I lived in the Texan West Campus, which is under the same management as the Castilian, Campus Acquisitions. I had a horrible experience dealing with CA. They are a poorly managed company, whose sole existence is to steal money from students. Upon move-out I was charged over $400 for damage that went "above and beyond normal wear and tear of an apartment". My apartment was in better shape than most of my friends', who all got the majority of their security deposits refunded to them. I met with them in person to look over the charges only to discover they hadn't even compared the final damage to the move-in condition form that we had filled out. They tried to charge us for things that we clearly marked were damaged before we moved in! They also mixed up who lived in which room and charged each of the tenants incorrect amounts. After the first year living in my four-bedroom apartment, two tenants moved out and were replaced by two new tenants. CA had no policy in place to deal with allocating the security deposit for this transition in tenants. It resulted in much bickering, months of prolonged frustration, threats of legal action and the ending of friendships. This could all have easily been prevent had CA done their duty as management to explain how to divide the security deposit in this situation. CA also wouldn't let me out of a parking contract, even though I requested months in advance to cancel it because I no longer had a car. They didn't act illegally by holding me to the contract, but they certainly acted unethically. Their accounting system is also lacking internal controls. They tried to double charge me for a water bill and then proceeding to blame it on their accounting software. The girls who work in the front office are unhelpful and untrained. They fumbled to find answers for me to the most simple rent questions, such as "can I pay next month's rent early". Overall, I had a completely unpleasant experience with Campus Acquisitions. I assume that since they manage the Castilian, they are just as bad management for that complex as well. read more

The Castilian is a great place to stay at! It has the perfect location that is very convenient for walking to classes during the semester!

EDIT: I bumped it down to one. I can't stand this place. The toilet gets broken so often. The front desk is quite useless. We've had two more cockroaches since. The food... is the same. But seeing that absolutely everyone else I know hates it, I guess I'm the oddball one there. And some hallways reek of weed. Basically, DO NOT LIVE HERE. It's between 2-3 stars, I'll give it a 2.5. But in the end, I DO NOT recommend anybody to live here. Pros: - Food: Maybe it's because I'm not a picky eater, but I like the food here. For the most part it's good enough quality and I particularly like how healthy the options are (more than JCL). They have fresh fruit every morning and their breakfasts rock. But the hidden treasure are the desserts. Their cookies are AMAZING. - Cleaning service: It's very nice to not have to clean your own bathroom or room (by cleaning I mean mopping and dusting, not actual cleaning up clothes and messes). It's done every two weeks. They even take out your trash! - Friendly people: Everyone who's worked at the front desk is very friendly. The cafeteria people are split, some can be rude but I've never seen anyone go out of line rude. The people living there are great too, you get to meet a lot of foreign exchange students so that's cool. My RA is great too. - Study Lounge: I prefer the Castilian study lounge to PCL. It's much quieter, homey, and comfortable. And there's a conference room that is very easy to book too. - Piano room: I like it, great place to hang or study with food. When a student plays an awesome peace it's enjoyable. - Movie rental: movie rental is free and they have great options. - Location: I prefer this location to any other. It's right on the drag so you get the best food and fun. It's just close enough to campus to not be any hassle, but also close to west campus where all the fun and parties are (minus 6th haha). Cons: - Room temperature: you only have the option of turning off or on whatever is being sent out. So you can't decide what the heat or cold is; many times you'll freeze or sweat since Texas weather is so fickle. - Bathrooms: Terrible. They're so dingy to the point where it's offensive to a dorm. While it's nice to get shared bath, I wouldn't step bare-foot in there if someone paid me. And the worst part is the toilet. At least in our room, it just doesn't work very well. It's hard to flush, and sometimes it refuses to flush and not because it's clogged. It's the mechanics. And it always makes a loud noise so people can't use it back to back. Sometimes I just go to the one on the 11th floor since it's much better working. - Room: It's SO dusty! Even with cleaning service it's dust-mania! I covered any special belongings when I was gone for break so they wouldn't get dusty! They're also very tiny, don't get fooled by the floorplan or the room they show you. - Elevators: Maybe it's because it's so many floors but they are quite slow. - MY BIGGEST ISSUE: Cockroaches. In one semester my roommate, suitemates, and I had to deal with SEVEN of them so far. They go into the bathroom and it's just revolting. We've sent in three complaints and nothing's been done-- it's been about two weeks since our last cockroach. I'm hoping we don't ever deal with those again. Nobody kills them for us, and they're fast, gross, and diseased. They say it's because they're attracted to water so they go through the wall system during the dry winter, but I don't care. I don't want to EVER deal with cockroaches, and it's not my fault they get in. We don't leave out food and we're clean people. I don't get it. Disgusting. I don't want to dart into my bathroom in fear of a cockroach or feel paranoid during showers. - Internet: Apogee is just terrible. You can pay for wireless but it's extremely expensive and doesn't work super well anyway. Ripoff!!! - Cafeteria hours: it closes at 7pm. That's ridiculous. College students eat dinner far later than that, especially when we're studying for exams. - Food: I like the food enough, but their website is the biggest false advertising I've ever seen. DO NOT GET FOOLED. - Water: Once they completely shut off the water. Another time they had pipe problems and didn't have water... for THREE days. People had to go to the school's gym to shower. All they gave was a gallon of water per room for brushing teeth. That was extremely annoying. - Secuirty: ONE security guard, NO CARD SYSTEM. Luckily nobody dangerous wandered in and caused trouble, but I heard the parking garages are quite unsafe because there's no serious barrier between inside and out. read more

