The Best Independent Living Communities in San Diego County, CA

"We toured Belmont Village La Jolla. They were nice. It's too expensive and too much of a commute for my brother. They had activities. The food was great. They had a courtyard. They had views. They had all kinds of interactions with the residents. They had outings for the residents. They were just wonderful. The rooms were big and spacious, and the studios were wonderful."

"I went here. Just getting all the information and them answering our questions, being able to see it. The location was really good because she's lived in Poway for over 60 years. So that was kind of a good fit. And, I guess she has a friend there too, so that kind of added a little extra to it. The room looked good. I didn't see the exact room she would be getting. I saw more of a studio-type thing instead of a one-bedroom, but I think she might be getting a one-bedroom. So, I didn't technically see that. But it seemed like it was sufficient space for her needs."

"Belmont takes pride in all they do! From the care they give to their own residents, to the local communities. I have sent many of my patients to reside there over the years and have heard nothing but positive reviews from all. Take a tour and you will see first hand why they are so amazing! "

"After doing a lot of online research, my wife and I decided to look no further. From the time we entered the building for a tour of the facility, we experienced nothing but the best possible feelings from every staff person to the folks living there. James did a superb job of explaining everything, leaving us without the need for any more questions. We look forward to enjoying the long list of programs and services they have to offer."

"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."

"Atria Collwood was small. It did not have a lot of courtyard/open space, it was limited, but the location was good. It was more in town, right in the urban area. The rooms were small too, but they were the least expensive. They had rooms starting at $1,800 or $1,900 a month. They had sit down dining services as opposed to a buffet, which looked nice, and daily activities for the people, happy hours every once in a while, and areas where people could exercise. They had some different facilities, so overall, I thought the money was reasonable."

"Oakmont of Pacific Beach is outstanding, but it's very expensive. It is outstanding in terms of what it offers. They have a special floor for memory care. They have the state of the art just up to date with Alzheimer's. They work with the Alzheimer's Association. They offer good food and balanced diets for the patients. They have a lot of activities and a lot of care. You have your own shower in your room. There's a lot more personal care there. The staff members were very attentive. They have a restaurant that is open in the morning until seven at night. There's no rigid schedule. It is very flexible. The facility was pristine."

"My mom is at Lantern Crest. The facility itself is relatively new and well organized. The staff seems very attentive and very communicative with all that's happening. She has only been there a month now. They're proactive with giving us updates, and they seem very caring. They give you a calendar of activities of everything going on, but I don't know if that calendar changes due to pandemic or not. There's not a lot of variety. They don't have a pool in the assisted living part, but they have a beauty salon, a nail salon, a movie theater, a restaurant, and a secure outdoor area."

"I liked the people at Grossmont Gardens. My mother moved in there. Everybody was really friendly and really helpful. The rooms were really nice. There is a lot of light and trees around there. It was just a really beautiful setting for my mom. There are people in and out, helping her all the time. Before she went in there she was very depressed, and now she is just so happy. Every time I walk in the room she has a smile on her face, and we sit there and talk about the people who are helping her, and she is so excited. She loves the food. I had one meal there with her, and it was very good. The dining room is very pleasant; it has a lot of outside light, so the rooms are well lit and have nice views. It's only fifteen minutes from me. It's close to everything; the hospital's right there. There's all kinds of shopping right by her. It's all within a fifteen-minute drive."

"My visit at Oakmont of Escondido Hills was fine. The people were friendly and welcoming, they showed us around, and answered all my questions. The rooms are very nice, they're just at the higher end of our budget. The place looked nice and was kept up nicely. They showed us the library, they have a place to watch movies, dining facilities, and they have a swimming pool too. The staff member was nice, friendly, and prompt."

"I had an excellent tour of Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon. The woman who walked me through had only been there for a week, so she didn't know all the answers to the questions, but they had the administrator who had been there for 12 years. He filled me in on other things and was very helpful, but they didn't follow up with me. They said they were gonna send me an email and they didn't, but I told them I wasn't planning to move in right away, maybe that's why. We toured both the one and two-bedroom. Some of the two bedrooms had the same price as their one-bedroom, depending on where your room is. Some of them have nice balconies and one has a fountain. Pretty much they're out in the shade, so the apartments were nice. They have special deals for the two-bedroom ones, like $400 off on what the normal price is when you're moving in for your first year, so that was pretty good. The administrator scheduled a private lunch with me and it was in a special dining room, which was very nice. The food was excellent. I met the chef and they were having a Cinco de Mayo party, so there's Mexican food, but every day they have different choices of food like a shrimp salad with six huge shrimps, which I had, and then they had soup, cottage cheese, and jello. They gave me a churro for dessert and it was great. I was very impressed. The facilities are nice but it's an older facility built in the late 80s, so they're doing a lot of upgrades to it."

"St. Pauls Manor was very nice and had a very nice restaurant. The rooms were very clean, very nice, and updated. We showed up unannounced and yet they were prepared for us, very accommodating, and had no problem showing us around. It was somebody from the office, and she was a very nice person who gave a very good tour. "

"Have wonderful educational program and well run. "

"I toured Monte Vista Village Senior Living. The person that I spoke with spent time with me. She was not rushing me. They have a nice little facility there, and she showed me some of the apartments. I think they have a studio, one bedroom, and they only have, like 1 or 2, two bedrooms, and they're in the process of upgrading some of those as people move out. I had no complaints about her at all, or the facility. It is just laid out in a nice little circle. We have a little courtyard area. I have nothing negative to say about the facility. The parts that I saw, it was very clean and very nice. We went through the activity room, and there were all kinds of tables, chairs, puzzles, and cards. There were things to do, but nobody was in there at that point."