I've been at Marea for almost 13 years now so for anyone who's considering this property as their new residence, or place to live, I can give it an objective, and very enthusiastic high-recommendation. There's a lot of little things here that makes it special and keeps me renewing my lease year-in and year-out. I'll start with a simple example...... The Girls in the Front Office could not be more cordial, friendlier and more welcoming to any new faces, as well as residents like myself, with whom they're probably getting tired of me at this point. However, they never show it and every time I walk into that office, I'm greeted and treated like an old friend, whom they're all happy to see. they always have a kind word for me, inquire as to how I'm doing, and are always ready and willing to help with any issues or concerns I may have in regards to my property here. I've never had any major issues in my 12 years here, but I can tell you that whether it's a routine, maintenance issue, or something more serious such as an issue with an appliance or perhaps a noisy neighbor, it's dealt with immediately and In a very expeditious manner, and the work order is not closed until the issue is resolved to the residents satisfaction. There's always a follow up email or phone call to make sure that the issue hasn't popped up again, and that you're still satisfied with the subsequent result. You can't ask for anything more from the management company than that. One more thing I'd be remiss if I didn't mention, and that is one particular individual by the name of Fernando, who's been in charge of maintenance since I've been there, and who am I am always overjoyed to see when he's sent to work on one of my work orders. A nicer individual you can not meet. He too, always inquiries as to how I am doing on a personal level, and whenever he comes over to fix anything large or small, he invariably asks me if there's anything else that perhaps I forgot to write down that he might take a look while he's here if he's got a moment. Another small, but grand gesture that's meaningful to me, is that EVERY Single Time Fernando has completed even a simple work order for me, he ALWAYS asks if he can take out my garbage or my recyclables or my bottles for me. Even though he's busy and it's often hot outside and I know he's tired, he asks and just that little extra effort and that little extra bit of service, makes me feel special and I truly appreciate the service staff here and the fact that I've got the greatest maintenance man in the world, as well as a real friend. If he's working on it, it's fixed to complete satisfaction on the first visit. Also, and this is very important for somebody like me who does a lot of international travel, which often keeps me away for 2-3 weeks at a time. I have no compunction whatsoever of having Fernando enter my unit , either by himself, or with one of his workers, to work on something simple or, even something that will take a day or two. I absolutely trust him 100% and as long as he is comfortable with his co-worker or any individual he may bring with him on a Job, I'll welcome that person as a family member as well. So honestly, I cannot post anything in the negative review side of the column except for one thing which they have absolutely no control over, the dust. Since there are no, garages that you can rent here, and the Property it's up on a beautiful ravine, overlooking a beautiful golf course and the ocean, we get quite a bit of a breeze here and as arid as it is here in SoCal, it's next to impossible to keep your freshly washed automobile more than a day or two after washing it, but hey, it's a small price to pay. read more

A Wonderful Place to Call Home I have been living at Marea for 6 months and my experience has been wonderful. The highlight for me is the maintenance service crew (Fernando), the supportive property manager (Jane) fantastic amenities, and the positive atmosphere that makes this place a wonderful home. Maintenance Crew: Fernando - Exceptional Service! One of the standout aspects of living here is the fantastic maintenance crew, particularly Fernando. Fernando has been incredibly helpful, friendly, and courteous from day one. No matter the issue, whether it's a minor repair or a more complicated concern, Fernando approaches it with a smile and a can-do attitude. His promptness and efficiency in handling maintenance requests are truly commendable, and it's clear he takes pride in ensuring residents' satisfaction. It felt like my uncle came in to help me fix something in my apartment, what a caring and amazing human being! Amazing Amenities The amenities at Marea are top-notch and contribute significantly to the high quality of life here. The beautifully maintained pool is perfect for a relaxing swim on a hot day, and the adjacent grill area is ideal for weekend/ week night barbecues with friends and family. The cozy outdoor fireplace and gazebo create a lovely ambiance for evening gatherings or quiet moments of reflection - super cozy! I've taken a nap here plenty of times! Oh and if you stay present enough in the moment - you will always hear sound of the birds here! For those who enjoy staying active, the pickleball and tennis court is a great addition, offering a fun way to exercise and socialize. The billiards room is another great feature - big plus! These amenities make living here not just convenient but truly enjoyable. There's also trail that leads to Salt Creek Beach - I've enjoyed a 6 mile hike with kids starting from Marea, fun stops at Ritz & Young's Beach Shack, continuing at Salt Creek Beach, Strands Beach, Headlands, and finishing up with Ice Cream & Affogato at Dana Point Harbor! Truly memorable experience. Supportive Property Management: Jane, the property manager, has been incredibly helpful and supportive throughout my time here. Her dedication to creating a positive living environment is evident in everything she does. Jane is always approachable, responsive, and genuinely cares about the well-being of the residents. Her proactive approach to property management ensures that any concerns are addressed promptly, and her friendly demeanor makes interacting with her a pleasure. Overall Experience: Living at Marea has been a thoroughly positive experience, which I really needed and appreciated during a challenging transition in my life, largely due to the exceptional team of Fernando and Jane. Their dedication to excellent service, combined with the fantastic amenities, great location and easy access to nature, creates a welcoming and enjoyable community. If you're looking for a place to call home that offers both comfort and a sense of belonging, I highly recommend Marea. It's a place where you can truly thrive. read more

