For those interested in a cheap but nice place to stay Mansions South is the place. The customer service is top notch, there is nothing the little old ladies in the front office wouldn't do for you. The price is cheap but again the FAA is paying and they know how much housing allowance is for everyone, so expect to pay just about what your housing allowance is.

The location is probably the farthest from the OKC school house but close to casinos if your into that. I rode the FAA provided shuttle and never had any problems. It is right next to I35 and I mean RIGHT NEXT to it. The traffic/ road noise was very loud all the time. I was drinking most of the time so the noise was not keeping me from sleeping as I usually just passed out.

The room was no dirtier than staying at a La Quinta or Howard Johnson only a few small bugs. (*BONUS* What movie is this line from... ""We're going to the Ho Jo's honey." "There are no Ho Jo's!")

And well amenities there isn't much to speak of other than a pool, but I did think they had a gym but I never used it. Washer and dryer was included in my room and free wireless internet. Free dinner on Wednesday nights too!

I'm a wife writing this under my husband's profile:

Our family thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Mansions South. The staff is very courteous and helpful and made us feel like part of its temporary family while there. If you will be heading to OKC with small children, this would be the place to stay; the playground was a huge hit with our children. The dinners on Thursdays are a very nice touch and they also have a pretty decent collection of DVD and VHS movies in the office building for the residents. The location is nice too ? there are a few different Wal-Marts within 4 miles of Mansions South and it is about 15 minutes from downtown OKC.

Another bonus to staying at Mansions South is it is across the highway from a church that has a fitness facility open to the public for FREE. It has nice indoor basketball courts, an indoor track, racquetball courts and a very nice workout room. Outside, it has a huge playground with sandbox that is also open to the public.

One major downside to staying at Mansions South was the noise of being right next to I-35. (Note: We happened to stay near the front of the property which is closer to the highway. When we talked to other residents who stayed further back than us, they all said they didn?t hear the highway in their apartment. So, we would recommend asking to be put in the back.)

If you will be taking your family, feel free to shoot us a message and we could let you know all the things we did while we were there. We really had a great time while my husband was busy at the academy.

Anyone who is looking for a place to stay should definately consider coming to mansions south! Everyone who works at Mansions South rocks and really go out of their way to help you out. You just have to ask. The apartments are great very roomy and it helps when your away from home plus its cheaper then a bunch of other places in here so you can save some $$$. Just remember free dinner on Thursdays and free beer everyday! They have a beer fridge stocked with beer. They will yell at you if you go into the fridge and only grab one and don't have your hands full of beer when you leave! Another great benefit is that if you need to run to the store or the movies or wherever they will lend you a car to go there. This is great for me due to I do not have a car down here and I can still get around to do the things I want to do. They have free movie rentals, a game room with a table for poker plus big screen tv if you want to hang out and watch the sports on the big screen. There is also free internet access not only for your computer but there is one in the office with a printer if you need one. Mansions South is also on the FAA bus route so you don't need to drive to school if you don't want to. Did I also mention they have a pool? Now we only have to get the ladies in the office into some bikini's to lounge around the pool and we are all set! I have had no problems since I have been here and if I ever have to come back to OKC (I hope I don't ) I would definately stay here again! If you need any info shoot me an email and I would be glad to help!

Every one here is very nice and friendly here. They do anything to help you out. Apartments are big and they just changed carpet for all the rooms. They are renovating the building also. I recommend Mansions South to everyone who is coming to OK. it?s a great place to stay and you can save some money.

I'm about to graduate from the Academy and I've lived at Mansions South almost my entire time here. I began living at Kim's Place in Ok City and quickly realized that many places in Ok City try to take the FAA per diem money given to FAA students. Because of that, I moved to Mansions South where since the first day I've been treated with incredible hospitality and customer service.

They make the payment process incredibly easy and allow you to pay at the end of the month when you actually have your per diem money in hand. This is great because you don't have to float the money ahead of time. The location is comparable to any other place available, which is a 10-15 minute drive to the Academy Gate, depending on traffic.

