Hibiscus Oceanfront Resort

The amenities were great- pool, full size kitchen, washer and dryer was a nice surprise, jacuzzi tub in the master, close to attractions but far enough away to enjoy a relaxing quiet beach day. The resort itself has some maintenance and cleaning issues. I expect more wear and tear near the beach due to the corrosion level of salt air and water however some of the areas desperately need repair. The hot tub was out of order during our visit but the pools and there are three were always open and clean. I would come and stay again. The price is better than most hotels and you get a better room than the hotel.

We rented an ocean view condo (D203) for our honeymoon and we were impressed! The room was big, had everything you could possibly need, and the view was great! The beach was great too! The only thing I would mention is that when we first got there, there was a little bit of confusion while parking. There were signs that said you needed a parking pass or you would be towed. We went to the front desk to get one at check in time (4:00) but the office was closed. We ended up just going to our room and found an envelope with the parking pass inside, so everything turned out fine. I just think they should be a little clearer about that before you arrive. Everything else was perfect! (I attached some photos but the master bedroom is not included. It was great and the only reason it’s not in the pictures is because we took the photos at the end and my husband took the sheets off.)

The beach was great. The three pools are opened at all times. The room had a complete kitchen with a washer and a dryer. The resort is located near the beach which is one of the best location. The Maintenance crew is SLACKING and ruining the resort. The Hibiscus Resort is not a luxurious resort, but the maintenance crew makes it worst by not maintaining the resort's ground clean. Upon my arrival, I thought the resort was abandoned since everything looked old and dirty. The hotel needs cleaning, painting, and repairs. They allowed service dogs, however, the maintenance crew are not cleaning the room properly after the service dogs leave the resort. The rugs have dirt patches all over and the entire room smelled like dog's urine, dog's feces and cigarettes. The gym, the lounge, and the sundeck are out of service, since it needs repair. The hotel's condition shows the maintenance crew are not taking care of the hotel's property's properly. To my dismay the maintenance staff live on site. My room smelled like an old ashtray. I washed all my sheets in order to sleep without the smell of cigarettes. I purchased all different types of spray, and kept all the windows opened to get rid of all the smell. The rug had dirt patches all over, The A/C, and the bathroom's fan was not working. My second bedroom had a portable A/C. The pool's floor was dirty and leaves all over. The jacuzzi's water was green, foamy, and not enough water. All the walkway's boards needs replacement. The entire Resort needs TLC. The maintenance crew needs to be changed ASAP. The resort could be very nice if it's repaired and maintained. When I saw the pools being so dirty, there is no way, I was going in that dirty water. I called maintenance twice to at list clean the pools and they did. I would go back to St. Augustine, but Hibiscus Resort needs to look like a resort and be maintained properly since there is a lot of safety hazards inside the hotel's ground, and people can fall and get hurt.

First, a bit of history: During the decade of the 90s our family of three stayed at Hibiscus many times and for extended periods. In fact, over those years our total days stayed there would equal about 6 months (I have the receipts.) So, when our now-adult daughter invited us to share a week of her family’s 2-week vacation there this month, we were delighted. The prospects of sharing our previous good times with our 19-mo-old grandson and introducing him to the beach were too good to pass up. So, why the abysmal rating? I’ll tell you why. First, several buildings—including the one we were staying in—are undergoing extensive exterior renovations. The entire buildings are surrounded with scaffolding, the ocean-front view (which, of course, cost extra) was badly obscured and we were denied access to the balcony for the entire stay. I’m in the construction industry and I was appalled at the conditions of the worksite. OSHA violations were everywhere! It was dangerous to navigate from the condo to the beach or pool. For several days, all the windows—including the sliders facing the ocean—were covered completely for painting. Now, let’s step inside unit B-201—the unit where we had spent many weeks in the past. “Shabby” is being generous. The furniture was old (two chairs were literally broken and unusable), the decor was hodgepodge—not at all tropical or beach-themed, the sheets and towels were frayed and terribly stained, the kitchen was poorly equipped with mismatched glassware and ridiculously inadequate cooking utensils (I.e., one cooking spoon, and it was slotted!), the master tub was leaking into the condo below and was unusable for several days, the cabinetry was original (1980s). In short, the entire unit screamed for a complete update. To say we were disappointed is a gross understatement. We will never return to Hibiscus.

i 305 and i 303 are two of the cleanest and best appointed units in the complex. They also have amazing ocean views from the private balconies. All the buildings are owned by multiple different owners and “The Resort” still manages a bunch of them. So what you get regarding the quality of your stay depends on who’s unit you’re in. Check the pictures and reviews. We found out how lucky we were from some of the other guests we met while at the main pool.