See also:
The Villages vs. Citrus Hills
The Villages vs. On Top of the World
The Villages vs. Tradition
Introduction
Check out the most popular forums frequented by residents and prospective residents of The Villages, and you'll see that one of the most often discussed community (other than The Villages itself, of course) is Solivita.
Solivita is a national award-winning retirement community located in Kissimmee, approximately an hour and a half south of The Villages. Solivita has seen a number of builders/developers over the years, but right now it is being built by Taylor Morrison, a national builder well-known for their expertise and experience in the 55+ market.
In many ways Solivita is similar to The Villages, but as you'll find is the case with most of our other head-to-head comparisons, Solivita is much smaller in size.
Location
The biggest complaint a lot of people voice about The Villages is the location. Besides what's immediately available right there in the community (and granted, it's a lot!) there's not a whole lot else around.
You might be able to find everything you need in nearby Ocala, Mt. Dora, or Leesburg, but you're a pretty good distance away from the amenities bigger cities like Orlando and Tampa have to offer.
People who want to feel like they've got more options close by may want to check out Solivita. While it's not directly in Orlando, it still sits in what's called the “Attraction Zone”, so it's near the theme parks like Disney, plenty of restaurants, and all the shopping and entertainment options you could imagine.
Editor's Note:
If you enjoy this sort of thing, in my private, member’s only community for future Florida retirees, I’m comparing lots of other popular Florida retirement communities just like you see here. Learn more here… (opens in a new window)
A lot of people I know get part time jobs at the theme parks after they move to Florida for retirement just to keep busy and help fund vacations and such.
If something like that is on your radar, Solivita would be the perfect location for it.
Amenities
There's really no comparison to the array of amenities offered in The Villages.
To keep more than 130,000 people satisfied, you have to offer a lot of things for them to do, and The Villages does just that.
As is to be expected, along with a smaller community comes fewer amenities, but the ones they do have at Solivita are first class.
While some communities try to cram everything into one giant recreation center, Solivita's amenities are spread out across a handful of centers, much like The Villages does with their recreation centers and other amenities.
The Waterfront Galleries include a two-story art and ceramics studio, fully stocked library, three computer labs and game room.
The Riviera Spa and Fitness Center encompasses indoor and outdoor pools, two spas, an indoor track, a dance studio, and sauna.
The upscale resort-style complex The Palms spans 19,000-square-feet showcasing an expansive fitness center, aerobics studio, residents’ business center, members’ club, a 4,000-square-foot heated outdoor lap and splash pool, fireplace piazza and social gathering deck. There are also two heated spas, seven Har-Tru tennis courts, 11 pickleball courts and two lighted bocce ball courts.
This video provides a pretty awesome look at some of the amenities you'll find in Solivita:
Like The Villages, Solivita is a golf cart community, so getting around is a cinch. And, with 4,300 acres of Florida’s natural beauty, there’s plenty of great outdoors to explore. You can even walk, jog or bike the scenic five-mile walking path.
Lifelong Learning
Interested in continuing to learn and grow as a person in retirement?
Both The Villages and Solivita have you covered!
The Villages offers what they call The Enrichment Academy. It used to be called the Lifelong Learning College but that entity was dissolved due to a lawsuit back in 2016.
Every week at Solivita dozens of classes are available to strengthen your body, enrich your mind and make your spirit soar.
Here’s just a sampling of the classes and programs offered at Solivita:
- Aqua Dynamics
- Step Aerobics
- Tai Chi
- Yoga
- Zumba
- Ceramics
- Watercolors
- Oil Painting
- Jewelry Making
- Pottery
- Stained Glass
- Calligraphy
- Photography
- Ballroom Dancing
- Mah-Jong
- Wine Tasting
- … and more.
Again, as is the theme here, fewer choices than they offer in The Villages, but still a great lineup of things to learn and experience.
Two Championship Golf Courses at Solivita
The Villages has more golf courses than any other community in the world!
There's no denying that.
But what I've found in my many years of covering The Villages is that people tend to play the same 4 or 5 courses over and over again.
So do you really need more than a few courses?
Solivita has the Stonegate Golf Club which features two Championship golf courses, The Oaks Course and The Cypress Course.
Designed by Ron Garl, The Oaks Course is bordered by a hundred-year-old oak tree strung with hammocks for shady lounging, lush colorful greenery and abundant streams and lakes. Meticulously created to blend in beautifully with Solivita’s 4,300 acres of natural wetlands and hardwoods, this 18-hole, 7,000-yard masterpiece rewards you with exquisite views and an unmatched golfing experience.
Originally designed by Devlin / Von Hagge and recently modified by renowned golf architect George Clifton, The Cypress Course is a 6,800-yard course is home to sparkling lakes and water features complemented by white-sand bunkers. The Cypress golf course proves challenging to even the most experienced golfers.
The Homes
Kind of like The Villages has separate neighborhoods or “Villages”, homes at Solivita are spread throughout a collection of welcoming neighborhood enclaves.
The Villages currently offers 6 different home series, ranging from “Patio Villas”, which are going to be your smaller less expensive options, to their “Premier Homes” that are the biggest and most expensive.
Similarly, Solivita has built a variety of different styles and floorplans over the years, but right now they only offer a handful of floor plans from which to choose.