I've lived in OC for 25 years, and that includes living in multiple apartment complexes over the years, and nothing beats Monarch Coast Apartments! The experience I have had with Monarch has been smooth, easy, and well taken care of. My leasing specialist was Krystal, and she is the sweetest, easy going girl in the office that I can go to about anything, whether its apartment related or not. She is someone I have found to be a dear friend in because of my pleasant experience at Monarch and so much more. I had to transfer units about a month in, but the process was so smooth and easy. It was unlike any other unit transfer I had experienced than at other apartments I've lived at. She knew what my roommate and I liked, didn't like and what our requirements were. It wasn't even a question about some of the available units to Krystal because she just knew which wouldn't work out, where my roommate and I trusted that because she ended up being right! She is very caring and thoughtful of her resident's wants and needs. The rest of the office is also happy to help with any questions I have, and seem look forward to getting (almost) daily pets from my dog--especially Adam. Maintenance is also always quick to resolve any fixes that need mending, and (I forget his name) always says hi to me every time I see him, which is so sweet! I love being by the trail that backs up to the golf course, and next further to Salt Creek Beach. Yes, there are the apartments "woes" that everyone experiences, i.e. parking, noise, etc., but honestly, I find it pretty quiet and peaceful. I can walk the grounds with my pup, where neighbors are always friendly and pleasant. Don't even question if this place is "too expensive" either, because you get an added bonus which is the beach. The cool sea-breeze you get on a daily basis is well worth it to have clean fresh air. Not to mention, you don't even need to spend a dime driving to the beach and the hassle of parking meters when you could just walk and clear your thoughts. Hands down, Monarch Coast Apartments was an excellent choice for my living needs and couldn't be more thankful. read more

Monarch Coast Apartments has all of the right on-site ammenitites, resides in an absolutely perfect location, and has reasonable pricing for the area. However, this property can be a nightmare at times. The windows in the units all face one another and the balconies are very visable to everyone walking by. The maitenence staff is rude and they are not people you want in your apartment when you are not home. Walls are thin and you can hear the neighbors that are attached to your walls and you can hear people talking/children playing/dogs barking outside. After about 6 months of living there, a few doggy bag stations were finally installed which did little to improve the 'poop' problem (don't walk through any grass areas!). Staff turnover is frequent; the people that worked there when I moved in were no where to be seen when I moved out. Parking is available at the very end of the complex, it can be quite a walk in the dark. The buildings themselves are outdated for the price, although I beleive a few have been remodled and are on the market at quite high prices. An extensive list is provided upon move-out that shows, in detail, what needs to be cleaned before leaving. Don't clean any of it becasue they will charge you regarless. The bill that was received upon move-out was horrendous... about $1 per square foot. They even charged for a 'balcony cleaning.' It is a shame that the property operates as a greedy business in front of their residents. I'm sure Lyon Management does not train their employees to act in such a way... maybe they do not train them at all? God Speed for anyone who has to speak with Carol :) read more

