The Monarch by Windsor

I have loved living at The Monarch since day one. I can walk to so many places– Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, yoga, Town Lake, great restaurants and bars– the list goes on. The entire staff has always gone above and beyond since I’ve lived here. Almost everyone knows me by name and always greets me with a smile. Maintenance requests are handled in a prompt and friendly manner. I can’t say enough great things about living here.

I lived at the Monarch for 10 months on the 28^th floor and it was a great introduction to downtown. What the Monarch has going for it are the largest patios downtown, amazing views, central location, great neighbors, great BBQs, a very friendly and helpful staff and an amazing work crew.
However, before moving here you may want to consider:
If you are interested in sunbathing at their beautiful pool, understand there is only ~2 hours of sunlight on the pool due to its ground level location.
If you enjoy working out, the gym is a bit older and not as well equipped as other apartment gym facilities we have seen.
Their utility billing with chilled water is a little expensive with our 10 month average being $ 259/​mo. for our 2 bedroom unit — we kept it at 76 during the day and 75 at night. By contrast our first month’s utilities at our new location are $ 187/​mo. for December with electric heat kept at 75 – 76 and floor to ceiling windows.
I was personally not a fan of the garage half levels and found going up and down to be very frustrating especially with oncoming traffic. Guest parking is located on the roof of the garage, and most of the convenience guest parking is taken by Core Power Yoga students.
Ask to see some floors other than the model and examine the elevator lobbies (which have warped wood panels but they have been working to replace for over 10 months.)
Their move-​in/​out loading/​unloading policy will also probably cost you and extra half-​hour or hour for the move so be aware.
The bike storage is a very cool feature with pumps and tools, but can be difficult to get your bike in and out of.
Finally, if you are a light sleeper, while the sound proofing is good, we were often awoken from sleep by the sound of the alarm clock next door and the sound of our upstairs neighbor’s water draining in the early morning hours. Also, the bass from RIO’s rooftop night club on 6^th could be heard Thurs-​Sun 11pm-​2am. There is significant growth happening in this area and construction crews start at 7:30am every morning.
We too were hit with a significant up-​charge to renew our lease which prompted us to look elsewhere and eventually move on as we found other properties offering more for less. We were enamored by the amazing view, but I’d recommend you shop around before jumping into the Monarch.

Came to stay at my sister’s apt this past labor day weekend and got to check out her new place!
I must say– this place is nice and swanky. I love the front desk ²⁴⁄₇ service and the coffee bar which doesn’t take too long to swing by. We did get to venture to the pool! One of the best layouts I’ve seen. now if only that other building went away so we could have gotten more than 2 hours of sun!
The rooms were nice– not a fan of how far away the bathrooms were from the bedroom but definitely a fan of the size of the bathrooms! The garden tubs are to die for!
Overall good experience here!

Great building. Fantastic location. Awesome people and building staff. My only complaint is how much my renewal rent, parking, and service fees went up after the first year even though the pool became sunblocked by the newly built Bowie next door along with the view and privacy from the apartment. I didn’t think such a large increase was justified when the overall quality due to the pool and view went down. Great place to move into but beware that you could have quite the renewal price hike.

My apartment is wonderful. The people that work here are so nice and very helpful. I have an amazing view from my apartment, I can see the 360 towers, and Lake Austin. Walking distance from Whole Foods, and I guess everything! I love this place!

My boyfriends mom moved in here last August and it’s wonderful. The location is great, walking distance from whole foods and a bunch of other great places!
She lives on the 27^th floor and the view is gorgeous. I love hanging out at the apartment and sitting outside on the porch enjoying the beautiful view.
I don’t have much experience with other apartments in Austin so I can’t quite compare but I think it’s a beautiful apartment with an ideal location downtown!

Moving into the Monarch was flawless, quick, and easy. The expedited the lease applications and the downtown views are great.

I lived here temporarily for 2 months recently.
I really liked the building and the location is great!
The concierge staff is very, very nice. They cannot do enough for you.
Loved the pool area, although a heater in the pool would go a long way since it hardly gets any sun it is freezing.
I must say the layout of my apartment was a bit weird with the bathroom not so close to the bedroom. Other than that no complaints.
I did not see dog «do do» in the elevator nor did I see vomiting college students as others have reported.
I wish I could stay forever (but in a larger apt)!

