The Club at Melville

Pros

• Plainview Dental is described as fabulous, with Dr. Ari and Dr. Yuri regarded as simply the best.
• The front desk staff, Julia and Kim, are described as wonderful at their jobs and making patients feel very comfortable.
• The entire staff at Plainview Dental is described as awesome.
• The Club at Melville is described as a very nice, quiet place for senior living, with gorgeous landscaping and well-maintained facilities.
• The club amenities include a clubhouse with game area, fitness center, and a spacious party area with a kitchen; there is also a pool and a pond.
• The front gate guard is described as very nice.
• The grounds are described as exquisite and well kept, with very nice people in the community.
• The development is described as selling quickly (selling like hotcakes).

Cons

• This place is an awful terrible place.
• It's been built so cheaply that the builder is actually being sued.
• Hideous speed tables put in. Looks like a 5 year old painted them.
• Visitors can't park in spots after 9 PM.
• Snow removal is absolutely horrible.
• Alarm system is consistently broken in main halls.
• Neither management or our "so called board" have little interest in helping with a problem.
• BUILDER IS UNRESPONSIVE and apparently doesnt care people have probably lost thousands of dollars trying to pay rate locks on mortgages for months/a year.
• This is actually theft and I hope the residents here decide to file a suit against management.

Review

Two very different experiences thread through the same set of writings: an exceptionally glowing endorsement of a dental practice, and a long, sometimes furious airing of grievances about a retirement or 55-and-older condo complex. On one hand, Plainview Dental is praised as a standout, with Dr. Ari and Dr. Yuri described as "simply the best," and the front desk team - Julia and Kim - repeatedly praised for making patients feel comfortable. The overall staff and the service atmosphere are considered outstanding, leading the reviewer to declare that choosing Plainview Dental was "the best decision ever" and to extend warm, hopeful sentiments to everyone at the practice. The tone here is jubilant, affectionate, and unequivocally positive, conveying a sense of trust and satisfaction with the dental care received.

In sharp contrast, the bulk of the rest of the text concerns a 55-and-older condominium complex and its management, a place the author describes in alternating terms as a "very nice complex" and, over time, as a place that has deteriorated into a series of frustrating, sometimes frankly infuriating experiences. Early on, the writer acknowledges appealing features: a "nice quiet place for senior living," well-kept landscaping, and well-maintained facilities. There's a sense of community pride in the amenities - the clubhouse with a gym and kitchen, a separate game area, a spacious party area, a pool and a pond, ample parking, and generally courteous staff, including a front gate guard described as "very nice." These elements collectively paint the club as a place with real potential and attractive features for its residents.

Yet the narrative quickly shifts to persistent concerns about how the complex is actually run. Several updates reveal a string of policy changes and practical problems that many residents find burdensome or unfair. A notable grievance is a new rule restricting parking: visitors and clubhouse users are allegedly prioritized, and after 9 PM, parking by the clubhouse becomes effectively impossible for residents, even though the clubhouse is supposedly not in use overnight. The reviewer also mentions a separate, odd grievance about a guard or "mayor" who yelled at a person for stepping on the grass, highlighting a perceived overbearing or arbitrary enforcement culture in the community's entrance and grounds upkeep.

The complaints expand to maintenance and safety concerns. The author describes the installation of "hideous speed tables" that looks childish and poorly done, while also noting ongoing infrastructure issues like an alarm system that supposedly runs poorly and a pool that was not usable due to chemical problems. Snow removal is labeled as absolutely horrible, with the claim that the writer had to miss work because no one cleared paths or roads in a timely fashion. The sense conveyed is that management or the board has become inattentive or ineffective, with the author repeatedly questioning why residents pay sizable HOA fees if basic concerns - like safe, reliable access and proper maintenance - are not being adequately addressed.

Financial and legal grievances form another thread of the story. The reviewer recounts a controversial incident in which fish were placed in the pond and residents were charged $50 each to fix what was damaged, with money allegedly deducted directly from residents' deposits. This is described as theft, and the author suggests that residents should consider legal action. Another troubling episode involves a notice of foreclosure over a debt the author claims is not owed, accompanied by substantial legal fees. The sentiment here is one of outrage at what is perceived as heavy-handed, punitive, and perhaps unlawful financial practices by management.

