Holiday Illahee Hills

Diane

I'm currently living in Holiday Illahee Hills. I like the fact that I'm on the ground floor because I could go out on my own patio. I like that it confuses people because I'm on the ground floor, and they think I'm on the second floor, but I have a patio on the ground so it confuses them. However, I don't like the fact that I don't have regular appliances or a sink. I have to go to the lunchroom to have decent meals or have very small meals in my room. I don't go down to the dining room for meals, but I can't take the meals out of my rent. They have a security thing that if you fall, you press the button and get help, but I don't wear it, and I can't take that out of my rent, too. I know it's all-inclusive, but that part bothers me because I'm paying for things that I don't use. And because of that, I can't keep living here. It's just too expensive. The food here is fine. They make them in the kitchen. They cook wonderfully, but it's not always my favorite. It's fish and sometimes I don't like fish. And a lot of the stuff has onions, and I don't like raw onions. For activities, they have painted eggs. They go places a lot on a Holiday Illahee Hills bus. They play cards, they play other games, they have happy hour, and they have a baseball game. They have a lot of different things down there.

Ann

Holiday Illahee Hills is splendid. It looks like they do a really good job. Everything is kept clean, and the people seem happy. They have activities like church services and stuff like that is good for the residents there. They have a movie night, a crafts room, a library, and things like that. The person who assisted me was very helpful. He took me on a tour of the various places that they have available, and he also showed me a few rooms. They had a demo room that was set up, and then he showed me a couple of rooms that would likely fit my price range. The dining area looked like it was just a big room with dining tables. It was already set up for dinner. They told us that it would be three meals a day, 8, 12, and 5. It's basically like a restaurant-style. They sit down and they tell the people what they want, and they bring it to them at the table. I thought the facility was wonderful.

Julie

I'm moving into Holiday Illahee Hills. Everybody was very friendly, happy, and that kind of stuff. I liked that. The room I have is very small. It's like a pear-shaped room. And I got so much stuff, and I hope it all fits in there. The atmosphere is very uplifting. They offer three meals a day and I have not eaten there yet. The dining area looked very nice and everybody was eating. So it must be good food. They take them on bus trips, and they have tai-chi or something like that.

Michael

I have been here at Holiday Illahee Hills for about a month now. It has been extremely good. I have no complaints. Any time I need something, they are extremely helpful. I have a cottage, I get 3 meals a day, and they provide all the utilities. I have a full kitchen, a washer and dryer, and a bathroom. The residents here are very nice people. We have a theater, bingo, card games, and a pool table. We have a bus that will take us anywhere we want to go. The food could be improved, though. They are priced just right, and this facility deserves an A+.

Mildred

Holiday Illahee Hills was a great place. They have laundry, crafts, and a salon, which would all be great for me. I am a people person, so I just like to be around people. It was Veterans Day when I went there and they had a beautiful setting in the dining room with flags and stuff. There was someone playing music. The dining area looked grand. It was so light and bright, and it looked so inviting. The menus were right on the table. The facility was very nice and comfortable. I used the bathroom there once and it was very clean. I'm just a little disappointed that they didn't have covered parking or garages. But I liked the facility a lot. It seemed like it was perfect for me. Jessica Johnson was great. She knew her job. She was very helpful in showing me around and then went back and showed me one that I wanted to see over. She did her job well.

Melissa

I toured Holiday Illahee Hills, and the gal that showed us around was very nice. It was a nice place, but it just wasn't quite as open. When you walk in the rooms, there were several different hallways. We didn't like that. I checked out their dining area, and it was fine. They showed where the different activities were held. It just seems like everything was spread out. We didn't like that either. They did show us where the different activities were held. It just seems like everything was kind of spread out, and I didn't like that. They have a big common area or green space in the middle that was very nice. The rooms were nice. They were comparable to the room that my dad has at another place.

Robert

We looked at Holiday Illahee Hills, and it was nice. I like the fact that they have 450-some units across the United States, and you can stay with them two weeks out of the year at different places if you want to travel. That's what I liked about it. The staff was very accommodating, very nice people as well. The rooms were dated but nice, didn't have a full refrigerator but they were adequate. They just need to update their facilities.

