Palma Sorrento at Palm Valley

I want to thank the staff at Palma Sorrento. We have lived here over a year and if we have a problem with anything, the staff gets it done and takes care of it right away. They are always friendly and are at your service. I really like living here and have met some very nice neighbors in the complex. My thanks goes to Karen who goes that extra mile…

After some discussion we have received a promise that our deposit will be returned. The minimum compliance will result in our deposit being returned in 21 days. I’ll wait to complete this review until the return is complete or the time has elapsed.
We finally received our refund. It was just as much of a hassle as every other step in the prices with this organization. But it is finally over.

Hi! So I worked as a contractor for like 10 years and have lived in, oh, let’s say 20 different apartments in various cities throughout five states. I am a bit of an apartment guru ;)
Palma Sorrento is in my TOP FIVE. Why? Karen Haze (Manager) and Justine Almonia (Assistant Manager) are a fantastic dynamic duo who work so hard to get whatever you need taken care of. Their communication with each other is crystal clear — they are telepathically connected (my theory). Any question you have is answered. There’s no smoke and mirrors, no sneakiness (been there, done that), and no hullabaloo (my new word).
The property is beautiful, the location is killer, and the pricing is competitive. I def recommend a third floor unit though so you get the most sunlight. As for someone’s comment about the balcony rules, this is a classy place and inside furniture doesn’t belong outside; no one wants to look at it. Their rules are the industry standard.
There are four sister properties and there is a clubhouse called Ciro’s where cooking classes (fee varies from $free to $ 5) happen twice a week, fitness classes, parties/​vendor fairs (wow the wine fair was GREATTTTT), and such are open to all residents (age appropriate). Every summer there’s a huge BBQ at the park across the street — catered to the nines. Super for kids, super for adults. Really. Great. :DD Check it for yourself:
Thanks!
PS: Of the four sister properties, Palma Sorrento is the only one that allows pets (unless this has recently changed), just FYI ;)

WORST PLACE EVER! Do not live here! The people at the front desk are incompetent idiots. Management doesn’t know what the hell they are doing! Why are we paying over 3k a month to receive crappy service! The little asian looking girl is the most stupid one of all. Don’t be fooled by her small demeanor she is as dumb as a doornail she wouldn’t know what hit her if she knew! Why would you blame us for wear and tear for things in the apartment? Stuff breaks and you come and get maintenance to come fix it. It’s NOT YOUR money. Be nice to your residents and maybe someone will be nice to you.

This place looks appealing outside and inside, but the biggest problem is that you can’t have any individuality.
If you want to have a unique balcony.
Don’t live here. You can only have «outside furniture».
No ice cooler, no carpet, no tables unless considered «outside»…
If you want to have your own curtains.
Don’t live here. You can’t take the ugly blinds off to hang your curtains.
If you want to keep the dog crate outside on the balcony.
You can’t (even if you are paying 50 dollars for dog (s) rent.
If you want a decent amount of storage.
Don’t live here. You get one small closet in the living room and bed room closet. So you either throw your stuff away, pay ADDITIONAL for storage, or buy more closets… (one bedroom and one bathroom with fireplace).

My son moved here after really being taken for a ride at a cheaper San Jose Complex. Palma Sorrento was a refreshing experience. My son had a guest stop up the sink and cause a little water damage in the kitchen while he was there. Then he ended up moving before the lease was up. I felt sure he would owe a million dollars on the way out. But, I have to say Palma Sorrento was very fair with him. He paid the lease break fee and they charged much less than I anticipated for the damage. If he moves back to San Jose– we will definitely rent here again! The maintenance crew was great to deal with and the team in the office was very professional and helpful.

