Century Village at Boca Raton

Pros

• It is a great place to live with amenities including 15 pools, a movie theater, a concert theater, a top-notch gym, pickleball, and card rooms.
• Century Village is a wonderful experience; it is well kept and offers lots to do.
• The grounds and facilities are impeccably maintained.
• The clubhouse is expansive, offering indoor and outdoor pools, a gym, tennis courts, a billiard room, and multiple social spaces.
• It is a terrific 55+ active community with endless amenities.
• The community provides convenient buses for shopping and outings.
• It is a secure, well-managed, gated community with friendly neighbors and strong security.
• Residents describe the atmosphere as peaceful, quiet, and friendly, with plenty of activities to enjoy.

Cons

• Renting here is described as an absolute nightmare due to owners and the HOA blocking the process.
• The HOA is accused of blocking rentals and giving conflicting directions, making renting a waste of time.
• The management is not responsive and treats residents as old and helpless.
• It's ridiculous that ten apartments share a single washer and dryer.
• The community is too crowded and transportation is too expensive.
• A security guard was extremely rude and disrespectful, refused bathroom access to a resident, and demanded a $2 pass, treating residents like criminals.
• HOA fees are very high, over $700.
• The dumpsters are unsanitary for seniors, and a call to the HOA office reportedly ends with a rude hang-up.
• The security staff were described as hardly speaking English and not performing their duties.
• There are nosy neighbors and many rules; renters may be treated as outcasts.

Review

Century Village Boca is clearly celebrated as a sprawling, all-in-one retirement community that aims to be a self-contained paradise for 55 and older residents. Reviewers repeatedly point to a wide array of amenities that feel like a small town in themselves: a large clubhouse, a theater for concerts, a movie theater, multiple swimming pools (with as many as 15 in some references), a gym, pickleball, billiards, card rooms, craft spaces, and active social life. People describe it as a place with "everything" you could want for an active senior lifestyle, including live performances, three free-along-the-way movie nights each week, and a robust calendar of activities. The property is repeatedly characterized as well kept and well maintained, with plenty of opportunities for socializing and staying busy, which makes it appealing to many seniors looking for security, organization, and community in one package.

Beyond the raw amenities, several reviewers emphasize the social and atmosphere advantages. The community is described as quiet, peaceful, and well suited for retirees who want to stay engaged without leaving the neighborhood. There are references to organizing buses to take residents to stores, multiple pools within different sections, and a strong sense of belonging: "wonderful retirement community," "great place to live and dance on Saturday," and "great for the 55+ crowd." People talk about the wide range of facilities enabling countless activities - from water aerobics and tennis to movies and live stage shows - creating a vibrant social ecosystem where neighbors meet, interact, and support one another.

That said, the sentiment is not uniformly rosy. A recurring thread across many comments is the impact of the homeowners association (HOA) and the management on daily living. Several reviewers describe HOA fees as high and continually increasing (some notes exceed $700 per month), which frames the sense of value against cost. Other reviews highlight management responsiveness as a weakness: responses that are slow or perceived as dismissive, and a feeling that the management's tone toward residents - especially older ones - can be curt or "exhausting." Some residents imply that the management and HOA rules can feel restrictive or opaque, complicating basic decisions like renting out a unit or engaging with the rental market.

Renters and those trying to lease units express a particularly fraught experience. Across multiple accounts, prospective renters encounter what they describe as a "blocked" or overly complicated process. One reviewer notes more than a hundred units being available to rent at one point, yet the process was so hindered by conflicting messages from rental agents and the HOA that it felt like a game. The sentiment is that if the HOA doesn't want units rented, they should simply state that policy clearly rather than letting it drag on with administrative friction. The overall message is a caution that even in a large community with many units, navigating rental rules can be a substantial hurdle.

