“Good for the price the staff is friendly and a good short walk to the beach. Lots of restaurants nearby.”

Posted 4 years ago

“Good for the price the staff is friendly and a good short walk to the beach. Lots of restaurants nearby.”

Posted 4 years ago

“The unit was very clean and comfortable. Great view of the pool and ocean. Walking distance to restaurants. Pools were very cold, but the hot tub was nice.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“The unit was very clean and comfortable. Great view of the pool and ocean. Walking distance to restaurants. Pools were very cold, but the hot tub was nice.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

“I took my time to review the condo/home availability for my husband and I for an escape after Christmas. We chose Dawn 532 because of the location, view, king size bed and reviews. When we arrived, everything was very clean, bed was comfy (hard to get into if you are short), and the view of the pool and the Gulf were amazing. The outside patio furniture was very comfortable. I appreciated the full size washer and dryer as well as the fridge. I also appreciated the large closet in the master bedroom w/extra bedding. I did not give highest star rating as I do feel the owner could benefit in more consistent, higher reviews with some minor changes. First the couch was very uncomfortable, we had to stack pillows on the back of the chase just to try to sit and watch a movie. The rest of the couch was very hard and not sturdy at all, it also had some stains on it. The chair in the livingroom is not very practical - I do recommend a new couch and maybe a recliner. I also noticed the built in ice maker did not work - they did have ice trays so that was a quick fix. The other item I was surprised by as I've stayed in many Air B&Bs is no starter coffee - so If you forget to bring from home or are too late to pick up groceries, you will be w/out. they did have coffee filters and salt and pepper for your use. Again, even with the items mentioned, we still find this condo to be excellent. FYI - I did decide to book a long term rental in Dawn condos, however, I decided not to stay in this one purely for the couch alone - with virtual work plus TV time increase during covid, I really do need comfortable practical furniture. thank you!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I took my time to review the condo/home availability for my husband and I for an escape after Christmas. We chose Dawn 532 because of the location, view, king size bed and reviews. When we arrived, everything was very clean, bed was comfy (hard to get into if you are short), and the view of the pool and the Gulf were amazing. The outside patio furniture was very comfortable. I appreciated the full size washer and dryer as well as the fridge. I also appreciated the large closet in the master bedroom w/extra bedding. I did not give highest star rating as I do feel the owner could benefit in more consistent, higher reviews with some minor changes. First the couch was very uncomfortable, we had to stack pillows on the back of the chase just to try to sit and watch a movie. The rest of the couch was very hard and not sturdy at all, it also had some stains on it. The chair in the livingroom is not very practical - I do recommend a new couch and maybe a recliner. I also noticed the built in ice maker did not work - they did have ice trays so that was a quick fix. The other item I was surprised by as I've stayed in many Air B&Bs is no starter coffee - so If you forget to bring from home or are too late to pick up groceries, you will be w/out. they did have coffee filters and salt and pepper for your use. Again, even with the items mentioned, we still find this condo to be excellent. FYI - I did decide to book a long term rental in Dawn condos, however, I decided not to stay in this one purely for the couch alone - with virtual work plus TV time increase during covid, I really do need comfortable practical furniture. thank you!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“This was my first solo trip. The Condo was very nice and worked great. No issues at all - Never had to contact Ryson and didn’t hear from them the whole time which is good for me. Here are some notes on the condo. Very Nice - floors, kitchen, bedroom, bath, everything was great. If I had to pick a downside, the bathroom is a little small. They put the space in the living area which works for me, but if you need more than one person to get ready at the same time, it would be tight. I loved sitting on the Balcony every evening and in the morning. Standing, you have a great view of the ocean waves and the pool. Sitting the view is somewhat obstructed from the railings, but still very nice to feel the gulf breeze. 3rd Floor - Stairs are a workout - This is a give and take. It is because it is on the 3 floor that you have amazing views. But walking up and down the stairs (about 3 house flights of stairs), if you are not in great shape, you do “feel the burn” by the time you make it to the top. Overall, the view is worth it, but be sure you don’t forget something and have to go back up. TV is a nice large flat screen Roku TV - The TV Stand is very nice. I didn’t turn on the TV in the bedroom, but it was a large flat screen also. Both Pools are very nice. Smaller than I expected, but I guess because there are two, you would have a big pool if you combined them. A side note though, I knew the pools had hours they were open, but I didn’t realize they locked the pool fence (not the main walk in gate). This became a problem when I got up early and took a walk on the beach and wanted to wash the sand off of my feet and water shoes before coming into the condo. The showers to wash off your feet are in the pool area, so after walking from 6:30am-8:00am, I was not able to wash off my feet using the showers because the pool didn’t open til 9:00. Luckily I had a bottle of water in