the 'nasty casty' At the end of the Summer of 2012, I was strapped for a place to live because all of the dorms were full. With a focus on location, I narrowed my searching for a place to live down to Dobie, University Towers, and The Castilian. Dobie was full, University Towers was nicknamed 'barf towers' or something gross like that, so I was left only with The Castilian (so I thought). Right off the bat, I was impressed with their speedy customer service, helpfulness, and friendly 'informative' tour. I signed my lease immediately and couldn't wait to pack up everything and move into such a wonderful building. When I moved in and saw the state of my room, I nearly keeled over. 1. The carpeting was DISGUSTING. Black with wear and tear, coming up around the edges, mysterious and crunchy stains. The walls, dingy, in desperate need of a revamp, some sort of wonky braided painted over wallpaper? I don't even know how to describe it.. 2. The beds/desks, with the non-upgraded furniture, a step above a bed in prison, VERY low to the ground with a lumpy, filthy mattress. My roommates bed with its abnormally sharp edges has broken skin THROUGH my JEANS at least once per week since I moved in. My desk- gratified on and splintering. I will say that there is a decent amount of shelf and drawer space. 3. THE BATHROOM DEAR GOD THE BATHROOM. Speckled with ever-growing mold, rusty, tearing apart at the seams, this bathroom is a tetanus shot waiting to happen. Walking into the bathroom, the ripped up faux-wood linoleum floor serves as a means of covering up the filthy disgusting faux-tile linoleum floor underneath it. The toilet gets clogged twice per week due to shoddy pipes. I really should go on, but I honestly don't have the energy to continue about this bathroom. 4. The air conditioner has a number all its own because it is an absolute terror. Attached to the bathroom, the air being pumped into the bedroom is humid and smells of feces, urine, burning hair, or eggs (most often eggs). 5. The people who work here are mean, rude, terrible, and awful, aside for one cafeteria worker who deserves some sort of award and raise for being as kind as she is. The people who work here are always ready to give you some sort of snotty response to legitimate questions. Submit a service request, prepare to wait forever for it to be '"""""fixed"""""" and have them write a passive aggressive explanation to what they have done to """fix""" the problem. 6. Since under new management, the food here has gotten significantly better, offering more vegetarian options. For the amount of money one spends on renting a claustrophobically small room in this place, you would think that renovations for a building built in 1969 would be the first thought on the owners' minds. Please don't live here. You will be miserable from the desolate moment you move in until the joyous pang of freedom you feel when moving out. It is impossible to get out of your lease, so know that if you do sign the lease, you have just signed your life away. Best wishes. read more

As a parent, I have taught my children to never post something in cyberspace that they will regret. In this case, for the sake of other parents out there who have worked and saved their entire lives, I will go ahead and "forewarn" all of you. Run like the wind, and run as fast as you can if you value your sanity and your pocketbook. There are better choices out there. This place is like an ageing starlet..living on its past. Very overpriced for what you get. They hound you months ahead for an upcoming semester's payment. Their bookkeeping staff is incompetent. They forget to send reminder emails for payment only for your child to end up receiving a 3 day notice that they will be kicked out. It is staffed by students (not their fault) who "don't know." Constant problems with heat, electricity and hot water. Scariest elevators around. Bad roommate placement which, while there are no guarantees, they don't make an effort to help with. In a nutshell, dealing with the Castilian will suck the life out of you and before you know it, you will never want to hear that name again. read more

