Mention the words “retirement home” and most people under the age of 55 think of tapioca pudding and endless Bingo games. But the newest wave of luxury retirement homes are anything but typical, offering farm to table cuisine and as many activities as youth summer camp.
Vi Senior Living, a developer and manger of retirement communities in La Jolla, Palo Alto and Hilton Head, caters to affluent retirees. Greg Sieman, the company’s vice president of marketing, describes the retirement communities as being “a luxury hotel and country club rolled into one that offers long term care, should the need arise.”
“Vi residents are people who have had successful careers,” explains Sieman. “We have anyone from entrepreneurs who started their own business to CEOs and high level government officials.” Sieman says that the homes appeal to seniors who want to keep up their high standards of living and continue to live in a beautifully designed home, but don’t want to be tending their lawns or worrying about their roof, not mention the all-important long-term care, if needed.
A big part of Vi’s lifestyle is the amenities, which are more like continuing education in the form of field trips, discussions and classes.
Call it a “lock and leave” lifestyle that appeals to the one percent.
The Residences at Turner Hill in Ipswich, Mass. is a new development with 50 existing homes and 43 in the pipeline (16 will be completed this summer). Prices start at $1,020,000, and the homes are set on 300 acres that includes a championship golf course and an Elizabethan mansion.
Although it is not an age-restricted community, Brad Horner, executive managing director of Raveis Marketing Group, which is handling sales of the homes, says the community will appeal to high net worth retirees.
“We’re marketing Turner Hill with a very high emphasis on a carefree, active lifestyle,” says Horner. Activities will include fine and casual dining, wine lockers, tennis, swimming, yoga, Pilates and golf. Social events will be held in the mansion’s members lounge, library and study, and he points out the community’s proximity to world-class medical care in Boston and the surrounding area is also a big draw.
Here’s a look at some of the most luxurious places in the U.S. to retire in style.
Watch more business news from Fortune:
The Preserve, Tucson
Opened in 2004, The Preserve, a Robson Resort Community, has the Santa Catalina mountains as a scenic backdrop in North Tucson. Homes range from 2,517 to 3,485 square feet and feature open concept designs, spacious master suites and three-car garages. Homes can be customized with detached casitas or expanded outdoor living spaces. Amenities include a clubhouse with a restaurant, tennis court and pool. Prices start around $400,000.
Vivante on the Coast, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Residents enjoy perfect California weather along with plenty of outdoor spaces, which includes a courtyard, vegetable gardens and a dog park. Those with a green thumb can help tend to the garden and help grow produce that is used in the property’s kitchen. There’s also an indoor salt water pool, bar with live entertainment, an artist’s studio, and roof deck. Vivante also has its own hair salon, movie theatre and kid’s play area for visiting grandchildren. Each residence comes with an iPad with a custom app for service requests. Need a lightbulb changed? Just tap away. Prices start at $4,190 for a studio.
Vi at Silverstone, Scottsdale
The 33-acre Vi at Silverstone is part of a larger master planned community, and it includes an 18-hole putting golf course as well as indoor and outdoor salt water pools. Fitness activities include Zumba and tai chi, and Vi offers plenty of cultural, artistic and physical activities, both on-site and off. Guests can enjoying a string quartet concert, outings to the Phoenix Symphony, the Desert Botanical Gardens or the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction. Residences range from 1- and 2-bedroom apartments to stand-alone villas. Pricing varies based on accommodation as well as selected refund plans but residents must pay an entrance fee ($218,400 - $1,546,600) and monthly fees start at $3,270.
Atria West 86, New York City
The residents of the Atria West 86, located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, can take their pick from more than 200 events a month, which range from performances by Juilliard students, to French and Hebrew lessons to “yomenco” classes — a mashup of yoga and flamenco. The building has a rooftop terrace with a fitness center, a penthouse level salon and spa, as well as a library, media room, and reading room. One bedroom apartments start at $9,375.
Trilogy at Encanterra
Located in the Sonoran desert in Arizona, Trilogy is a new age 55+ retirement community within the Encanterra Country Club. Members can access the country club as well as a championship golf course. Some of the newly built homes, which go up to the high $700,000s, have solar panels, as well as views of the San Tan and Superstition Mountains. Beyond golf, there’s also an athletic club, full service spa, four eating venues, and three swimming pools. Residents can also keep fit at a tennis center and there’s an outdoor amphitheater for concerts and plays.
