St. Regis

Oh, the St. Regis. I had high hopes for this rental, I really did. After a horrible experience with the Archstone Long Beach Harbor I was excited to get into a new apartment and the location of the St. Regis is incredible. It's directly on Ocean Blvd. and has stairs leading right down to the beach! It features a bbq area and a gated patio where you can sit in the sun. My apartment has a beautiful view of the Queen Mary...it's fully remodeled and is bright and gorgeous on the inside. BUT (and it's a BIG BUT) that is where the fantasy ends. It has been a nightmare since I moved in. It started with major plumbing issues...a sink that would not drain and a toilet that would not flush. Then I was told that all the plumbing in the building was being replaced and that it would take only a couple of months of inconvenience in order to get all my plumbing issues fixed. This was back in July of last year. It literally took about six months for everything to get completed and they are STILL painting and fixing the building up after it being destroyed by the company who did the plumbing work. I ended up having to move out of my apartment for a month due to the dust and debris. The workers broke some of my personal items and the owner had to pay a professional cleaner to come in and fix the mess. But beyond that, the biggest issue is really the parking situation. There is no parking garage and they will lead you to believe that it's easy to find street parking. It is NEVER easy to find street parking and if you ever want to go out at night than you can kiss your parking spot goodbye. I ended up paying almost $500 for an annual pass to park in the Alamitos Beach Parking, which is now partially closed due to the construction in preparation for the Grand Prix in April. But what's more discouraging is that each of the units in the St. Regis is privately owned, so the quality of tenants is a toss up. When I first moved in it was mostly long-time residents who seemed pleasant enough. But in recent months it's gone a little downhill. Several younger individuals have moved in which has increased the noise factor and it just doesn't feel as safe as it first did. I've also had several problems with my mail...the mail carrier refuses to attempt deliveries so I have to go to the post office to pick up any packages that are delivered. I've also had one or two packages sent back because I was not left a notice indicating that it had arrived. The elevator is constantly broken which means you have to walk up and down the stairs with groceries (not an easy task when you are on the 6th floor). The "loading zone" is constantly being used by individuals not loading anything, so people often double park which has resulted in my being blocked in.

To sum it up, yes, its a beautiful building. Yes, it's in a prime location. But at the end of the day, the negatives definitely outweigh the positives. For $1150 a month I have decided to instead go in with my boyfriend and get a house further inland. Maybe it won't have a view of the ocean but at least I won't have to walk a mile with my groceries!

At the St Regis the views are amazing & proximity to the beach is super but the issues are endless & quality of life is iffy; in a nutshell it's a no-frill poor man's beach-front living in unsafe "tweaker town".

If you're low maintenance and your expectations of shady DTLBC & a building that's a century old are realistic you might like it here. The building has major electrical & plumbing issues so basic comforts like AC/heat/dishwashers are not allowed, elevators and washers constantly break down, the Solarium and private beach stairs are indefinitely closed - all part of the building's "charm"....but then there's the parking nightmare! Finding a spot feels like u just won the lottery, leaving a car on Ocean is like playing Russian Roulette that residents often lose and none of the paid parking options are ideal (too far or restricted hours, not to mention an additional cost.) parking for your guests? Forgetaboutit!

As for the city, this NYC transplant was beyond thrilled to find a beach facing unit I can actually afford & so close to everything in LA that I ended up missing a few details - like LBC's air & waters are most polluted in the state, those 4 tropical looking islands are actually drilling oil & give off a funky oil leak smell at night that's a bit disturbing, and walking alone as a woman even during the day can very quickly turn unsafe.

Yes the building is a little old, but that for me is the charm. To me the biggest problem is that the HOA board lacks imagination. For example they have stairs that have been closed for four years, yes years! just remove them, it's not like there isn't public stairs a few feet away! Then, think about terraces for the bluff. Could put a pool on one of those terraces, or just have another sitting area.

Then they have an 8th floor large open room with amazing 360 views. What a great place for a gym. But they don't work with the city to figure out how to use that amazing space.

Folks where there's the will there is a way. Use your imagination.

Then there is the waste of money. The on-site person is an extravagance--not needed. Put that money back into the building!

It might be it's time for some special assessments to get things done?

