Holiday Kittery Estates

Independent living is the whole focus at Holiday Kittery Estates, a rental retirement community at 220 State Road in Kittery, close to the NH coastline. Holiday by Atria operates it, and residents rent private apartments by the month. The building was renovated, and the entry now opens onto an atrium filled with daylight, with updated apartments beyond it. Residents keep their own schedules and join in as much or as little as they like.

Rent covers the apartment, chef-prepared meals 3 times a day, housekeeping, linen laundry, local rides on a schedule, care of the building and lawns, basic utilities and an events calendar. Each week a group trip heads out to local sights, among them the Nubble Lighthouse and the NH coastline, which gives residents who no longer drive a way to get out along the shore.

Meals are prepared by a chef and served 3 times daily in the dining room. Families with a parent on a special diet should ask how requests are handled and taste a meal during a visit. The renovated common areas and the weekly outings give residents regular reasons to leave the apartment and spend time with neighbors.

Rental rates exclude personal care and medication help, and some rates exclude phone, cable or internet. Ask for the monthly inclusions in writing, ask how new residents are introduced to neighbors, and compare other choices through senior living in Kittery.