The retirement homes that are more like luxury hotels – The Times

With facilities such as a Himalayan rock-salt sauna, indoor swimming pool, Pilates suite, wine cellar, cinema and beauty parlour, as well as a private dining room, you would be forgiven for thinking that you’re in a country club or a five-star hotel, but definitely not in a retirement home.

Welcome to Auriens, the latest and smartest of a new generation of “later living residences” where the tired linoleum floors, threadbare furniture and wilting sandwiches have been replaced by a level of luxury that borders on the palatial.

Here, just off the King’s Road in Chelsea, the retired pay an average of £3,000 a week not only to rent an apartment but to avail themselves of amenities ranging from a stylish bar and a dog-grooming parlour