Varela Westshore Apartments

I lived in here 4 years and reading other reviews I’m dreading the amount of fines they are going to tack on to my apartment because they can. The units are cute and appear nice. But, The floors are cheap as are pretty much all of the building materials, so the walls are paper thin. You can hear every noise your neighbors make including: neighbors on both sides and above me having sex, when my upstairs neighbor walks, talks or even flushes the toilet. Throughout the whole place you’ll find plenty of stains from animals. Do you love Christmas? They’ll tell you to take down your Christmas lights from your porch. The leasing office ladies are helpful. I was ok with this until now because it was at least affordable and I was saving to buy a house. Then, I received notice that they would be increasing rent $400 a month and went to the leasing office to see if there was anything I can do. The property manager Jeremy could not have handled it worse and has somehow gotten worse since. In trying to explain why he needs $400 more per month in my tiny apartment with cardboard walls and cabinets, he told me that the cost of wood is going up and that if he didn’t increase my rent closer to the market rate that I could illegally sublet it and pocket the difference. I was so angry that I wrote an email to his regional manager explaining this. When I found a new place to live, I offered varela the opportunity to rent my place sooner, with the caveat that once it was rented I would not have to finish my lease. This should have been a no brainer, my rent is $600 less/month than what a new tenant would pay and my lease is up mid December so will sit vacant over the holidays collecting no rent, thousands of dollars they won’t make. I guess they don’t need to buy new wood so much because of course, Jeremy declined this offer. When I informed him it seemed like this was a decision made out of him not liking that I reached out to his managers his response was that he was a thinly veiled sarcastic retort that he was trying to follow the advice I gave him about handling angry customers. This place is no different than the other overpriced places around it, it’s not cheaper, and giving your residents the occasional donut social and offering a golf simulator no one uses doesn’t make it a resort. I cannot wait to see how I’m punished in move out fines for this review but really it’s worth it if I can stop at least one person for falling for this loud cardboard complex.

I would NOT recommend this place!! To me, staff and management surely didn't care about my concerns. I take decisions where to live seriously about it seemed to me the staff here only cared about "selling" a lease to me. Any concerns brought to their attention beyond that were ignored completely. In addition, the place was filthy: trash in hallways, smelled gross, and was dark and gloomy inside. Could hear people laughing next door from inside the unit.

I have had the pleasure of calling Varela Westshore home for almost a year and it is certainly one of the best decisions I made over the 15+ years of apartment rental living throughout the United States. The property is beautiful, rich in amenities and impeccably maintained. Even more important to me as a resident and as someone who specializes in hospitality training and consulting is the high quality of service that I consistently receive from the staff at Varela, everyone from the leasing agents to the maintenance technicians. I must specifically mention Kamilah and Daniel in the leasing office who are always so delightful to interact with and genuinely invested in the satisfaction of each resident, through their obvious commitment to delivering phenomenal service. They truly make me feel valued and appreciated, like part of a family. Varela is lucky to have these two outstanding individuals as ambassadors. The passion and pride with which they serve others truly sets Varela apart from other luxury apartment communities in the Tampa Bay area. Thanks to them and the entire Varela team for creating such an unforgettable living experience.

Great management. Alyssa and Kamilah are wonderful and do a great job. Organized and helpful! I miss Nolan for my packages and conversations. I have lived here since 2015, and it is the perfect location to TIA since I travel quite frequently. This is the ideal spot and location for travlers!

My wife and I have lived here for years, and we love living here. It's crazy to see all the negative reviews with complaints about noise and the staff. Living in an apartment, noise is expected. Knowing this, the tenant should be proactive and not live directed underneath someone. The staff can't control how loud someone stomps or children running around so you can't blame the leasing office because you didn't use common sense. The staff here are super friendly and professional. I've never encountered the staff being rude. I treat them with respect, and they treat me the same. Varela Apartments has some of the best amenities in any apartment faculty in the area. I've compared every single apartments in the area and we have the best options for health and wellness. I've seen a lot of improvements over the years, and I'm very pleased to be part of the community. No apartment complex is going to be perfect no matter where you live, you have to decide what's best for you. I love Varela apartments because we get a bigger than average modern square footage apartment with great staff and the best amenities for a lot less than apartments in the area including Channelside and downtown.