In the years my girlfriend, who is now my wife, have been living in an apartments, never have we ever not gotten less thant 90% of our deposit back, and generally, we get 100% of it back
We had them walk through the place before we moved to make sure there was nothing wrong, and they told us everything looked good, so we figured a light cleaning at most.
Well, of the entire deposit, we got back $ 87, and that was all, so be prepared to bend over and spread those cheeks wide when you move out. Our place was not dirty and we cleaned the entire thing before we left. these guys just like to screw you out of your deposit.
That being said, here is the rest of my review…
My wife and I Lived here for a little over two and a half years. We chose to live here because to be honest, San Jose doesn’t really have all the many areas with apartments that have great curb appeal. There are some decent areas to live around San Jose such as Campbell, but most of the places are older apartment buildings, so they have less than stellar appeal to us. Additional, this place was close to both our offices, so that was nice.
We were paying about $ 2000/​month (for just over 700 sq.ft.) Sure there were some nice amenities, and some of them were free, but most really nice amenities had be paid for separately. Except the coffee… the free coffee was pretty much the best thing that this place had… I have nothing bad to say about Ciros, those guys rock! Also the maintenance staff. They are the best, but this is usually backed up by mediocre management, and many times simply rude people who worked in the front office (although I think the most rude of them all was eventually fired… sorry I would name names, but I just don’t’ remember who SHE was).
Other amenities like the fitness center were nice. Nothing special. The pool and hot tub areas, which most places have these days, were very nice, but I hate public pools, so I never used them. (so that one is on me I guess)
Other things that you would expect from a high end apartment such as a decent washer and dryer, refrigerator and dishwasher were the lowest of the low end at this place.
The washer dryer basically destroyed everything we put in them (and we only used the Gentle cycle for both). The dishwasher didn’t actually work… I mean it turned on and went through a wash cycle, but was never actually able to clean anything. The refrigerator, while it functioned and worked, was just cheap, and like all the other appliances, was not energy efficient at all. I’ve lived in cheaper, and nicer places the provided more energy efficient appliances. (OK, so I may be getting picky, but for 2k/​month. I expect at least low end energy efficient appliances (and preferably ones that work).
Kitchen Cabinets that were horribly designed and they weren’t even installed straight. You could actually see by standing back that they were crooked compared to the ceiling.
The plumbing on this place was horrible. I’ve never had an apartment where the drain clogged up so much… Pretty sure they used the cheapest contractors out there for everything in this pace, then charge as much as possible to the resident.
And finally, I don’t know who these neighbors were across from our building, but every day during the two and a half years or so we lived there, they would come out every day and swap cars in the parking, so that they could keep the spot closets to their apartment. I mean every now and then is one thing, but basically they had so many cars, so they did this every day simply so they could have the closest spots.(A black Infiniti SUV, Silver Mercedes, and this ugly colored BMW that belonged to the daughter… I hope someone there reads this). Only 2 cars per resident was allowed Including if you had a garage, meaning that they needed to park on car on the street to allow others to have available parking.
I’ve never seen such a selfish act in my life. I hope their cars are keyed and towed at some point.
I am being pretty critical in this review because we paid a lot to live here, and honestly looking back, I just can’t justify what we paid simply because its a nice neighborhood.
Most of you who move here will like this place… but to me, it’s not worth the money they charge, and again, be prepared to lose your entire deposit if you leave.

Renters beware. If you like cops/​helicopters and the SWAT team in your complex looking for lord knows what, then this is your place! The place is deceivingly pretty, and then you move in…
It is unfortunate for those, like us, who move into a large complex type place, temporarily while we searched to purchase a home, to experience this type of setting. We are a very successful professional couple who was looking for a ‘home’ type setting until we could settle more in the area and find something permanent. If we would have had a different experience, we might have actually stayed the whole year but time and time again, we were shown that just because you look good on the outside, peel back the layers a bit and you will find Dracula.
Given the beautiful grounds and the Palm Valley staff who are great at showing you the complex options, once you get in here, it is a ‘slow bleed’ and a deterioration of customer service, appropriateness and lack of respect for the tenants that you would not expect from a place charging $ 2,150/month for a 2 bedroom/​2 bath unit. That includes a $ 50/​month pet fee.
They will nit pick on some tenants while others are allowed to get away with pretty much anything. That is a hard thing to navigate on a daily basis and quite frankly stressful for professional individuals to have to deal with when they come home each night to what is supposed to be your sanctuary. This place is anything but that, but the pretty trees and pool area will make you think otherwise.
It’s too bad that in today’s economy, they cannot find qualified individuals who excel in inspired service to work at a place such as this who know what it takes to go above and beyond with tenants and actually work ‘with’ them, not ‘against’ them daily.
There is a brand new complex going up across the freeway on Cottle. I don’t know anything about the new complex, but if you are looking in this area, I would try there first before looking at this place. Hopefully with their new competition right around the corner, they will step up to an inspired customer service level and a level of real professionalism that it takes to command these prices and put their staff through some training on how to treat individuals.
I would strongly recommend they charge appropriate prices for a place that has police there on a regular basis and stop trying to be something they are not.

Non-​Smokers BEWARE
If you are a non-​smoker and enjoy lounging on your patio, you may not have that luxury if you live here. Tenants are permitted to smoke on their patios and the awful smell travels!!! I’ve never lived in a complex where so many people smoke. It is a HUGE disatisifier.
Otherwise, a very nice place to live.