Donald

We have chosen Illahee Hills in Urbandale for my mom. She will be moving in this month. It's an independent community, they have 3 meals a day, 7 days a week. They have all kinds of amenities. They have different size rooms from studios to 2-bedrooms. They're a lot like other independent communities I've been into in the area. They're just a little bit less expensive than most. You pay one rate and you get 3 meals a day, cable, and utilities, and everything is paid for except for your cell phone. They have a laundry room too. They have activities, they can transport you within an 8-mile square area to wherever you want to go. They have a lot of different things which I think a lot of the other ones have. I looked at their studios, which are just one big room and a bathroom. There's the 1-bedroom, which is kind of what my mom chose, which is a one-bedroom and one separate bath. That's a separate bedroom and there's a living room and a kitchenette. All the rooms have a refrigerator, a microwave, a sink, and a countertop. I didn't look in their 2-bedrooms because those are kind of out of her range. Every time I've been there, of course, they just show me the specific rooms, but it looks like they keep it up very well. I didn't see any trash on the floor, everything seemed to be tidy and clean. I had lunch there with my mom and we thought the food was very good. The dining area is fairly large. I want to say they have about 20 to 25 tables. It's a huge place, I think. I asked the gentlemen who showed me around and he said they had 87 people living there so it's not a huge community but it's okay and they even had a spot for my mom. I think their capacity is a hundred or something. The staff who accommodated us were all right. They seemed nice and cordial. We didn't interact that much with them other than the ones that I dealt with who were nice, friendly, and upbeat.

Liza

My mom is at Illahee Hills. She has been there for four days now. It's been really good. The people are really friendly and very helpful. It was easy to get services started for her, so it's been great so far. They have a variety of rooms, but she is in a studio. There's a couple of different sized studios, and then there's one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms. They have a library, some common areas have internet, and they have a workout room. They have an activity director and multiple activities throughout the week. They also have a beauty salon. The interaction with the staff has been very good. Everybody is really helpful and friendly. After visiting this one, we just felt very comfortable with it, so we decided to go with it.

Connie

I toured Illahee Hills, and the tour was awesome. Everything's included in the rent. They serve three meals a day and they have all kinds of activities. The three meals a day was my main concern because I've been fixing mom's food, and that's a big relief that she can get out of her apartment and go eat. That will make her get out and be active. There are all kinds of activities, a lot of them, like bingo, crafts, and sing-alongs. They have movies and all kinds of things. The staff was just great. They were very informative, and they were awesome. I found out they don't have stoves in their apartment, but they have a stove downstairs if you want to cook. That's for the resident's safety, which I thought was a pretty cool deal. Her room will be a studio with a balcony. It's a nice apartment and has plenty of storage. It has a walk-in shower and a seat in the shower.

Libby

My sister moved into Illahee Hills. It's a very, very friendly community. I just think it's a very friendly, supportive community. They have additional available care if needed. They have brand new management that is doing an excellent job, they're working on a few things, trying to improve, really awesome. The food is excellent. They usually have daily activities, all different types of stuff where they get together, they have bingo, bean bag baseball, and just silly stuff, but it's all fun.

C.H.

We've been to Illahee Hills, but we didn't like that at all. Its okay for some people, but it wasn't for her. They were really nice people, including the one that gave the tour. We want something that's very clean and well kept, but it wasn't. The woman who gave the tour was really friendly and she seemed nice, but when I saw how dirty the elevator was and the floors, I didn't care for it. We saw the tracks on the elevators and the floors. It wasn't just up to par. The gal that runs the place was real nice. It's just that the upkeep is not good. The food didn't even look good to me. I said "gross, wouldn't wanna eat that." I don't think they have a very good chef because the meat looked burnt or something. The hash browns looked like they had been around for a day or two, and they were dry and burnt.

