The Manor House

    1300 Branchlands Drive, Charlottesville, VA, 22901
    4.3 · 7 reviews
    • Independent living
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    2.0

    Beautiful apartments but poor management

    I toured the place and love the historic, well-laid-out, roomy apartments, pretty courtyard and excellent location near restaurants, the senior center and gym - the front-line dining and care staff were friendly and helpful. Unfortunately I found management unresponsive and often rude, persistent short-staffing and kitchen turnover, and meals that look good on the menu but are hit-or-miss; activities are limited and transportation has restrictive timing. I wouldn't recommend it unless apartment size and location are your top priorities despite the management, food and value issues.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    4.29 · 7 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      3.0
    • Staff

      3.7
    • Meals

      3.0
    • Amenities

      4.0
    • Value

      3.0

    Pros

    • Historic, attractive building
    • Spacious, large apartments
    • Well-laid-out and well-appointed units
    • Courtyards and pleasant outdoor spaces
    • Well-lit rooms
    • Nice dining area and dining room atmosphere
    • Menus displayed / presence of a chef (reported in some reviews)
    • Calendar of events
    • Arts-and-crafts, bingo, prayer club and other social activities
    • Walking paths and lots of trees
    • Fitness activities and happy hours
    • Reliable transportation to appointments, mall, and dining
    • Excellent location near restaurants, senior center, and gym
    • Affordable option for some residents
    • Independent living with assisted living and memory care available
    • Helpful, pleasant, and accommodating staff (reported by multiple reviewers)
    • Family-friendly environment and viable option for family members
    • Good-looking meal presentation (according to some reviews)
    • Close proximity to active city amenities
    • Roomy common areas and courtyards

    Cons

    • Poor or unresponsive management
    • Rude director (reported by some reviewers)
    • Short staffing and staff turnover
    • Frequent kitchen staff turnover
    • Inferior, poorly prepared, or disappointing food quality
    • Fixed weekly menu options / limited meal variety
    • Reports that the chef is not qualified (reported by some)
    • Limited or inconsistent activity programming (e.g., exercise DVD)
    • Not a lot of activities according to some reviewers
    • Transportation timing restrictions
    • Perceived poor value for price; residents leaving
    • Old building with heavy doors and accessibility/navigation challenges
    • Difficult layout / hard to navigate for some
    • Some reviewers do not recommend the facility

    Summary review

    Overall impression: Reviews of The Manor House are mixed but consistent in certain themes. Many reviewers praise the facility’s historic, attractive architecture and generous interior space — large, well-laid-out apartments, roomy common areas and pleasant courtyards and outdoor spaces are repeatedly noted. The location is seen as a major strength: proximity to restaurants, a senior center, a gym, and other city amenities, plus walking paths and lots of trees, make it appealing for residents who value an active, walkable setting. Transportation services for appointments, mall trips, and dining are often cited as reliable and a real benefit. Multiple reviews also speak positively about friendly, helpful frontline staff and the family-friendly atmosphere, and some explicitly call out assisted living and memory care as outstanding options within the community.

    Facilities and accessibility: The building’s historic/old-hotel feel is a double-edged sword in the reviews. On the positive side, reviewers like the character, high ceilings, and courtyard spaces; apartments are described as well-appointed and spacious. On the negative side, the age of the building creates practical issues for some residents: heavy doors, an old layout that can be difficult to navigate, and other accessibility concerns are mentioned. These physical characteristics can matter a great deal to prospective residents with mobility challenges, so a careful in-person assessment of entrances, elevator condition, and apartment layouts is advisable.

    Staff and management: Comments about staff quality are mixed but clustered: many reviewers call the caregiving and frontline staff helpful, responsive, and accommodating — and several families describe the facility as a viable option for a parent. However, an offsetting and recurrent complaint concerns management. Multiple reviewers report poor or unresponsive management, and a few specifically call out a rude director. Short staffing and employee turnover (especially in the kitchen) are recurring concerns. This split creates a pattern where day-to-day interactions with aides and support staff can be positive, while higher-level administrative responsiveness and continuity appear weaker.

    Dining and kitchen operations: Dining receives perhaps the most polarized feedback. Several reviewers appreciate the dining room atmosphere, menus being displayed, and well-presented meals. Conversely, numerous reviewers describe inferior, poorly prepared food, a disappointing culinary experience, and frequent kitchen turnover. Some residents report a fixed weekly menu and limited variety; one comment characterized the on-site cook as "not a chef." The frequency and consistency of negative dining comments suggest that kitchen staffing instability and menu limitations are genuine, ongoing issues that materially affect resident satisfaction for some.