Besides the well manicured property, safety features, swimming pool, hot tub, 24 hour gym, business center and additional amenities; its the friendly and helpful management staff that makes this place so amazing. It’s like being on vacation every day.
I especially love living within the Palm Valley properties because of Ciro’s which offers a calm and collective hang out with complimentary wifi, big screen tvs/​theatre, hot beverages and a feel good atmosphere. A+ for Ciro’s!
The only downfall is the timing in which the groundskeepers mow the lawn and tend to the yard work. You’ll hear the lawn mower running pretty early in the morning and it wakes sleepy tenants like myself.

I lived here for 9 years. Good curb appeal, but don’t let it fool you, it’s one rotten apple!
The interior — flooring, counters, etc. is very cheap. The floor tiles in the kitchen are chipping already from normal use, top layer is paper-​thin, Formica counter top bleaches, so if you chose to move here make sure you check for it and document it. Over decade old top load washer and dishwasher do a very poor job no matter what detergent or setting you use.
Shared garage space (if you are lucky to have it) is very small and due to poor design there is misalignment of the door with the walls, a midsize+ car has to be parked under an angle and I scratched mine :(
If you take a 1 bedroom without fireplace the bedroom is tiny, I could only place a queen bed and 1 night stand, not both. The walk-​in closet in more like a step-​in closet.
The utility companies they used was one scam after another. I personally caught them committing fraud. I was gone for entire billing cycle and was charged for nearly 4,000 gallons of water when they had individual meters, but since other residents caught them as well the management decided to switch to a pro-​rated water use model with a different company, which is even bigger scam, but you cannot catch them right handed any more… However, I just moved to a different community with the same utilities set up and it’s fourth (!!!) of what I was charged at Palm Valley. I don’t know who is profiting from this scam, but you are forced to pay for it! Beware of bacteria contaminated water, do not drink tap! I had black mold growing around bathroom spigot and other people have reported the same problems. The water smelled.
I moved here because there was no pet rent, then they added it. Pet rent is one of the latest rip-​offs in this industry in addition to extra pet deposit and is nonrefundable. When I asked what is it charged for I was told it’s for marketing (?!) and pet stations for dogs which should cost about $ 50 per month to maintain. I have a cat. Anyhow, they waived it for my neighbors with a dog, but not for me… so much for treating everyone equally! When I questioned why they lied. When I moved out I contacted higher management and they promised to investigate but did NOTHING! I am planning to look for a class-​action attorney next, if you experienced similar problems please contact me! BTW, my former apartment was 260 – 205. I am curious if new resident got fresh carpet and paint.
Some resident events are run in «austerity» mode, like last two summer BBQ parties limited you to 1 small piece of chicken or 2 slivers of beef and you could not have both… At the last party the line was 1 hour long (!) If you are going to do something that cheap and poorly planned don’t do it at all!
The fitness center has rubber floor which still smells like a tire store years after they put it in (must be sooo healthy!) They are still using toxic chlorine in pools even though saline is safer and cheaper, making those amenities worthless to me.
If you have a pet try «The Woods» — cheaper rent, no pet rent rip-​off and utilities are included. Utilities are under $ 50 for single, $ 80 for a couple.

Place is a great place to live. Unfortunately the price is moving us out, hence the 3 stars. Management so far has been the best. But with the $ 200 increase I can’t get ahead if I’m paying close to $ 2400 a month in rent for just a 2 bed 2 bath. There’s a reason why I’m renting and not paying for mortgage. Unfortunately, looks like I might as well find a town home or condo and pay mortgage. These rent prices are ridiculous. WTF, last time I checked my paycheck has remained the same. No relief.

Super place. The lease and move-​in process was smooth and painless. When first visiting, I found a floor plan that I really liked. About six weeks later I sent an email asking what was available. My response was specifically the units coming that I had liked. That’s a great customer experience!
On site concierge services, pool, gym and well-​kept grounds make a tranquil living experience. Each of the four sub areas are individually gated for security. Awesome staff. Great amenities, like cooking classes, a video game room, well-​equipped business centers and huge community TV rooms. The main club house has free coffee and espresso drinks too, which is pretty awesome.

