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Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria

1220 Suey Road, Santa Maria, CA 93454

For pricing & availability:
(866) 374-4058
9.3
Review score
45 reviews
Add review
9.3
Review score
45 reviews
  • 5 star
    60%
  • 4 star
    33%
  • 3 star
    7%
  • 2 star
    0%
  • 1 star
    0%
See all reviews
8.9
Review score
3056 reviews
66 facilities
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Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria
SaveShare
Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria
16 photos13 floor plans
Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria in google map
street view of Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria

Katie H

Child of resident/client

4.0 out of 5 stars

our families experience

The paperwork was challenging. Once paperwork was in it's been good. Need to stay on top of them to get anything finished. Older will have a challenge with this.

Read all reviews

Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria

In the heart of Santa Maria, you’ll find the perfect paradise for retirement. This community offers resort-like amenities within a home-like environment. Neutral colors and stone hearths are throughout the community, providing a comforting and inviting atmosphere for residents. Nearby, residents can visit various parks, restaurants, and easily accessible health care services at the local medical campus. Their prime location enables residents to do everything they’d like.

This beautiful community is a proud member of Merrill Gardens — a fifth-generation family company that understands the importance of providing a family-like atmosphere for retirement. With roots dating back to the 1890s, you can trust them to care for you or your loved one. Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria offers a variety of retirement options to meet your unique needs and lifestyle. Choose from independent living, assisted living, and memory care options.

Community Amenities and Services

The goal is to help residents lead fulfilling lives built around each individual’s pleasures and hobbies. That is exactly why the incredible activities calendar is driven by residents’ interests. From fitness classes and game nights to TED talks and cooking classes, the community is dedicated to keeping residents active and engaged in every way. With the...

Senior living options offered

  • Assisted Living
  • Memory Care
  • Independent Living

Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria

Pricing

Total monthly costs depend on room type, select services, and the level of care needed

Base fees by care type

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*Prices quoted are monthly rental charges and are provided by the communities themselves. Actual prices may differ due to one-time fees, timing and care services required. Speak with your Senior Living Advisor to learn more.

Reviews

for Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria

9.3 out of 10
Review Score45 reviewsWrite a review
Overall Experience
4.5
Cleanliness
4.5
Friendliness
4.6
Care Services
4.6
Staff
4.2
Meals & Dining
4.3
Activities
4.6
Value for Cost
4.3

A Place for Mom has scored Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria with 9.3 out of 10 using our proprietary review score based on 5 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time, Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria has 45 reviews with an average "overall experience" of 4.5 out of 5.

Filters

1-20 of 45 reviews

Last Updated: 10/7/25

Overall Experience
Date Submitted
Reviewer
Care Received
Verified Review

A Place For Mom has verified the person writing the review and their connection to the community.

Katie H

Assisted Living

Family/friend

October 7, 2025

4.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review

our families experience

The paperwork was challenging. Once paperwork was in it's been good. Need to stay on top of them to get anything finished. Older will have a challenge with this.

Emir

Assisted Living

Family/friend

September 11, 2025

5.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
5.0
Care Services
5.0
Activities
5.0
Staff
5.0
Meals & Dining
5.0

Merrill Gardens Impression

The entire staff is friendly and make an effort to get to know all the residents. The administrators are very quick to ask questions if anything comes up, and are very responsive to any concerns we have.

Ginny R

Assisted Living

Family/friend

September 9, 2025

5.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review

New Beginnings at 90yo

The staff was very helpful from the front desk, intake staff and nurse. Certainly there is paperwork and an assessment but all went smoothly. Once moved in the residents welcomed my mother in law into the community. She also likes the menu so she can choose what she would like to eat that day. She especially likes the salmon dinner. The caregivers have been very helpful walking her to the dining room as she was getting acquainted with where everything is located. Highly recommend Merrill Gardens.

Anonymous

Independent Living

Family/friend

June 13, 2025

5.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
5.0
Care Services
5.0
Activities
5.0
Staff
5.0
Meals & Dining
5.0

Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria

I would rate them five on everything. They've been absolute phenomenal with my sister who is permanent resident there now.

Anonymous

Independent Living

Family/friend

March 4, 2025

5.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
2.0
Staff
1.0
Meals & Dining
3.0

Merrill Gardens, a safe and friendly environment for your loved ones as they age

Administrative staff - 0 (I expect this will get better, now that there's new management. [name removed] was really just terrible.) Food, quality and options, over the last few months, really declined. It does seem to be improving. .Activities N/A - since my mom passed away my dad is not participating in the activities at all. Oh yes, we would recommend this community to other families. It was really great while my mom was still very active. She declined very quickly due to dementia in the last three or four months. She passed away the end of [date removed]. But yes, it was a wonderful facility when she was using it to its full extent. My dad just is kind of a couch potato and doesn't want to socialize or do anything.

Anonymous

Assisted Living

Family/friend

August 20, 2024

4.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
4.0
Care Services
4.0
Activities
5.0
Staff
5.0
Meals & Dining
5.0

Caring staff. Nice facility. Great events.

What we like about Merrill Gardens is the overall cleanliness and staff and I would recommend this community to other families based on the experience I have had.

Anonymous

Independent Living

Family/friend

April 2, 2024

4.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review
Cleanliness
3.0
Friendliness
4.0
Value for Cost
4.0
Care Services
4.0
Staff
4.0
Meals & Dining
3.0

Our experience with Merrill Gardens Santa Maria

Overall cleanliness is very good however the staff is not given the time to change water for mopping in between apartments so if your not first on the route you have dirty water. Staff seem very good however management is very corporate and get around to you at their convenience and seem to assume that the residents all have some memory issues. Same two main meals for lunch and dinner and the other choices never change. The cost for a guest is now $17 for breakfast and $ 20 for both lunch and dinner. The food is average at best the service is sub par. She really doesn't participate they are the same as any retirement facility no real imagination. When entering she was told there would be increases annually but never have they been more then 3% - her first year increase was 10%.

