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 visited. They gave me a lot of information. They were very nice. I didn't try any of the food, but I did see it and it looked good. The rooms were decent. There was no smell. They were clean. I saw a salon, swimming lessons, an art studio, a place where they held bingo and stuff, and a game room."

"The Christmas brunch was excellent. The food was delicious and a nice variety of dishes."

"We went to Belmont Village Cardiff by the Sea. We were very impressed. We made an appointment for the tour and the gal that took us around was excellent. There are no separate areas. If you go into your independent care and then you find that you're going to need memory care, you stay right in there and they bring the memory care people to you. You can get a studio or one-bedroom, or you can even get a two-bedroom. They had a gorgeous swimming pool. The staff sat with us first and went over things, and then she gave us a booklet to bring home to look at more, so she was wonderful."

"Our Dad had a stroke in early May 2023 and at 94 lost his ability to walk and take care of himself. We live in Encinitas, so wanted him to be close to us. After going to look at several Assisted Living/Independent Living Facilities we were quite surprised to find that Westmont Of Encinitas was far superior than all the others and actually was quite less in cost. The facility is just slightly over two years old and the staff is friendly, food is great and the activities are plentiful. Just in a short 2 months he is walking on his own, living in his great bright 1 bedroom apartment and going to Bridge 3 times a week, going to Ice Cream socials, and exercising and building his strength up with their great Physical Therapists. We brought him down from Costa Mesa to Westmont of Encinitas on May 25, 2023 and he is thriving in such a short time. I would highly recommend Westmont of Encinitas for any loved one. Our father is happy and social and healthy now. This facility is a 5 Stars for sure."

"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 rooms are terrific, the staff uniquely committed and engaged and the food is excellent. My parents went there from Mass, after 55 yrs of marriage with my father as a burned out caregiver for my mother's parkinson's and their admissions/support team brilliantly handled Dad to assisted living (no more cooking!) and Mom to memory support with daily visits with Dad. The clinical nurses were fabulous, with a smart caring medical director. Hospice helped both transition at the end, with the superb staff."

"I visited the Waterford Terrace Retirement Community. It was much more of a grand entrance. The entryway was quite grand. It's a three-story building with access to outside gardens. They have rooftop gardens, and there are cottages at the top level. There's more outdoor environment on the top level, but the first two levels were all indoor-like hotel-style apartments. It's a big facility, and it has a huge dining area. Activities are provided. It's an active community there. Food is all included. They also had a couple of food stations that were available throughout the day for the residents to get snacks and things that they want. Then they have their regular dinner and breakfast time slots. Everything is very nice, and it's comforting to know that the residents are happy, and the staff is friendly."

"I toured Atria Collwood. I liked all of the programs that they had, the different levels of care that they offered, and the way it was structured. It was like an a la carte menu. They had it in such a way that it was very transparent like that. You could see what you were paying for, and the facility was really well kept up. It's a really nice facility and the people there all seemed really on top of everything. Everyone there was very friendly. One of the directors of something was really helpful. She took her time, showed me the different places, and answered a lot of questions which some of the places did, but she just did an exceptionally good job at that. I thought that's why I like that place so much."

"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."

"I visited the independent living community of Lantern Crest Senior Living, and it's nice. The people were also very nice. They have different layouts. One building is newer than the other, which is the only difference, but they are all nice. The upkeep of the place was very good. The dining area was very nice, and they had a good selection of food. The parking area was fine."

"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 visited the independent living community of Westmont of La Mesa. It was very nice. My dad preferred that place, but they wouldn't take his dog because it's too big. The upkeep of the place was excellent. They had multiple dining areas. They were nice, and the size was good. The rooms were good, and they had high ceilings, so it made them seem a lot bigger, which was nice. They all had washers and dryers, which was a nice touch, too. The staff members were super friendly. They knew the names of a lot of the people and the residents there as we were doing the tour. We didn't try their food, but I looked at the menus and it had a good selection."

"I like that Oakmont of Escondido Hills had wide open spaces. They had a lot of interactive programs going on with large groups. And it's well planned and managed."