Instrata Little Italy Apartments

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Truly Exceptional Living at Instrata Little Italy I can confidently say that Instrata Little Italy is one of the best places to live in San Diego — not just for the unbeatable location and luxury amenities, but especially because of the phenomenal staff who go above and beyond every single day. From day one, Alicia, and Veronica has been warm, welcoming, and incredibly helpful. Whether it’s answering questions, handling requests quickly, or just greeting residents with a smile, they create a truly personalized experience that makes this place feel like home. Alicia has always been friendly, attentive, and professional. She remember residents by name, help with packages, offer recommendations, and genuinely care about making your day better. It’s the kind of hospitality you’d expect at a five-star hotel, but you get to enjoy it every day. On top of that, the maintenance team is fast, efficient, and respectful of your space. Any issues are resolved promptly, and they keep the entire building in pristine condition. Beyond the staff, the building itself is stunning — from the beautifully designed apartments with high-end finishes to the rooftop pool, modern gym, and chic communal spaces. And being located in the heart of Little Italy means you’re just steps from amazing restaurants, cafes, markets, and the waterfront. Instrata Little Italy isn’t just a place to live — it’s a community, a lifestyle, and a true hidden gem in San Diego. The team here sets a new standard for what luxury apartment living should feel like. I can’t recommend it enough!

Welcome to Instrata, luxury living just like a third world country! No running water for at least 24 hours! Come see our beautiful hot tub that’s been closed for over a year! Want to see stained old carpet and grungy paint in the hall on the way to you apartment? We got that too! Do you love wearing waders when trying to get to your car in the parking garage? Then this place is for you! Just email the leasing office and they will ignore your emails for a few short weeks and then get back to you with a plethora of excuses and fake apologies!

Olivia helped me set-up and gave me an initial tour of the property. She was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and really funny! She took her time to show us multiple setups of the same floorplan just so we could get an understanding of how the layouts could be different utilized. She made it a very easy choice to sign a lease here. Veronica made the move-in process so easy on my move-in day! She showed me everything I needed to know and was so warm and welcoming. She was responsive all through the leasing process as well and made it easy to do everything needed to get my keys. I cannot say enough nice things about these two in the front office! Cant wait to live here!

I cannot speak more highly of Veronica in the leasing office. She made my entire moving experience and transition into the building so much smoother than I could have imagined. Veronica is not only dedicated to her job, but she goes above and beyond to ensure every resident feels supported and cared for. She is attentive, approachable, and always willing to take the extra step to answer questions or resolve any concerns. Her professionalism is matched by her kindness, and she truly makes the community feel welcoming. I am so grateful for all of her help. She is an incredible asset to the building, and I feel lucky to have had her guidance during this process.

The hot tub has been closed for almost an entire year and building management has been gaslighting and stringing residents along this entire time saying it will be fixed soon. Here’s the timeline of communications residents received: * 12/1/2024 - Informed the pool and spa would be closed with work to conclude the third week of January * 1/12/2025 - Email stating “We are hopeful the work will conclude the second week of February” * 2/28/2025 - Email saying there’s no developments to report but they’ll provide a detailed update with schedule for completion next week * 3/14/2025 - Email stating work is tentatively scheduled to begin in the next 2 weeks and repairs should only take 2 weeks to complete * 3/29/2025 - Email stating additional spa repairs are tentatively scheduled for the following week * 4/19/2025 - Informed spa opening is delayed and could take up to 3 months for completion * 6/21/2025 - Email stating spa was being looked at by engineers this week, updates to come * 8/8/2025 - Informed they would begin fixing the spa “toward the end of the year (weather permitting” * 10/12/2025 - Email stating they will share updates next week informing residents of when the work is set to begin and be completed by. This should come as no surprise at this point, but since receiving the last communication on 10/12, no updates on timing have been shared by management and residents are still in the dark about when the spa will be fixed. All this to be strung along for an entire year, while also paying for an amenity we can’t use. I’ve also noticed that previous negative Google reviews that were left for this building in the last year have since been deleted/removed, which is concerning.

I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with Marco from the maintenance team several times, and he has always gone above and beyond. He is incredibly friendly and professional, making it easy to communicate any concerns. The quality of his work is excellent—repairs are always done right the first time, and he leaves everything neat and tidy. On top of that, his response time is impressively fast, which makes a huge difference when something unexpected comes up. Marco is a real asset to the community, and I truly appreciate all that he does to keep our apartments running smoothly!