Richard D

Independent Living

Resident/client

February 23, 2024

5.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review

Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria

Everything is working out pretty well so far. Staff is doing a good job and are very friendly.

Anonymous

Assisted Living

Toured community

July 10, 2023

5.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review

Tour experience

We toured with Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria. We thought that it was an amazing property that offered a lot of great amenities to the residents. Unfortunately, they did not offer respite care which is what we needed at the time.

Anonymous

Independent Living

Family/friend

March 14, 2023

3.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review
Cleanliness
4.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
4.0
Activities
4.0
Staff
4.0
Meals & Dining
3.0

My review of Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria

The hallways need better cleaning. Their 'in house' transportation is mostly the city. I was there over the winter holidays and there were several days where there was no one at the front desk of the "newer" building. I understand people need time off but not having anyone at the front desk and leaving it as an honor system is extremely poor as most any resident will open their door if knocked on.

Erin S

Independent Living

Family/friend

May 25, 2022

4.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
3.0
Care Services
4.0
Activities
3.0
Staff
5.0
Meals & Dining
5.0

A good community with friendly staff and friendly people

I would highlight the friendly staff and friendly people that live there. They do offer weekly housekeeping services, and transpiration to appointments and outings (at a cost). They don't offer a bunch of activities, but there is a good staff to resident ratio. My loved one likes the food; and overall I would recommend Merrill Gardens at Santa Monica to other people.

anonymous

Assisted Living

Family/friend

February 11, 2022

5.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
5.0
Care Services
5.0
Activities
5.0
Staff
5.0
Meals & Dining
5.0

Highly recommend

We chose Merrill Gardens because they had available space at the time we needed it and also I could see it was very clean, it smelled good, and all of the staff who helped us were extremely friendly and helpful. We really appreciated how upfront and honest they were with us. They have different tiers of care, they have independent living, assisted living, as well as memory care. So as needs change, you are able to increase the amount of help you are getting without having to move. I would recommend to others who are looking.

Susan R

Independent Living

Family/friend

October 1, 2021

5.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
4.0
Value for Cost
5.0
Activities
5.0
Staff
4.0
Meals & Dining
5.0

A wonderful experience

Everything has been great so far, and even though we have not been able to have a meal there ourselves we do know our loved one is really enjoying them. She also really enjoys the activities going on. The value for cost is great

Anonymous

Memory Care

Family/friend

November 10, 2018

5.0 out of 5 stars
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
3.5
Care Services
5.0
Activities
5.0

Tour Merrill Gardens, Santa Maria to appreciate the option.

My family member is doing well at Merrill Gardens, Santa Maria. The entire building is immaculate. The food services are great. Great effort is made to provide stimulating and enjoyable activities. The grounds are lovely...quiet, secure, and beautiful with numerous places to sit out in the fresh air. There is a pool; aquatic exercise is offered. There are two libraries, and there is computer access for those who do not have a personal computer. Every effort is made to create and upbeat and welcoming environment. It is not inexpensive, but the cost is less than half the cost of any facility in Santa Barbara or Santa Ynez. Fresh coffee, warm cookies, and bags of freshly popped popcorn are waiting in the lobbies all day!

Anonymous

Memory Care

Toured community

May 26, 2018

5.0 out of 5 stars
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
5.0

Clean, welcoming, happy residents, very accommodating staff. Price difference between a studio and 1 bedroom seems disproportionate.

Anonymous

Memory Care

Toured community

March 10, 2018

5.0 out of 5 stars
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
5.0

Merrill Gardens is a terrific facility. Beautiful grounds, professional staff. It is a welcoming, friendly facility. My contact [name removed] was excellent. He was very helpful, informative and answered my questions. The price was high for our budget but would be well worth it for others looking for a home.

Anonymous

Memory Care

Toured community

January 24, 2018

5.0 out of 5 stars
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
5.0

We couldn't find a fault with what we saw. We have always heard how expensive Merrill Gardens is, but all we saw was value for our money!

Anonymous

Memory Care

Toured community

October 5, 2017

4.0 out of 5 stars
Cleanliness
4.0
Friendliness
4.0
Value for Cost
4.0

This the best of the communities that we have looked at and it seems to be within our budget.

Anonymous

Memory Care

Toured community

August 21, 2017

3.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review
Cleanliness
3.0
Friendliness
3.0
Value for Cost
3.0

Just to big for my dad

This community was really nice they did a great job with my tour and they were able to answer all my question, I just felt my dad would be better off in a smaller more home like atmosphere.

Anonymous

Memory Care

Family/friend

August 17, 2017

5.0 out of 5 stars
Verified Review
Cleanliness
5.0
Friendliness
5.0
Value for Cost
5.0
Care Services
5.0
Activities
5.0

Mom's Care

We like the care at this for my mom. We like the staff and the attentiveness. The menu is wonderful. My mom is offered to do the activities with the other residents. We like the location for the family that lives close by. We would recommend this community for many positive reasons. We are happy knowing that mom is in great community.

Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria

Neighborhoods

See what the neighborhood has to offer and what’s nearby:
Map of the neighborhood around Merrill Gardens at Santa Maria

Similar communities nearby

The features and amenities that are displayed on this page contain marketing information provided by the community. A Place for Mom has not confirmed the completeness of the provided information, and cannot guarantee its accuracy. If you become aware of any information that should be updated or noted, please contact A Place for Mom. A Place for Mom uses the term “assisted living” to indicate that the community provides some level of assistance with daily living activities. It does not indicate that the facility meets official state requirements for level of care.

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