The Glades at ChampionsGate

Dottie

I found Merrill Gardens at ChampionsGate. It was reasonable and in my price range. I'm moving there in December. I toured it. I saw my room. I'm very happy and excited about it. It was excellent. They showed me from the dining room, to the bedroom, and the bathroom. I saw what would be my apartment. They showed me all the facilities. They also have a swimming pool where I can exercise. They have on-site physical therapy if the doctor wanted to order that. They just seemed to fit everything that I needed, and they were wonderful. The lady, Heidi, was just amazing. She was very nice to talk to and very informative. I was very pleased with everything from Merrill Gardens. I can take my scooter and go on the crosswalks. I can go right across the street to Publix or I can use my scooter and get down if I want to have breakfast or a lunch out. My scooter will take me, and I can go do that. The swimming pool was important because that way I can walk. I use a walker, but in the pool, I don't need anything. I can walk by myself and I love doing that. It helped me decide too. I think it has all the facilities I need, and I was very pleased with what I saw. They were very friendly and very nice. They took my temperature when I got there. I wore my mask all the way around. The residents don't have to, but I did being an outsider (which is fine with me). They even showed me where my mailbox would be, and I thought that was neat. They showed me the dining room and showed me the menu. I used the restroom. It was nice and clean, well taken care of. Everyone was very nice and it was a thorough tour and I enjoyed it. I didn't get to have a meal or anything like that. I saw people in the dining room because we were there over lunch. But I saw the menu and it had a great variety and I would be happy with the food on the menu, what you can get, and what I saw. We were sitting next to the dining room and the portions looked too big to eat, but they looked very nice. I think it's going to be fine. I'm going to be on the first floor, I have two big windows that look out in the courtyard. I can have a small pet if I want it. They have a picnic area outside, they have a swimming pool. It just seems like they have everything you'd be looking for. They have a nice courtyard with chairs that you could sit out there and read a book or do things like that. I love to do puzzles. I'm bringing puzzles, I told them I would donate some of them so that other residents will have new puzzles to do. So I am very happy with my decision, I think I've made the right decision.

Dee

We toured Merrill Gardens at Champions Gate. It would have been our choice because it was close to our daughter, it was like ten minutes from our daughter, and that's what we were working on. If anybody had money, I would say run to Merrill Gardens because it is really lovely and affordable for most people if they have retirement income. We just have social security, so we just couldn't afford it. It was independent living for us, but they also had assisted living/memory care, so we wouldn't have had to move to a different facility if we needed assisted living, it was available in the apartment that we were going to rent. When we first walked into the area, there was a desk and you registered. We had an appointment with a lady and a guy because we went twice. It was very lovely and very clean, and it's only less than four years old, so everything was just topnotch. Oh my gosh, it was beautiful. The rooms were very nice. We were looking at the two-bedroom, two-bath apartment, and it was a little less than a thousand square feet, which was a nice size. Everything was new. Your appliances were topnotch, and the bathrooms were tiled. I just can't say enough. It was just lovely. It was like, "OK, this is the place for us." But we didn't put a deposit the first time we looked, and we lost the one that we really wanted. Then when we went back, we took two more friends with us and they were like, "Oh, move here and we'll come and visit." The dining room was very, very nice. They had menus, and you could go like from 7:00 in the morning to 7:00 at night. So there was always something available, like if you wanted snacks or whatever. There was a lovely, lovely pool with bars that you could walk down into, and you could hold on both sides, it was like parallel bars into the pool. They had a lovely area for barbecues, and you could hire like a chef or something to cook outside for you. It was just really, really nice. Couldn't say enough how nice it was. As for the staff, everybody was so nice. The hallways were really wide. Merrill Gardens was just wonderful.

Elizabeth

I toured a brand new place in Davenport called Merrill Gardens at ChampionsGate. It's an absolutely beautiful facility. The inside was topnotch, but there's no place to go outside and there's no place to walk. It's down in the area where there's not much you can do outside, so I felt I would be stuck in that building all day long. They have three levels, and I would've been in the independent part of it. The building itself was absolutely gorgeous. The apartment was absolutely gorgeous and all up-to-date, but when I left and came back here to my place, I noticed things that I wouldn't have liked once I moved in at Merrill Gardens. I didn't really meet the staff. I met the lady that tries to book people into the place and she was excellent and very nice. The lady at the opening desk was very nice, too. I didn't have any food, but the dining room looked very lovely. Other people have said the food was good. The outside was not what I would consider good for older people, but the inside was excellent.

Martin

We're moving into Merrill Gardens at ChampionsGate. I didn't have to put money down upfront, you can eat anytime of the day, three meals a day or more, the apartment was decent sized for us, and the facility was in a nice area. They have a big swimming pool, a fitness center, a hair salon, outdoor shuffleboard, and they take people to different places to shows, movies, shopping, and doctors. The staff was very nice, very polite and very helpful.

Scott

Merrill Gardens at ChampionsGate was absolutely beautiful. The pricing was right in the area that I wanted to be. The facilities were great. The staff seemed very kind. It was in very good shape. They had a pool, a fitness center, scheduled social activities, and a shuttle that will take people within a 10-mile radius. They offered independent living, assisted living, and memory care. You feel like you're in an apartment when you're in the independent area. When you're in assisted living, you don't have a stove, but it still feels like you're in an apartment. It doesn't make you feel like you're being hospitalized or institutionalized.

Jo Ann

Merrill Gardens at ChampionsGate has just opened and there are hardly any people there, so it was sparse. The rooms are nice. They have a nice swimming pool outside and beautiful grounds.