Provider Response

Mary

My brother and I stayed in Illahee Hills together. Our experience was very good until COVID hit, and then we started getting meals in our rooms. The meals weren't really good quality after they'd been through all of that. It wasn't so much their fault. They didn't offer many services because they were independent living, but they did offer three meals a day. Once COVID hit, the food was awful. They tried to serve it up individually to each room, and you didn't get much of a choice. When we first moved in, before COVID hit real bad, they had a wonderful menu, and you could pick from a variety. But when COVID hit they just put food on a plate, and that's what you get. The staff members were all very nice to us. The apartment was clean; the place itself was clean and had a nice area to be able to walk around the whole thing. They were very friendly and it was a clean place. The layout was nice. They were offering someone to clean your room every two weeks. It started out once a week but once COVID hit it became two weeks, and sometimes they wouldn't come to clean your room at all until you asked, then someone would come around. Once COVID hit everything was helter-skelter in all of that.

Sue

I visited a relative in Illahee Hills. It was really nice. I saw the dining area, the rooms, just the amenities they have there and activities. They had a big library. They had like a party when Iowa state played. They were very helpful. They had very good food.

Sandy

Illahee Hills was very nice. It was a great tour, they have a lot of amenities, but it's quite expensive. The staff was very friendly and very nice. I thought the rooms were kind of small. You do have a little kitchenette, so that's pretty small.

Donna

Our experience with Illahee Hills was very positive. We went to lunch, we toured two of the rooms available, and we saw the day room and the waiting room. It was very nice and very inviting. The food looked good. That was great. They had very nice facilities. We met with the activity director. The residents were busy and the staff members were very nice.

Alison

My father is in Illahee Hills. They're very good, the staff is great, and the place is great. We really like them. It's full service senior living. They provide three meals a day, housekeeping, and lots of things that the independent living doesn't always provide. You can hire private pay services like physical therapy and nursing. They have a TV room, an exercise room, and laundry. The staff is very friendly and very helpful. I ate there one time, and my dad always raves about the food. They have church and Bingo as well.

Jessica

Illahee Hills felt outdated. It was like car sales for senior living. The rooms were fine and very clean. The person who accommodated me was lovely in a car salesman sort of way. They're in it to make money and they have called me consistently. They have a high staff turnover, and they were very pushy. The dining area had big windows and it was bright. There were some people engaged in activities.

Provider Response

Beverly

Illahee Hills is beautiful. The staff is wonderful. The food is to die for. They have bingo, card games, puzzles, and different things going on in the TV room. My mom's apartment is nice.

VM

Illahee Hills was very welcoming and in a nice location, and the people were nice and very helpful. They had a nice calendar that outlined all their activities. They have a place where they do worship on Sundays.

Karl

I visited Illahee Hills, and it's a very nice facility. The staff was friendly and accommodating. The location is good, right in the old downtown area in Urbandale. There are not many grounds, which was kind of nice. The rooms seemed to be very nicely organized.

Jay

I visited Illahee Hills. The staff was very nice. Updating needed to be done. The one apartment that we went into had someone who just moved out, and they had the carpet stripped out. I did not see a place where everything was nice and fresh and ready to look at. They only had one place available. I understood that you could not make a resident leave the apartment just to show it. There was a smell that wasn't pleasant while walking through the place. They had two meals. The staff who showed us around was very pleasant. The dining room was very nice.

Sandra521526

Illahee Hills was an excellent place. They were very pleasant people. The rooms were very spacious. The meals were excellent, and they had very good selection. If you didn't want the main selection for the meal, there were other things that you could select. There were nice selections of salads and desserts. The activities were lots of Wii bowling, horseshoes, and crafts. They were getting ready to serve food down in the activities room when we were there, like a party. It was very nice. The grounds were beautiful.

Clarence206126

Illahee Hills was a very nice, very friendly, and excellent facility. The general cleanliness and friendliness stood out for me. They had activities and tours of places.

Gary G.500342

Our visit with Illahee Hills was great. The people there were really nice and great. It was a great place too. We looked at all of the rooms. I thought the rooms were a little larger. The food was really good. It was a little fancier than the other place we visited.

