Safari Mobile Lodge

Pros

• The park is nice and safe, with very reasonable space rents and home prices.
• The park aims to keep it safe for residents aged 55 and older.
• It is a very nice place to live for seniors, with friendly neighbors who respect privacy and a quiet, neat environment.
• Management is excellent, and the park is conveniently located near stores with quick emergency services.
• Fia the Safari manager is awesome and takes good care of the park and its residents.
• The office and maintenance staff are helpful and friendly, and the park offers fun activities; it's a terrific place to live.

Cons

• The park does not keep people safe; there are drug addicts and homeless individuals at the front gate.
• The staff won't help residents with basic tasks like changing carpet or other required work.
• The reviewer would never recommend this park to anyone, and the prices for the elderly are outrageous.
• Some tenants were rude, harassed the reviewer, and lacked proper identification, showing unprofessional behavior.
• The actions of a few residents make the park look bad and suggest they lack basic people skills.

Review

Safari Mobile Lodge presents itself as a quiet, age-restricted community designed for seniors, and many reviews reflect a strong sense of nostalgia and satisfaction among longtime residents. Several people highlight the park as a nice place to live for 55 and older, with neighbors who are courteous, respectful of privacy, and generally easy to get along with. The grounds are described as neat and clean, and the location offers practical perks like walking distance to stores and a bus stop just half a block away. In these accounts, management is often cited as a strength, with a smooth, well-run operation that helps residents feel cared for.

From the perspective of long-time residents, the park's senior-friendly focus and close-knit feel are major draws. One reviewer emphasizes that it's a very nice place to live for seniors, noting that neighbors are friendly, privacy is respected, and the overall environment is quiet and orderly. The sentiment is reinforced by another account praising the management as excellent, and by memories of a mother who lived there for twenty years, suggesting a stable, settled community where people form lasting ties.

Management, in particular, stands out as a recurring positive thread. A consistent compliment across multiple reviews is directed at Fia, the Safari manager, who is described as awesome, professional, and genuinely attentive to both the park and its residents. The office and maintenance staff are repeatedly portrayed as helpful and friendly, contributing to a sense that the park runs smoothly and residents feel supported in their daily needs. The rapid emergency response mentioned by one reviewer also helps reinforce the impression of a well-managed, safety-conscious community.

The park's benefits are also echoed in comments about accessibility to amenities and activities. People note that the park is close to stores, with convenient access to essential services, and that there are fun activities to participate in, which enhances the overall quality of life for residents who choose to call Safari Mobile Lodge home. This positive framing aligns with the experiences of a family whose father spent fifteen years there, underscoring a lasting sense of satisfaction and stability rooted in reliable management and a welcoming environment.

However, not all feedback is uniformly glowing. Some critics acknowledge serious concerns about safety and upkeep outside the management's control. One reviewer questions the park's ability to keep surrounding safety at a high level, pointing to drug activity and homeless individuals near the front gate after a death in the community. This account highlights discomfort about external safety conditions and perceptions that the park isn't fully in control of who comes in and out, which can impact the sense of security for residents and their families. The same review also mentions a lack of assistance with in-home needs (such as changing carpet or other tasks) for residents' loved ones, which adds to the sense of missed expectations in some situations.

Another reviewer describes a tense moment during a contracted home improvement visit, where a couple of tenants harassed the worker and demanded identification, even though the person was legitimately hired to do the job. The incident is framed as unprofessional and potentially vigilante in nature, raising concerns about how some residents manage boundaries and how such interactions can reflect poorly on the park's reputation. While the issue was resolved quickly, it underscores that not every interaction within the community runs perfectly, and that interpersonal dynamics can occasionally undermine the otherwise favorable view of life there.

Taken together, the collection of reviews paints a nuanced portrait of Safari Mobile Lodge. On balance, the park appears to deliver a high-quality, community-focused experience for many seniors, especially when management is responsive and the grounds are well cared for. The 55+ designation, quiet atmosphere, and proximity to everyday conveniences are repeatedly cited as major advantages. Yet questions about safety near the perimeter, the behavior of a few residents, and the degree of support for certain needs remind prospective residents to weigh both the benefits and the potential challenges. For those seeking a longtime, well-managed, neighborly senior community with strong administrative leadership, Safari Mobile Lodge stands out as a compelling option; for others, particularly those with heightened concerns about safety and external factors, it may warrant careful consideration and first-hand visits to gauge how well the park aligns with individual expectations.

Restaurants

• Saray Restaurant (0.4 miles)
• Jack In The Box (0.5 miles)
• Mal Al Sham (0.9 miles)
• Black Bear Diner El Cajon (2 miles)
• Jack In The Box (2.6 miles)
• Sonic Drive-In (3.2 miles)
• Brigantine Seafood Restaurants (3.4 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (0.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.4 miles)
• Rite Aid (1.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.7 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (2.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.5 miles)

Physicians

• Dr Dominguez And Dr Ancona-Young Office (0.5 miles)
• Fereshteh Jahanpanah Medical Clinic (0.9 miles)
• Pushpanjalie Wijeratne, MD (1.4 miles)
• Elahe Toulouie, MD (1.4 miles)
• Kaiser Permanente Vandever Medical Offices (9.1 miles)
• West Coast Eye Care & Acuity Eye Group - Alpine (9.8 miles)
• NBHC Eastlake (9.9 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (1.4 miles)
• Starbucks (3.6 miles)
• Starbucks (4.9 miles)
• The Simple Coffee House (5.9 miles)
• Starbucks (6.7 miles)
• The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (11.1 miles)
• CroBean (11.3 miles)

Places of Worship

• El Camino Grace Church (1.6 miles)
• Foothills Christian Church (2 miles)
• Skyline Church (3.8 miles)
• Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Cathollc Church (4.8 miles)
• Corpus Christi Church (10.1 miles)

Parks

• Mount Helix Park (3.1 miles)
• Shadow Hill Park (3.2 miles)
• Town Center Community Park (4.2 miles)
• Semillon Boulevard. Mini Park (11.2 miles)

Hospitals

• Stanford Court Nursing (3.6 miles)
• Sharp Grossmont Hospital Brier Patch (3.7 miles)
• Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center/Kaiser Foundation Hospital (8.9 miles)
• Sharp Soc (11 miles)

Transportation

• Grossmont Transit Center (4.1 miles)
• Montgomery Field Airport (MYF) (11.5 miles)