Independent Living Communities in Coronado, CA

"I went to Monte Vista Village. The community itself is very old. On the right side, it is all one level, and the sidewalks are very navigable. Some of the apartments have applicant steps or thresholds to get into them, as well as some significant thresholds to get in and out of the shower. The shower facilities and the bathrooms in the rooms were tad on the small side, which might make them difficult to navigate. Overall, the room sizes were pretty large for the price, but the facilities were older. I only saw two rooms, but the two rooms that I saw had a very musty smell, which in theory could be taken care of. They probably need to remove the carpet and things like that. They have a lift chair to get in and out of the pool, which is something I did not see at the other place. If I had no other choice, if it was between the other place versus Monte Vista, I'd probably choose Monte Vista for my mom, assuming we could do something to deal with the smell. The person who gave the tour was very sweet. I did see her interact with at least one other resident, and it was a good interaction. The dining area was set up buffet style. They go through a line to pick up a tray, and they get the food. I expressed a concern that my mom wouldn't be able to deal with the tray. They said, "We have people who can serve her." It seemed fine, but I didn't see any food, and I didn't see people eating. Things are still a little bit shut down because of COVID. They are in the process of doing some renovations. They've got a lot of space. Landscaping was good. I saw a schedule of activities and it seems like they have a good selection, but I did not observe any."

"Oakmont of Pacific Beach was newer, and extremely active with activities, so there were a lot of things to do. However, the rooms that were available for the price, were shared and not private. They invited us one evening to enjoy the art instructor, which was very nice. They had very nice food. It had a theater, so you could watch movies on a big screen in comfortable seats. The staff couldn't be nicer and considerate. They know your name."

"Grossmont Gardens is a 5-star facility. I have no qualms about that. I looked at both assisted living and independent living. It was friendly. The place was clean and nice. I met with the residents there, and they were very friendly, too. The staff was exceptional. They were very helpful. The tour was nice. The facility was exceptional, and everything was like that. They showed me one unit that I was interested in, and then they found out that that unit was not available. They had given me a lesser unit, but I didn't want that. So that was where the glitch was. It was just that somebody got there before me. The facility was excellent. I have no negative comments about the facility or anything like that."

"I've had a lot of experience here. My godmother was there. She was independent, but if you're medical status changed, you pay a little extra. She went from independent to assisted because she had to have help after her. She was a resident for about two years. When you drive through, there's not a lot of parking, but there's a lot of street parking. On weekends, you could park at the hospital across the street in their parking lot. It's a gated community. It has a grass area with a playground for the kids, a dog park, and an area where they celebrate, like Veteran's Day. They have barbecues out there and music. When you go inside, it has marble and nice rich wood. They have a formal dining room, so if the family wants to use it, they can have their food or have their food catered. There are elevators. You can either have a one-bedroom or a studio. The living area has a kitchen with a small top two-burner stove, lots of cabinets, and a large closet as you come into the door. The bathroom is large and is located in the bedroom if you have the one-bedroom and there are two closets in the bedroom, which was nice. The shower area is large, where you can roll a wheelchair and scoot over into your shower chair. You have to provide your own internet. There's a large park across the street if you want to take your parent or your loved one out and stroll through the park. Their dining room is nice. They also have a bar with TVs. It's like Buffalo Wild Wings where you have the TVs on the wall showing the different games, and they have a bar where the residents can have a wheelchair roll up to the bar or residents can sit in the bar stools and you can get beer and wine. They have a meal plan where you either have breakfast, lunch, and dinner or you can reduce your cost by just choosing one or two meals. They have a gym with a physical therapist onsite at all times. They have a swimming pool and a therapy pool. The staff is really nice. The doors close at 11:00, and you ring the doorbell. I believe there's staff there 24/7 or you have a scan, so you can get back in. It's easy to get around. It had very nice wide hallways. They have exercise every morning where you just come right out your door and everyone in that hallway who wants to participate just does hallway exercise. Each floor has a full-sized kitchen and a large area for families to have their own little cookouts and meals together."

"Ivy Park at Otay Ranch was absolutely gorgeous. It's newer, and everybody was super nice and informative. They gave me a tour of the place. It's really nice, and I think mom would like it there. I took her yesterday to take a tour herself and she really liked it, which was surprising. My mom really doesn't communicate any kind of joy or anything because she has dementia, but she liked it. I really didn't look at the amenities yet, but I was hearing that they were gonna do a painting class when I was there. It sounds like they have all kinds of activities. I saw the activity board from across the room in the lobby, and it was full. She will be in memory care, so it's a full lockdown with their own little garden area outside. The room was very big and spacious. The bathroom was big. You can get into it if you have a wheelchair or anything else, like my mom uses a walker; it will be easy for her to get around. They were serving lunch when I left with my mom yesterday, and it smelled really good."