Living at The Castilian has increased my college experience infinitely. Whenever I am asked what my favorite part about college is, I respond with dorm living. And while dorm living in and of itself is great, living at The Castilian really solidifies my response. All the staff are extremely approachable, kind, thoughtful and eager to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. I have been told by one of the kitchen managers that we are the customers and whenever we want something, they try their best to fulfill our requests. This is apparent. Whenever a comment card is filled out, requesting a specific food in the dining hall, you can be almost certain you will see that food within the week. Also in regards to food, there is a large variety to choose from. If you don't like the hot entrees that are served at every meal, choosing pizza, burgers, salad, fruit, or cereal is always an option (just to name a few.) Castilian always does a wonderful job at making the facility feel like a "living community" as opposed to a student dormitory. The CAs or Community Assistants plan fun events monthly that bring the residents together. Some of my favorites thus far have included bringing in Voodoo Donuts, movie watching parties in the theatre, pumpkin carving and late night study snacks during exam weeks. All of these events are well planned and executed. The location to campus is one that cannot be beat. Living at Castilian is practically living on campus, considering it is less than a one minute walk, to step foot onto the Forty Acres. Plus, the amenities such as the gym, study facilities, theatre and game room are so valuable. The return I've gotten from living here is definitely worth the cost, which was almost comparable to living on campus. I would recommend, and have recommended this to everyone. Living at The Castilian has enhanced my college experienced dramatically. read more

Whatever you do, don't live here. Please. This place is beyond horrible and older than than the hills. Here are the reasons to keep your children as far away from this place as possible. 1) We went without water for three days during finals week in the fall.WORST THING EVER. My roommate and I had to get a hotel room because you couldn't brush your teeth, take a shower or flush the darn toliet. And no, the Castilian did not compensate us in anyway at all. Instead, my parents called and got a "Stuff happens" answer from these boneheads. Last I checked, my payment includes the access to running water. 2) This place floods. There was two occasions that the fire sprinkler systems just started shooting out water and flooded a good half of this building. Luckily, it didn't affect me but it sure did do some damage, and probably is now causing black mold to grow in this horrible building. 3) The food is DISGUSTING. The only thing that is worth eating is the food you make, such as a salad or sandwich. All of their meat looks disgusting, and never do you find white meat, it's always dark meat full of fat. Real healthy. Plus, Sunday is left over day and this is when you find the true "goods" of the Castilian as they throw together whatever they have left into a meal. I honestly never eat in there because it's just that nasty. 4) Horrible security. Sure they turn off the main elevators at midnight, leaving only the garage elevator that only goes from floor eleven (Which is the main) to floor one. This is supposedly supposed to stop any non-residents from entering as the eleventh floor desk can see who is coming up, yet everytime I come in past midnight they don't even look my way to see who it is. Not to mention that the ONE and only security guard is a short, puny guy. Plus, the RAs are never to be seen. There is no check-in system, which means anyone can access the building, including via stairs, at anytime they please. That makes you feel real safe. 5) THE PRICE. For the price they are charging for this place, it's not worth living here at all. This place is extremely old, the furniture is old, everything is old. I could understand if this was cheap, and affordable housing for people on a tight budget, but it's not. They charge as much as some nice west campus housing. And you definitely don't get what you pay for. So overall, please please please don't live here or send your child here. It's horrible. I lived here from 2011-2012 and from my experience and the friends that I have made here experience', should be compelling enough to keep you far from this hell hole. read more

This place is a DUMP! I was shown a dorm room that was decent but the room my daughter got was in very bad shape. Dirty carpet,sink needs to be replaced, bathroom floor needs to be replaced, tub needs resurfacing,bathroom needs to be painted. The carpet left their feet black! Management promised to complete all repairs ASAP - we are still waiting 72 days later. American West Community owns this building. Don't be taken like we were - stay away from this place. read more

Why is there only one review on this website? I know lots of people live there so since I am considering moving there. I would like to know what others opinions are. Please give us your opinions. Thanks read more

It's nice, but it needs some improvements. Great facilities, new gym and awesome employees.