The narrative also documents lengthy construction and occupancy issues tied to a broader backstory involving builders and delays. The author recounts almost a decade-long saga: signs that a builder was slow to close on units, with promises of completion that repeatedly proved false. The frustration is palpable as families await COs (certificate of occupancy) and face significant financial and personal disruption - from selling homes elsewhere to spending thousands on temporary housing. The tone shifts between sympathy for the residents' difficult situation and anger at the builder and management for what is portrayed as unprofessional conduct and a lack of accountability.

Throughout, there are glimmers of positive memory and hopeful aspiration. The complex is described as having "brand new" status in some reviews, with references to exquisite landscaping, beauty in the grounds, and the prospect of a first-class community designed for the 55+ demographic. There are mentions of mature, contented residents, a club with desirable amenities, and a sense that the place could be wonderful if certain management practices and structural issues were addressed. There is also a sense of community tension - some reviewers who have lived there for many years note the differences between expectations and reality, and speculate about how changes in policy, maintenance, and financial management affect the daily lives of residents.

Taken together, the writings present a two-faced portrait. The dental practice emerges as a beacon of dependable, friendly, high-quality care, with staff who go above and beyond to create a welcoming environment. By contrast, the condo complex is depicted as a place with real, tangible benefits and appealing features that attract residents seeking quiet, comfortable aging-in-place, but it is also a place where major management, maintenance, and financial issues have created a sense of distrust and frustration among long-term residents. The contrasts are stark: exemplary patient experience and dental care on one hand, and a sprawling, emotionally charged, sometimes litigious homeowner experience on the other. For readers, the takeaway is nuanced - cherish the positive, care for the practical, and recognize that even communities with strong starting points can struggle under dynamic management, aging infrastructure, and the evolving expectations of their residents.

Restaurants

• Gossip Bar & Restaurant (0.7 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (1.2 miles)
• PDQ 351 (2.5 miles)
• Houlihan's (2.5 miles)
• Chili's Grill & Bar (2.6 miles)
• McDonald's (2.9 miles)
• McDonald's (3 miles)

Physicians

• ENT and Allergy Associates -Melville (1.9 miles)
• Dr Pillitieri (4.2 miles)
• Di Giovanna Family Care Center (4.5 miles)
• Central Nassau Guidance (4.7 miles)
• Maxine S. Postal Clinic (5 miles)
• Advantage Care (5.5 miles)
• Caring Pediatric Associates (5.6 miles)

Parks

• Tad Lane Park (2.4 miles)
• Bethpage State Park (2.9 miles)
• Argyle Lake Park (6.1 miles)
• Brentwood State Park (7.6 miles)

Transportation

• Lirr - Farmingdale Station (2.5 miles)
• Atlantic Aviation (2.9 miles)
• LIRR - Bethpage Station (4 miles)
• Lirr - Lindenhurst Station (5.6 miles)
• LIRR - Amityville Station (5.7 miles)
• Deer Park Station Lirr (6.1 miles)
• LIRR - Hicksville Station (6.1 miles)

Theaters

• Regal Ua Farmingdale (2.5 miles)
• AMC DINE-IN Levittown 1 (5.4 miles)
• Regal Deer Park & IMAX (5.5 miles)
• AMC DINE-IN Huntington Square 12 (7.3 miles)
• Regal Westbury Imax & RPX (7.7 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (2.5 miles)
• Panera Bread (3.2 miles)
• Starbucks (4.5 miles)
• Starbucks (4.5 miles)
• Starbucks (5 miles)
• Starbucks (5.2 miles)
• Mongo's Coffee (6.2 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (3.4 miles)
• Walgreens (3.7 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.9 miles)
• King Kullen (3.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (4.2 miles)

Places of Worship

• New Hope Institutional Baptist Church (4.8 miles)