my car, so I used the bottle of water to pour over my feet to wash them off. Just something to know. The Location is wonderful. It is not in the main heart of all of the crowded area by the pier. It is still busy at the beach, but not near as bad as a mile down the road. Traffic Noice. You do hear it outside on the balcony, and a little inside if the tv isn’t on. But because the condo sits back, it is not as bad as it would be in you were in one of the front condos. I was tired enough that it didn’t keep me from sleeping sound. Bed is very comfortable. It is a firm bed, but still soft. As other reviews has mentioned, the bedroom never gets really dark because the complex is very well lite. It makes it beautiful at night. The light coming through in the bedroom didn’t bother me. I got up early most mornings anyway to get started. I didn’t drive 17 hours to sleep in. I did get up for the sunrise on several occasions, but there was cloud cover every time, so I just took pictures of the beach getting lighter. Good size walk in closet. I didn’t use any of the stuff, but there was an iron, ironing board, extra blankets, a couple pool noodles, etc. Towels - This was the only negative is they only provided 4 towels for a 6 night stay. Not sure if they bump it up for more people but if not, it may be an issue. I didn’t use the laundry, so I can’t review that. I didn’t use the kitchen (other than putting my drinks in the fridge and getting ice (I brought my own Tervis so I didn’t use any glasses, but they were there. Kitchen seemed very well equipped. Fridge is very nice. Note, someone had turned off the ice maker, so once I used it all and came back later for more ice, there was none. I had to switch the bar inside back to on, then ice started again. Not sure if the people before me did this or the cleaning service, but you may want to check when you get there if you want to keep getting ice. Codes - You get codes for the drive in gate, the walk in gate, and the condo door. I have a good memory so after a day I had them memorized, but before that I just entered them into the notes on my phone so I had easy access. (Don’t forget your phone in the condo if the door code is on it and you don’t have it memorized.) The grounds of the complex are very beautiful and well kept. Living room is large, end tables on both ends and a coffee table, so plenty of places for laptop storage, etc. Beach - The beach is right across the street. It is a 4 lane busy street, but it’s not too bad. Just walk half way to the middle turning lane, then wait for the second half. If you were good at Frogger, you will do ok. No logs or alligators to cross :-) The beach is pretty crowded on the weekend, but during the week it is not too bad (Middle of September). I used the beach across the street to walk on and to take pictures. When I was going actually go to the beach and spend some time, I drove a few miles down to Jamaica Beach because you can drive your car onto the beach at many of the access points. This made it nice to unload my chair, beach umbrella tent, boogie board, etc. You can keep the cooler in the car since it it right there behind you. Made it easy. You can park on the street at the beach across from the condo, so that is an option. Then you would just carry your stuff down the steps and find a spot. You can bring or rent a wagon, but the Condo steps may make that a hassle. There are steps on the grounds also, so if you had a wagon, you would need to have someone to lift the other end. The rest of the review is not about the condo, but things I did. I was here for 5 days during the week. Galveston - Took the 2 hour sunset boat tour (Galveston Water Adventures). Really nice (again didn’t see the sunset because of clouds, but still a beautiful time on the water, watching dolphins and seeing the barges line up and lite up at night. Rode the Ferry over and back. On the ride over, I stayed on the lower (car) deck and looked over the back rail. On the ride back, I walked up top to get a higher view. Houston Area - Houston Space Center. I did the space expert tour (book online in advance) that started at 9:00am. It gets you in an hour early, a guided tour, and gets you first ride on the Tram out to the Rocket. This place is not as large as Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but they do have the full size 747 that flew the Shuttle back and the Space Shuttle mounted on top which you can go into both. That makes it work the trip. San Jacinto Monument -- This is cool to see. The big draw is being able to go up to the top and see the view of the battle ship from the air and the surrounding waters. There is a movie also which I watched that gave the history and significance of the site which I had no idea of. It basically was the starting point for what we know as the entire southwest of the United States, so that was really cool to learn. The museum on site is not really that much, but the view and the movie make it worth the trip. I also took to day trips (for those who love to drive). On Tuesday I drove to Corpus Christi and toured the USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier. This was probably the best thing that I saw during the whole 5 days. I had recently watched the movie (Midway) and that helped put things into perspective while touring the ship. Then afterwards I drove across the bay to Landry’s Seafood to eat which is on a marina and a beautiful area to walk around along the water. This is a long day trip (4 hours down), 4-5 hours spend touring and looking around, then 4 hours to drive back. Get up early about 5-6am, and you can do it. This is mostly back roads (Route 35), but it was a pretty easy drive. Just set your map/gps, pick the route you want to take and you are good. The 35 route, doesn’t have much on it so if you need gas or bathrooms, get them when you see them. On Thursday, my other day trip was to San Antonio. I wanted to see the Alamo, the