We signed a lease at the Castilian for 2011-2012. Unfortunately, we agreed to re-lease for the 2012-13 school year before we realized the number of unresolved or inadequately resolved yet serious problems. I want to warn those considering the Castilian as to what is not mentioned on the tour or the website, and I also suggest some alternatives. The issues included: 1. Five weeks without hot water- The Castilian is 45 years old; it is not properly repaired. We immediately realized there was no hot water in the room last year. We reported the problem before regular move-in day, but instead of fixing it, management denied there was a problem. Only after weeks went by did management stop denying there was no hot water, but then, according to the Operations Manager, it took two weeks to "trouble-shoot" the issue: "calcified pipes" due to poor maintenance. The result: 5 weeks with no hot water. A few "community bathrooms" were to be shared by hundreds of residents only at scheduled times until the problem was fixed. The handful of over-used community bathrooms could not be kept clean. No compensation was offered. 2. One week without any water-Another poorly-maintained pipe for which the Castilian, not the City, was responsible. It burst below the building last year, resulting in no water at all (no bathrooms and no laundry) for a week. The Operations Manager said it was "an accident," and asked, "what did you expect us to do?" The clear answer: maintain and repair the pipes before they burst. The Castilian provided 5-gallon water jugs to students, but that does not replace showers, toilets or washing machines. No compensation was offered. 3. Other repair issues - last year, overhead pipes burst on two floors, resulting in room flooding. There is water damage on the ceilings of other floors. There are signs on the 10th floor of the garage warning students not to park there because the overhead pipes may burst. This year, the spout of the tub is held on with masking tape. Last year, the a/c window unit in the room poured dirty water into the room, causing the room to smell of mold. The wet carpet ruined a new book bag and books. This year, toilets were clogged on move-in day, and air-conditioners were not working at all in several rooms. The "upgraded" furniture (an extra fee) was heavily gauged and scratched. Last year, one resident paid for, but did not receive the furniture upgrade and was simply told she would have to wait weeks until the Castilian might be able to comply. There was no compensation. 4. The lack of adequate security-the Castilian lacks a card-access, one point of entry security system. Anyone can enter the elevators on the ground floor during the day and evening, and although the front elevators are turned off late at night, leaving only parking garage access, there is a single security guard in the parking garage who cannot be everywhere at once. No one notices who comes in or out of the elevators and into the stairwells on the 11th floor. Despite numerous complaints, management ignores the situation year after year. Hundreds of homeless are fed by the church a block away; they have followed students into elevators and down hallways. 5. Lack of direction during an emergency - last year, the building's alarm was tripped in the early morning. There was no direction from Castilian management or the RA's. Students were unsure of whether the alarm was false or where they should go. There was no attempt to remedy this problem of lack of adequate direction during an emergency. 6. Parking problems - students may park in any space before a certain date; this year, it was September 5th. There was a "parking party" on September 4th, when students were to relocate their cars to their assigned spaces. My daughter's space was already occupied by a resident who did not attend the "party." My daughter tried that night and the next morning to move her car, but she was told she could do nothing until 10 a.m. She had class at 10 a.m. Her car was towed at 12:30. The management who staged the "party" made no attempt to: (1) give her another space for the day until the situation could be worked out; (2) contact the offending resident whose information they had; or even (3) contact my daughter before her car was towed, knowing she tried to move her car. The offender's car was not towed. Management's response: the issue was "cut and dried." In other words, she should have skipped class to move her car at 10 am, they were not going to help. Cost of the tow: $200. . 7. Internet fees- the Castilian does not provide free Internet service. The contracted service is not very good, forcing students to pay the premium rate ($395/year) to get even mediocre Internet service. 8. Other issues - the rooms at move-in are not clean. The cabinet door was unusable because it was put on backward. I suggest the new apartments being built a few blocks away: Calloway House, 2400 Nueces, San Jac or the renovated parts of Jester read more

