Portofino at Las Colinas

I want to give this place a full five stars, and would only deduct half a star if it was an option, but there are some things that just can’t be ignored (some are the fault of the complex, some are not). Please do not try to read between the lines because I am going to tell you everything there is to know.
1. The NEW management is awesome. I am SO happy that they got rid of the two desk girls who were here when I started. Toni is, by far, the best leasing agent that I have ever dealt with. When we transferred from a 1 BR to a 2 BR, she was so patient with taking us to each of the floor plans! The second leasing agent has been a series of temps, but the current one (Gloria) is AWESOME. I left some leftovers in my car over Christmas holidays and was in Austin by the time I realized it. I called her and she went and got them out of the car and threw them away for me so that they wouldn’t rot for the week I was gone. I am telling you, they go above and beyond. FIVE (hundred) STARS!!!
2. The noise is… pretty bad. You can hear every single thing an upstairs neighbor does from opening a drawer to them getting a text on their cell phone. Unfortunately, that is just the way of some apartment complexes. If you are uncomfortable with that, get a 4^th floor unit or just hope and pray you don’t live underneath children who chase their dog around at all hours of the day. If you are a heavy walker or you have children who run around, etc, PLEASE be considerate and get a first floor unit. Keep in mind, QUIET HOURS are from 7am to 7pm. If you move in and you are noisy, the courtesy officer might show up at your door with a complaint from a neighbor.
3. The apartments are VERY high end as far as floor plans, granite counters, espresso cabinets with a large amount of kitchen space, large bathrooms with soaking tubs, etc. I am not at all disappointed with the look of the units, and the views are spectacular. Additionally, maintenance is wonderful and they are generally VERY quick to fix any issues you find. The only time it has been delayed was when they had to order a part. The grounds are kept very nicely and the community amenities (gym, clubhouse, pool, etc) are beautiful and functional.
4. TO THE DOG PARK COMPLAINERS: If you ever took the time to speak to the office, you would realize that they WERE going to build a park. They ordered all of the park equipment, and then the CITY denied their use of the back area for a dog park (as it is CITY property). They then considered building it on the top of the parking garage but a) residents would have to walk ALL the way to the top to get there, and b) where do you expect all the urine and feces from the pets to go when it rains? Oh, yes, down into the garage and on our cars, etc. GET OVER IT and just join the puppy play party which congregates right outside my apartment! We have a B-​L-​A-​S-​T.
5. This is not necessarily the fault of the complex, but we DO lose power more often than any other complex I have lived in, and the fire alarms DO go off far more often than any other complex I have lived in. Honestly, I live on the first floor so I just shut the door to my bedroom (which is where the alarm stems from in my unit) and hang out in the living room until it is over. IF there is a fire, I always know I can escape the back door/​window :)
You are always going to find something to complain about. All in all, rent is moderately priced for what you find in the area, and the actual units are far better than what you would find. So you have a little bit of noise every once in a while, it is manageable…

At first glance, this place is great. The apartments are big, the amenities are above average, the neighbors are nice and quiet, and the location is convenient. That said, if you like sleeping through the night and not being awakened by fire alarms four or five or more times per year, keep on looking. I have never in my life lived somewhere with even a quarter of the fire alarms, and that includes college dorms. The management is friendly, and the primary manager is usually pretty good about fixing problems once confronted with them, but the staff is practically incompetent and unable to handle even the simplest of requests. Please, please, do not make the same mistake I did.

I would first like to say i do not understand all the negative reviews on Unilocal.I have lived here for almost 1 year and i have moved three times to get the apartment i wanted when it became available. The staff has been very accommodating and polite throughout considering my demands. The parking has never been a problem. The maintenance has been very responsive. The apartments are spacious for the price which I feel are very competitive. And the floor plans are fantastic. I’ve lived all over the country and signed many different leases and it doesn’t get any better the experience I’ve had with Melissa Powell and her staff at Portofino’s. And, just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, they started with renovations that have really made it more impressive. If your considering a move, this place is a must see!

I recently moved into these apartments and I should have just kept looking. That is what I get for being in a hurry since the rent changes daily. :-/​I was told of some of the «fees,» but I can’t seem to get management to clarify the different charges each month. Which can range from a small $ 20 to over $ 100. And if you ask about the charge, management just gets offended.
Currently, the person that does the accounting is Rachel who is the assistant manager. Melissa the manager is completely clueless and disrespectful to the tenants. She actually will blow off any concerns you have. I have lived in different apartments over the years and I will say that management here isn’t pleasant at all to deal with.
As far as the actual apartment it is really spacious with a separate shower and tub in the bathroom. I absolutely love the layout and how big the bedroom is since it’s a one bedroom. That is a HUGE PLUS in my book.
Parking is so so. I try and make sure I am parked in the garage by a certain time, or it is very hard to find a spot. They do have assigned parking spots for an extra charge which almost seem to be the spots people would like without having to pay a fee to do so.
It is pretty quiet in the community for the most part. People are friendly and there are a lot of people with dogs that I meet frequently.
If you don’t have to really deal with the office staff or trying to find a spot, it is a decent place to be. I will try and update when I have been here longer. As I am pretty frustrated with the office staff.

