The Montecito

Barbara

We lived in The Montecito before. If you're able-bodied, you don't want to go there, because when you eat, everybody from assisted care to independent living would eat and it kind of was not fun to see everybody in wheelchairs, canes, walkers, and things like that. The food's not that great. Breakfast was good. Dinner and lunch were average. I paid $650 a month for two meals a day and ended up not eating there very often, so I still had to pay. I would never go back there. It's expensive. My rent was $5000 a month. Of course, that's everything included, but I didn't find the value for the money. We had a two bedroom, two baths. We were in a villa. They were 22 years old or something and they needed a lot of updating. All of the utilities were included. They cleaned the floor in the bathrooms every two weeks. There was a washer, dryer, stove, microwave, and fridge. They were all there. They just had a lot of turnover in the kitchens, in the maintenance, and the cleaning staff, but the office people were fine. They have things on holidays like a buffet or singers that come in or different things. Mostly, the people set up card games and things like that if you want to join. There are a couple of pools and they do exercise.

Kori

The Montecito was gorgeous. They had a very friendly receptionist at the front desk. The grounds were super beautiful. Everything was light, beautifully decorated, and clean. The director was very friendly. She was able to walk us through a lot of information regarding the memory care side of the building. I didn't get to see the rooms and stuff like that, but that was my favorite one that we saw. It was the prettiest and cleanest. It had a resort feel to it.

Shawn

I went to look at The Montecito. I liked the layout and design. I liked the staff. But I felt like the place was not clean enough. It had been a long time since they had cleaned the common areas, touched up the paint, cleaned the carpeting, or changed out the furniture. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. They seem to have the amenities that my parents would enjoy. They had a restaurant, common areas, and activities.

Provider Response

Curt

My parents will be moving into The Montecito. It is not a really large community. It's in an area where it's surrounded by other developments and stuff like that. The management makes changes as needed at the time rather than having to run it up and hire additional administrators. They had lots of activities indoors every day for people who wanted to stay inside. Everybody was really friendly. I can't think of one person that didn't greet us, so it was very welcoming. They have two pools, lots of patios with activities going on, and regular scheduled events every day. They offered a meal for us, and it was OK for me. The meals are set up as a healthy diet for elderly people, and the portions were reasonable. My parents are moving into a two-bedroom apartment with a small kitchen and complete laundry facilities. The facility was nice and clean. It didn't smell funky or anything like that.

Harold

I moved into The Montecito Senior Living last November. It's very nice, the buildings, they're older, but they're sturdy and have attractive styling. The people here, of course, are seniors, and they take good care of us. The food is good. They serve a variety of things. Yesterday, I had codfish, rice, and a salad. I like the staff. They're very nice people. They have assisted living here, I'm In independent living, and they also have memory care. That's three types right there. I just fit in. I like the people, they're very friendly, and if you have a problem with your apartment, they'll come in and fix it. They have a maintenance staff right here on site. I like that. So far, I'm happy. They have various activities. They have a bus so you can go on trips or, even if it's just shopping, but you can also go on trips, go out to dinner, and stuff like that. They also have musical entertainment at least once a week. They have a swimming pool, so there's no shortage of things to do for people here. It's not cheap, but on the other hand, it is a solid place to live.

Susan

It was nice. The people were very polite and nice too. If I remember correctly, Montecito had casinos. We looked at that and it was okay. It was an older place, it was like 20 years old. We toured their independent living and the staff were extremely kind, they were knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. It was very pleasant and they were very proud of where they were. It was a nice location, the staff was excellent, and you could tell from the different people who live there that they are friendly with the staff so that was nice too.

Gretchen

It was beautiful. It looked like a casino with marble and chandeliers. Everything was perfect. The memory care was inside the main building, and the independent was all outside. The grounds were beautiful. I ride a scooter because I have problems with walking, and I was not going to go out in one of those casitas outside. I also don't want to go outside of the building if it's 125 degrees, if it's raining, or the wind is blowing. The casitas had a fireplace and washers and dryers. The food was delicious. They had a nice swimming pool and another section on the southern part where couples live. They had their own dining room, own swimming pool, and a little activity room. The chef was wonderful.

Barbara

We like it, and we're very pleased so far. The service is very nice. My mother's room is beautiful. She enjoys the food. On the weekends, I take her to the swimming pool and she loves it, and she's been to happy hour. The staff has been great. The Sunday brunch I had was great.

Sue

It had a huge, beautiful lobby, but it had a long hallway to get to the little doors of the memory care area. It's like they were trying to wile you with the lobby area, and I didn't get a good sense. There was not any separation of various degrees of dementia, and I did not want my mom included in a group of people that were completely despondent when she's highly functioning. The rooms were sufficient. The amenities were more geared towards independent and assisted living as opposed to memory care. There's a beautiful family room area, and they talked about happy hour.

Jackie

I love it because the apartment was big, or felt big. It had a 1-bedroom with a den, two full bathrooms, a galley kitchen which was kind of nice, and off the kitchen was your laundry room and pantry. The living room was large with a fireplace, so that was my favorite. It was very nice. They have the regular activities that's the same like everybody has. The food was delicious, and I loved the dining room because it had linen tablecloths. I only met the lady that showed us around, I would rate her a 5, and the people that waited on us in the dining room were absolutely a 5.

Barbara

It's ambiance was great and the place was very clean. The staff was quite helpful, they showed us several different casitas, and I've been in touch with them since our tour. My only complaint on the design of the building was that I wished there were more windows. The dining area was very clean and the service was great. The Reuben sandwich I had there was great, but my husband had fish and chips and he wasn't all that thrilled with it.