I have been living here for the past 1.5 years and this is what I think about this place. Lemme start with the bad news. 1. there's a lot of exchange students living here and they are here to have fun. As a result, some weekends may be very noisy(unless you are staying on quiet floors). 2. Hot water. That's a huge problem. Sometimes there's no hot water. it happened three times for the past 1.5 years. 3. AC/Heater problem. The AC/ heater is centralized controlled. In Austin, the weather is kinda unpredictable. It may be around 30 degrees for one day and 90 degrees for the next day. So, if the building is using heater, there is no way you can get cold air when the temperature outside rises unexpectedly. 4. food is inconsistent. sometimes its really good but sometimes its bad. 5. slow elevators. Good luck to those living on 22nd floor. it takes almost 5 mins to get to the first floor on normal school day cos it almost stops on every floor. the good news is: 1. like i said before, there are a lot of exchange students. Living in castilian can be very lively. you have the opportunity to meet people from around the world. If you like to socialize and meet people, you will enjoy it. If you are not, make sure you request for a quiet floor when you sign your contract. 2. ACC(American Campus Company) just bought the castilian. Things have just gotten so much better!!! they renovated the gym, changed all the computers in computer lab to mac, and the food has improved(we got more choices compared to last year [2012]). 3. It is very convenient. only takes 10 mins to walk to mc combs and 15 mins to cockrell. 5 mins walk to pluckers and cain&abel's 4. Cafeteria is the place for you to make friends. Since almost everyone eats in the cafeteria, you get the chance to meet and talk to everyone. 5. Awesome events and free activities such as canoeing, laser tag and Casino night. 6. Work order gets processed relatively fast. if something is broken in your room, just report it to the 11th floor desk and they will handle it. 7. NICE VIEW. If you are lucky your room will be on the campus side. You can see the magnificent UT tower from your room. During games day period, even if you didn't watch the game, you can tell whether the longhorns won the game or not from the color of the tower. (The view will be the best if you lived on the 22nd floor). 8. maid services are available once every two weeks. So you do not have to waste your time cleaning up your room or bathroom. well, at least tidy up your room by yourself will ya? In conclusion, i would recommend people to live here since it is a good place to live. Many people complain about the quality of the food, but its just because these people are comparing the food with the food from restaurants. you guys have to know that this is a DORM! not a restaurant. If you don't expect that much, you won't be disappointed. If you are concerned of the level of noise i was talking about up there, you just have to call the security guard on the 11th floor, they will take care of it. read more

OK THIS IS THE WORST DORM THAT COULD EVER EXIST! First of all I would like to warn everyone who is thinking about living at the castilian to reconsider. On the tour, the tour guide would show you everything that is good about the castilian such as their model room, which looks nothing like the room that you are going to get. For example, the model room had wooden frames, the desks, chairs, drawers, and etc looked a lot nicer. In the actual room, you get a metal frame for the bed, the ceiling had chipped off paint, etc. At the castilian you cannot change the temperature, you can only turn the heater or ac on and off. When me and my roomate first moved in we thought the we could turn on the ac because it was super hot but we found out that they only had the heater turned on. Food: The food is DISGUSTING! I'm sorry if i sound extreme, but i mean how can they even call what they make food. Everyday there is chicken, they always seem to have a different name for the chicken everyday, but in reality it tastes the same. It tastes like shit. I mean i have no idea where u can learn how to cook flavorless food. Ohhh yea even if they do call it a buffet they dont let you get as much as u want on your plate, you get a small portion of food, and you have to come back for more every single time treating us like kids. For some reason, the workers don't even serve you when you're on the cell phone. I mean come on what does talking on the cellphone have anything to do with them. The castilian cafeteria hours are just wack. How are you expected to open the cafeteria from 7-7 on weekdays and have like 3 hours in between that time to not serve food o.o. I would rather eat at jester or go out to eat. Internet: The internet is freakn slow as hell, and it costs a lot. The internet sometimes is so slow it feels like dial up. Gym: I would like to say that their gym and pool is for looks. Most of the machines in the gym are broken and their pool is so cold you wouldn't want to even jump in. The Castilian overall is a place that will steal your money. They even want you to pay for an activity fee, even if you don't want to go to any events. Their sole purpose is not to make their customers satisfied, but to steal their customers' money. The castilian probably pays more money on the looks of the building like the walls, and stuff but they dont pay for renovations in the room, and places that really need to be renovated. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND ANYONE TO STAY AT THE CASTILIAN! if i had a choice i would've given the castilian 0 stars. read more

Living in the Castilian has been the most uncomfortable and disappointing experience. First, the furniture package was not the furniture advertised during the tour... the furniture in my room is incredibly dated and worn and the bed frame is rusty. Also, the water for showers is miserably cold and the room temperature has been around 80 degrees for the last 4 weeks. Management has told residence that they are working on the problems but nothing has changed. I do not recommend living at the Castilian. read more

