turned it off....for six days we were without a fire alarm in our house which is a housing code violation. On to management. Turnover is very high in staffing. During our stay we had a California certified service dog added to our apartment. She is a Bermese Mountain Dog mix. Upon first glance the Property manager said no because Bernese Mountain dog is on their restricted breed list. We sat there and argued with her until she looked up the restricted breeds and what do you know Bernese Mountain dog NOT on the list! Now onto move out. First off there is a 60 day notice which is ridiculous. No matter what they will charge for a paint job and carpet cleaning even if you do it yourself. On top of that they will charge for a cleaning even if you leave it spotless. read more

We came to Monarch via our companies recommendation and from the moment we stepped we entered the leasing office we were greeted with such warmth! Our leasing consultant Nitasha was FANTASTIC, MAGNIFICO! She loves what she does and it shows, she was so patient, informative and suggestive with us. We are a pretty picky couple and can be hard to satisfy, but she elevate and eliminated our stressful move! We travel alot I wish every leasing consultant could take lessons from her. As far as the apartment, it couldn't be more amazing! The only thing is I wish we had a view however we have parking a plentiful which when you are tired coming home from work its priceless! The layout is perfect and so practical, our neighbors appear to be quiet and nice so we cannot complain! This apartment receives AAA, we would definitely recommend Monarch to friends! read more

I have been really happy living here the last 6 months, its a quiet community with a great location close to the beach, PCH and many shopping complexes. Maintenance is always quick to respond and the ladies in the leasing office are great. Jessica was especailly helpful with getting me into the apartment I wanted. She even stopped by when I was moving all my furniture in to make sure things were going well and that everything fit the way I hoped. I highly recommend giving this place a chance. read more

Dawn O'Brien and her staff were extremely professional and helpful the entire time we lived here. Warm, friendly service...moving to a private residence but enjoyed our time living here. read more

I stopped in here to pick up a friend......so.... I don't live here! The grounds are kept meticulously ample parking. Gorgeous views..... I had the pleasure to meet the management team..OH Wow they care about the residents and are very attentive to requests and suggestions. read more

Great experience with Bill Sullivan and Chris in the leasing office. Very professional. Beautiful community.

I have to rate them 5 stars!! Diego toured my mother in law last month and Diego was amazing the property is great unfortunately my mother in law is looking for 3 rooms Diego should is everting and tried to convince us for 2 bedroom he was great. It's truly nice to see people who care with excellent customer service skills. Thank you so much read more

I moved here back in May and I couldn't be more pleased! I love the location and the community. I have a quick walk to the beach and only a few minute drive to the Harbor. I would recommend this community to anyone. The leasing team is awesome! Diego is the BEST! Everyone is super friendly and welcoming! No complaints whatsoever read more

Me and my boyfriend just got our application approved and we couldn't have done it without the help of Diego! He was awesome and went above and beyond! read more

My experience at the Monarch Coast Apartment Homes has been terrific. From the moment I walked into the rental office door, I was greeted by the smiling face of Diego, one of the apartment project managers. After looking at several apartment complexes throughout southern orange county I decided upon the community feeling of Monarch Coast. The gym is spacious with current equipment. The pools are clean and inviting. I chose a second floor unit with vaulted ceiling's, and a long open patio hosting three sliding doors; one from the bedroom, one from the kitchen and one from the living room. Perfect! A patio you can actually put a couple of chairs and small cocktail table and plants. I knew I would be comfortable living at Monarch Coast, when riding around in the golf cart reviewing apartments each residence we passed would wave, smile and say hello to Diego. If you can get him as your project manager you will not be disappointed, in the professional and most of all the personnel service you receive. read more

My husband and I just moved out after 2 years of living here (we bought a house yay!). We had such an incredible experience with the front desk staff, maintenance, and overall living experience. We cleaned up our apt decently well upon moving out, but we honestly didn't expect to get any of our deposit back because of normal wear and tear around the apt and on the walls and lack of deep cleaning on our part. We got a check in the mail for about half of it back today and we cannot be more thrilled! Such an honest, great place to live. Lounging at the pool and in the jacuzzi makes you feel like you're on vacation at home. I'm from California too (I'm used to the awesome weather) and I'm pretty picky/ particular about esthetics and Monarch knocked it out of the park. Never had a problem with bug infestations or neighbors either. Shout outs to Krystal and Fernando! We love you guys! read more

I was only in town for 24 hours before Christiana Martin had me all set up with my new apartment. She definitely made me feel at home as I went through the process. Nice apartments! Very close to everything I need. Very warm and sincere throughout the application and I knew where I wanted to live as soon I was done with Christiana. She provided personal service and showed me the great facilities and left me with a great sense of well being. I move in next week, so to review the actual living there is a bit premature, but from a service standpoint, Christiana is a true rock star! read more

Do not rent here The apaprtments are way over priced, the men in the office are great but the woman are very rude and just not nice. Even when you simply go in to pay a bill and they have to take the time to look up from what thier doing they are RUDE. I try to avouid even going in when they are there because the energy is so bad, The parking is horrible and for 1900.00 bucks a month you would think they would be a little nice. read more