The facility has a great pool and a gas grill available for free, along with a workout room. The Moore community center is also down the street where you can play basketball, if that's your thing. Also, you're within walking distance to a 9-hole golf course which isn't the nicest facility but the prices make up for it.

The rooms are spacious and even if you have a roommate everyone gets his/her own bathroom and every apartment has a washer/dryer.

Mansions South really is a good choice for a stay in Oklahoma City. Top to bottom, you save money with the excess money going into your pocket, you have very decent accommodations, the people are great, and the location is only 7 miles to Bricktown and Ok City downtown activities. You can't go wrong.

I hope this helps your decision on where to stay while in Oklahoma City, good luck with your training!

I stayed at Mansions South during my initial Tracon training. I was in OKC for approximately 2.5 months.

I only had 6 days notice from the FAA as to my class date, so I had to find a place on short notice. I also wanted to save a bit on my per diem. That eliminated the ever-popular Isola Bella and Kim's Place. I also wanted my own place. I just didn't want to deal with having roommates.

After going over a few reviews at both Stuck Mic and Jetcareers, I called Aymee at Mansions South, who was able to quickly schedule me a room for the duration of my training for $29 a day. They will either bill the FAA credit card, or they will allow you to pay out of pocket. If you pay out of pocket, you receive the full housing allowance of approximately $50.90 when you file per diem. Thus, you're essentially getting an extra $21 a day in per diem. Note that you will still receive $40 a day for incidentals regardless of which method you use.

I wanted to pay out of pocket so as to get the extra per diem. She was very understanding as to the short notice that I had and not having much money up front. In fact, I didn't have to make a payment until after I had received my first paycheck. I also ended up changing my departure date 3 times, due to my class schedule being adjusted. The ladies in the office were more than understanding of this, and I had no problems doing so.

Note that in order for the travel office to give you the full housing per diem of $50.20, you must pay for your housing before filing your travel voucher. The travel office requires a receipt for your housing when you file the voucher. Thus, at some point, you will have to pay for rent before filing per diem. It is a bit of a hassle, but the extra $20 a day you will get makes it worth the trouble.

The customer service here is top notch. The ladies in the office are very friendly, and understanding of the challenges that us new FAA trainees face. The weekly Thursday dinner is excellent, and provided a nice break from having to make my own meals every night. They would even let us take extra back to our apartments so we could have leftovers the next day. My understanding is that they also have free beer. I don't drink, so I never availed myself of this. They also have numerous parties every month, with food and prizes offered. Again, I never participated in these, but it was nice to know that they were available. There is also a decent pool and fitness area. The fitness area is fairly spartan, but it is functional, with a few treadmills and elliptical walkers. I also believe they have a few loaner cars for getting groceries and running errands. I brought a car, so I never availed myself of that.

Note: I would HIGHLY suggest bringing a car, if possible. There is nothing really within walking distance of Mansions South, and the loaner is not available on weekends.

I only dealt with the maintenance people a few times, always concerning the internet connection. It went down 3 times while I was here. However, as soon as they were alerted to the problem, it was usually fixed in a matter of hours. The apartment had one wired ethernet jack in the living room, so if you want wireless, you'll either have to leech off a neighbor, or buy your own router.

The apartment itself was fairly dated, but comfortable. There was always hot water, and the water pressure was good for showering and whatnot. I came in the middle of August, with temperatures in the mid 90s. The cooling/heating system uses the apartment water supply, so it took a good 5 minutes to get hot water for a shower or doing dishes. Once October came, they switched the system to heat, and that problem went away.

My one complaint about the apartment was the condition it was in. I could tell that it had been cleaned prior to my arrival, but it was also apparent that a heavy smoker had stayed in it before hand. The whole apartment smelled of stale smoke, and there was a grimy film that seemed to cover everything, from the furniture to the carpet. It took a few weeks for the grimy feeling to subside enough that I felt that I could walk around without any socks on. I also needed to run plug-in air fresheners for a few days before the smoky smell began to disperse.