Marea aka Monarch Coast Apartments has been a very pleasant place to live. We are going on year 3 now and couldn't imagine a better location! I mean, c'mon .8 miles to the beach! You can't beat that. Yes there is a ton of construction going on (noise, lack of parking, etc) but I believe there are some cons to wherever you live and this is something we have chosen to not let bother us. There are so many other things to be grateful for. There have also been a few issues with our apartment in the past (roof leak, kitchen & bathroom leaks, broken blinds, etc) but nothing our favorite maintenance crew couldn't handle. Fernando has been an incredible help over the years! You ask, and he's there to fix! He is super friendly and always stops to say hi if you cross paths. I also want to thank Alan for his hard work, we (the 24hr emergency hotline) pulled him out of bed at 2am for a hot water line burst in our kitchen sink that we thought was the end of the world, but he came and fixed that like nothing ever happened. We are so pleased with all the leasing staff here on site, even though they do change it up a bit, but it is so nice getting to know them and being called by your name is a huge plus in my book. Shoutout to Taylor & Alexa! During Quarantine, they amped us up and brought drink and snack service right to your door! Who does that?! We actually kind of miss it! We are super blessed to have such great neighbors in our building. We have made so many new friends that we know will last a lifetime. Also a huge plus how the community is so dog friendly. Thanks Marea! read more

Orange County's BEST KEPT SECRET! I relocated from out of state and had an amazing series of experiences with Lyon Communities' both their Pacific Pointe and Monarch Coast, where I ended up. Thought I would be here short term to look around for something longer term, and love it so much signed a long term lease! You will too! Their onsite staff and executive office, and their online tools are first rate! Very responsive! Very tenant friendly and accomodating! They did everything possible and more to wow me and welcome me home. The Monarch Coast apartment homes are seriously O.C.'s best kept secret...shhhh! Too late! From Jennifer and Christiana, Carol, William, and Chad, these people are terrific, and their property very well maintained and attractive. Even their site maintenance staff is tops. Definitely a great value, and well worth the modestly higher but reasonable leasing rates. I highly recommend that if you are considering apartment complexes, Monarch Coast, Lyon Communities, and all of their properties are excellent. I shopped online, made calls, traded emails, and they even offered and provided photos of the unit I wanted. When I arrived and wanted to make a change, no problem! Made my out of state relocation smooth, simple, hassle free and blew me away...far exceeded my very high expectations. A-List A Plus and happy to share it. Telling my friends and family that I live in paradise. Shop or don't shop, you won't need to consider anything else if you look at Lyon Communities, and Monarch Coast. Woohoo! As good as it gets! JS read more

FER NAN DO Hear me out. We had guests visit us for a few days all the way from Germany. Bought new bath towels for our guests to feel "at home" while so far from their own. Meanwhile, the lint from the towels completely clogged our dryer - dryer wasn't drying. I felt so stressed that we would be hosting international guests who wouldn't be able to wash their clothes properly. My anxiety rose when they showed up to our door step as proper backpackers - one bag, a shirt, a pair of pants, a few socks, and a few undergarments. OH MY. I put in a request to have the dryer fixed, and Fernando showed up in less than 24 hours, tool belt in hand, ready to take action. Not only did he know exactly the problem without hesitation, but he taught me the reason why behind the problem and how to avoid it in the future. I felt like I learned a lot from him. He went out of his way to help me understand the placement of the dryer in accordance with the wall for optimal heating and how best to unclog the filter when lint gets jammed too far. I've lived in many apartments around the world, and this was by FAR the fastest, most effective service I've ever experienced. He stayed for a few minutes to test the heat on the dryer, making sure it was in fact fixed before he left. THANK YOU FERNANDO! SIDE NOTE: I thought slamming a dryer door to close was normal... until Fernando very kindly taught me that it's because the filter is not fitted properly (because of excess lint build up) which triggers the dryer to say "it's not safe to heat". read more

Shenaye is my angel .. we almost took a lesser place and she kept insisting that we saw the better one .When I finally realized how she was right about the second place oh my goodness .. we lived here 25 years ago sold our house and came back here to retire . It's a 8 minute walk to Salt Creek Beach one of the most beautiful beaches in all of California if you ask me. I think we got almost one of the best places it is so private the views are unbelievable this time we get to be on the trail side :-) I don't want to brag about it too much because I don't want my rent to go up too high so I can stay here a long time haha . Everybody in the office has been more than helpful, anything that needed to be fixed was done with them either the day or the next day as we moved in and needed a few things adjusted. The kitchen and the cabinets and the storage everything is magnificent. What they've done to the place after 25 years is amazing . The pool with a giant screen TV in the Cabanas pickleball and Tennis Courts I mean you name it it's here. My husband goes to the gym everyday he no longer has to go to 24 Hour Fitness . We are healing here we are so happy and we are just so thankful to Shenaye for realizing from our story, that this was the RIGHT place for us. Thank you Reuben for helping me w the BBQ today! Such good kind and cool people at the office!! I have never been happier! Marea is the only I would lease. Hope to be here for years! Love u Shenaye and Reuben;) A&G read more