First off I would like to say DO NOT LIVE HERE!!! I have already been here for a few months and I cannot wait for my lease to end. Whatever you do, do not live in this disgusting, sleazeball run apartment. In terms of carpet, I hope you like stains, because the carpets in the hallway will most likely have a bunch! The carpets are supposedly cleaned however the stains are only hiding in the pad, waiting for your feet to walk over them before they pop up. The stains are mostly dog poop, and there are many. Enjoy! This complex should be considered Dog Poop heaven because it is literally everywhere in the hallways. However, before you sign a lease you will find the most polite, friendly and helpful people. After you sign a lease you will find the rudest, least helpful, lying and rude group of people imaginable. I, like the others here actually DREADED having to deal with them. This place has paper thin walls like hearing F-18's cutting through your phone calls? Like hearing every toilet flush, every baby cry, and dozens of children screaming? This place is perfect for you. DO NOT RENT HERE!!! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!

Just moved in yesterday after being a resident for a year previously. Loved the building and Alyssa so much I came back and referred two friends to live here as they do now! While unloading boxes and unpacking for 4 hours went to put my decal on and my car was towed and have to pay out of pocket 200.00 to get it back. Also had to cancel my cleaning service to clean my previous residence because I couldn’t let them in that I had already paid! Nothing offered to assist and extremely disappointed!

This place seems beautiful and has great amenities but looks can be deceiving. The office staff is rude, judgy, and doesn't care about their current residents at all. There also has been 4 new managers since I moved in a year ago. I am leaving ASAP. Hallways are always filthy except for the hallways near the leasing office which they maintain to trick new residents into leasing. There always people smoking pot inside their apartments and on the balconies. Dog crap is everywhere outside and inside including the hallways & stairwells. Prepare yourself to be woken up multiple times in the night by your upstairs neighbors unbareable walking due to the cheaply made apartment structure. The office staff won't do a thing and does not care whatsoever. Also the office states they do a lot for their residents, that's a lie. The apartment is going downhill fast. For the amount of money you spend here for an apartment I would sign at another property where you will be treated better and won't be continuously given false promises.

This place has the best amenities hands down in Tampa. Friendly staff and management is great. I always get to walk in and talk with them when I go into the office. My apartment is spacious and quiet. I love that I can not hear any of my neighbors. paying rent is so easy using the smart phone app not to mention they have so many events going on at this complex that there is always something to do. Location is also amazing being that it is right around the corner from every store that you can possible think of including both west shore and international mall. I would recommend this place to everyone. In fact I have had 3 friends move in since they visited me.

Ideal for peace and quiet! I have lived in several new apartments in the Tampa Bay area over the past 5 years and this one is the most quiet and easiest to get in and out of. This place has 2 pools, large common areas to include separate business office for residents, recreation room with pool table, foosball table, card table, and other games. The residents common kitchen is equipped with everything required for parties of up to 20 people. The gym is filled with updated aerobic and weight training equipment. There are 2 massage rooms with the latest massage tables and the thing I love most are the separate rooms for spinning classes and group fitness! Other amenities include a wine storage room, an endless pool, a separate dog run area, and a music room. There are plenty of parking spots on each floor and most of all several visitor parking spots separate from residents. Security wise, one small key fob for everything to include your door. I absolutely love the fact that this whole property is non smoking and enforced! The location is perfect for all my activities. Two large malls are within one mile, downtown is 5 minutes away, Tampa's NFL team stadium is 5 minutes, historic Ybor City is 10 minutes, all beaches are 20 to 30 minutes away (best beaches in the U.S.). The rent is slightly cheaper than market. There is a city recreation center with a gym, lap pool (I walk to several days a week), and activities one block away. There is a paved bike path accessible that goes along Tampa Bay. And I can be to work at the Air Force Base in fifteen minutes! This apartment complex is surrounded by authentic restaurants as well as the popular chain restaurants. Grocery stores within 5 minute drive are Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, and the large local grocery stores. This place is quiet, respectful to all residents, and convenient to everything Tampa Bay has to offer! Love it!

Love, love, love! Everything from the kitchen amenities, to the spacious pool and fitness rooms! I come home everyday grateful that this is wear I live!