Security and customer service also appear in mixed light. Several entries applaud the overall security of the community - "good security," "gated with a guard," "lots of parking" - but there are notable exceptions. One highly negative incident describes a front-desk security experience so fraught that it became a defining memory for that reviewer: a guard allegedly refused bathroom access and required a paid pass, with a hostile and unhelpful attitude toward a resident who was in distress and seeking basic human needs. The reviewer, a relatively elderly individual trying to navigate the heat and immediacy of needing relief, frames the episode as a stark example of how customer service can miss the mark, leaving residents feeling unsafe or disrespected. Another note mentions staff who speak English poorly or do not perform well in their security roles, which feeds into a broader worry about the consistency and quality of on-site management and security personnel.

In addition to the institutional dynamics, there are practical concerns some reviewers raise about daily life. The physical footprint of the community - large, with many sections and multiple pools - can translate into a sense of being crowded in certain circumstances, or of navigating long walks or transit within the campus. Some residents mention issues with the large dumpsters and a desire for improved sanitation and better amenities like hand sanitizer near waste stations, signaling that even in a well-regarded environment, small but meaningful improvements matter to residents who spend their lives in close-knit, community-oriented spaces. A few comments also reference the sheer size of the community, noting that a huge number of units means a diversity of experiences, some of which may not align with every individual's expectations of quiet, privacy, and neighborly relations.

Overall, Century Village Boca emerges as a place of great opportunity and vibrant activity for those seeking an active, socially rich retirement life in Florida. Its amenities and well-kept grounds provide a strong foundation for a fulfilling lifestyle, with opportunities to dance, attend theater, participate in clubs and classes, and enjoy a sense of safety and structure that many seniors value. At the same time, the experience is not uniform. The cost of living, the sometimes challenging HOA and management dynamics, and occasional negative interactions with security staff temper the overall appeal for some residents. For anyone considering moving here, it seems essential to do thorough due diligence: weigh the high fees against the breadth of facilities, investigate rental policies and processes in detail, and talk to current residents about both the logistics of daily life and the responsiveness of the management team. For many, Century Village provides a welcoming, activity-packed, and secure environment that supports an active and social 55+ lifestyle; for others, it demands careful navigation of bureaucracy and cost, with real care needed to ensure it matches personal expectations for retirement living.

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (1.1 miles)
• Walgreens (1.6 miles)
• Walgreens (2.8 miles)
• Winn-Dixie (3.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.5 miles)
• Walgreens (3.6 miles)

Restaurants

• Yokohama Sushi (1.4 miles)
• Wendy's (1.4 miles)
• Miller's Ale House - West Boca (1.5 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (1.5 miles)
• Blaze Pizza (1.6 miles)
• Casa Tequila (1.6 miles)
• McDonald's (1.6 miles)

Theaters

• Regal Shadowood (1.6 miles)
• Cinemark Premier (4.6 miles)

Hospitals

• West Boca Medical Center (2.4 miles)
• Christine E. Lynn Womens Health Center (5.6 miles)

Parks

• Boca Tierra Park (2.8 miles)
• Powderhorn Park (3.3 miles)
• South County Regional Park (3.3 miles)
• Mizner Bark Dog Park (4.2 miles)
• Pine Trails Park (6.9 miles)
• Terramar Park (7.4 miles)
• Spanish River Park (7.5 miles)

Physicians

• RevaMed Primary Care Associates (3.3 miles)
• Diagnostic Centers Of America (4.9 miles)
• Cohen Medical Associates (4.9 miles)
• Boca General & Family Medicine (5.2 miles)
• Retina Group of Florida (5.2 miles)
• Personal Physician Care PA (5.4 miles)
• Baptist Health Marcus Neuroscience Institute | Boca Raton (5.6 miles)

Places of Worship

• Congregation B'nai Israel (3.4 miles)
• B'nai Torah Congregation (4.6 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (4 miles)
• Starbucks (4.2 miles)
• The Seed (4.4 miles)
• Starbucks (5.2 miles)
• Starbucks (5.2 miles)
• The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. (6.4 miles)
• Starbucks (6.7 miles)