Overall sentiment across the reviews is strongly positive with repeated praise for the quality of day-to-day care, the facility’s look and feel, and the range of services and programming. Many reviewers emphasize that staff are "extraordinary," professional, caring, and provide personalized attention; residents are reported to be known individually and treated with respect. Memory care is a clear strength in the reviews: memory care rooms are described as excellent and beautiful, often with private bathrooms, and specific caregivers (Trish, MJ, Tracey) are named for being effective with residents who have dementia.
The physical environment and amenities receive consistent commendations. Multiple reviewers call the facility beautiful and brand-new (open about a year), with a modern, clean design and a variety of indoor and outdoor social spaces. Noted amenities include a dining area likened to a five-star restaurant with healthy menu choices, a whirlpool, library, movie theater, quiet rooms with soft lighting and music, a coffee house (including a popcorn machine), snack bar and occasional alcohol bar, pool/billiards, art and cooking classrooms, and multiple courtyards and patios with seating and fireplaces. The breadth of amenities creates a resort-like atmosphere that supports socialization and recreational engagement.
Activity programming and social life are another strong theme. Reviews list many daily and special activities: music, bingo, jewelry making, baking, exercise classes, movies, field trips, parties, happy hours, and events like Mother’s Day brunch. Families report plentiful opportunities for engagement and comment that there is "lots of activities," which contributes to residents being described as happy and loving the environment most of the time. Transportation to medical appointments is available, adding to convenience and continuity of care.
Despite the many positives, several consistent concerns appear across reviews and should be weighed by prospective residents and families. Staffing shortages are mentioned, and there is a notable pattern of perceived inconsistency in dementia care quality between daytime staff (praised) and overnight/weekend staff (reported as less capable of handling dementia-related behaviors). Some reviews describe serious safety or health incidents affecting residents, including multiple hospitalizations or ER visits, medication changes that increased agitation, and one or more situations that involved police or EMS. These incidents are not described as the norm, but they are significant enough to be recurring points of concern in the feedback.
Management and workplace culture issues are also raised by multiple reviewers. Some report favoritism, cliquishness, unresolved family concerns, scheduling problems, and high-stress conditions—issues that can affect communication and satisfaction. At the same time, leadership is sometimes singled out positively (director Sarah Brewer is named as a positive influence), suggesting variability in administrative responsiveness. The contrast between highly praised individual caregivers and broader management or staffing inconsistencies suggests the facility has strong front-line culture in places but may struggle with consistent staffing patterns and systems-level processes.
In summary, Villas of Holly Brook Assisted Living & Memory Care: Belleville presents as a newly built, attractive, and well-appointed community with strong programming, an impressive amenity set, and many staff members who deliver caring, personalized service—particularly in memory care. These positive attributes are balanced by real concerns around staffing levels and consistency (especially overnight/weekend dementia care), occasional serious resident incidents involving hospitalization or emergency response, and some reported management and scheduling problems. Families considering the community should weigh the facility’s high-quality environment and individualized daytime care against reports of episodic safety/medical incidents and variability in off-hours staffing and administrative responsiveness. Visiting multiple times, asking about overnight staffing and emergency protocols, and discussing how the community handles medication changes and transitions to higher levels of care would help validate whether the facility’s strengths align with a particular resident’s needs.
