The Conservatory at North Austin

Jewell

I enjoy The Conservatory at North Austin (Formerly The Conservatory at Wells Branch). It's large. Right now, they're undergoing almost a total staff change. They're moving in far too many people who are not living independently and who are borderline or in the early stages of Alzheimer's or dementia. They are too slow in getting around and need walkers and other assistance or even full-time caregivers. I am 73 and I was told that the average age would be 74 to 76, but they have a lot of people in their 90's here. Other than that, I like the place. I love the employees for the most part. It has a theater, a swimming pool, a very good activities director, lots of things to do, buses to doctors' appointments, to the mall, Walgreen's, the post office, banks, and grocery stores. They have a full dining service, three meals are served buffet style each day, and there's a good selection. There's a salad bar, three entrees, four vegetables, a soup, pies, cakes, ice cream, and plenty of dessert choices. It's very pet friendly as long as the pet is well behaved and kept out of the common areas. The rent increases are far too much. The housekeepers are very nice and very helpful. Sometimes the menus are a little strange and sometimes the food quality is not the best.

Jennifer

I'm already living at The Conservatory at Wells Branch. It's beautiful. Everybody is very kind and very helpful. There are lots of activities going on. They have lots of outings, lots of exercise, and happy hour too. They have a pool, they have a dining area that is cafeteria style, and then they have a bistro for lunch, which is nice. So that's all very good. The food could be a little bit better, but everybody wants fried food here, and I don't. However, I talked to the chef and he is going to put in some food for me.

Debbie

We went to the Conservatory, and it was beautiful. Everybody there was happy, they said the food was awesome, and it smelled and looked good. They have a swimming pool, and an activities director, but my parents want to be near me.

Hilda512

I visited the Conservatory and was so impressed! The staff there was so friendly, we had a delicious lunch and they made my mother feel so welcomed! Residents went out of their way to introduce themselves to us and the apartments were beyond expectations. I would definitely recommend this facility as it was clean, taken care of and had a top knot here staff!

VAD

The Conservatory had tables in the hallways that are so dirty that my daughter wrote her name on them. They’ve got flower arrangements that I don’t think have been shaken out of the dust. The staff was OK, friendly, and appeared to be very nice. Some of the apartments are very far from the dining room; you have to go outside and come back inside to go to the dining room.

mcarrasco

I have been living at the Conservatory for three weeks now. "Wow"", what a wonderful place to call home. I feel like I am on a 365 day cruise! The management staff and employees are great, the food is excellent, the seniors who live here are happy, and the facility is first class. On top of that, the Conservatory was one of the least expensive places I found before choosing to live here.

Laurie42

I went to The Conservatory at Wells Branch. I didn't like this as much, primarily because it depends on where you're staying. They have at least two buildings and depending on what building you're in, if you're in a building that doesn't have a dining hall, you have to walk outside and I think that's a problem. When you go inside, you have to go up steps, and I think that's also a problem for the residents who are not mobile. The staff seemed to be very nice people though, and the room that I saw was very nice. It was more like an apartment. One thing I will say though, it seemed very dreary. It wasn't colorful, and it seemed very dark. I would want to be in a place that has a cheerful environment, and I didn't see that there.

Hilary1

I liked The Conservatory a lot. The people had to serve themselves, which would be fine for my mother, but it would be hard for other people that were not as mobile. The rooms were very nice with lovely, ornate furnishings, but the lighting is dark. The atmosphere is homey.

Caring114040650

The Conservatory at Wells Branch was nice. We did eat there, and what we had was good. The entertainment they had was very nice and interesting. The staff was very cordial. Overall, it was very nice. It was a pleasant place, everything was attractive, and the people seemed friendly.

Caring113454450

I visited the Conservatory at Wells Branch. It's a clean place. The people were very nice. I ate lunch there, and the food was very good. They have a swimming pool and a game room, and they also have a room that is setup like a movie theater.

Caring112557250

I have moved already to the Conservatory at Wells Branch, and it was a very satisfactory move. They take good care of us, and we are fine. I have a one-bedroom apartment with a bath, a full kitchen, and washer and dryer connections. It is 700 sq. ft. and just what I need. There is a separate dining room for the entire place here, and it is very efficiently run. They have a library, an exercise room with machines for exercising, and a general purpose room where they have dances and that kind of stuff. I visited several in Austin, and this is the best deal I have ever found.

Caring112011150

My daughter is at The Conservatory at Wells Branch. They are really helpful. It is a very pleasant atmosphere, and the food is excellent. They have a wide range of activities. My daughter is in a private apartment. It is working quite well. She is happy there. The best thing about this facility is that they are willing to work with us.

Alnita

The apartments at the Conservatory at Wells Branch were beautiful. The décor and the place itself was beautiful. The dining room was rather small and you get 1 ½ meals. Their price was great, but 1/12 meals is not what we were looking for. Mom and dad went for a tour and lunch, and they didn't really like the food that much. They have one elevator, which I didn't like because if it breaks out, then what? They could probably improve on the food. It was good, but it could have been better. The staff was extremely wonderful and friendly; even the residents were very warm and friendly. They all seemed very happy. It seemed like a really nice place. It just wasn't the right fit for my parents.

Joy12

The Conservatory was a very nice community. It looked like a fancy hotel. They kept it clean. They were very accommodating and the food was great. They had a beautiful pool. They had a movie theater. They had a calendar of activities.

Alison4

I've been staying in The Conservatory for more than a year now. The accommodation is fine. I have a 2-room apartment. We are served one meal a day and the food is good. There's also a bistro in the morning where we go for hot cereal and little goodies. They also provide entertainment and lots of recreation or social activities here for us. It works quite well. I am very happy and content and I plan to continue my stay here.

Jan11

I looked at The Conservatory at Wells Branch and it was a clean facility. It had a nice outdoor pool, the food was wonderful, and the people were friendly. However, the different buildings were in different walkways, I thought it was better if the apartments were just in one building.

wjb1tex

My wife and I have lived at The Conservatory for just one year. After visiting most of the retirement communities in the area we chose The Conservatory for several reasons. Good food, nice facilities seemed to be the norm at most of the others. But other, less obvious, benefits of living here made this the right choice. There are more men here than the others which makes a much better mix. There are many more activities here than any other place we visited and there are more "younger" seniors which also makes for a good mix. One thing that we discovered, much to our great pleasure, is that the management is very open to new activities or events and always give serious consideration to suggestions and ideas about how to improve our standard of living. It has been everything and more than we expected. By the way the food and facilities are great here too.

emrfd

My father and I toured the Conservatory at Wells Branch. While I'm not too keen on the name (a "conservatory" is typically a college for music), we were impressed during our tour of the facility. The Conservatory is upscale and very elegant with beautiful architecture and a large pool and spa. I was informed that there is a Social Director, whose full-time job is to plan fun and unique activities for residents. One thing dad especially liked was the arts and crafts studio. In addition to the arts and crafts studio, we visited the residents lounge, movie theater, dining room, and business center. We were told that the Conservatory offers a variety of fitness and wellness classes, including water aerobics, Pilates, and Tai Chi. As far as housing goes, they have one and two bedroom floor plans, with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. An added plus is that you can do laundry inside your housing area. Each unit has individual washer/dryer connections. Despite the unusual name, the Conservatory is a nicely designed, attractive, and efficiently-run community.