Terrible staff. Great apartment but good luck dealing with people. Everyone that works there is a jerk and they will screw you out of money. I’ve spoken to multiple residents and they all have the same issue. All if the staff acts as if helping you is a hassle, they look at you and respond to you like they are better than you, and god forbid you have an issue with your apartment they will make it as inconvenient as possible to fix it. If this building came with an entirely different staff I’d recommend it, otherwise there are a lot better options out there!

Well that’s very nice of you to say, Cara, since one of the things I witnessed was a princess resident reaming the front desk person regarding a first world problem.

Moved here from downtown SF and impressed so far by the service, attention to detail, community, and the cleanliness of the building. I’ve just arrived but thought I would post this as I feel there aren’t enough reviews to give people a clear picture of what this apartment building is like.
You have several quiet seating areas in the lobby with access to Wifi and a coffee lounge, a pool (which is clean), grilling area, dog walk and immediate access to a park and a yoga studio just across from the entrance to the lobby. The lobby is always kept clean and there is always someone at the concierge desk (unlike my previous building). Every morning it’s a treat to see the number of cute dogs being taken on walks by their owners and pet sitters; if you’re a dog person this building should feel very welcoming. I have never seen anything amiss in the lobby.
Not only is the Whole Foods HQ just a walk away but there are a number of decent food trailers and sub/​taco/​sandwich shops if you explore the area, many with organic and healthy ingredients. My preferred spa in Austin (Viva Day Spa) is also just a short jaunt away, and Ladybird Lake is easily accessible on an evening walk as are the beautiful jogging/​biking paths across and around the lake.
The view from my balcony may at the moment be occupied by the construction cranes that dot the Austin skyline, but I see a lush greenbelt, a nice view of the lake and a decent sunset. The apartments must have been renovated — we had been about to rent at another building nearby but the units at the Monarch blew them away in terms of quality for the price. As for price, many other apartments are charging way more for much less, even if rent here is on the high side for the city. They also have a decent community portal on their resident site; staff has been very competent and accomodating. Will update with a review after I stay a while longer, but very happy here so far.

Lived there for 1 year. When I moved in, the management staff was competent and friendly. Then the management changed and everything went bad: the place got dirty and smelly; where I could get the concierge act when a party was going on at 2 AM in the unit close to mine, now they just tell you to call the police.
For the cost, there is definitely much better places, bigger units and way cleaner building downtown Austin.

I waited a long time to write this review. There were some difficulties with my apartment toward the end of my lease, primarily centered around the fact that rents had dropped significantly and the newer tenants left a lot to be desired.
I hear that’s rectified, and judging by the rents, I’d say it shouldn’t be problem now. I also hear that there is full-​time security in the garage, which alleviates the entire problem that resulted in my departure from this community.
Up until that time, I loved this apartment. It had a few flaws, such as the inferior shelving in the closet and some odd floor plan choices. However, the benefits far outweighed the negatives.
The location is nearly perfect, you’ll find that you rarely need to take the car out of the garage, as everything you need is within easy walking distance. Views from both sides of the complex are spectacular. My apartment was one of the best layouts I’ve ever had for entertaining and the balcony was absolutely the best I’ve seen anywhere. If you have a dog, the dog walk is one of the best I’ve seen downtown and just outside the main building.
There aren’t many apartments I legitimately miss, but this one, I do.

Good but very expensive. This building is clean, well managed, good construction, nice location. Some of the criticisms are unfair. . for example i’ve never seen passed out drunk college kids anywhere in this building.
But the rent is high and the added charges make my eyes bleed. Everyone knows about the parking, but most annoying is the ridiculous nickel-​and-​diming in the monthly service bill. Anti-​littering fee, pest control fee, storm drain fee (WTF?), trash fee, sewer fee (which is NOT the water bill). . and then you have your electric and water.
Don’t let anyone tell you that your bill is only high if you waste electricity. I keep my electric portion under $ 20 because its winter, but my total is still over $ 100 because of all the other fees. I can’t imagine will look like in the summer when I really need to run the AC.
Except for the smallest one bedroom (which has a tiny living room) you can’t really live here without paying about $ 2k a month total, including parking and fees.

