June, 2023, I placed my 82 year old wife at the Villa Alamar Memory Care & would highly recommend…read morethis facility as the administration & caregivers have shown exemplary care & concern for her, monitoring daily activities to keep her clean, dressed, entertained & nourished. Unfortunately after over 10 years dealing with Alzheimer's, she passed on July 5, 2026.

After careful consideration, thorough research, and multiple visits to memory care facilities in…read moreSanta Barbara, we decided to move my mom to Villa Alamar. Although she previously lived at an upscale memory care facility, it became apparent that the level of care and enrichment there wasn't serving her best interests. My brother and I experienced a clear turning point when we first entered Villa Alamar. We admired the festive Christmas artwork and celebration photos lining the halls, enjoyed the outdoor space with comfortable chairs and a beautiful garden, and peeked in to see a lively community participating in activities. The building didn't have any unpleasant odors, the food was good After her move, we were deeply impressed by the genuine compassion shown by all staff members, including management and housekeeping. My mother passed away in hospice at Villa Alamar, and our family received exceptional support and care, which made a difficult time more bearable.

"but I'm not ready." This is what my husband and I kept hearing from our friends. We weren't…read morereally ready either, but in 2014 we had a chance to "buy" one of the new units and decided to "go for it!!" In hindsight moving to Valle Verde was one of the best decisions we made. We were still healthy and as active as your average 70+ year olds are, and so we could enjoy all that Valle Verde offered --activities and trips AND living with neighbors who have become wonderful friends. Our advice to anyone considering a move to a retirement community continues to be- "don't wait until it's too late!" We both later had physical problems and so spent some time in our skilled nursing facility. It's an older facility, but the nursing and physical therapy care we received was wonderful. AND, when we returned to our Valle Verde home, we didn't have to deal with all the problems we had to deal with in our Hope Ranch home - roof problems, landscaping issues, plumbing Valle Verde's new "green house" skilled nursing facility are almost complete and construction is scheduled to begin in the next year or so. The one story units, the wonderful gardens and walking paths are just a few of the amenities that make living in Valle Verde so special. P Williams

After living here for seven years now it appears that the new senior management has a directive is…read moreto charge the residents as much as possible and to cut back on services and staff and then complain that this nonprofit is only cleaning a million a year which is why they are raising prices.

My mother in law spent her last year alive as a resident of Heritage House. She had required much…read moremore care as she aged, that our family could no longer handle even with outside assistance. We researched places and Heritage House was highly recommended by one of her closest friends. I've never seen another residential home that was better! The care was exemplary. The food was so good. I'd rather have eaten there than at most restaurants. They actually have a chef on staff who prepares absolutely wonderful meals. A lot of of these residential aging facilities get a bad rap for horrible food. Not heritage house! Of course, no places is perfect but the complaints that we had were so small and few that I would always recommend this facility if you have an aging parent that needs full-time care. Is it inexpensive? Of course not but none of these residential facilities are inexpensive anymore. With utilities and food and cable TV and telephone service all included in the monthly bill. We do know from experience that it's a fraction of the cost of maintaining a private house with full-time staff. That's what you get at Heritage house. You will have someone on staff 24 hours a day seven days a week that cares.

My 91 year old mother is here for the last stage and it is such a wonderful facility. So much…read morekindness and care is shown to every elder. Even in COVID I feel every precaution to protect the elders is being taken yet clearly staff tried to meet the needs if residents for human care and connection even in quarantine. They are wonderful about pets living with their elder owners. Cannot recommend more highly.

