The Best Independent Living Communities in Chesapeake City County, VA

"We liked the fact that Harmony at Harbour View was very clean when we went in. The staff was very willing to help and to assist. The young lady who showed us around was very knowledgeable and friendly. We also had an opportunity to have lunch to be able to taste the food. The staff was very good. They spoke to you and acknowledged that you were there. Everybody was very friendly. Everybody that worked there, if they walked past or whatever, they spoke to you. They had transportation. They had a calendar that showed whatever was going on that week that we could participate in. The units that she showed us were very clean, ready to move in, and accommodating. They had one-bedroom or two-bedroom, and they had a studio. It was just wonderful. It was pricier than the other place and what turns my wife off to all of them, not just this one, is the fact that you have to pay for your spouse. If your two-bedroom started at $3500 and if you got a spouse, then it went up another $1200 or $700 for the spouse to be there."

"First Colonial Inn was more modernized than the other places we toured. It's not like it's renovated. It's clean. They've got friendly staff. They have more security. When you go in, even though you're visiting, you have to go over to a kiosk and type in your information, like you have COVID, why are you here, you have to put in your name. You sign in and you have to go to the kiosk. The staff was warm, friendly, and helpful. Even our tour guide was great, Travis. We were able to see the dining hall, and it's nice. It's like you go to a cafeteria and get your food. They cook all day long there for you. The building was nice and well-kept, and it doesn't look rundown. The price is a little higher than the other place."

"I toured Discovery Commons Virginia Beach. It was clean. I liked both the studio and the one-bedroom. I liked the kitchen area. The elevators were close to both units. I liked the fact that you can launder your clothes. On each floor, they had laundry facilities where the tenants could launder their clothes. There wasn't anything really that I didn't like. I was just surprised at the rate they told me they charge."

"The residents of The Chamberlin were fantastic. One of them showed me around after the tour. She was very nice and talked about herself and stuff. It was just nice that she wanted me to do that. She didn't know I was coming or anything like that. She was going somewhere else. She said, "Are you thinking about coming here?" She asked questions about my grandma. I liked that they have an indoor pool. They have this beautiful terrace that overlooks the water. They have a lot of activities. I saw them playing charades when I came. They were very accommodating. When I walked in, I buzzed in, and they asked me who I was. When I said my name and the point of contact that I had in my phone, someone came down, got me, brought me up, and showed me around."

"I toured Harper's Station Yorktown. The people, the community itself, are very welcoming. I got a chance to eat there. They had a lot of choices, and the food was very good. The washer/dryer was good, a closet with doors. That's the only thing I was hesitant about, but good size. This facility is practically new. They have a pool and exercise equipment, and everything you need."

"The Cottages at Great Bridge was small and convenient to where I needed to be. They didn't have meals. They had very nice, quiet grounds. They also game rooms and social areas for the seniors, which were very acceptable and nice."

"When I toured The Reserve at Greenbrier, we arrived unannounced. They were very welcoming and didn't seem to have any concerns about that. They didn't have any vacant apartments, but they had arranged with one of the ladies that didn't mind them showing her apartment. We also saw the community room and they were having a birthday party for the May birthdays. Everyone seemed to be very happy and engaged, and the building seemed very open. It is a little bit of a different independent living because of the meals and transportation, but they do have snacks. It does seem like the residents congregate in those rooms. It's called a clubhouse, and it fosters engaging with each other, whether it be games or music. Then there's the exercise room and library. The facility was very nicely laid out. The apartment was a little bit challenging because of the lady's furniture that she had in it, but I understand from the floor plans that they're very generous and seem to have everything that I would need in a 1-bedroom. I was very impressed with the fact that several of the residents just knew that we were touring, and just volunteered how long they'd been there and how much they liked and enjoyed it; that was also a bonus. It was a very nice visit, and they gave me literature to take home and answered any questions. I had a follow-up call from the actual sales manager who was not there the day that I toured, but she called the next day and answered the rest of the questions that I had come up with since I had visited. They have a 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom, and they have 11 different styles. You can have a 1-bedroom with a sunroom, a 1-bedroom with a screened porch, or a 1-bedroom with a balcony or deck. Then you can have a 2-bedroom with a 1-bath, or a 2-bedroom with 2-baths. The prices are according to what is offered. The other thing that was very impressive was that, if you go on the waiting list and they call you about an apartment, it's not something that you have to take. If you don't take it, or you wait for one that is a little bit more suitable, they don't put you on the bottom of the list. They just go to the next person, and you keep your place. The next time there's availability, they'll contact you again, that was very nice to hear. There are no meals, and they didn't offer any food or drinks. You're preparing your own food. The apartments are more like regular apartments because that's reflected in the price. It's very reasonable, that's what was attractive to me. Of course, I'll have to pay for my own food, and I do have social services or senior services for drives to my doctor's appointments. They have a bus that they acquired recently. It was my understanding that if they go on trips with them, they can use that. It's not for normal transportation where you sign up and be going to the grocery store or the doctor, but it's for activities; that's an added plus. Also, there is a local bus that comes by that some people have been taking as well, but it's not part of the facility."