Not sure what the other reviewer really knows about this place but I'm moving out today after having lived there for the 08-09 term as a freshman and I have really enjoyed living at The Castilian. The place is very clean and safe and the people are all so friendly. The cafeteria is fantastic too. I have friends that live on campus, and in other dorms in the area and they all agree that the Castilian is the best. This year they renovated the slow elevators and everything about the place is pretty new. read more

Pretty shabby building that has not been well kept up, and the staff is not particularly attentive. I suppose there are some cool people here, but on the floors I visited the freshmen were out of control idiots making lots of noise in the halls at all hours. The RA was useless. One semester was enough for me. I think this place has to be coasting on a past reputation that is far from well deserved at this point. read more

Where do I even begin? This place is by far the worst place I've ever lived. If I could give this place a lower rating than one star, I would. Living here has been a nightmare. Elevators: They are hot because the air vents are never on. They smell terrible, smells ranging from many varieties of smoke (not that I mind but I know many others might) to many varieties of excrement (This, I do mind). I don't even want to guess how this happens. They take FOREVER and the buttons you press in general don't correlate at all to the floors the elevators stop on. It takes more than five minutes for the elevators to even get to your floor, which is absurd for a place with only 11 residence floors. On the 1st and 11th floors (both non-residence) there are displays that tell you which floor the elevators are on. More often than not, when I call an elevator THEY DON'T MOVE AT ALL for minutes at a time. Elevators going the wrong direction stop on your floor in an apparent attempt to spite both you and the people on the elevator. Once one of the elevators has blessed you with its presence you better hope that it doesn't decide to skip your floor. Like I said, it doesn't matter if you press the number or not. Prayer would probably be more effective than pressing the number of the floor you want to go to. As an atheist, I recommend both. I often take 19 flights of stairs simply because I don't have that kind of time to waste (around five to fifteen minutes for any ride on the elevator). If I were more impulsive, I could see myself being driven to suicide because of the elevators alone. If you're unfortunate enough to be placed on the 22nd floor, this might be the best option. Heating and cooling: You can control whether the air conditioner is on or not, and that's it. The temperature in my room varies from very cold to excessively cold. With temperatures dipping below freezing this week, you'd think they might have turned the heaters on by now. Nope. I've been freezing my balls off since mid October, and every time I've asked about the heaters turning on (weekly), I'm told "It will probably just be a few more days." I call BS. I doubt that they'll turn them on at all before Christmas break. And I wonder if they'll be on when I return in January (an time I'm deeply dreading). Food: Very expensive, and the food is bad, but occasionally I'll eat something and think "Wow, that didn't make me want to throw up." Small victories at the Castilian. But I have gotten sick from the food multiple time. It's just awful. As a poor college student afflicted with a worsening case of anorexia THIS DOES NOT HELP! The vegetarian options are few and far between. I suspect the ones that do exist are accidental and are probably still cooked in bacon grease or something. The hours are minimal closing around 6:30 or 7. As someone who prefers to eat around 8 or 9 and has classes until 7, this is EXTREMELY INCONVENIENT. Water and plumbing: It took more than half the semester and complaints from many people in my wing to get any hot water at all. All the installations (toilets, sinks, showers, etc.) seem to have been here since the 50s. But the worst parts (notice the plurality) were definitely the times when WATER WAS RAINING FROM MY CEILING onto my things. This happened on three separate occasions and each time about an inch of water gathered on my floor and leaked down through four floors. An RA came by to TRY to mop up the mess made. It was disgusting, and I'm sure this whole place is rotting from the inside because of it. After the third time they told me they were going to call a professional to fix it (WHY WAS THIS NOT DONE BEFORE! WHAT WERE THEY EVEN DOING?). The problem was a busted pipe in the floor above me, but at least it was a supply line instead of a pipe leading to the sewer. I would have completely lost it if it were sewage (It could happen to you, and there's still plenty of time for it to happen to me). Internet: The only ISP available is Apogee. Last year, at UNT I had the same crappy ISP, so imagine my dismay when I found I was going to have to use it again. The internet speeds are a just terrible, not to mention very expensive. Even buying the more expensive upgrade doesn't help. I have tried to have this fixed, but after a few days the speeds drop back to not being able to watch a video. Pricing: Holy shit this place is expensive. Especially for what you get. Parking, food, rent, the mysterious and required $400 "activity fee". Other stuff: Washing machines, dryers, work out stuff, computers, printers. All of it. Always broken. And the staff doesn't give a flying fuck. They're failure is guaranteed. Also, a notable lack of PCs in the computer room. Only Macs. Even the smallest request, like a key to check my mail, takes weeks to complete. In summary, everything at the Castilian is very slow, unreliable, disgusting and expensive. They only want your money, and they'll do anything to get it. Live anywhere else if you can. read more