There was also some evidence of structural damage. The ceiling in my living room was bowed in one area, and the floor in the hallway was also bowed down. Come to find out, I guess the complex was damaged during the Oklahoma City tornado of 1999. I never worried about the integrity of the apartment, but I was curious as to why these issues were never repaired. They were clearly noticable.

The complex is located on the I-35 Service Road, so there is a lot of highway noise. However, my apartment was closer to the back of the complex, so the noise was not as noticable. I never had any issues with hearing my neighbors or anything like that. My apartment was very quiet.

The furnishings were adequate, although I did need to buy my own cleaning chemicals and dishwasher detergent/soap. I also bought a few new non-stick pans, as the pans that are provided are the old stainless steel kind. The kitchen included a dishwasher, which I was very grateful for.

The bedroom included a TV and queen-size bed, as well as a stacked washer and dryer in the closet. The washer and dryer did a good job, and the bed was decent, although I did wake up with a sore back on more than one occasion.

The Mike Monroeny Aeronautical Center is approximately 15 minutes away, depending on how you get there. You can either take I-35 to I-240 and get out to the airport that way, or you can head south to SW 104th and take that to MacArthur Blvd, which leads to the South Gate of the MMAC. In my experience, both ways seemed to take the same amount of time, although I preferred taking the south route due to the reduced traffic on that route. I would recommend leaving no later than 45 minutes before your class starts, just in case.

Being in Moore, you are fairly far away from some of the more popular FAA housing places, like IB or Kim's. So if you want to get together with some classmates to study or hang out, you will have to do some driving. Both places are approximately 30-40 minutes away. Other than that, you are in fairly close proximity to the rest of OKC, with most of the major attractions being within a half hour drive. I would highly suggest visiting the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial while you are here. It's a very moving experience. There are also restaurants, grocery stores, theaters, etc. within 10 minutes of the complex.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay here at Mansions South. Although it wasn't as nice as some of the places my classmates stayed at, the extra $600 a month in per diem I received made it well worth the sacrifice. As long as the FAA allows us to receive the full housing allowance when we pay out of pocket, Mansions South is a good bargain.

Read the details:
okay there is something strange about some of these reviews cause they mention things that arent so-maybe old...and also a bit suspicious...at least some things said were not the case for me nor my experience and that of those I knew/spoke with...And if you look at details of last review-the issues start to reveal themselves.

There are some get togethers once in awhile-not like stated however..
Anyways, there are much better options on here. Some even on craigs or bp etc and are located more tow'd downtown, but much much nicer for not much diff. in price. **But again the other options on stuckmic are way better and a few provide you food! and let you keep ur food $$. Not, just a weekly mass meal.

Anyways, Like the stmt about the mold in the closet and on vents in one of the chats. This place is not worth ur health.
They do seem nice enough but are a bit clueless and try to cover up the issues. Even painting over blk mold...Overall, Dingy, musty, moldy, and cldnt belv when I read the guys stmt on the furn making him itch-thought it was just me. Id like to see a thorough mold/health inspection on this place.

Everything is old and beds are poor and yes even the stmt about the ceiling, etc applies to this place as well. Why risk ur health or be like the guy that felt the ick and kept his socks on.

Bottom line: wont stay here again and trying to save you the headache. Too many nicer options on this site.

I am staying at Mansions South with my family of three total and love it. We are in close proximity to the FAA Academy and restaurants and shopping. The apartments are well taken care of. They are a little old, but have been renovated very nicely with new furniture. If you are looking for a great place to stay by yourself or with family, stay here. There are four others from the Academy staying here as well. Hope this helps!

I will say its super cheap! Its nice coming in n out of the South gate except when u have night classes its locked. When I come back for RTF, I wont stay here again. Its super old and I didnt feel real safe. I'm just sayin. My apt. did not look like pic.!