Market, and the Riverwalk. I did the Bus Tour (hop off an on) when I got there (about 10am). I got off at the Market, which is a few outside shops, then two indoor buildings set up like an indoor Mexican flee market. A tip is to shop around before you buy because a lot of them sell the same things for different prices. Also take cash, because several vendors offer a 20% discount if you pay cash. After the Market, I got back on the bus and toured the Alamo (currently a construction zone) and then ate on the Riverwalk, and did the River Boat tour, then drove back. Buy tickets online for the tours and you can get a combo ticket for a discount. This again is a long day trip (4 hours over), 4-5 hours sightseeing, then 4 hours back. This is all interstate, so pretty smooth ride (see below). My day trips were just to sample the areas to see if I would want to go back in the future and spend more time. Unless you love to drive and don’t get wore out easy, I wouldn’t recommend doing both in the same week like I did, but both areas are definitely worth seeing. Some final notes, check everything online before you go. Things have strange hours. For example in Galveston, the pleasure pier is closed some days, doesn’t open til 4 on others. The San Jacinto Monument is closed several days. In San Antonia, the Market is closed certain days. You want to look up everything you want to do before going. Last thing I want to touch on is Houston traffic. It is non-stop busy. I have driven at 6am and it was busy, and at 7pm and it is busy. It doesn’t seem to stop. There is construction everywhere. People also don’t obey the speed limits. If you are only going 10mph over, you are going to get crushed. I didn’t want to get a ticket, so I stayed in the middle lane, and only drove 8-10mph over and just let everyone go around. The speed limits also change constantly, so watch for the signs. I rely heavily on reviews when booking trips. I hope this helps you plan your stay.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“This was my first solo trip. The Condo was very nice and worked great. No issues at all - Never had to contact Ryson and didn’t hear from them the whole time which is good for me. Here are some notes on the condo. Very Nice - floors, kitchen, bedroom, bath, everything was great. If I had to pick a downside, the bathroom is a little small. They put the space in the living area which works for me, but if you need more than one person to get ready at the same time, it would be tight. I loved sitting on the Balcony every evening and in the morning. Standing, you have a great view of the ocean waves and the pool. Sitting the view is somewhat obstructed from the railings, but still very nice to feel the gulf breeze. 3rd Floor - Stairs are a workout - This is a give and take. It is because it is on the 3 floor that you have amazing views. But walking up and down the stairs (about 3 house flights of stairs), if you are not in great shape, you do “feel the burn” by the time you make it to the top. Overall, the view is worth it, but be sure you don’t forget something and have to go back up. TV is a nice large flat screen Roku TV - The TV Stand is very nice. I didn’t turn on the TV in the bedroom, but it was a large flat screen also. Both Pools are very nice. Smaller than I expected, but I guess because there are two, you would have a big pool if you combined them. A side note though, I knew the pools had hours they were open, but I didn’t realize they locked the pool fence (not the main walk in gate). This became a problem when I got up early and took a walk on the beach and wanted to wash the sand off of my feet and water shoes before coming into the condo. The showers to wash off your feet are in the pool area, so after walking from 6:30am-8:00am, I was not able to wash off my feet using the showers because the pool didn’t open til 9:00. Luckily I had a bottle of water in my car, so I used the bottle of water to pour over my feet to wash them off. Just something to know. The Location is wonderful. It is not in the main heart of all of the crowded area by the pier. It is still busy at the beach, but not near as bad as a mile down the road. Traffic Noice. You do hear it outside on the balcony, and a little inside if the tv isn’t on. But because the condo sits back, it is not as bad as it would be in you were in one of the front condos. I was tired enough that it didn’t keep me from sleeping sound. Bed is very comfortable. It is a firm bed, but still soft. As other reviews has mentioned, the bedroom never gets really dark because the complex is very well lite. It makes it beautiful at night. The light coming through in the bedroom didn’t bother me. I got up early most mornings anyway to get started. I didn’t drive 17 hours to sleep in. I did get up for the sunrise on several occasions, but there was cloud cover every time, so I just took pictures of the beach getting lighter. Good size walk in closet. I didn’t use any of the stuff, but there was an iron, ironing board, extra blankets, a couple pool noodles, etc. Towels - This was the only negative is they only provided 4 towels for a 6 night stay. Not sure if they bump it up for more people but if not, it may be an issue. I didn’t use the laundry, so I can’t review that. I didn’t use the kitchen (other than putting my drinks in the fridge and getting ice (I brought my own Tervis so I didn’t use any glasses, but they were there. Kitchen seemed very well equipped. Fridge is very nice. Note, someone had turned off the ice maker, so once I used it all and came back later for more ice, there was none. I had to switch the bar inside back to on, then ice started again. Not sure if the people before me did this or the cleaning service, but you may want to check when you get there if you want to keep getting ice. Codes - You get codes for the drive in gate, the walk in gate, and the condo door. I have a good memory so after a day I had them