The Coves at Melville

Pros

• Dr. Ari and Dr. Yuri are simply the best.
• The front desk staff, Julia and Kim, are wonderful at what they do and make patients feel very comfortable.
• The entire staff is awesome.
• Plainview Dental is a great choice; it's the best decision.
• The complex is very nice.
• The landscaping is gorgeous and the facilities are well maintained.
• The clubhouse offers ample parking, a game area, a fitness center, and a spacious party area with a kitchen for residents' reservations.

Cons

• Residents are denied parking by the clubhouse after 9 p.m., with the complex seemingly prioritizing visitors over residents.
• Management uses a loudspeaker to rebuke residents and threatens to call the cops, while no overnight security guard is on duty.
• The complex is described as cheaply built, with the builder currently being sued.
• A new speed bump was installed in front of a parking space, forcing the resident to drive over it to park.
• An incident involving the pond led management to charge residents $50 each to fix it, deducted from their pay.
• A mother received foreclosure notices for $50 allegedly owed, plus about $600 in legal fees.
• Some residents faced lawsuits over a $50 balance, with the attorney funded by the residents themselves.
• The complex is criticized as a disgrace, with issues like broken pool chairs, chemical problems preventing pool use, and restrictive policies.
• Snow removal is described as absolutely horrible, and the main-hall alarm system is consistently broken.
• The builder is unresponsive and appears to disregard residents, causing lengthy delays and financial losses.

Review

Two very different experiences stand out in my recent notes: one gleaming and straightforward, the other a mix of warmth and struggle that leaves you weighing both the good and the bad. On the bright side, Plainview Dental has been described by many as a rare find. Dr. Ari and Dr. Yuri are praised as "Simply the Best," with the front desk team - Julia and Kim - bright, welcoming, and highly competent. The entire staff earns glowing remarks, and the overall experience is summed up as a best-possible decision to choose Plainview Dental. The sentiment is clear: the care feels personal, professional, and consistently excellent, and the patient leaves feeling genuinely well cared for. The tone is so upbeat that it's easy to feel you've hit upon a dental practice that stands apart in a field that often blends into a routine grind.

What begins as a straightforward, positive dental review, however, gradually threads through another, very different corner of life in the same area: a local 55-and-older condominium complex that elicits a wide spectrum of feelings. The initial praise is balanced by a heavy dose of lived experience - facts, frustrations, and a very real sense of how management and everyday policy affect residents' lives. The complex is described as a place with genuine potential: a 55+ community that's home to 11 buildings, each with three floors and eight units per floor; a clubhouse with a gym, a kitchen, and game areas; an outdoor pool and a pond; ample parking by the clubhouse; and a front gate staffed by friendly guards. In short, it reads like a thoughtfully designed community meant to foster quiet, comfortable living for seniors who value amenities and social options within easy reach.

Yet the narrative quickly reveals tensions that undermine that initial appeal. Several edits over the years paint a picture of a property where good intent exists alongside real policy friction. A 2025 update notes an atmosphere of heightened tension at the gate, with loud speaker announcements and, according to the reviewer, a threatened police response that has dampened the sense of safe, easy ingress and egress that residents once enjoyed. The sense that management may be "cheap" or under-resourced - no security guard on overnight shifts, decisions that seem to prioritize other concerns over resident access - casts a shadow over the once-rosy picture of a peaceful, well-run community.

Parking policy becomes a recurring flashpoint. A 2023 update describes a new rule that restricts parking by the clubhouse to visitors and those using the clubhouse between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. - a change that effectively reduces the usefulness of those spaces for residents who live there, especially when many residents have guests outside those hours. The critic questions the logic of prioritizing clubhouse visitors over long-term residents who fund the amenities, hinting at broader concerns about how decisions are made and who benefits from them. The repeated refrain is that what seems well-intentioned on the surface can feel counterproductive in practice, especially in a community that already struggles with limited parking.

There is also a candid remembrance of past reviews and a shift in perspective. A 2017 five-star impression transformed into a much harsher assessment later, with the installation of unsightly speed bumps described as "hideous," and with complaints that visitors cannot park after 9 p.m. - a trait that feels out of place in a retirement community where guests are part of daily life. The reviewer also recalls being asked to sign waivers that limit the club's liability for injuries in the clubhouse or pool, along with concerns about broken pool lounge chairs and ongoing chemical issues that made the pool unusable at times. Snow removal is criticized as inadequate, with delays that disrupt residents' routines, and an alarm system that repeatedly fails in the main halls, further underscoring a pattern of maintenance and oversight gaps.

Financial and legal frictions add another layer of tension. There are troubling anecdotes about notices and fees that feel disproportionate to their stated basis: a notice to foreclose on a debt as small as $50, accompanied by legal fees around $600, all tied to issues that residents say should never have escalated to this level. The posts describe a culture in which the community's lawyers are engaged in disputes that many residents feel could - at least in part - have been avoided with different management choices. The sense conveyed is not one of isolated incidents but of a broader pattern where small sums and administrative missteps become the spark for formal action and strained relations with the HOA.