First, I must caveat this post to say that we have not officially moved into Palm Valley Apartments yet but we have been so impressed with our experience thus far. This review is really to highlight our appreciation for leasing agent, Justine. In fact, we were so impressed by her customer service that I felt compelled to write my very first Unilocal review.
We currently live in a 2 bedroom apartment and with our expanding family, we have been passively searching for a 3 bedroom house or apartment to rent. Passively because our current lease is not up until the end of August and would require a steep cancellation fee if were to move early. That said, we passed Palm Valley on 85 on our way to a graduation about a week ago and a half ago. I pointed out the community to my husband as we drove by and he thought it looked interesting from a distance so I called and made an appointment for a tour after I discovered they have three bedrooms available. The truth is that we were really just trying to get an idea of what our options are… I like to say we were window shopping but what ended up happening is that we were so impressed not just with the community and ammenities but with Justine herself that we ended up putting a deposit down on a 2bdrm apartment with a July move in date.
Yes, you read that right. We currently live in a 2 bdrm and were window shopping for a 3 bdrm for later in the summer/​early fall timeframe after our current lease is up but we were so impressed by our experience (and we give full credit to Justine for this) that we went ahead and put a deposit down on a 2 bdrm with the idea of moving into a 3 bdrm when one comes available.
Customer service and authenticity is something that is very rare these days. We really appreciate Justine’s warm personality, her very quick response time to our litany of questions, and the fact that she has never once made us feel like we were being pressured or worse yet, that she was being inconvenienced by all of our inquiries. Yes, you would expect that from someone in this line of work but in our experience, that is not something you run into very often anymore.
We’re looking forward to moving in. Thank you, Justine for all of your help and we really sincerely hope that your employer appreciates you! :-)

I have been here numerous times to nanny a family, and it is very nice, which is basically what you are paying for. I have been to all three locations, and it is great for singles, couples, single families and starting families. You pay for the gate security, the gardening, the facilities, pool, gym, and snack room. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who falls in the categories above! It is off 85, which is near everything, and Kaiser is across the way, and up a bit, is 24 hour fitness. Basically, this is a great place to live because you are either in the center of it or a close drive to Evergreen or Downtown San Jose.

This is the worst place I have ever lived! Don’t move here it is unsafe and the staff does nothing to help you. We sold our home and moved here to transition to our new home. We have been here since February and our experience has been awful. First let me say the rent is ridiculous for the crap you have to put up with here. They don’t have enough parking spots for he residents and they tow your vehicles on the spot. To make matters worse we have had 3 burglaries in this complex in the last week. These robbers climbing all the way to the 2 and 3^rd floor to break in and steal Things from your apartment. And what does the staff do to make the residents feel better about the crime we have to deal with? Awe they slap a letter on our doors to warn us of these buglers they raise our rent 20 percent. This place is awful and ghetto!

We just moved from the Palm Valley Apartments after almost two years and we’re already missing the great location and all the perks.
Let me just break it down:
Pluses…
Location/​Neighborhood: Great if you’re a commuter, right off Highway 85 and 101. It’s close to a couple grocery stores, restaurants, ect. The only downside is lack of «nightlife» within a short drive (the Britania Arms isn’t too far away). The light rail station is a two minute walk away. The actual apartments are located around some nice housing developments and a cool park (lots of families and people walking excercising/​walking their dogs).
People: Friendly office staff. The renters are mostly business professionals and small families. Great place to rent if you’re young.
Extracurriculars: There’s a nice gym and swimming pool/​hot tub. We spent many hours between these two spots. Also, there’s a cooking class once a week (the teacher is a professional chef) — very cool. Apparently there’s also a yoga class, which we did not attend.
Parking: Before we left they made every renter get a tag for their car, so on Fridays and Saturday nights the people who actually live there could find a spot to park.
Downside…
Cost: Really this isn’t a downside, considering it’s expensive to rent in San Jose. When you consider similiar type luxery apartments with fewer «extras» go for more money, than this really isn’t a downside.
Conclusion…
I’m a bit surprised by the negative reviews. We enjoyed our experience at Palma Sorrento very much.

Great, until you leave…
We lived here from 2007 – 2009
I had TONS of loud neighbors (the people who lived above me had music/​movies/​etc. going until 3AM to the point where we could HEAR the words.
The people who fixed things had NO idea what they were doing – When I moved in my washer smelled, before I moved out I complained AGAIN to them about this – so they came to fix it because it literally quit working. Anyway after they claimed it was fixed i re-​started my load… my entire house filled with black smoke thank you very much.
Don’t even BOTHER cleaning the apartment when you leave, they come in and «inspect» it before hand and write down little things… then when y ou leave, even if you spent the 2 hours scrubbing like I did (and I shampooed the carpets – came out CLEANER than when I moved in)…if they find 3 things wrong (and they will) they consider it a «full cleaning» and keep your entire deposit.
the neighborhood is nice… until you leave the area and hit Cottle Road.

Love living her but the rent is absurd. We live in a one bedroom (pretty cozy) and pay $ 1400. Want to move into a 2 br but will cost us $ 1800! For that price I would expect granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. The staff and maintenance are great and a pleasure. Also the park is conveniently located across the street so great access to many things. Also they allow pets so that is always a plus!

Pros:
Fairly New and Nice Looking
Very quiet, clean family community
Gated
Pool, Gym & Business Center
Competitive Monthly Pricing
Cons:
Could be Cheaper ;)