Before I begin my review, I would like to preface it by saying that my mother lived in Mariposa's…read morememory care unit for eight months and our experience with memory care is all I can speak to. I am aware there is an assisted living component to the facility, but since I am not familiar with it, I cannot speak about it with any authority. This review hits very close to home and is a sensitive topic, meaning I take great care in writing this review and stand by my comments as of July, 2018. Before moving to Mariposa, my mother lived at a different facility and her quality of life at Mariposa compared to what it was a year ago is night and day. Under the guidance of a terrific nurse named Milabeth, Mariposa opened last fall and I have never seen a staff so well-trained and so patient. I would sit silently and watch Milabeth walk the caregivers through tasks, caregiving tactics, and procedures. I knew what her job entailed and I knew how difficult it was, so I was particularly impressed with the extra effort she took to mold her staff. You see, I'm aware of how difficult the job is because our previous facility went through 4 nurses in one year. Moreover, through my volunteer work, I've watched other facilities grind their wellness directors down to a point where PRNs are abused and residents are overmedicated for the convenience of the staff. In our experience, Mariposa does NOT do this. In fact, when my mother arrived at Mariposa they worked with our doctor to reevaluate my mother's "med cocktail." My mother suddenly began to show signs of improvement. She was happier, calmer, and more lucid. She really did flourish at Mariposa. One thing I feel the need to mention is that the work done by the team at Mariposa is thankless work. It's tough and it sticks with you when you leave the "office" for the day. What you see, what you hear, what you smell, and the implicit humanity of it all. It sticks with you. I lovingly call these memory care facilities "circuses." The residents are a moving target day to day. They have good days, bad days, scary days, needy days, etc. Through no fault of their own, they require a nimble staff to lead with understanding and kindness. In my experience, Mariposa's staff does this in spades. Simply put, I felt uplifted every time I came to visit my mother because of the quality of people they have working for there. I hope for everyone's sake they can keep and contain this magic for a very long time. They made an extremely painful experience less so, shepherding our family through one of most difficult times of our lives. I will forever be grateful for the care my mother received at Mariposa. Specifically from the following caregivers: Nicherin, Elena, Estefani, and Jocelyn (forgive any name misspellings!!). Four women who may someday forget us, but we will never forget them. They treated my mother with such respect and kindness. I will forever consider them angels and I hope they understand the deep, positive, and lasting impact they have had on our family.

Absolutely beautiful newer building in a perfect location. Across the street from Elwood Beach…read morebutterfly area, and close by to Sandpiper golf course. That is why it gets two stars because the actual facility building is wonderful. That's where the loveliness ends! You will be sold a bill of goods about the menu, the services and the wonderful care. it really looks wonderful in the brochures and on paper. And if you talk to some of the residents, they say they love living there. But I say the more compromised you are and the more that you need help the less you need to live at Mariposa At Ellwood shores. We moved my mother-in-law in there June 12, 2024. We rented a trailer and moved her bedroom furniture in on one day and got her all set up. After we witnessed what was really happening, the lack of care, things as simple as items that were shown on the menus on the tables, including the "meal of the day" we're not available...We were in and out in 12 days. There was literally no manager on site during the time we were there. After five there was no one at the desk. Period. And even when there was a receptionist at the front desk, she was extremely flippant about helping or answering questions. Several times she copped an attitude. They were going through changes and hopefully they are able to handle their staffing problems. The facility is designed to possibly handle about 200 people and there might have been 30 residents that were routinely in the dining room. With only 30 people there the meals took forever to serve. They had med techs serving meals. Whenever I ask to speak to someone on staff, I was usually told in broken English that there was no one available. Housekeeping people were virtually nonexistent. Part of the service was supposed to be to hand out medication's four times a day. That wasn't happening and we had to drive back-and-forth to make sure she was given her medication's on time. It was a mess. I was emptying the trash in the room and I was going every day to strip and change the bed which was necessary. I was bringing the bedding home and washing it and going back with new bedding. There was no hands on help from staff to remind my mother-in-law of mealtimes, which was part of what we were paying for. In 12 days I think one time staff member reminded her that it was lunchtime. We just made absolutely sure that a family member was there at every meal time. It was actually more work having her in assisted-living at this facility than it was having her at home with family helping 24 seven. And that was unsustainable! During the day that we moved her in, several times, we went to the lobby water cooler, which was empty. We took a picture of it three days later, five days later, seven days later, still empty. Something as simple as keeping the Sparklets water unit full was not attended to. It was even during a hot streak in Goleta and there was no water available in the lobby. They have a beautiful coffee bar, which was usually unstocked. I will say that if you have no need for true "assisted" living, living there could be ok. The rooms are nice, although there is no air conditioning. The upper floor temperature maintained itself at about 88° through the day when it was 85° outside. The main building, however, was fairly comfortable. Independent living in the building would be better, except the idea that the kitchen was slow, the service was slow and the meals were rarely available that were on the menu. Meals (and house keeping) are part of what you pay for when living there!