Living here was fun but overpriced you get to see alot of spoiled ass people ahaha and i met a few famous people living here! view was dope

Kinda stuffy in here.
Staff is a little up tight.
Relax it’s Austin… you can wear flip flops to dinner in this town.

I have to say that I’ve been living here for 3 months and I disagree with the negative reviews posted here. I’ve never seen drunken college students or dog poop and pee in the elevators/​hallways.
There is a new building owner as of a few months ago, so maybe that has something to do with the difference in experience.
The concierge and management has always been responsive and helpful. It’s pricey, but the apartments don’t seem any worse than any other downtown apartments I’ve been in at the same price point.

This is one of the worst buildings you could possibly live in.
Don’t be fooled by the fancy lobby, because all your going to get living here is a nice lobby. Well occasionally. Because sometimes there are college students passed out and throwing up on themselves on the floor, as well as in the elevators. There’s alose a ton of owners who don’t have time to walk their dogs, so you’ll see feces in the elevators as well as in the hallways to the garage. I’ve even found a girl sleeping in her own vomit on the way to the garage, clearly abandoned by her «friends». This was during the day mind you, and I was with my parents.
Yes, this building is disgusting and horribly managed.
Also, the pool is constantly shut down due to broken glass as the result of the drunks who can’t remember that glass isn’t allowed by the pool. So don’t plan on using this pool at all if you move here. (I highly recommend not swimming in it even when it is operational, due to the high amounts of urine it probably contains).
Location next to Whole Foods? That’s the only perk but with free parking at Whole Foods, you’ll be happier driving or walking even if it’s from a farther distance, but at least be living in a clean, professional building instead.
Don’t be fooled. At these prices, you can do much, much better.

The Monarch seemed like a dream come true after living in a 3 bedroom, 1 bath 1930-​something apartment in San Francisco. Rent was the same, but the Monarch had a pool, a parking garage, a concierge, coffee bar with vanilla creamer, lounge, pool table, work out room, balconies, and elevator.
Let me talk about the elevator. The dogs. I love animals, don’t get me wrong, but the Monarch ALWAYS smelled bad. Always. There wasn’t a designated dog elevator, and I was sniffed, licked, and jumped at on the regular. Ick. What about people with allergies? The bedrooms had white carpet too… I believe you could upgrade to wood floors, but it was an extra who-​knows-​what to get said upgrade. Not really practical, especially considering I lived with a lab puppy (not mine) who pooped and peed on the daily. Gross. There were also many dogs who pooped and peed at the entry way… so watch out!
Then there’s the pool. How many times was the pool shut down while I was there due to unruly parties? It was drained out twice in two weeks thanks to kids having parties after hours, dropping beer bottles and hurting themselves on the broken glass.
I ended up moving out after 2 months. It was right across from Whole Foods, which was cool, but it was way too much of a «scene» for me. I felt poor every single day. I couldn’t be myself in this place. I later returned to San Francisco, only to move into another rent-​controlled 3 bedroom, 1 bath 1930-​something apartment in Nob Hill.
Perfect for some, such as the young professionals and working couples who want a downtown getaway. I have a hidden suspicion many residents of the Monarch have their homes in the Hills, and spend weekends in their downtown condo.

I have been doing a LOT of travel back and forth from Austin to Abilene. After exhausting myself with business, clients, etc., the LAST thing I want to do is drive to Abilene OR Dallas. SO, wifey and I got an apartment here.
I gotta say, I had visions of my college dorm when we started talking about apartments, but Monarch is anything but an apartment. It’s GREAT. Yes, it still is an apartment, but far from the ordinary. The Lounge, the gym; BEST thing– having Austin’s finest everything within WALKING distance, this is FANTASTIC! Austin’s finest in downtown living, I just hope the NEW doesn’t wear off!