The Best Communities in San Diego County, CA

"My mother will be moving into Merrill Gardens at Bankers Hill. I like that it's small, the location is six blocks from where I work, which is a big seller, and the entire staff was just really on top of everything. The apartment is quite a large studio on the fourth floor with a balcony that overlooks downtown San Diego and the bay. They have a private dining room for family events, they have a rooftop garden, and they also have quite a large lounge and library area for the family. We just had a meal today and it was quite good. They have a lovely daily menu. The activities looked pretty good. It's not a large selection because it's only 90 people in the community, but they have quite a good daily selection. It's well run with a small staff that knows all the residents by name and all their dislikes and likes. It's a nice, small, well-run community, very clean, and lovely."

"We are not residents of La Costa Glen but my wife and I have considered and visited many senior living communities in S. California and La Costa Glen seems like a 5 star Life Plan Community (also called a CCRC) to us. It has many positive attributes that we did not find in other communities such as the mild climate, proximity to the ocean and beaches, and a grocery store and restaurants within easy walking distance, for example. It is a gated, secure community with beautiful grounds and appears to have well maintained buildings and amenities. They have Glenbrook Health Center a Medicare 5 star facility right next door that can provide assisted living and memory support care. Our visits have shown us the residents and staff are friendly and welcoming. We are on the wait list for a residence and hope to make LCG our home in the near future."

"I went to see Mount Miguel Covenant Village in Spring Valley last year. I toured their assisted living and saw only one room. I liked it but it was so small. Their 1-bedroom apartment costs $4000 with a closet that is not a walk-in, just somewhere to hang your clothes. It didn't have a door or drawers and could probably only fit 12 clothes. They said I would need to furnish the room myself. There is also a kitchen because it's assisted living. The staff will only allow you to see one apartment door and that's it. Once you say yes, they will give you the papers. The person who toured me only followed one direction and that was the office to the apartment door. I went there once just to eat and the dining area and the food were okay. The cleanliness is good, too, but I am not in favor of the structure of the facility because when you get out of the apartment door, it's already the parking area. There's no privacy and the atmosphere is not homey."

"Meadowbrook Village had a hobby shop that they said they could make a space for me in there. It's mostly woodworking, but they also had some metal work. It's a very interesting place to me because I'm a tool freak. My daughter was with me going there, and we both liked it. I just object to the big upfront cost, but its continuing care setup is desirable. The facility was OK, although it's spread out. If you lived in some of the places, you'd almost have to have a bicycle or a golf cart to get to lunch. They had a big apartment block with a lot of individual residences that were scattered around. It's like a little town in itself. They also have a waiting list, so you have to put your application in, have it approved, then stand in line for an expected time of six months or more. "

"Carlsbad By The Sea was the one I liked the best because it was downtown and right next to the ocean. I talked to the people there and they were happy. The rooms were great. They had a bedroom, a full kitchen and a laundry. It was a great place. However, it was a bit expensive. "