"My mother-in-law is at Greenbrier Senior Apartments. They have a pull cord in every room so if something should happen you just pull it to get help. She still can pretty much take care of herself. We have to do grocery shopping and doctor's appointments but she can still dress and cook for herself. The place is very clean, the staff is wonderful, everybody there is very nice. The leasing manager is super good and when we need something done, they do it right away. My mother-in-law was one of the first residents to move in, she's been there for a long time now, it's been over 13 or 14 years."

"I visited Jamestown Commons. They have two days a week of socials, and they have a bus to take you around. Everything is strictly independent there. They have a courtyard, an exercise room, and a game room. "

"900 Acqua Luxury Senior Apartments was very nice inside. I did not see an apartment there because they did not have any openings, but the people we talked with were very nice and very helpful. It has a pool, and it just was a nice place, and it is reasonably priced. Because they didn't have any openings, the staff told me about their sister community. 900 Acqua Luxury has one building, but they're also building another building. And there will be doctors' offices around the new building, so that'll make it more convenient for me. It's a very attractive place, although they do not do meals. They have a pool table, they have a library that you can get books out of at any time, and they also have a game room that different people use there. They have activities, but not as often as the other facility I toured. The staff said that once a month they do something special, and then once a month you get free breakfast. So there are little things that they add, and it just suited me the way it looked. It was very clean, very nice, wide, and has an elevator. "

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"I love The Vero at Chesapeake. It's great. I take care of a friend's aunt there. I take her to get her hair done and take her to lunch, and we do puzzles and have fun. She's got a huge room, which is a suite. She's got a little bedroom in the back corner, and the next bedroom is like for a husband and wife sort of thing. In the other bedroom, they've made a little living room with a TV. Then they got a little kitchenette on the one side and a pretty big bathroom with a walk-in shower. They exercise every day in the gym. They have somebody come out there and do chair exercises. They have beautiful two or three different patios that you can go out and sit on. They have umbrellas and patio tables that you can go out and sit around the gardens, which are very nicely landscaped. They have a lot of activities going on. Something is going on every week. People are coming in to sing. They have a social hour where you go up and get punch or soft drinks, snacks, and visit with a lot of people. They make a get-together kind of thing. They have a couple of different games. They have cornhole tournaments every day. In the afternoon, they have bus rides. They go out and get ice cream or go out to a farm or stop and get coffee or something like that, something fun for them every day. I love all of the staff. I eat their food every week. I take her to the big dining room and we have lunch together. Their food is great."

"I visited friends at Harbor's Edge Retirement Community. I've been over there many times to visit friends in rehab, but never into the memory care area itself. From the time I came in the door, there was a woman named Sylvia, and she was so friendly and just bubbly. She just made me feel welcome, and while she was helping me, everybody that came in the door, she knew, and they would say hi. After she contacted the person that I was meeting there because I was early, she showed me a very comfortable place to sit and relax while I was waiting for Kirsten, the person who showed me around. The rooms were very nice, and those that I visited were empty, and they're in the new memory wing. It currently isn't open. It's finished, but they are in the process of waiting for another shower room to be built. So currently they don't have a room available, and no date as to when it will be. The facility is spotless. Everyone that I've ever met has been very pleasant. Kirsten is even new, she's only been there a number of months, and she was very knowledgeable, very compassionate, and very friendly. She's in a job that she needs to be in. I will have to bring furniture, even in memory care."

"My tour with Lynnhaven Cove went very well. It appears to be very well taken care of. It was the cheapest of all of the places that I toured. There's a maximum income that you can earn to live there, but I just liked it very much. It has a garden where you can plant stuff in. The staff was very helpful and very nice. I've met two different people (one of them was the girl who helped me register). The process was very, very fast and seamless. I tried to apply at a couple of other places, and you had to gather together a lot of paperwork and tax returns and pay stubs and all that kind of stuff. So, it was kind of tedious. The facility was very clean. They have a rec room with a piano and all kinds of amenities."