Casa Baywood

Casa Baywood is an incredible building with a charm from another time that few locations in bay area still maintain. If high ceiling, crown moldings and 9ft French doors interest you, then this is the place for you. That being said, an older building does come with it's own issues, like the old boiler often failing during the colder day and the beautiful but single pane windows don't do much for keeping the drafts out. In terms of amenities, there really aren't any, the owners did put in a laundry room a few years back, which is kept clean, the machines are coin operated and are nothing to write home about, with the dryers often leave the clothes damp. The building is kept generally very clean and well maintained, and the live in supper Elvis does a great job of keeping the place safe and welcome home for it's residents. One last thing on the noise, I like a certain level of street noise, so the proximity to El Camino is for me a benefit, but for those sensitive to high traffic sounds, if you consider an apartment, look towards the back of the building facing the creek.

Simple pros and cons: Pro - Location is right next to downtown San Mateo. Pro - Everyone I’ve met has been polite and kind. Pro - Property manager on-site is fast and responsive. Con - Be mindful if you have pets that their access to the outside will be restricted to stairs and elevator.

This is an old building, likely a former hotel from way back when (I’m guessing early 1900s), so set your expectations for that exact feeling. And this is where Casa Baywood shines, as I find the decor, architecture, and atmosphere to be delectable, the residents friendly, the facility safe, and well positioned in downtown San Mateo (everything is walking distance!). Some rough edges: - I’m having ongoing issues getting internet activated, as my suite appears to not have an active coax line. - Water pressure was a bit of a concern as well. However, all of these items and some are currently being addressed by the staff (kudos and shout to Elvis!!!) and I can see why people have lived here for decades, it’s just a sweetheart of a place. Also note that I haven’t listed the plethora of items that were quickly resolved or answered by the staff - I feel well taken care of here, something you don’t get much from a lot of modern facilities. If you’re looking for a place with every amenity known to man, this ain’t the location for you (no pool, gym. If you’re looking for heart and feel, walking distance to everything you can need (like gym, eateries, coffee, groceries), safety, then this is your place!

There are 2 things that make me enjoy living here: 1) The beauty and vintage touches in the apartment 2) super care & responsiveness from Elvis the property manager--the best property manager I have ever experienced! Mary

The apartment community is nice and clean. It is right by San Mateo downtown so location is a huge plus. Building is also secure and apartment is spacious. We had issues with our heating throughout this winter though. Maybe because it is an old building, we see some maintenance issues every now and then - most of it related to heating and plumbing.