These homes have open floor plans, bright kitchens, stunning great rooms, spacious and dual owner’s suites, luxurious baths, and inviting outdoor living spaces.
If you want a ton of variety and options, you have to give The Villages the edge in the home styles department. But if you prefer to have to sort through fewer styles to find the one you like, you might go with Solivita here.
As far as pricing goes, the two places are similar with new homes starting around $300k. Resales are available in both communities for less, but some of the lowest priced homes available in The Villages are mobile homes, and there aren't any of those in Solivita.
Want to Learn More About Solivita?
If you're considering communities like The Villages, but are of the belief that bigger doesn't always mean better, Solivita is definitely worth a look.
You can get more information about Solivita here:
Joe and I have lived in Solivita for almost 17 years, and we ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! We are originally from Brooklyn New York, so we know traffic. Therefore, the traffic doesn’t bother us. Yes, with the population growing in Poinciana, traffic will undoubtedly be a problem for many. However, we plan and will continue to plan our excursions for doctors appointments, shopping, etc… The advantage we have, is that we are retired, and can choose what time we do what. The activities/events, and amenities within Solivita keep us as busy as we choose to be. Our home, socializing with our friends, and the environment of our community also gives us the option of being as laid back as we want to be. We have ABSOLUTELY NO REGRETS making the decision to live here, in Solivita! ❤️
I have lived Solivita for 4 years. I doubt I will ever move. It’s a beautiful, well maintained community with over 200 clubs, multiple activities, etc. the people are friendly and interesting. Inside the community is a wonderful, very convenient drug store, wonderful gyms and pools, many hobby and sports places, a spa, a rehab center, two gyms, 14 pools, 2 golf courses, a library, a ballroom, etc.
It’s advertised as having 3 restaurants, but this is untrue. One restaurant, Mosaics, is very good, but only open a couple days a week. It is often closed last minute for private parties. This is frustrating to diners, and many have given up on even trying to eat there. The Grille closes at 8 pm and only has 5 sand which options at lunch, plus a hot dog or hamburger option, with 3 salad options. After 4:00, there are 5 more dinner options. The service is indifferent. The Bistro, supposedly a sandwich shop offers a few expensive sandwiches, pastries and such like you might get at 7-Eleven in cellophane packages and pizza. If you order a whole fresh made pizza, it’s good, but if you want to buy by the slice, it’s been sitting under a heat lamp all day. So the options for dining in Solivita are all pretty terrible.
Shopping and dining options outside Solivita are slim. It’s a very low income area which does not attract middle-class shopping and dining opportunities. Unless you like fast food, you have to go 10-15 miles away, which might not sound bad, but the traffic is so bad, the drive will be 30 to 45 minutes. Even to go to the local grocery store or the nearby fast food restaurants can take 20-30 minutes. There are planes to make the 4-lane parkway into 10 lanes with six lanes elevated which should help tremendously, but some people are NIMBYs and have started a lawsuit to prevent it. Traffic is really a bad problem in the area.
The houses are beautiful and there are about 50 different floor plans if you count all the varieties built in the last 23 years. The landscaping is beautiful and well maintained. It’s a very pleasant place to live except for the restaurant and traffic problems.
We have lived in Solivita for just over a year now. We like that you can walk or drive your golf cart to the main village and eat lunch or dinner at one of the three restaurants and the drug store is great for picking up prescriptions and getting other items without leaving Solivita. Solivita is getting close to building it’s last new homes in the next year or two, but there are many resales available. We like the sense of community in our neighborhoods and also like that it is not too large like the villages are. We have talked with many people that say The Villages are too large. Solivita, for us, is just the right size.
That being said, there are some negatives in living in Solivita. Not so much Solivita itself, but the area. While there are many stores and restaurants near by, traffic through Poinciana is bad and will not be getting better in the future. Many people choose to go the other way and shop in Haines City which is about 15 miles away with less traffic. We also do not like how far away I-4 is. While Disney is fairly close, going there or Orlando and Kissimmee will take you 45 minutes to over an hour depending on the time of day and traffic. Also, Poinciana tends to cater to the large Puerto Rican community. If you are not into Puerto Rican foods, many restaurants may not appeal to you. If the traffic wasn’t bad enough, there are plans to put in an elevated toll highway right down the center of Poinciana. We believe this will make the traffic congestion in and around Poinciana even worse. That being said, we know of several people that rarely leave Solivita itself and have groceries delivered by Kroger.
So, no place is perfect, but we still love it here in Solivita and don’t plan of leaving any time soon.
We lived in Solivita for 15 years. We sold our home in 2016. Our biggest complaint was the traffic congestion and with many more homes being built in the area and no road improvements I’m sure it’s even worse.
I live in Solivita, and just want to add that the golf courses here are privately owned, so homeowner’s do not have to absorb any associated costs. Best of both worlds
Any idea home many homesite sre left to build in Solivita?
I’m a new resident of Solivita (May 2020). I don’t know how many new houses are being built but there’s a lot. We love it here. Peaceful, friendly. Over 200 clubs available to join. Not crowded. 14 pools.
Currently live in The Villages. Too large.
You have captured my interest. Since we are not golfers, we understand that the courses and associated resources can add a lot of $$$ to the home expenses which we will have to pay though we don’t use them .The rest sounds interesting so let’s pursue.
Hi, I love Clermont anything new being build?
Looks really nice and comfortable