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."

"There is a lot of information about how to stay healthy and live longer. This includes eating right, exercising, sleeping enough hours, having access to good medical care, as well as and equally important, having a purpose in life and friends you care about and who care about you. I am 90 years old and have all of the above at my fingertips. I live at White Sands La Jolla, a HumanGood retirement community. The nutritionist on staff gives monthly lectures on healthy eating, and our dining room provides us with a multitude of good choices. We have 18 exercise classes a week, with the physiotherapist on staff to advise us on how to deal with our aches and pains. I am lulled to sleep with the sound of waves from the ocean below my window. We also have nurses here 24/7 and a medical director available on site. I am surrounded by friends to eat meals with while sitting outside overlooking the sea. The White Sands bus takes us to all of the theaters, concerts, museums, fun restaurants, shopping malls, and excursions to see the desert flowers or an art exhibit in LA. We are a not-for-profit community with a highly involved resident population. I serve on several committees here knowing that my input is valued. We make a difference not only in our own lives, but in those of others here. We offer four levels of care; I am in independent living today, but know that, if needed, there is assistant living, memory care, and skilled nursing. In the meantime, I wake up every morning and nothing hurts. I look forward to a day full of fun and meaningful activities. Come join me! Natasha Josefowitz, PhD Retired professor of management, author and columnist "

"After almost 50 years in the same home, and many heart to heart discussions, it was time for my folks to move into a senior community. They needed more support than living on their own offered. Waterford Terrace in La Mesa impressed us from the moment we turned into the entrance, and my folks felt comfortable at once. It is truly gracious, as the name suggests, and they now call it home. In a nutshell....the grounds are always well maintained and lovely with many trees, shrubs and flowers. The management team is extremely supportive, knowledgeable, and responds quickly to any resident concerns. The staff is incredibly friendly and go out of their way to help the residents. And the wide variety of activities offered, the movie theater, and the fitness center, are second to none. There is something for everyone. My folks have now been living at Waterford for almost a year and tell me often how safe they feel, how pleased they are with their choice, and how much they enjoy the location. Thank you, Waterford Terrace management and staff, for making my folks feel at home from the day they moved in. "

"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 spouse has moved into Westmont of La Mesa. It's a wonderful community. I'm very happy with it. It's a perfect location. We live in La Mesa, so we thought that would be great. The community is beautiful. The caregivers are wonderful. They are very caring and take good care of her. They meet all of our expectations. The outdoor spaces are beautiful. In the memory care specifically, they have a beautiful patio area that opens to a wide beautiful park-like setting. For the rest of the community, they're right on the edge of a park, so they have a beautiful outdoor area for the residents."

"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."