For the sake of your kid, please do not make them live here. Although it is not as bad as living in an on campus dorm, it is pretty close. The rooms are small and cramped, mainly because there is no living room for you and your friends to hang out. It is impossible to keep the room dust free, it's like the air conditioning system only shoots out dust. While you may think the housekeepers will clean some of the obvious dirty spots in the room, it's usually hard to even tell if they have come. Many times this year the hot water has gone out, so for weeks I was stuck taking freezing cold showers. The worst part is their "new and improved air conditioning". I'm not lying when I say this, the thermostat in my room read 98 degrees for over a week. The cafeteria only has a few good items and dinner closes way to early. They elevators are old and slow. They have done some renovations, mainly to the game room, but honestly I'm not five so I don't want to play arcade games so it's pointless. The study areas are nice, but you have to be literally the first 3 people there or there will be no where for you to study. The parking garage is so short and crammed that if you drive anything but a small car, good luck parking. The location of the building is right next to the drag rats, so be careful when you walk everyday. One nice thing is the workout facility. I literally could go on for days about how shitty this place is. See you never again Castilian. read more

The Castilian is seriously the grossest dorm in the universe. They make it look like very nice online, but in actuality its disgusting. Only one or two machines in the gym work. Technically they don't lie on the tours, but they omit everything. I have lived here almost a year and I have never seen any food that looks like the website. Almost everyday is catfish or fried catfish, so if you don't like catfish, live elsewhere. Sometimes there are mystery meat tacos, unless you don't consider yesterday or the day before's lunch a mystery. Don't bother eating here on the weekend, its basically the same food you already didn't enjoy eating Monday-Friday. The washing machines are flakey and the staff is no help. I'm not sure why the RA's get free room and board, they don't help with anything. They sit at the counter watching youtube videos instead of putting out the mail that arrived 5 hours before and give you attitude when you ask for your mail. When the machines eat your money, that is your fault, not theirs. I highly advise living elsewhere. The only positive of the Castilian is the location, and that doesn't even make it worth it. read more

I wish I could negatively rate this place. I have lived here for about three months, and to put it nicely, the Castilian is a piece of shit. I've constantly struggled with maintenance issues, such as: a leaking air vent (how does that even happen?), a noisy heater (literally every time my heater came on I was woken up by an obnoxious banging noise), a broken shower knob, a leaking faucet, a lack of hot water, and no air conditioning. I have put in multiple maintenance requests for these issues, only to be answered with haphazard repairs and unsatisfying explanations like, "there's nothing we can do about that." As I type this, I'm trying to ignore the condensation that is forming on my forehead due to the management's steadfastness in not turning on the A/C. Apparently, they don't want to have to pay for the air conditioning to be turned on until they are certain the temperature won't drop below 70. The high yesterday was 81 degrees, and I didn't have air conditioning. The occurrence that has truly sent me over-the-edge took place last Sunday. After a nice, relaxing Spring break, I came back to the Castilian to find that my parking spot has been taken. My parents pay $100 a month for my parking spot. I shouldn't have any issues parking. I went to the front desk to inquire as to why I was in the absence of a parking spot. I was told that one of the residents had mistakingly been given my spot. They had failed to update the list of residents who have parking spaces, and so they believed my spot to be vacant. I asked them to please call the individual in my spot, and to let me know when she had moved her car. This was on Sunday; it is now Saturday. I have gone to the desk 3 times now asking them to have the car in my spot moved. They keep telling me that they will call her and let me know. In the meantime, I have been parking on the second floor praying that they don't tow my car. The gist of all of this venting is to let you know that your life will be much easier if you steer clear of the Castilian. It's far too overpriced, and you will not get your money's worth. LIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE. read more