Assisted Living Community in Sarasota, Florida

Suzi

Aravilla Assisted Living & Memory Care was a nice place. It was clean, and it was nice. It was built in a circle. The staff was friendly, and the rooms were nice. They offered everything, like arts and crafts. It was lovely, and I really liked it, but it was just too expensive.

ReviewerJO#1211A

Desoto Beach Club is a little pricey, but it's a perfectly decent place to live. It is my impression of this place that it is as well-managed economically to support the level of living. It isn't wealthy, it isn't lush, but it is comfortable. It is barely adequately staffed, but I understand the necessity there. It is not particularly low rent, but it is decent. The level of services provided as we're coming out of lockdown is totally adequate. You get what you pay for. They also permit pets. I have a cat who is sitting on a couch, there are a couple of delightful small dogs, and there is a large dog that is a breed that I had never seen before, but who is an utterly delightful dog. They permit that which is nice. I've got a 2-room apartment, a bedroom, a sitting room with a kitchenette area, and a perfectly adequate shower and bath. There are services to grocery stores, doctor appointments, and when we're not in a pandemic situation, there are excursions, too. We're close to the Ringling Estate. There was an expedition to the Ringling Museum, and there have been expeditions out to the ocean shore for luncheon at a seafood restaurant. It's like summertime in Chicago. They have a salon and an activity room. And because there have been Corona virus infections in the building, the unit has been on lockdown for about two months. We're no longer in lockdown, but there were no sponsored activities and meals were delivered to the apartments. There was no dining room activity, too. But they are now beginning to crank up again. Yesterday afternoon, I went down to the area they call the library to look for something and in the activity room which is next to the library, there were group of people playing Pinochle. In more reasonable times, the Bridge Club will probably start going, and there's a book group. So there's no question, it's definitely congregate living. On lockdown, those activities stopped. We have been coming off. The food is C+ B-, with the occasional A, and the very occasional F. Food is decent, and sometimes they serve something I just flat out don't like.

Karl

Desoto Beach Club is a total quality institution in every way. The staff and management always go beyond to perform in a total quality way. I've been here 2 years, and I'm totally pleased with the facility. And I'm thankful to God that I'm in a such a nice place. I'm very, very pleased. I

Bonnie

My mom has moved into Desoto Beach Club. That is Holiday Retirement Center and those are the only ones anybody should send their loved one to because they honestly care. I love it. It is very clean, very bright and open. There are rocking chairs and benches all over the front area. When you first walk in, it has a three-story ceiling in the dining area. Beyond that backside of the doors, there you can see right when you come in the front is a big swimming pool area. They also have a library and a gym. They are just fantastic. Everything is clean. When it is lunch or dinner time, the people in the offices would stop everything that they're doing and serve all the residents. How nice is that? That way everybody gets to know everybody. They never wonder about the people in the office because they get to know them on a regular daily basis when they get served their meals by them. I think that's fantastic. There's nobody that is above anybody else there. They all have different jobs but when it comes to meal time, they all become one team and it is nice. The food is very good, too. They have indoor exercise and outdoor swimming pool exercise. There is a walking trail around the building, there's a pool table and a card table, they have bingo, they have trivia, and they have singing. I love Desoto Beach Club. It is very homey, and everybody has been wonderful. It is a good place and I like the location, too.

Mike

Desoto Beach Club was a good place. We liked it a lot, so did my brother-in-law. The facilities were very nice, but he can't afford that. The staff was great. They had studios and 1-bedroom apartments. They had an arts area, a pool, and water aerobic classes. It was very well laid out, and the program was really nice. They had activities planned for the residents.

Patty

Our biggest issue with Heron House was the shared room and the price, and they weren't willing to negotiate or help at all. Everybody was very friendly. They showed us different rooms, and they were nice. With just a half a wall separating their two areas that was waist high, I thought that it could be very problematic for senior citizens. They had quite a bit of activities like games and trips to stores.

Pauline Y.

Sarasota is the one we want to go to live. We want to take the villa, it's like a condo, all on first floor, overlooking the lake. They've got 2-bedrooms, 2-baths, we want to have an undercover for the car, and they have a glassed-in patio, so that makes an extra room. It's more footage, it has a full kitchen, oven, stove, dishwasher, and they have a washer and dryer in the apartment. They don't do the laundry, they give you 2 meals a day, and they also have a central building in addition to the villas. The staff is very good, and she's not pushy. They had a bus, and they were going to take the people somewhere. They take pets.

Denise

Heron East was more assisted living, but my dad was not at that stage yet, so that's why I picked another more independent community. The staff member who helped me during the tour was super nice and very knowledgeable. The rooms were a little small, and they only had a studio set up, so it was just one room with a bathroom. The dining room was very nice and everybody ate at their own little tables. I didn't try the food.

Reviewer652019

My husband was in Arden Courts of Sarasota for less than a month, and if everything goes OK in rehab, he will go back there. The place was friendly and nice, but very old fashioned design and amenities wise. They had small rooms designed for everybody, so they would feel comfortable walking from the bed to the toilet or bed to the chair, and they don't have to cross a lot. They had a lot of common areas and railings. The food and their cook were very good. The activities were dedicated to memory care and were a bit quaint. We encouraged him to participate in their trivia, group crossword, and bingo. He didn't always like the food, but they were very caring about giving something that he might eat. I would like to consider a cord button for memory care people who actually can use it like my husband, as opposed to dragging himself out of bed and going somewhere to call a nurse. They said nurses pass by or check him periodically, but it's not that periodical. He had good rapport with the other nurses, but there was a nightshift nurse who he had a really big problem with. Generally, it's a very good place.