Susanne

We toured here, and it was beautiful. The independent living apartments were very nice, they were big, and looked great. We were just really concerned that the independent living building is separate from the main building. The person who accommodated us answered all our questions. The dining area was a bit different from what we expected. It's just not the right fit for us.

Dave

We really liked the apartments here. They had large rooms that were very clean. The person who took us around was very good. The apartments that were shown to us were close to the main building where the activities are and we liked that. We liked the lounge rooms and we liked the fact that we could walk outside. They serve two meals a day and the staff member we met was topnotch.

Audre

We chose it for my mother-in-law because they were very inviting, and the people seemed awake, alert, interactive, communicating with each other, and involved in the lifestyle that they offer there. It's absolutely excellent. The food is very good, like 5-star dining. It's amazing. They offer a number of opportunities depending on motor skills and cognitive ability. There's something there for everyone.

Phyllis

It was very nice and was one of the better ones. The parking and getting out of parking is quite congested. The staff is very nice, accommodating, and pleasant. The facility wasn't overly large, the rooms were very nice, and I liked them.

Susan165268

It was good and welcoming, and they showed us around. The rooms were good, and it looked like it would meet all the needs. Every Friday night, somebody would come in to sing or talk. The cafeteria never closes, so you could always go in, and it was well laid out.

Tom030685

My brother and I visited and were given a complimentary dinner that was OK. The lady who took us around was very nice and very pleasant. It was not as high end, but it was clean, and the common areas were clean, airy, and light.

TerryANFCS

It was very nice. They have what they called “Casitas” where the independent care was in the front and also in the back of the main building. We did not like the layout because it seemed kind of dark. Other than that, it very nice and roomy. The person who took us around was very friendly and invited us back for luau night, which we attended. There was quite a large group watching the luau and having dinner, so we stayed for dinner. They all seemed very happy. They had an extensive exercise room. We talked our parents into going, so my dad was excited to play cards a few times a week because he likes to play cards. They had a jigsaw puzzle room and gave us the monthly calendar of everything that they did during the month. There was a lot of exercise every day. The food was really good. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we had Hawaiian-style food, so it was very good.

LouFRVPB

I visited here. I have a very good friend there. It's a very nice place, but it's right in the middle of a shopping area with used and new cars, so it's a congested area. The care goes from independent care to assisted to complete care. It's a very nice facility but not where I would like to go. It has been a very nice situation for my friend, but it's right in the middle of traffic. As far as the care is concerned, it's excellent. The food is very good.

A Fellow ReviewerWZRRR

We toured here. I liked this community the best, but my mom liked the another one better. The staff seemed very knowledgeable, very friendly, and helpful. I think one of the reasons why my mom wasn’t the happiest there was because my parents need a two-bedroom unit and the kitchenettes in this community were very limited and very small with just a small refrigerator and a microwave. The food was outstanding, though. It was very good.

Andrew24

My parents moved in here two months ago. The staff was very positive, very friendly, and accommodating. Everything, including the food, is very good.

Caring111861750

We are very happy with everything here. The staff is great. The living quarters are nice. The facilities are great as well. We got nice wide doors, and that is very important because my husband and I are both in power chairs. We can be in the room at the same time. We couldn’t ask for anything better with our condition.

Caring107699250

I like the staff here because they seemed very nice and highly motivated. The rooms were very nice, very big, and spacious. I didn't see them doing anything, but I know they have a whole list of activities. I remember going over the list with them. The way they did their dining area was really neat. It looked very nice, well appointed, very neat, and very clean. I didn't eat the food, but they have a lot of variety. The place was very big, and it seems like they have a lot of staff there. It was very clean too. I would recommend it. We didn't go there because of the distance thing. It was a little too far from the house, but I would recommend it.

Caring103995850

It seemed too small. I know they have Bocce card, and they have a pool. I would say multiple care options, and it has been updated. I wouldn't say it was really old but, on the other hand, it was not brand new. I wasn't too impressed. They were nice enough people, but there didn't seem to be enough variety in the activities to suit us. We wanted a larger separate unit, and they don't have them. For someone else who wanted a smaller space and live in that, then it might be just fine.

Caring103497750

It was wonderful; it was first class. They have all kinds of things, activities, and a restaurant like place for food. It was very nice, and it appeared new. The staff members were very helpful. My uncle enjoyed the food, so I am sure it is good. They take very good care of the people there.

Vickie3

My father moved here two weeks ago. We chose this place because he liked the idea of not the apartment-type facility. He has two bedrooms, a washer and a dryer. They also provide two meals a day. So far seems okay. He has some issues with the hot water heater but they already took care of it. They had already repainted and re-did everything before he moved in. He has been really pleased with the dining service and they serve hot meals. That was a big important issue for him also.

LindaHoo

My older friend went here following a hip replacement for assistance until she was well enough to return to her home. When the time came for her to return home, she realized that she didn't want to. She admitted that she was lonely at home and had made several friends in just a few weeks at The Montecito. She is now in a two bedroom casita and loves it. She says she feels better than she has in years, she loves not having to shop and cook, and she frequently can't do things with me because there is an activity going on that she doesn't want to miss. I've had several meals with her there and have enjoyed the food very much. I want to live there!

Rodney1

The staff members here are good people. They do their job and provide the services that my mother as far as making sure she gets her medication and getting her to a meal if she needs help. The entertainment people there are very good. The staff just takes it all the way around. My mother has been at this facility for the last 7 years. She has a 1-bedroom apartment. The food is excellent. The place is nice and clean. It's like living in a hotel. I hope they improve on creating more parking areas for the visitors.