Continuing Care Retirement Communities Communities in Fort Myers, FL

"The food is wonderful at Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place. I've only been there twice to visit and it's very clean and the people were very friendly. I toured their independent living and the person who assisted me was very, very nice. The room I saw looked like a 1-bedroom with a full kitchen. It can either be with a patio or not. I don't know which one I'll get, just whatever is available. They have an indoor swimming pool, they have an exercise room, people play bridge, and they have all sorts of games."

"This place is really elegant. No other place can be compared to this. It's not expensive but not cheap, if you are saving for your retirement. This place sits in acres and acres of land with lots of walking path. There are fountains everywhere and an indoor pool, too. It has its own establishments inside for your personal needs. This retirement community is next to Health Park Hospital, which is an elegant hospital. It has a separate building for assisted living and rehab. Moreover, there's a separate restaurant that you don't need to clear out by 5:30, and you can stay until 6:30 or 7:00. The food is just out of this world. They prepare 4 soups daily and make their own ice cream. There are various different accommodations here and all are lovely. Some units have 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. There's also a villa or a house if you opt for this kind of housing. All accommodations have dryers and washers, too. You can't imagine what it doesn't have. To close, the staff is just fantastic. They have quite a bit of extra-curricular activities. There's an activity director who plans everything. Examples of activities include: visitors coming in to sing and play music, games like bingo for those who are able and willing to do it, arts and crafts, baking day and even tours to shopping malls and restaurants. I can't think of anything my husband will be happier. He gets lots of attention and really seemed to like the staff. I will surely recommend this place to others. "

"This is the finest facility of it's kind. I've been to many looking for others and rating them and this by far is the best. For one thing, the people who actually live there are happy. You won't find a long face anywhere. Plenty of company surrounds people who may be retired but are no where near ready to stop living. This is a place for people who want to live, explore new interests and bond with others who also want to enjoy their life. There's several restaurants right there and the food is healthy, excellent quality and lots of choices. The staff is friendly, not condescending one bit and eager to please. It's on the beach and the views are spectacular. I can't think of anything they've left out. State of the art facilities for all medical care (doctors right on the grounds) and they even deliver meds to your door. In fact, anything that's wanted can be had there. I enjoyed seeing the different living quarters (wonderful), exploring the grounds, gardens, things to do and talking with the residents and employees. I've been there 4 times now and each time I learn some new wonderful thing about it. It's not cheap but if you've saved enough pennies this is the place to go. Don't wait until you're too old to enjoy it. The lifestyle is incredible here! "

"We chose Arbor Trace because of the size, which houses about 300 people. We have three varieties of residences: villas, mid-rise five stories, and a tower with 17 stories. There are lots of choices within a very natural Florida environment. My husband and I are in independent living. The staff is young, very talented, efficient, and prompt. We are so busy with the activities that we could hardly keep up. Another feature here is all of the residents eat in the same dining room. Although there are three types of residences, there really isn't a separation. We have a club house and the dining room is in the club house, so everyone interacts, which is nice. Every holiday, every birthday, and every national event is celebrated here. I am used to things very well organized and well maintained, and I think this place is a little short of that. The trees aren’t trimmed often enough, but everything else is better than anywhere else we could have gone. The rooms are very big in the apartments, which is very unusual, with 10-foot ceilings."

"Independent living apartments are privately owned by the resident and limited only by your remodeling desires. Food and dining room and facility staff are exceptional."

"We went to Moorings Park. The amenities were fabulous. They had a service chapel and a lot of beautiful grounds. We never got invited to spend a night or two to check it out. But my comment is it was a very expensive place, but it was pretty crammy. The units themselves were not very upgraded, they were small. The participants in the community didn't seem as engaged or as welcoming, and so we didn't see a lot of activity. What we're looking for in independent are people that are engaged, happy, welcoming, and active. They have beautiful amenities. They have walking trails that have a special padding or surfaces that are easy for people to walk on. They have a beautiful communication system aboard that shows all the activities. It's well-maintained on the whole. They have a very nice gym/fitness area, a chapel, and an auditorium. From that standpoint, it looks very nice. The thing that we didn't care for is there was only one building that would allow pets, so that was very restricting. "