My mother moved to Wood Glen Hall 3 months ago. She is very happy there and is becoming so much…read moremore active than she ever was at home. She loves the food and has befriended many of the residents. From the first phone call to inquire about their facility, I have been so impressed by the management and each and every staff member. Where did they find such a compassionate and kind group of people? Most of the employees have been there for many years and feel like they are part of the family. The atmosphere feels more like an extended family home than a residential home for elderly. The staff gets to know each resident and helps them to fit into the programs that are offered. They are very safety conscious which make me feel comfortable. I am convinced that many seniors living alone or spending too much time alone are not getting enough stimulation to be really happy in this phase of life. Wood Glen Hall has been a good solution for my mother. The cost is very reasonable for what is offered. I would highly recommend Wood Glen Hall.

My mother has been living at Wood Glen Hall for almost three years now and I have to say that she…read morehas never been happier. There are so many fun activities each day and they go all out for the holidays, with a live band and the best decorations and live entertainment. I am always very, very impressed with the regular activities as well as the special event activities that are planned. The staff is very caring and kind and really makes an effort to make everyone have fun and feel like family. The facility is one level with lovely furnishings and a beautiful courtyard garden where residents can gather if they want to sit outside. I also think it is a great value as I looked at other places in Santa Barbara before picking Wood Glen Hall. I am so happy we did and I know my mom will be happy here for many years to come.

I am deeply grateful that my mother spent her final year in the exceptional care of Alexander…read moreGardens. Navigating her Parkinson's and dementia was difficult, but the staff's kindness, patience, and dignity-first approach provided immense comfort to both of us. The beautiful, fragrant gardens, engaging community activities, and in house entertainment (movies, live music, guest speakers) offered her a quality of life I will always appreciate. Alexander Garden is more than an assisted living facility, its a welcoming, historic, and comfortable home that I am forever thankful for.

A family member shared written disparaging email remarks from their leadership about me because I…read morechallenged out of cycle fee increases (that breached their admission agreement) and also because I challenged their standard of care by advocating for my loved one, as a son and Trustee. Additionally, AG markets and is equipped for assisted living, but I feel they will keep residents beyond their care capacity in the interest of revenue. This is an ideal location for your loved one if you want them devoid of stimulii, alternating between sleeping and watching TV all day and if you have a high tolerance for unresponsive and unprofessional adminstrative staff. Amazingly, their hands on care staff are commendable, but overworked, and exhibit more professionalism than their management.

Gary and Trina are the most caring and compassionate people I have encountered in this field. Their…read morecommitment to the quality of life of their residents is unmatched. They have vast experience with people from all different walks of life. They truly do provide the Comforts of Home. Thank you for being in our community.

My 97 year old mother spent her last days here and the care that Trina, Gary and their staff gave…read moreher was incredibly better than I could have ever anticipated. They found ways to engage her, provide her with interesting activities geared to her abilities and, most importantly, feel loved and secure. Their knowledge of emotional, medical and nutritional needs was impressive, and comforting to me as her designated caregiver. She was happy there.

Outstanding lunch at a great price. 3 of us had the Alaskan grilled Cod with a lemon-cream sauce,…read moresalad, veggies, and spaghetti (really), along with dessert and drinks. Fourth person had grilled salmon- great. Plus, a beer and glass of wine for two of us. Cost? $18.00 a person. The restaurant is within the retirement community but open to the public, you just need to sign in and out, paying when you check out. Parking is tight, you need a good walk.

On the plus side: My…read moremother made some good friends at Maravilla. On the minus side: Food is generally good, but not great. Maravilla does not know how to do pastries, and deserts are often very disappointing. As a rule, vegetables are undercooked. Maravilla business practices are somewhat unfair. When one is absent for two weeks or more, one gets vouchers for half the meals that one missed. Why not all of the meals? And, why does one have to be absent for two weeks or more? Overall, I'd say that Maravilla does not offer good value for the money.