Let me say I feel like some of these reviews are brutal. I live in the community and while it’s not with out the usual fuckery and foolishness and sometimes less than considerate neighbors it’s really not bad at all.
Portofino is first place I’ve lived while here in Texas so I don’t have much to compare to other than what I’ve seen of friends apartments and I have to say we got pretty lucky. For the price and square footage it’s pretty good value! I’ve been here for almost 2 years and while yes there’s been a lot of transitions in front office staff, the new manager is getting stuff done for sure. And let’s just talk about how awesome Mario the maintenance guy is. My dogs are obsessed with him and his assistant. They are the only two who can come in my place and I’m not here. Anyone else would be ripped apart for sure. I love how sweet they are with my senior dog and how quick they are getting stuff done. Idk how Mario remembers everyone’s request (speaking about the ones that we don’t put online) I mean you can tell him once and he makes it happen.
I’m sooooooooo happy with improvements they are making throughout the community… especially the halls and clubhouse. I use the clubhouse A LOT to study and sometimes to just relax. So I’m excited to see it transform.
I can’t speak to noise or anything like that because I live on the fourth floor pool side and it’s like a ghost town. My neighbors that I do see all the time in the clubhouse or around the pool and stuff have become like family and they are super helpful. We share food and other goods, especially when we had those damn ice storm and no one could get out.
So all in all I would recommend this place if you want safety, convenience to shops only like 4 mikes sways, spacious apartments, and all around good environment. Check it out!

Portofino apartments at mercer crossing… I just moved in, but they have done all they said they would do and more. The staff has been very helpful in every way from the cleaning crew to the front office manager. The manager is always in a good mood and willing to help me no matter if she has tons of work in front of her or if she doesn’t. Parking may get a little tight from time to time, but I will account that to the awesome people that live in the building.
In short, if you are in the area looking for a new place, this is the place to be.

At the end of my 12 mos. lease and it could not come sooner. Where to start?
Let’s start w the promised dog park that never happened. «If you build it they will come» was more like «if we say we’re going to build it they will come». Promised it was getting built at lease-​signing day. 12 mos. later and nothing.
The parking garage. Not enough spots. And if you as so much park on or over the white lines (even as a result of someone else double parking), you WILL be $ 165 towed. A non-​understanding or sympathetic office staff will kindly make your day worse.
The online pay portal. At first it didn’t work properly. Then, even when it posted my payment on the 3^rd, within the allotted pay policy, the payment processor in front office (Simone) would not help at all, insisting I paid on the 4^th. This even when she was presented with a receipt of payment on the 3^rd. (Would have been a late fee of $ 75+10+10). The receipt prevailed only due to office manager intervening.
Property. Well, it is described as luxurious living and the amount you are going to pay ($ 2000+fees+more fees/​month) sure alludes to that. But it’s just another wannabe luxurious living place that tricks you at sign up. Hell, the retirement homes next door keep their place nicer. Just take a walk around the property or in the stair wells or in the hallways and breathe deep.
Front office staff. Well, the prior manager left along with some staff and I never had any major issue with them. We never paid late. Never received a complaint. But man what a ride these past two months have been with the present staff. Let’s just make sure you understand one thing– don’t dare challenge them. The office manager verdict is still out. I’ll let you know after walk through.
Very displeased with my 12 months there.

Not a very nice place. I wish I had read the other review before wasting my time driving over to tour the property. When we walked in last week there were two people at their desks on either side of us. Neither greeted us, which I was originally okay with because one person was on the phone. But the other person quickly got up and went into the doorway of the next room and began talking to another staff member as if we weren’t standing there. They never did approach us while we waited. I don’t know if we did not look like we could afford to live there or what, but I have never been treated that way at an apartment complex before. When my hubby suggested leaving I agreed and we headed out to look at some other places, one of which we selected that very day. I guess the Portofino doesn’t like money!

Portofino apartments at mercer crossing is advertised as luxury apartments are not as Luxurious as you may think. Although, the layout of apartment is good, there are many issues. Let us begin with management, girls working there are not very nice, specially the property manager. If you go there with a complaint, they are already defensive. They lied to me about the noise level and that was first question I asked. We felt that there was a elephant living above us. People are walking with loud thump at all hours of day and night, moving furniture every day and making noise with high heels early morning, to the extent that I developed headaches. More then 8 complaints to the management resulted in «no Action». They continue to tell me that previous tenants did not ever complained about it .
Parking a also a main issue. Not enough spots. They have reduced the size to fit Compact cars and it seems dings and dents are routine. If you enter parking lot after 9 PM good luck finding a spot.
Many renters own dogs and dog poop is also a major issue. Renters are also to blame, they do not pick up after dog and on many occasions dog poop is in hallway on the carpet, grass and walkways.
Garbage disposal is also an ignored problem. The shoot area is is always full and there is not place to walk in to drop your garbage through the shoot. Several attempts to tell the management about this problem also went to deaf ears. I understand that the renters are irresponsible but placement of a CCTV camera and hefty fine can eliminate the issue.
On the good side, the property Super Mario is excellent and always willing to help. Too bad others are not like him.
So, if you like issues of noise, dog poop, parking, Garbage and rude lying front office, This place is for you