Aventine at DeLand is a nice community. I've just moved in. It's gated. They have luxury apartments and villa homes. It's a very nice quiet community. It's ideal for seniors. They have villa-type homes if you don't want to be in the apartment area. They have all the appliances. The one I have happened to be a two-bedroom, two-bath. It has a patio and a nice little backyard. Then they have a clubhouse with an exercise room and a swimming pool. The staff are very friendly and very helpful. Everyone is very cordial. All the tenants in the area are very helpful, kind and everything. They have people to take care of things and any problems that you have. They have a pretty good staff. Since I'm a veteran, I spoke with the management and we're trying to set up a veteran's outreach or support group here. I think it's well worth the money.

I toured and when you first go in, it has a place where you stop. Then there are all these villas that are all connected. You can get smaller ones, which have the stove, kitchen, and everything in there. Then you can have the larger one, which has a much better and bigger bathroom. They're very nice, very clean, and really good. If you go into the building itself, there's no smell. It's very clean. There were some people out in the chairs. They have canes and wheelchairs, and things like that. I didn't see a lot of interaction. It might be because of the pandemic and that they're just not having people out and around. The marketing director was absolutely wonderful. They have a little gathering that they call a pub. They have activities, an exercise room, a place where doctors come or you can visit the doctor right on site, and things like that. I ate there, too. I would say it's mostly women, and then I saw two men. The food was very good, and I was surprised. Everything there was great. The only thing that bothered me was that I didn't see people. There was a girl at the desk, but I didn't see anybody that might be interacting with the people that are there. I may be expecting something that you wouldn't have. I didn't see people walking, like a staff member or somebody walking through or a nurse. That was the first one I've ever been in.

It had independent and assisted living. They had the outside units as well as the units in the high rise. It was nice, but the rooms were dark and most of the rooms had windows to the hallways, so you have a choice of everyone seeing you or having your room rather dark. The staff during the visit was very accommodating. The place was very nice. I really enjoyed some of it like the downstairs area, which had almost like a Parisian feel. They had a little area with the hairdresser and a little convenience store thing. It was set up like a little avenue with brick flooring, and it was very pleasant. The staff went through a lot of trouble trying to show us everything. We went to several units and looked.

Everything is included, except her cell phone. They are constantly active with something going on all the time. There are several trips a week and three meals a day. They are very close to town. They can either walk or there’s a van to take them. It is very centrally located and very nice. It is close to other family members, too. For independent living, it is fabulous. It is a villa, and we looked at one that was a two-bedroom and two-bathroom with eat-in kitchen. They have a storage room inside the villa and a garage. It is fantastic.

This place here I selected is in some ways highly regarded. The staff is extremely selfless. They even occasionally voluntarily wear t-shirts that say, "I love my residents." The room is perfect. It includes a full kitchen, a full refrigerator, and a range. It also has a full laundry, washer, and dryer. Plus, there is an excellent bathroom with a shower and tub unlike any other I’ve used before. It has a seat that is built into the wall, and there are plenty of stainless steel hand holds. At this place, it just amazes me how many different activities are available every single day, seven days a week. There are so many that they’re listed every day on a large bulletin board that changes daily.

We saw it and my parents love almost everything about that place. They love the villas. It was very nice. Once they felt like that they could get their ducks in a row and sell their house and stuff, that's probably would be their first choice. The apartments were beautiful. There was like a two-bedroom, two-bath. It was very clean. They had just gone in and remodeled one, and it was almost like going into a brand new place. The facility was very nice and very accommodating. My parents like the pool area. They also like the dining room where you can go to, but they all have their own little kitchen and washer-dryer in the unit. My parents don't need the assisted living, but if they need it later, then they have that option there as well. We didn't eat there, but the dining set-up was actually gorgeous. They have a lot of good activities too, like movie nights and cards. My parents really like that place. They have different things going on. They have two or three different days where buses came and took them to the grocery store or shopping. So there was transportation for them as well. They have a doctor onsite as well. Also we like the idea that it was gated. Nobody could just go in and out of the place.

It is a big place, and currently I am in their independent living area. They have 7 or 8 things to do every day. They have movies, exercise, lectures, shopping trips, and all those sorts of things. I like that this facility is peaceful and quiet. The food is pretty good. The staff are very good and very friendly. The only problem here is that their evening meal is from 4:30 to 6, and that seems like eating in the afternoon. I chose this facility because, when the day comes that I need help, I won't have to move again. It's a gated community, and they check the vehicles, so you have to get a pass or a little sticker on your windshield. A lot of their residents don't have cars, so they have several buses that take them to Wal-Mart or to any shopping center.