"Westmont at San Miguel Ranch was nice and well-kept. Everything was clean. The apartment was also very nice. The one thing that I would like to add that I liked better about Westmont at San Miguel Ranch was that the bathroom is connected to the bedroom so you'd be able to go from your bedroom to the bathroom. That's a big deal when you're using the bathroom in the middle of the night, that it's just an easier access to get to it. I noticed that that was a better use of the space, especially when older people need to go to the bathroom. Having it connected right next to your bedroom is a little bit more convenient. My dad stayed at Westmont at San Miguel Ranch, so this particular person I talked to when I toured the place remembered my dad and was personable. She had a lot of nice things to say about my dad and how there were so many positive things that he did. He helped there when he was there. She asked my mother-in-law about herself, which I think is important because they don't need to know about me. They need to know about her. They have so many activities. You get on a bus, you can go to the store, and you have access to getting to their doctor's appointment. They have exercise throughout the day, trivia, games, and all those types of things that you can participate in. Their food was great. We noticed that the portions that they had seemed to be just right. They didn't give a whole plateful, so you wouldn't be wasting it, but then they also didn't give you a small enough portion where you would probably still be hungry. They were also flexible in what they gave us and I appreciate that."

"We chose Chateau La Jolla, and everything we've encountered so far has been great. The staff was polite and courteous, and seems to meet my father's needs. He will be in independent living and we like that he doesn't have to move to another unit or another building, and he could have a nurse or even hospice come in if he needs it. And that's one of the selling point that made us decide on it. They have a world-class chef that caters to the clients' needs as far as any food, dietary restrictions, and things like that. Also, if you have a favorite food, they're very flexible, and open in trying to meet what you or your family members want. It's a smaller and more intimate community. They have a happy hour on Thursday nights and a champagne brunch on Sundays. They have this little red button in the different rooms that you can push if you fall. You think they'd make it a big red honking thing so you wouldn't miss it, especially for elderly clients. But it's small and if you fall and can't get over to it, so that's a little concerning."

"The amenities were fantastic. All of the staff were extremely freindly. I was impressed at caring and thoughtfulness of the staff. The food services that are offered were very top notched. The location is just perfect. I had a hard time finding a good place in San Diego that I would feel comfortable with and trust that my family member would be safe and comfortable. I am scared about losing my loved one but at least I have found a place that will offer a secure environment. "

"Belmont Village La Jolla was a beautiful facility and the food was great. All of the amenities were great. It was just that the square footage was way too small for what we would be paying. There was some ability to do art or something like that. They also had physical fitness activities. The facility was new, well thought out, and planned. The staff who gave us the tour was very helpful and very knowledgeable about their facility. All in all, a top level of service. They would provide meals 3 times a day. We had lunch there and the food tasted great, with lots of variety."

"I have been to this community many times. There are so many wonderful things I could say, but today I want to focus on the amazing activities they have to offer. The Vibrant Life (Activities) Director has a way of making you feel special and right at home. Her smile and laughter are just the outside window to her huge heart. This is the place to be in El Cajon. Doesn't matter if you are looking for a place to live or a place to work, this is where you belong!"

"My grandparents have been living in Lantern Crest community for the last three years. They have been very pleased with everything. They are currently staying in 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment but Lantern Crest offers studio and 1 bedroom apartments also. Lantern Crest also have several individual cottages with attached parking. All of the staff members at Lantern Crest are very friendly and polite. They are very caring and helpful. Of course there are challenges and difficulties time to time but all the staff members and management do everything they can do to solve the issues. My grandparents do not participate in a lot activities but there are quite bit of activities going on everyday. Lantern Crest has an activities app. that I have on my phone. I get notifications whenever my grandparents participate in an activity I get alerts and photos. I can also see all the activities for the day and encourage my grandparents to participate. Lantern Crest has two buildings in their community. They are building the third one right now. Lantern Crest has a pool, Jacuzzi, 2 movie theaters, 2 dining rooms, 2 bistros, several private kitchen/cooking areas, dog park, BBQ areas, small putting green. "

". I was very impressed with the facility, it has a resort feel. It is very new. The common areas are open and airy. The food was excellent with a wide variety of choices. The courtyard and pool are very inviting. All of the staff that I met were very friendly and helpful."

"We had an in-person tour. The physical appearance was magnificent. Everything was just beautiful. It was very comfortable and inviting. They had a lot of social activities for people with Alzheimer's. We really, really enjoyed this place. I fell in love with the staff. She was sweet and adorable. The kitchen was clean. They had choices of what to eat. They have an entire floor for the Alzheimer's patients, which is what we really like for my mother-in-law. The dining area was set up just like a restaurant, so it was really nice. This place was clean. It didn't smell. Nobody was in their beds. It was great to see everybody up and around. They're fully staffed."

"Our friend has moved to Belmont Village Sabre Springs. The staff members are very, very good and very cooperative. They keep track of where everybody is, escort them to and from, give them reminders about various things and activities, and make sure they get down to lunch. They have a lot of activities for memory care folks. There are three levels in memory care. There are level 1 and level 2. Once they've gone past level 2, they go into a whole separate area. The rooms are nice. The place is clean and well-maintained. The food is excellent. They offer several choices at mealtime. Family and friends are welcome to come and join them. They have exercise. They have memory development. They have tours, and they go on outings. They have a pool for water aerobics classes on Tuesdays. They have a nice, outdoor, and fully contained area that they can go out in. They have a little putting green. They also have barbecues outdoors. They have a movie theater in the building, and they show movies every night."