memorized, but before that I just entered them into the notes on my phone so I had easy access. (Don’t forget your phone in the condo if the door code is on it and you don’t have it memorized.) The grounds of the complex are very beautiful and well kept. Living room is large, end tables on both ends and a coffee table, so plenty of places for laptop storage, etc. Beach - The beach is right across the street. It is a 4 lane busy street, but it’s not too bad. Just walk half way to the middle turning lane, then wait for the second half. If you were good at Frogger, you will do ok. No logs or alligators to cross :-) The beach is pretty crowded on the weekend, but during the week it is not too bad (Middle of September). I used the beach across the street to walk on and to take pictures. When I was going actually go to the beach and spend some time, I drove a few miles down to Jamaica Beach because you can drive your car onto the beach at many of the access points. This made it nice to unload my chair, beach umbrella tent, boogie board, etc. You can keep the cooler in the car since it it right there behind you. Made it easy. You can park on the street at the beach across from the condo, so that is an option. Then you would just carry your stuff down the steps and find a spot. You can bring or rent a wagon, but the Condo steps may make that a hassle. There are steps on the grounds also, so if you had a wagon, you would need to have someone to lift the other end. The rest of the review is not about the condo, but things I did. I was here for 5 days during the week. Galveston - Took the 2 hour sunset boat tour (Galveston Water Adventures). Really nice (again didn’t see the sunset because of clouds, but still a beautiful time on the water, watching dolphins and seeing the barges line up and lite up at night. Rode the Ferry over and back. On the ride over, I stayed on the lower (car) deck and looked over the back rail. On the ride back, I walked up top to get a higher view. Houston Area - Houston Space Center. I did the space expert tour (book online in advance) that started at 9:00am. It gets you in an hour early, a guided tour, and gets you first ride on the Tram out to the Rocket. This place is not as large as Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but they do have the full size 747 that flew the Shuttle back and the Space Shuttle mounted on top which you can go into both. That makes it work the trip. San Jacinto Monument -- This is cool to see. The big draw is being able to go up to the top and see the view of the battle ship from the air and the surrounding waters. There is a movie also which I watched that gave the history and significance of the site which I had no idea of. It basically was the starting point for what we know as the entire southwest of the United States, so that was really cool to learn. The museum on site is not really that much, but the view and the movie make it worth the trip. I also took to day trips (for those who love to drive). On Tuesday I drove to Corpus Christi and toured the USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier. This was probably the best thing that I saw during the whole 5 days. I had recently watched the movie (Midway) and that helped put things into perspective while touring the ship. Then afterwards I drove across the bay to Landry’s Seafood to eat which is on a marina and a beautiful area to walk around along the water. This is a long day trip (4 hours down), 4-5 hours spend touring and looking around, then 4 hours to drive back. Get up early about 5-6am, and you can do it. This is mostly back roads (Route 35), but it was a pretty easy drive. Just set your map/gps, pick the route you want to take and you are good. The 35 route, doesn’t have much on it so if you need gas or bathrooms, get them when you see them. On Thursday, my other day trip was to San Antonio. I wanted to see the Alamo, the Market, and the Riverwalk. I did the Bus Tour (hop off an on) when I got there (about 10am). I got off at the Market, which is a few outside shops, then two indoor buildings set up like an indoor Mexican flee market. A tip is to shop around before you buy because a lot of them sell the same things for different prices. Also take cash, because several vendors offer a 20% discount if you pay cash. After the Market, I got back on the bus and toured the Alamo (currently a construction zone) and then ate on the Riverwalk, and did the River Boat tour, then drove back. Buy tickets online for the tours and you can get a combo ticket for a discount. This again is a long day trip (4 hours over), 4-5 hours sightseeing, then 4 hours back. This is all interstate, so pretty smooth ride (see below). My day trips were just to sample the areas to see if I would want to go back in the future and spend more time. Unless you love to drive and don’t get wore out easy, I wouldn’t recommend doing both in the same week like I did, but both areas are definitely worth seeing. Some final notes, check everything online before you go. Things have strange hours. For example in Galveston, the pleasure pier is closed some days, doesn’t open til 4 on others. The San Jacinto Monument is closed several days. In San Antonia, the Market is closed certain days. You want to look up everything you want to do before going. Last thing I want to touch on is Houston traffic. It is non-stop busy. I have driven at 6am and it was busy, and at 7pm and it is busy. It doesn’t seem to stop. There is construction everywhere. People also don’t obey the speed limits. If you are only going 10mph over, you are going to get crushed. I didn’t want to get a ticket, so I stayed in the middle lane, and only drove 8-10mph over and just let everyone go around. The speed limits also change constantly, so watch for the signs. I rely heavily on reviews when booking trips. I hope this helps you plan your stay.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

10406 Reviews