Independent Living Communities in San Marcos, CA

"What we really liked about Arcadia Place was the fact that you could walk out of your own apartment onto a patio, so you felt more like you were in a house that you could walk out of rather than going through a hallway to the main entrance. The staff was very friendly and interested in us as people. It was really a good tour. We liked the structure of the building, we liked the centralized location of activities within the building, and it was very clean. The rooms were a good size. I especially liked the bathroom. It wasn't just kind of a closet bathroom. It was a nice size."

"I did a tour of Redwood Terrace, and I was really concerned about the price. It's $15,000 a month. It was too spread out, and the parking was a problem. All those things matter to me because I'm there a lot with my dad. The apartments were very nice, and everything seemed clean. It was just too spread out for me for my dad. I think they would probably take very good care of them. We saw people feeding some of the people that couldn't eat and stuff like that. It looks like they were very caring. The staff I met were great. They had a wonderful physical therapy room, and my dad does require that. They had a lot of staff to take care of the people. It seemed they were pretty well staffed."

"I liked the Springs. It was more in our budget, and I want to take my parents there. It has a nice location, and the place and the people were nice. I went to two different rooms that were both a little strangely shaped but nice and tidy. The staff member who assisted me was good, helpful, called me back to keep in touch, and gave me a nice tour. The dining area was nice. "

"It is in the city. It's not like there's a forest or anything to go walk around in. It's nice, and the people there were really friendly. They have all levels of care including assisted living. They gave me a general tour of the common areas and showed me around. They were all telling me to go live there. I wondered if they were getting paid extra because as I walked through an area, they were enthused about the place. So I thought that was kind of funny that they're like advertising for the place. The lady that came and picked me up was very nice. I think it's a great location."

"We went to tour Oakmont of Escondido Hills. I visited independent living, two different apartments, and the entire grounds. The place was very clean. The employees seemed very happy as long-term employees. It spoke to me volumes that the employees are satisfied with their working conditions and what they need to do to take care of their clients. The rooms were nice, bright, remodeled, clean, accessible, and safe. The person who gave me the tour was amazing. She actually called to check up on my mom several times. She knows where we're at with our decision making in moving her. The dining area was nice, clean, airy, and open. Actually, my mom had friends that were living there. In the past, she had gone there a couple of times to eat with her friends. She enjoyed the food. They have an outdoor patio where they do a happy hour once or twice a week with live music and an open barbecue. Another thing I liked about it was the memory care clients were in a different area, so they were separated. They do a great assessment on those people with memory care issues and try to integrate them into as normal an environment as possible. There may be times when the groups are mixed within reason of the memory care patients' ability to not get disoriented or impacted by mixing in a different environment, so I thought that was good."

"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 found Belmont Village for my aunt. So far, it's working out well, except that she doesn't understand why she's in quarantine, but that was kinda predictive. They're great, super helpful. It's very nice, pretty good, and most of the rooms that I saw were about the same size. The studio fit her queen size bed perfectly and some other furniture. She's mentioned that food is good. I haven't tried it myself. I don't know, but she really likes it. They have a lot of stuff that she hasn't been able to participate in any of that yet, so I don't really know. They have a swimming pool, several courtyards, and an outdoor garden area that felt very nice."

"I visit my grandfather every Friday for happy hour and this place is awesome! Everyone is so friendly and helpful. The building is newly renovated and has some ongoing things but it is a nice place to live from what I can tell"

"Westmont of Carmel Valley was extremely nice. I think it's a relatively new facility. They have all three levels of care: independent, assisted, and a small memory care. It's very nicely decorated. The rooms were nice. It was reasonably priced, but towards the higher end. I looked at a studio and a one-bedroom. We had lunch there, and for what they charge, I expected it to be a little bit better. With lunch, you're getting sandwiches, soup, hamburgers, and things like that on the menu. They had a lot of amenities. The staff was very attentive. We met with the marketing person or the salesperson. It was really nice, very clean, and well decorated. They had a pool, a patio area, an activity room, and a theater where you can see things on a big screen with big comfy chairs. They provide some form of transportation where they'll take you to doctor's appointments or take you shopping, so you don't necessarily have to have a car. Westmont was my favorite. It's pretty popular, and there's a waiting list. You could get into the studios in one to three months, but the one-bedrooms were almost six months."

"I toured. It was very nice. It was clean and bright. What I like about it is that it's small. Right now, memory care only has 17 people in it. I think they have five caregivers in that ratio, and that's very good. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. I didn't sample the food, but the dining area looked just fine. They seem to have a good deal of activities. They have people coming in to perform once a week, and that's pretty good."

"My mom thrived here after a fall that left her needing more care than we could provide on our own. We looked at a lot of places, but few offered the broad array of amenities (including a swimming pool and large open grass area with walking paths). Having on-site nursing staff is another thing many places don't include, which is important if you have someone who is off balance and can fall (in California, if a resident falls and there's not a nurse on site, then they need to be sent to the hospital - we have friends who experienced this numerous times at other places). On-site physical therapy every day of the week, plus all the various classes - again, my mom thrived here and quickly regained her strength and was soon walking without the use of a walker. The staff kept us informed and up to date, and unlike some other experiences, really knew who my mom was and her personality - that is huge!! Our experience was during COVID, so this meant a more locked down feel, but even then, we could have face-to-face visits through a section of the gates the staff had set up with chairs and shade, and we knew Mom was being kept as safe as possible."

"I like Vi at La Jolla Village, and they don't make you leave rooms if you go from independent living to extended care. Your monthly rate does not go up; although they have a buy-in fee, and if my friend puts enough down, she gets a major portion of it -- about 80% back -- if one way or the other she leaves. It's probably the nicest place I've ever seen, and it was luxury. "

"Belmont Village La Jolla was very nice. The tours were good. They gave you plenty of information. They talked about the activities and the food. They had independent living, assisted living, and an area for memory care. It is a high-rise. They had a whole lot of amenities. The lobby and the rooms are very nice. We got somebody from the sales department to tour us. They were very professional. We got introduced to some of the staff as we were walking around. They seemed very nice. We had lunch there, and it was very good. There's nowhere to walk outside. It's not like there's any kind of walking path because it's sort of right down by University Town Center. It's very congested and very busy. There was plenty inside the building itself. They had courtyards or patios where you could sit out, and they had a swimming pool. It's really nice, well decorated and clean, but there is a corresponding cost to that. They all have underground parking, and if you are bringing a car with you, you have to pay extra for a parking space, and they have to park it for you. You don't have an assigned space. You have to go to the valet and wait for them to bring the car, take it from you, and bring it back. It was probably the most expensive place we looked at."

"I am a resident of Atria La Jolla. My apartment is beautiful. I have a full bedroom with a dressing room and a private bathroom. It has a kitchenette, which I don't use because I go down for the meals, but I could cook anything I want here. I have a living room with a patio. The patio looks out towards the park. So, what I see from my window are bougainvilleas coming down from the park. Everybody is very nice and helpful. They know that we are elderly and need help, and everything is, "Yes, yes, yes. What is it that you need?" I am Jewish, and I don't eat pork, so they always give me something different. They have programs. Sometimes there’s music, a talk, and sometimes a movie. You have to look at the program every day and see what's in there. The food is excellent. We have to ask for half the ratios because it's too much. I cannot finish one. It's a big plate. The staff always smiles. Everybody smiles, even the cleaning people. It's a very happy environment. They don't have very many activities, but there are some. The good thing is they have a park, so you don't need anything else. There is gymnastics, and there are also exercises at the pool."