ARK BLUE BELL

If you are planning to stay in the Blue Belll/Philadelphia area for more than a month, this is the PERFECT choice. You can get a fully furnished1, 2, or 3 bedroom apartment for much less than you'd pay for a motel. It's a great choice to those who are looking for a home in the area or someone who is transferred or anyone who wants to spend an extended stay. All of the apartments come with telephone, cable, internet, and all utilities. All are two stories. The 2 BR have 1 1/2 baths. Included is a clubhouse with swimming pool, wading pool and gym. Prices change according to season but a 2 bedroom can be had for only $120/day and that includes all taxes. I can't say enough good things about Blue Bell.

I was moving to the area for work, and had to relocate fairly quickly. I did not have time to come to the area to look around for a place to live so I was trying to call different locations to determine the best price for the least amount of work on my end. The Ark was one place that had furnished units that I did not have to arrange the furnishing myself - it was also less expensive than some of the other locations, where I would have had to put money down on the apartment as well as the furniture. My stay at The Ark was overall relatively pleasant. It was much nicer than staying at an extended stay hotel, though it was likely more pricey. These units are townhomes, so I had 2 floors with the bedroom, laundry and bathroom being on the second floor. The 2 floors made it seem less hotel-y and more home-y, which I very much appreciated. The individual I dealt with to secure the unit, Tricia, was very pleasant and helpful - I would recommend dealing with her. The complex is in a good location. It is close to shopping and places to eat and just 20 minutes from King of Prussia. There are many grocery stores near by, and a hospital as well. It is just minutes from the turn pike, and about an hour and a half from the Jersey Shore as well as from the Poconos. Parking is ample, and I always was able to get a spot right outside of my unit. The pool is gorgeous and the complex serves breakfast every morning during the week for free (just muffins, coffee, yogurt and fruit but its very nice). Some of the things I did not care for are as follows. I had to deal with some of the front desk individuals who were less than friendly. I only really dealt with them to give them my monthly rent check, but they either weren't friendly or had no personality or in some cases, both. After dealing with Tricia and some of the other sales staff, I would never have thought that the individuals working the desk would have been this way. The walls are VERY thin. I could hear my neighbors on both sides - I could hear them talking, going up and down the stairs (which sounded more like running all the time), doors opening and closing and dogs barking. There were seemingly a lot of bugs in my unit - spiders especially which I really hate. I didn't mention anything to the complex, and in hind sight I probably should have, but I didn't really have a lot of time to deal with such things due to the demands at my job, so I just let it go. The air conditioning for the upstairs was extremely poor. There was one vent in the large bedroom and if I was running the dryer, it would make the entire upstairs extremely hot, so I would have to close the bedroom door which seemed to help some. The downstairs would be freezing while the upstairs was barely cool - I know that this was not just an issue I had in my unit, because one of my co workers was staying in the same complex in a different building and had the same issue. The washer and dryer were not only extremely small, but the dryer took for ever to dry clothes - literally hours. I am sure that what ever money was saved buying the economy dryer was eaten up in the cost to run that thing non stop. Where I was used to doing all of my laundry, towels and sheets in one day at my house, I was only able to do maybe 3 loads of laundry in a day with this dryer. This is somewhat minor, but still something worth noting - if you are staying in these apartments, make sure to give them your vacate notice on the first day of the month prior, and NOT 30 days in advance. I was vacating on the 3rd of the month and thought that as long as I provided 30 days notice that I was within compliance - well, I was not aware that they really wanted the notice on the 1st of the month, which was prior to 30 days notice. The management company did not ask me to pay extra because I only gave 30 days notice and not 33, but they were sure to let me know that I was not in compliance. Overall, if you have to have an extended stay for business, I would prefer to stay at the Ark in a furnished unit than stay in a hotel. It was a bit more like a home and while I did have things I did not care for, it was a place I would likely recommend to friends or co-workers who needed a furnished unit.