    Activities and social life: The Manor House offers a calendar of events and specific programming such as arts and crafts, bingo, prayer club, fitness activities, and happy hours, and some residents report enjoying those opportunities. At the same time, several reviewers state there are not many activities or that programming is limited — examples include reliance on an exercise DVD rather than live classes. This inconsistency suggests that activity quality and frequency vary over time or by unit, and prospective residents should request a current activity calendar and observe programming during a visit.

    Transportation and logistics: Transportation is commonly praised for providing rides to medical appointments, shopping, and dining, which multiple reviewers find very helpful. A few complaints note timing restrictions or limits on scheduling, indicating that while transportation exists and is useful, it may come with constraints that some families find inconvenient.

    Value and turnover: A pattern of residents leaving, contracts not renewed, and perceptions of poor value for the price appears in some reviews. Those concerns often tie back to management responsiveness, dining quality, staffing levels, and activity limitations. Conversely, other reviewers explicitly call the community "affordable" and the "best place" for independent living, revealing a split in perceived value tied to individual expectations and experiences.

    Recommendation and actionable points for prospective residents: The reviews indicate The Manor House can be an excellent fit for people who prioritize location, apartment size, historic character, outdoor spaces, and reliable transportation. Families frequently describe staff as caring and accommodating at the resident level, and assisted living/memory care services get positive mentions. However, prospective residents should be cautious about management responsiveness, dining quality, staffing continuity, and activity depth. Before deciding, visit multiple times (including meal times and activity hours), ask for a current staffing and kitchen-stability update, review sample menus and recent activity calendars, inquire about transportation schedules and restrictions, and confirm contract terms and cancellation/renewal practices. These steps will help determine whether the facility’s strengths align with a specific resident’s priorities and whether reported weaknesses are being addressed.

    Location

    Map showing location of The Manor House

    About The Manor House

    The Manor House sits in Charlottesville, Virginia, right in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and you'll find it's got a lot to offer seniors who want everything from independent living apartments to memory care and assisted living, all in one spot, so you don't have to move as your needs change, and people come here because they like the feeling of a real community where staff know your name and there's always something going on, from story time, game nights, and gardening to yoga and educational talks; there's a book discussion group, a resident musical group, and wellness programs like Forever Fit, plus off-site activities-even day trips to Shenandoah National Park.

    The apartments are roomy and have studios, one- and two-bedroom options, and some even have full kitchens, with ground floor units available for those with mobility needs, air conditioning throughout, and cable and internet wired to each room, and pets like cats and dogs are welcome in many units, so you'll see residents walking dogs by the shaded paths and sitting with cats in the gardens or fenced courtyard.

    You get three meals a day from professional chefs in a restaurant-style setting, with special diets like kosher, vegetarian, or low sodium available, and there's breakfast and supper during the week, with brunch on Saturdays, guest meals, and even overnight guests allowed, and you don't have to worry about chores because housekeeping, laundry, and even dry-cleaning are all offered, with free laundry rooms too, and private cleaning services available if you want them.

    For outings, there's a chauffeur-driven bus, on-site and guest parking, and free transportation, so you can get to medical appointments or go on trips with friends, and there's high-speed WiFi everywhere, with help for seniors who need internet plans or cell phones, and technology guides if you want to learn about hearing aids or medical alert systems; you'll get access to guides for Bay Alarm Medical, Medical Guardian, and ADT, plus safety features like home security, medication dispensers, and ID theft protection.

    The Manor House helps with daily living like dressing and medication, especially at Linden House for assisted living, and the memory care team is known for patience and kindness, so folks with memory problems stay safe and feel included, and you've got 24-hour emergency medical call service to set your mind at ease.

    There's a gym for exercise, a cooking club, arts and crafts, social events like happy hour, entertainment including dance or theater, and on Sundays you might find offsite devotional services for spiritual needs. Residents can relax in the recreation room, watch TV in common areas, sit outside on patios, or walk in the landscaped gardens, and the community supports independent living with services like meals, property upkeep, and transportation all included in the rent, freeing up time for hobbies or relaxing with neighbors.

    Some people come to The Manor House because veterans benefits assistance is available, and families get help navigating cost guides for memory care, assisted living, or skilled nursing, as well as planning for insurance and paying for long-term care, with access to guides and articles through VirginiaNavigator, SeniorNavigator, VeteransNavigator, and others, plus lots of resources for employment, health, financial matters, and more, and there's regular support for caregivers and aging in place too.

    All rooms are comfortable and can be decorated, the pricing is all-inclusive, and you'll find meals, social life, activities, and medical help all right on site, so active seniors can come and go as they like, others get the right level of care, and everyone enjoys a welcoming atmosphere full of warmth and neighborly spirit at the center of Branchlands.

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