This place has an equal number of positives and negatives, hence a three star review. Location is as good as it gets near the beach and the prices are in the range of acceptable. Old AC - our apartment on second floor was hit by the sun most of the day and AC could run for hours, never stopping but the temperature would not drop below 74 - electrical bill was too high. Without AC inside temperature could climb to 80 due to southern exposure - no cross ventilation in the apartment to speak off. It would be nicer outside than inside - attic had a bare minimum of insulation - probably 1980 standards. Parking was adequate if you do not mind parking in the over flow lot in the back. About twenty percent is subsidized housing - you are not told by the front office - and some of these renters behave as if they own the whole complex, so make sure to ask about neighbouring units in your building. Overall, if I had to rent again, I would act depending on what unit was available. I definitely would not rent the same unit we had the first time - would look somewhere else if that was the only choice. read more

They followed up the next day with a phone call and apology yet still had zero explanation why I was not served upon my appt. arrival. A star for the apology. read more

Really nice place to live. Quiet, well-designed and maintained, impressive views, very pretty and peaceful 10-minute walk to the beach, convenient to shopping in all directions. Maintenance supervisor is very responsive, competent and friendly; office staff (except for one guy) is extremely friendly, professional and helpful. Definitely the best choice we found in this area. read more

Krystal from the leasing office is awesome! We are moving from the east coast and she answered all of our questions! The apartments are a nice size compared to all of the newer places. The amenities and location were a huge plus!!! We plan on moving in at the end of March and we couldn't be more excited!! read more

I don't live here yet, so I am solely writing about the customer service I received, specifically from Chris. When my fiance and I came to look here (moving because the Irvine Company is increasing rent drastically) we found a floorplan with almost double the size of our current place for practically the same price. A unit wasn't available right away and Chris didn't pressure us into looking at a different floorplan or price, instead he was patient while I monitored the website for a week waiting to see a unit come available. One day I found one, sent an email to him, and immediately he responded and we got our unit. Being in customer service myself for over 10 years I can greatly appreciate the level of service we were given here. Plus, to top it off, a few days later Chris' manager heard we were happy with our experience and she called me personally to thank me. Thank you guys and I'm looking forward to moving in a couple days! read more

My husband and I moved into Monarch Coast back in May of last year. This was the BEST DECISION WE EVER MADE in terms of residence. Our apartment is simply sublime. It is pricier than what we paid before, but you do get what you pay for sometimes! We truly feel at home here. I don't even know if we will ever want to buy a home- the only thing that would top our current apartment begins at homes in the $1 million dollar range in this area. We cannot hear our neighbors at all, and they are all polite professionals at that! The views we have of the golf course and ocean are so gorgeous. Management is friendly and respond quickly to service requests, have not had any issues. Parking is fine and guest parking is available, it isn't that far of a walk. We take advantage of the running/ biking path down to Salt Creek Beach frequently. We moved from the HELL of an apartment complex located nearby, The Villas at Monarch Beach (see my review on their page, I highly do not recommend) and we are so thankful to have found Monarch Coast! read more

I am never one to post anything, but after living here for close to 5 years, things seemed to be going to down hill very quickly. We have had a change of management and she is quite the enforcer. We have had notice after notice of our being out of compliance. You can't even try to make your house a home . Now the trees are being cut down one after another without any regard to the bird nests and the eggs. What's next? The beauty of this complex is quickly disappearing . read more

Love this place. Great location at a 15 minutes walk from the beach. Friendly and very helpful staff. Facilities (pool and gym) are well taken care of. Apartments are set up in a way that gives you a lot of privacy. As you can tell I enjoyed living here. After three years it's time for me to move on (buying a house), but without any hesitation I would recommend this place to everyone. Keep up the good work Chris and team read more

Although we don't move in until next week (and I'll update my review then) we had such a wonderful experience touring and applying for this Lyon location. Chris, in the office, was polite, accommodating and really added to our experience. The application process is all done online, allowing you to complete it from the comfort of your couch and avoid loose paperwork. From what we saw walking through the community it truly seems excellent. Well maintained landscaping, direct beach trail access, two great pools and gym. The apartment we are renting is spotless, smells clean and the particular location allows for beautiful light and a breeze. The large deck is perfect for an outdoor furniture set and entertaining. Finally, a complex that will allow a BBQ (propane)!!I I hope this place isn't to good to be true; we are very excited for our move-in date that is fast approaching. Thanks Monarch and Chris! (update coming soon!) read more

I really love where I live! The whole team at monarch coast apartments are amazing. I had a water situation called the office and 7 minutes later Fernando was out to fix it and explain why. Thank you to everyone. read more

I went in to check out the apartment complex. Abby was very patient and knowledgeable about the area. Very professional and friendly. The unit she showed me was really nice. It has a nice view of the golf course and very close to the beach. The place was quiet too. Ask for Abby...she's great! read more

i have been at monarch apartments a decade, i am 73 so i have been around, my apartment is by the leasing office so i see a lot of people come in looking for a place, i am always tempted to go up to them and help them decide but i don't, so here it is for all of you this place is very well kept it seems the flowers bloom all year round , being ex military i am always "policing" the area, but their is never trash to be found, i tell my friends its like the montage, except you have to change your own bed, however if their is a problem sometimes it could be minutes later and someone is fixing the problem, one of the most important things about this place is its air conditioned, 10 years ago the ocean breeze was could enough, now their are some days in July and august, you need it seriously ,many places don't have air. believe it our not i don't see as beautiful grounds besides the nice hotel grounds and etc, friendlier then",friends" here. read more