Please read before moving here: My wife and I have lived in this building for approximately 3–4 years. Unfortunately, the property has significantly declined since the management change in 2024. While the location is excellent, I would strongly encourage prospective residents to consider nearby alternatives such as Lindley, Simone, or Stanza, which appear to be better maintained. Maintenance Issues To give a clear example of ongoing maintenance problems: the jacuzzi has been closed for repairs since December 2024. Management initially promised it would reopen by May, then later pushed the timeline to August, and eventually to the end of the year. It is now December, the jacuzzi remains untouched, and there has been no further communication or updated timeline. Take any “opening soon” promises with caution. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated issue. The front door frequently malfunctions. Elevators experience regular outages. Gym weights are visibly rusting, and when equipment breaks, it often remains out of order for months. The same pattern applies to the golf simulator, outdoor fire pit, and garage gate. When residents ask for repair timelines, the standard response is simply, “We are waiting on the vendor,” with no meaningful follow-up. Amenities The amenities shown in the leasing office photos no longer reflect reality. Many of the furnishings and decorative elements pictured have been removed. Decorative pillows, higher-quality chairs and tables, numerous plants, and the ambient lighting around the pool and fire pit have all been gone for quite some time. The small courtyard waterfall with mosaic tile has been turned off for nearly two years. There are large TVs located throughout the building—including in the clubhouse, gym, and pool area—but they appear either broken or disconnected. They have not been turned on once in the past two years. At one point, management teased residents with “exciting updates” to the common interior spaces, but no details were ever shared, and the topic was never mentioned again. Community While there are many friendly and enjoyable residents in the building, current management shows little effort in fostering a sense of community. Under previous management, resident events were held every couple of months, often featuring fun gatherings in common areas or nearby restaurants. With the current management, there are typically only one or two events per year, usually with underwhelming food and no DJ, games, or raffles. Conclusion Overall, I do not see the situation improving anytime soon and I won't be renewing my rent. If anything, living conditions may worsen once construction begins on the old laundry building across the street. Given the declining maintenance, reduced amenities, and lack of community engagement, I would recommend looking elsewhere before choosing to live here.

I just moved to Instrata Little Italy and am loving the building and area so far! Veronica was amazing from the first tour and really taking the time to show me around and help me choose which unit I wanted, to getting all my documents sent and resident accounts set up. Her and her team have really thought a lot about what you might need and want as a resident downtown. I am so grateful to have found Instrata and be living in Little Italy, San Diego.

This is a review in response to Lily. Lily, the Events Calendar was posted in late October hence the first event beginning on Halloween. I've been living at Broadstone for a couple years now and have attended a few events the previous management team hosted. Their events calendar do not resemble this nor are they ever in black & white. I apologize for having to bring this to your attention but needing to call a spade a spade.

Unfortunately, my first review on Yelp has to be a needs improvement review. Moved in early last year and since Sares Regis taking over towards the last quarter of 2023, things have been missing the mark. Communication is slim to none. On the first week they managed, there was zero hot water. We were given falsified phone numbers on the letter Sares Regis posted on our doors. Corporate voicemail doesn't work. Called the front desk in hopes the call would be forwarded to somebody, nothing. We had no hot water from evening to early afternoon the next day. No email. No update. Graystar would never be short of this. They had weekly updates and as soon as a maintenance item in the building was broken, you heard about it. Not from a neighbor but from the people who manage the building directly. Then, a month later, we were loudly startled by fire alarms. Most of the building waiting outside with firemen. Where is anyone from this office? Heard from a neighbor maintenance was on vacation for two weeks so we had no maintenance. Apparently, another neighbor had to call a former Graystar employee to get access to the building.... Not sure if that's a rumor but that's what's being said. Elevators are never working. The lobby one is always down. Have to resort to the other elevators. Sometimes those are not operating. We will be without one or two elevator for days. Callbox at one point wasn't working for a week. Cockroaches everywhere. Packages stolen. Mail Room looks like an unorganized warehouse of shipping boxes. I would see the previous employees at Graystar wheeling a cart to deliver packages just to do something nice for us. One Sunday I came by the office to see where my package was, a few times, actually, (morning and afternoon) and nobody was there. Nobody was there all day! Went to Waterfront for a drink with some friends around 4pm and still, nobody inside! Odd when their hours are posted as 10am - 5 pm on weekends. Maybe they were on tour all day? Who knows when half the building is so empty. All my neighbors are moving out. At this point, reading reviews just reminds me that these tenants have no idea what they're in for. Have to start looking at some other buildings in the neighborhood now.