To the Board of St.Regis Homeowner Association,

To Whom it May Concern:
I Would like to report that unit #404 which belong to Xin Rita Li has a sub panel of electrical which had increased the allotted 15 AMP breaker plus three 20 AMP breakers for total of 75 NMPs. That is 60 AMP more that unit is allotted per you rules, (section 4 and 5)
The owner denied knowing about it but at the same time she liked it and said it cost a lot, than she proceeded to tell me HOA had approved of and when we asked for approval letter, she turned into assistant at the front, which once again turned out untrue..
I am sure when she bought this unit 404 in 2014, if she said she didn't upgrade the electrical panel and bought it like that she accepted something that HOA doesn't permit is that correct that all homeowners should follow the same rules???
You may check her others units at St. Regis what do you think?
Best Regards..

P.S. The electrical panel is hidden behind the picture.

5 Stars of Fun. If you are looking for a gorgeous location to live with cool ocean breezes in a beautiful 1920's building, this may be your place. A majority of the units all have 100% spot on ocean views. Mine even faces the Queen Mary, the Pacific Ocean, and all the fun happening on the bike path below.

Be careful of other peoples' jaded reviews. These come from high maintenance people who don't understand the beauty of living in a classic building. This is 1920's construction with the charm of a New York brownstone, not an inland mega-apartment complex with huge teams of management, tennis courts, and party rooms. Laundry is in the basement in a very large laundry room. There are no major big complex amenities like gyms, or other non-useful rooms. They may have a gym, but our building has several gyms within walking distance. We have a bike bath in front of the house for exercise 24/7. Parking is not available in the building. (Hello, 1920's....). So you can park on the street or in one of the local parking lots that sell monthly and yearly passes. (in other words you may have to walk 2 blocks from your parking lot).

The building completed its full plumbing project and the water pressure is excellent. The building has been fully painted inside, fully carpet and given all new light fixtures. The beach patio and lower beach yard are oh so nice to relax on a fall evening or summer day. Or if you feel like it, you can rent paddle boards, kayaks, and all other beach fun less that 150 yards away.

The building has a brand new fully restored elevator, meaning there are now two elevators to serve the residents. The lobby has been nicely restored and the St. Regis is simply a joy to live in. The building is also located within a ten to fifteen minute walk of over 25 great restaurants.

The St. Regis is a hidden gem on the Pacific. Because of the lower prices of Long Beach vs the rest of the LA area, this is an awesome place to buy a condo and keep it as a long time retirement investment.

Great location but poorly managed building.

Something major is always broken or closed off. Currently the lower patio is closed with no timeline to reopen.

Bed bugs a few months back and laundry room closed. Elevator always goes out.

Beware:

Air conditioners are not permitted. Seriously? This is SoCal!

Old electrical wiring only permits 15 Amp breakers and only 3 or 4 per unit. That needs rewiring urgently!

HOA fees have been raised and still don't include anything like internet. Who cares for cable TV?

Perfect location in Long Beach right on the beach!:) They really upgraded these apartments within the last couple of years:) Within walking distance to downtown and Rainbow Harbor. Not too far of a commute from Los Angeles!:) Being from Northern California just outside of San Francisco and with a lot of traveling throughout my childhood and now Long Beach is an amazing city!:) I moved here in late 2015 and still go back up to Northern California part time but Long Beach and Southern California is better than Northern California in my personal opinion more opportunity:) Being in my early 20s Long Beach is a great city where a lot of Los Angeles well known out doors wide open sporting events are held! Long Beach being remodeled it's now a millennial town:) The arts movement is amazing here it's located right next to the artists district!:)

Let's see.... The Basement is straight out of a horror movie. At the time I lived there, the laundry room was also used to make drug deals and on occasion used by local hookers... all friends of management. The 2nd elevator, that was apparently fixed in 2014, had been out of commission for the full decade before that, which provides insight into how well the owner's board runs the place. Parking after 4 PM is pretty much non-existent, and when you do find a place, cross your fingers that your car isn't stolen. These units are condos that individual owners rent out. My unit was on a fire escape, so I had the extra perk of routinely finding drunk, homeless dudes drinking beer and smoking cigarettes outside my living room window. Some residents have been there for decades, though that trend is shrinking. Many of the new, young, drugged out, disrespectful newbies create a real crappy environment to live in.

With all its BS, there are a few good points to the place. "Most, not all", units have stellar views of the beach and Queen Mary. I don't recommend swimming at the beach, amongst the medical waste, sewage overflow, and dead whale buried beneath the sand. Because the beach area is protected by a barrier, there are no waves, so it feels more like a lake than an ocean, complete with an active oil drill disguised as an island. This building is better suited for someone with no car, low expectations, and a
desire to be on a beach without regard to quality.

I moved out a long time ago (12 years) so I might not know what I am talking about with respect to current day. From experience, this place stays that same rather than change for better.