John745731

Illahee Hills was nice, but it gave more of an impression of an assisted living to where my mother is pretty independent, and I just don't think she needed that level of care. Money-wise, it was a little bit more money on a monthly basis, but it was nice and was definitely one that she considered.

Wilma127733

I moved in to Illahee Hills, and I like it here. I chose it because it's close to my daughter. Also, it is cheery, light, and bright. The rooms and dining area are very nice. There are a lot of windows, and you get a lot of outdoor light. There's a lot of art on the walls and in the hallways. The dining area is very nice, cheery, and light. The food is good. They have a very wide variety of food. It's very nice.

Scott866818

I went to Illahee Hills and thought it was excellent. The people working there were fantastic. People can be really nice when they’re trying to sell you something, but they seemed authentic and very knowledgeable. The gal that we worked with, and her husband who works there also, was very knowledgeable. They had a workout room and a beautiful, elegant dining area. The food was excellent and chef prepared. I noticed some activities, but my dad would probably do his own thing and socialize, depending on if he really hits it off with somebody. He’s not one of those people who’s looking for activities, but it did appear that there was quite a lot going on. They had a nice room for entertaining if you had somebody come to visit, and a private dining room that you could use whenever you want. If you stay in one of their facilities anywhere in the country, then you can travel and stay there for free and eat for free. I thought that was a good benefit if you like to travel, and he still likes to travel. It seemed affordable, not super expensive yet a very nice place with beautiful grounds. They seemed like they would adapt to your personal situation like if you wanted your food brought to your room, or if you need assistance of different kinds.

Carol117179950

I like Illahee Hills a lot, but it is a little expensive. They had people that come in and change our beds and clean our apartments once a week. We have TV in our room, but we don’t have a Wi-Fi. We don’t have a kitchenette, just a little refrigerator, sink, a counter, and cupboards. We don’t have a stove. The staff are very nice, and it is a very clean community. They accommodate my strict diet requirements. If they are eating bread, I will just bring down my Gluten-free bread, and they will fix my sandwich up.

Anonymous118764050

My mom is in Illahee Hills. It is clean. The personnel are helpful. We like the meals. They are very good. We like the rooms. She had a one-bedroom unit that is very nice. The price is competitive. They have a bus that will take them to appointments. She likes bingo, the ice cream socials, and the entertainment. Sometimes they have people that come in to sing and do things like that. She likes more activities.

Joyce100013450

I am in Illahee Hills. I liked it, and everything is fine. I have a one-bedroom apartment, and it is very nice. I am doing therapy three times a week. They have ice cream socials twice a week. They have puzzles and live entertainment here. There is a zoo, and they will be bringing some live animals on Saturday. They provide three meals a day, and the food is very good. It is in a nice location. It is very nice and very clean.

Wilma5

I looked at Illahee Hills Urbandale, and the facility is very nice. The rooms are nice as well. They have three meals a day, activities, and transportation. The rooms are spacious, and I haven’t heard anything negative about this place.

Caring96133650

Illahee Hills was located in one of the better parts of the town. I placed a friend there in the aide and assistance from the VA.The building was excellent. It was a newer facility. They had a microwave and a refrigerator in the room, but most of the meals were served in the general dining room. Everybody ate in the central dining area. I had lunch there a couple of times and the food was good. The staff was very good, and my friend really liked the manager.

Dorothy37

I thought Illahee Hills was very good. The staff was good. They've invited us back two or three times. They have many activities. They had Jeopardy, pool, play cards.

Caring73606050

Illahee Hills was beautiful. My experience during my visit there was great. I enjoyed the tour. The facility was beautifully maintained. Their units were very nice and they seemed to be pretty adequate. The living rooms were big, the bedrooms could be a little better but they weren't too bad, and the bathrooms were decent. Overall, I say they're pretty nice. We tried their food and it was pretty decent. They did have activities for their residents. They have a beautiful library, a big screen TV and a screening room for sports and movies, lots of games in the recreation room. They also have puzzles, exercise, etc. They have everything. They also have transportation to doctors' appointments.