As the years unfold, the living environment remains a paradoxically warm and welcoming place in some respects, while continuing to expose residents to practical and bureaucratic challenges. The complex is repeatedly described as "brand new" at its core, with exquisite grounds and a well-kept exterior, and it's easy to imagine why many would feel drawn to move in. The community is said to be largely composed of nice people who value a quiet, active senior lifestyle, and there are unmistakable positives: a clubhouse that supports gatherings, a gym, a kitchen for events, an outdoor pool, and a pond that adds a touch of tranquility. The front gate and its attendant demeanor contribute to a sense of safety and civility that many residents cherish, along with the potential for meaningful connections in a close-knit setting.

But the realities of daily life in such a community - design quirks, policy shifts, and the friction between residents and the management team - temper that warmth. Sidewalks and unit placement can feel cumbersome, with some residents noting a longer walk than anticipated to reach certain entrances. Changes to walkways, especially those connected to external developments, can alter routines in ways residents did not expect. And while the overall environment can feel tranquil and well cared for, there is an undercurrent of frustration with what some residents view as slow responses from leadership, an aggressive approach to enforcement, and a perception that residents' concerns are not always prioritized.

Added to this complex mix are the stories of delayed closings and unresponsive builders that blur the line between a promising new home and a protracted, stressful investment. The reviews recount parents who signed agreements well over a year earlier and found themselves caught in delays while awaiting CO (certificate of occupancy) take months to resolve. The builder's perceived unresponsiveness creates a deep sense of vulnerability for families counting on new homes and fresh starts, with some residents spending thousands on alternative accommodations as they wait for settlements that feel repeatedly pushed into the future. Across these threads, the underlying tension is clear: a community that could be a model of comfort and companionship is occasionally strained by administrative, logistical, and financial pressures.

Against this backdrop, the dual portrait emerges with surprising clarity. The dental experience at Plainview is a bright counterpoint to the condo complex's ongoing negotiation between ideal and real. The dental practice is celebrated for its care, attentiveness, and personnel, a consistent reminder that excellent service can be found in one corner of life. The retirement community, by contrast, offers a mix of strength and vulnerability: it can be a refined, well-kept home for seniors who value amenities and a sense of community, yet it is simultaneously a place where policy decisions, maintenance gaps, and legal entanglements can erode that sense of ease. Taken together, these reviews paint a textured picture of everyday life - where outstanding personal care coexists with complicated, sometimes frustrating, community governance. It's a reminder that the quality of everyday experiences often rests on a delicate balance between excellence in service and the challenging realities of management, policy decisions, and long-range planning.

Restaurants

• Gossip Bar & Restaurant (0.5 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (1.5 miles)
• McDonald's (2.6 miles)
• PDQ 351 (2.7 miles)
• Houlihan's (2.9 miles)
• McDonald's (2.9 miles)
• Chili's Grill & Bar (2.9 miles)

Parks

• Tad Lane Park (1.4 miles)
• Bethpage State Park (2.5 miles)
• Argyle Lake Park (7.1 miles)

Physicians

• ENT and Allergy Associates -Melville (1.6 miles)
• Central Nassau Guidance (3.9 miles)
• Di Giovanna Family Care Center (4.3 miles)
• Caring Pediatric Associates (5 miles)
• Dr Pillitieri (5.1 miles)
• Plainview Medical Group PC (5.5 miles)
• Maxine S. Postal Clinic (5.5 miles)

Cafes

• Panera Bread (2.2 miles)
• Starbucks (2.8 miles)
• Starbucks (4 miles)
• Starbucks (4.1 miles)
• Starbucks (4.3 miles)
• Mongo's Coffee (5.3 miles)
• Starbucks (5.7 miles)

Transportation

• Lirr - Farmingdale Station (2.4 miles)
• LIRR - Bethpage Station (3.3 miles)
• Atlantic Aviation (3.4 miles)
• LIRR - Hicksville Station (5.2 miles)
• LIRR - Syosset Station (5.4 miles)
• Lirr (5.9 miles)
• LIRR - Amityville Station (6.1 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (2.4 miles)
• King Kullen (3.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.3 miles)
• Walgreens (3.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.8 miles)
• Walgreens (4 miles)

Theaters

• Regal Ua Farmingdale (2.8 miles)
• AMC DINE-IN Levittown 1 (4.8 miles)
• Regal Deer Park & IMAX (6.4 miles)
• Regal Westbury Imax & RPX (6.7 miles)
• AMC DINE-IN Huntington Square 12 (7.7 miles)

Places of Worship

• New Hope Institutional Baptist Church (5.2 miles)

Hospitals

• Nassau University Medical Center (7.2 miles)