Overall sentiment about The Haven at San Gabriel is mixed but leans positive at the level of day-to-day care and physical environment, while showing significant concerns about management, communication, and some policies. Many reviews emphasize excellent hands-on care, compassionate staff, attractive and brand-new facilities, good food, and active programming. Multiple reviewers describe the culture as home-like and say residents are living comfortably and happily; some even call it a "second family" or "heaven on earth." Specific staff members (for example, "Mel") are repeatedly praised, and several summaries use superlatives such as "amazing staff," "excellent care," and "top-notch service." These comments suggest that when staffing and routines are stable, residents and families experience a very high quality of life at the community.
However, a consistent counterpoint across summaries is concern about administrative leadership and inconsistency. Several reviewers report a notable decline in care after a new director took over; others note that administration did not fulfill commitments made to families. There are multiple allegations of poor communication — for example, a family was not told about movers, and others describe obfuscation or dishonesty (an instance is called out where staff allegedly lied about the presence of a nurse). These problems manifested in serious consequences for some families: at least one resident was moved from assisted living into memory care against family concerns, and an outside assessment later indicated the move may not have been clinically necessary. Those kinds of events created distress and led at least one reviewer to withdraw or downgrade an otherwise positive recommendation.
Safety- and facility-related disruptions are another recurring theme. Reviews mention fire and water damage that forced relocations of residents within the community. While the facility itself is described as beautiful and new, these incidents highlight concerns about emergency response, continuity of care during crises, and the way those events are managed and communicated to families. Related to this, reviewers mention poorly trained staff in certain situations, and friction between frontline caregivers (who are often praised) and supervisors or district-level managers (who are sometimes described as rude or disrespectful). Specific staff roles are singled out for negative behavior, including a Chef and a district manager; reviewers also reported threats involving security personnel, which raises questions about conflict resolution practices and resident/family relations.
Putting the patterns together, the strongest, most consistent positives are the facility’s physical environment and the quality of many individual caregivers and service staff. The strongest negatives are centered on leadership, policy decisions, communication failures, and isolated incidents that undermined trust. The net effect is that many families would recommend The Haven at San Gabriel — particularly if they encounter the praised staff and experience stable leadership — but others advise caution and offer only a conditional recommendation because of the administrative and communication shortcomings.
For prospective residents and families: consider focusing your evaluation on both the frontline experience and the administrative stability. Ask to meet the current director and district manager, clarify how transfers to memory care are determined and documented, request examples of how the community handled recent emergencies (fire/water damage) and how families were notified, and get written guarantees about any commitments you are given. Ask about staff turnover, training programs, and the process for addressing family concerns. Also try to meet the specific caregivers who will be involved in daily care, since reviews suggest caregivers (named or unnamed) are often the community’s strongest asset. This dual approach — verifying the consistently praised on-the-ground care while probing leadership, communication, and emergency practices — will provide a more complete picture of whether The Haven at San Gabriel will meet your expectations.
