Laketown Wharf Condominiums By Sterling Resorts

After spending nearly $4,000 for a one-week stay, I feel obligated to share our experience so other families can make an informed decision. Read and decide for yourself. We stayed here while our son played in a baseball tournament, and this was the most disappointing vacation rental experience we've ever had. From the moment we arrived, the cleanliness was unacceptable. There was blood in the toilet and on the bathroom baseboard, the baseboards throughout the unit were filthy, the couch felt heavily soiled and oily, and the floors were dirty enough that we ended up vacuuming and mopping the entire unit ourselves. The bathroom rugs were dirty, so we washed them before using them. There was even sand inside the closets from a previous guest, making it obvious the unit had not been properly cleaned before our arrival. Unfortunately, the issues didn't stop inside our unit. The resort itself was just as disappointing. The exterior corridors are carpeted and the carpets are straight NASTY. There was food left in the hallways, one hallway smelled like vomit, there was a strong smell of marijuana nearly every evening, and several families repeatedly encountered cockroaches on the fourth floor and around the children's splash pad. The entire property felt dirty, neglected, and poorly maintained. The elevator situation only made matters worse. This property already has a limited number of elevators for a resort of this size, and during our one-week stay, multiple elevators were out of service or malfunctioning. Wait times were excessive every single day, and one elevator even became stuck, requiring the fire department to respond. Simply getting to and from our room became a frustrating part of every day... Especially when you're trying to get to/from on time. DO NOT let them fool you into thinking that the elevators are not an ongoing issue - they ABSOLUTELY are an every day problem, after speaking to many residents and locals of the Wharf. What was even more concerning was that our experience wasn't isolated. Several other families traveling with our baseball team experienced major housekeeping issues as well. One family found a female undergarment left behind in their unit, while another found a plate of spaghetti still sitting in the microwave from a previous guest. A third family had to deal with the smell of sewage in their unit. Even air fresheners and odor absorbers did not help. It became very clear that this was not a one-time oversight but a much larger housekeeping issue affecting multiple units. I reported these concerns immediately upon arrival and continued communicating with property management throughout our stay in hopes they would be addressed while we were still there. My initial email received a response, but my follow-up emails documenting additional issues went unanswered. Had it not been for our son's baseball tournament and the fact that there were no comparable accommodations available during the busy holiday week, we would have left much sooner. We ultimately checked out a day early because we simply did not want to spend another night there. To make matters even more concerning, this property has a recent history of serious maintenance issues. In 2024, portions of Laketown Wharf were evacuated after structural deterioration was discovered in stairwells. While repairs were reportedly made, that history, combined with the overall condition we experienced during our stay, left us with very little confidence in the property's upkeep. After paying nearly $4,000 for this vacation, I never imagined I'd spend the week cleaning our rental, questioning the cleanliness of everything we touched, and counting down the days until we could leave. A vacation should be relaxing, not something that leaves you feeling uncomfortable from the moment you arrive. We would never stay here again and cannot recommend Laketown Wharf to anyone, especially families. There are far too many other options in Panama City Beach to spend this kind of money on an experience like this.

Laketown Wharf – PCB, Florida – Moon Dancer Unit 1808 – DO NOT BOOK Considering that my family has stayed at Laketown Wharf in the past, we felt confident booking again for our 2026 family vacation. Given the high rental cost—along with additional resort fees, parking fees, wristband costs, etc.—we fully expected the unit to meet at least basic standards. Unfortunately, that was far from the case. I booked Moon Dancer Unit 1808 through VRBO / 30A Seascapes, and while the online photos looked amazing, the reality was extremely disappointing. It became clear that the images did not accurately represent the condition of the unit. Condition of the Unit Strong pet/musty odor upon entry Furniture was visibly stained and dirty (accent chairs, couch, pillows) Coffee and end tables were worn and rusted Dusty and dirty balcony curtains Overall unit is outdated and in need of major deep cleaning and repair Crack in main bedroom wall near the light switch (one switch didn’t work) Bedroom side tables were dirty, sticky, and very small Closet lights not working Upholstered headboard needs cleaning Balcony furniture was dirty with a black tar-like substance Mold around balcony door and washing machine Major Issue – No Running Water at Resort - The most unacceptable part of our stay was that we had NO running water for 2 days. No working toilets No access to basic sanitation We were forced to buy gallons of water just to flush toilets Ultimately, we had to check out early due to unsafe and unsanitary conditions Property Management Response - This situation could have been handled differently—but unfortunately, it wasn’t. 30A Seascapes / Owner of Unit 1808 showed little to no concern Response was essentially: “Sorry, it’s out of our control” No meaningful communication or resolution efforts No refund offered This was especially disappointing considering that: Over 30 members of my family booked different condos at LTW (all independently owned) Other unit owners and property managers went above and beyond—bringing water, checking in personally, and even issuing partial refunds for the inconvenience of no running water. Final Thoughts The lack of accountability and customer care from 30A Seascapes and the owner of Moon Dancer Unit 1808 was unacceptable. While they were quick to collect payment upfront, they showed no commitment to guest satisfaction or maintaining acceptable living conditions. 👉 If you are considering booking Moon Dancer Unit 1808 at Laketown Wharf—DON’T. This experience was a complete waste of time, money, and energy for my family.

You will wait 20+ minutes for standard size elevators in this place to go up and down. 5 elevators for 21 floors and most families carry large wagons these days. Getting around is terrible bc of this. Also, when the water system goes down, the AC goes down too. This is a fairly common occurrence in this area. You are not warned of this common occurrence before you book. Water is an amenity and not a necessity, according to the Real Joy vacation company. We personally witnessed the company allowing new check-in’s, knowing there was no running water and no AC. Your rooms will be minimally stocked, so if you use dishwasher soap etc, you have to provide that for the week. Real Joy is vague and untruthful when it comes to handling problems of any kind, especially with water. They know it takes DAYS to get water going again in a high rise, yet they tell you just a couple hours. Just know when your water is off, it takes 48 hours to get water to the top floors. Beautiful views from balconies, despite the widespread weed smoking. Enjoying the balcony at night is tough to do when so much weed is around. The place needs a spruce; the facility is a bit dingy along with the pools which are cloudy by midday with no upkeep seen. You have been warned as I wish we would have or have just been done honest by this group as to navigate a water outage. Had they guided us properly, we wouldn’t have had to leave our vacation 4 days early.