Came here for a work retreat…read more The views of the beach and grounds around the facility are amazing. Access to the beach was right now to the us, plus other beaches were close by. The nuns who manage the place are so kind and friendly. It was a great experience. My only complaints are that the walls between the rooms and to the hallways are very thin. If you are a light sleeper like me it makes it very difficult to sleep. Also, the food the offer is decent. The salad bar is great. Plus access to snacks and various drinks 24/7 are awesome though.

This Sisters are all so kind. The view is Spectacular! The prices are High. I like being in a place…read morethat has the meals included because I'm there to wind down and don't need first class cuisine, just a decent home cooked meal and that's what you get.

We loved our trip - we were in treehouse #20 and had a great weekend getaway. The staff were…read moreincredible - amazing customer service... from Anna checking us in to Jennifer's amazing facial in the spa to Liss/Ella in the dining hall to Tatiana for restorative yoga at night and the incredible 1:1 power yoga session that I had with her. The manager even delivered an incredible S'more to our room on Sunday night. Dave (?) offered incredible stretch every morning and had a very calm, melodic voice. This was perfect before our incredible hikes with Rowan. This location at Woodside has a totally different vibe from Canyon Ranch in Tuscon, AZ, and is more intimate, which allows for a better community experience of connecting with some other kindred spirits attending. LOVED the experience and so appreciative of the MUCH better food - it was 100% better than my last experience at Canyon Ranch Tuscon (back in 2022-2023'ish). The desserts could use slightly improvement or a pastry chef, but overall, everything was incredible. I will be back! Two thumbs up and definitely worth the splurge as a getaway.

I was greeted by a pretty indifferent person who wasn't particularly accommodating or welcoming -…read morekind of a bummer. They don't even really help you with your bags. It is located in a truly lovely setting among the trees. I stayed in a treehouse room which was very private and relaxing. There are no curtains so the morning light can be a little much but they give you uncomfortable eye masks to block light if you choose to use them. The bathtub is pretty average so if you want a nice soaking tub you won't get it here. The first night the noise from the heater turning on and off kept me up almost all night so finally I gave up and turned off the heat. Food was very fresh and nutritious - however sometimes ill conceived and needed editing. (Too many competing things going on in the same dish). There was good variety and they really bring you anything you want from the menu which was nice. Waitstaff was mixed- some of the servers were amazing and remembered my name, my allergies and preferences. Others were forgetful and on multiple occasions I had to remind them to bring me a drink I had ordered. Classes were ok- nothing special but a good way to structure the day. The pool was cold, so after my first chilly class in the pool I stopped using it. I had a very overpriced and overrated massage that was a total disappointment. I spoke to another guest who also said she had an underwhelming massage - I would probably stay away from the massages. Someone else told me they had a great facial - I kind of wish I had opted for a facial over a massage. All in all I enjoyed my time but probably wont come back due to how expensive it is for what you actually get. I expected outstanding food, services, classes, and staff and overall it was just ok.

The Kopan West Retreat in March was amazing! Staff were super nice and accommodating. Highly…read morerecommend

What a beautiful retreat with Venerable Rene. The setting was very peaceful, deep in the redwood…read moreforest. The food was very good and health. It is a world away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

I honestly didn't really know what I was signing up for. My wife wanted to go, and it seemed…read moreinteresting, so I tagged along. From the moment I got there and handed over my phone, everything started to make sense. Being unplugged for the whole weekend was exactly what I didn't know I needed. I was able to slow down, focus, and get a clearer perspective on life. I picked up so many little things that have made a big difference in my daily routine. I feel more focused, more grounded, and just overall better since going. Camp Hard Reset was such a great experience -- definitely something I'd recommend to anyone who needs a real mental reset.

just now New Sheel…read moredid an incredible job putting this all together! besides the amazing food, games, and gorgeous location - she delivered on her promise to have us create a micro goal for ourselves. Due to this, my husband and I have been more present with each other, talking more, and having more time off our phones. I've also been trying to increase my step counts! It was amazing to figure out my top values - and even more awesome that I coincidentally matched my husband exactly (these are not shared with anyone unless you want to share). This is great for anyone who needs to make goals, digital detox, and come away with some great friends!

A good mutual friend mentioned that she had attended a week-long retreat with Mind Body Wellness…read moreRetreats in 2018 and had a wonderful time, and my wife and I decided to jump on the opportunity to attend our first retreat together. We were a bit apprehensive about the idea - neither of us had any experience with yoga, and we feared that our inability to touch our toes (or even our ankles) might make us feel like a pair of hippos in a gathering of elegant giraffes. Alas, our fears were very misplaced. I couldn't imagine a warmer, more welcoming trio of instructors than Jackie, Krassi, and Carly. Each of Jackie, Krassi, and Carly brought a unique element to our classes (at least three per day), and they each offered very powerful insights not only into the physical realm (which we expected), but also the emotional and spiritual dimensions of healthy living. Jackie did a great job of running the program and keeping us on schedule, while also offering powerful insights into good meditation practices. Maintaining the calm learning environment required for students to settle into the subject matter while also packing in a great deal of useful material is no easy task, but she managed it very gracefully. Jackie is also a very good surfer, and while my skill level doesn't even approach Jackie's, I was honored when she invited me to join an early morning surfing session at a more advanced break. She exudes kindness in all that she does, and she is blessed by a sharp mind and draws from some truly remarkable life experiences and training. Krassi made yoga approachable and had the magical ability to make me feel comfortable even as I failed to stand on one foot without falling over. I honestly had absolutely no expectation that I would appreciate what yoga has to offer, and I think that Krassi's uncanny intuition about what I needed, along with her sparkling eyes and wonderful sense of humor, helped me settle into a new way of thinking about my body. I spent the majority of my life very physically fit (marathons, long-distance paddleboarding, weight lifting, etc.), and Krassi's classes put me in touch with my body in a way I hadn't been in many, many years. I started the week feeling a bit like a lump of dough, and by the end of the week I noticed that old aches and pains had faded away, and I felt about ten years younger. Carly demonstrated the priceless ability to take spiritual concepts less familiar to those of use who were raised in a Western tradition and made them accessible. She is wonderfully grounded and wise beyond her years. Her knowledge of the various shapes spirituality can take is encyclopedic, and if that isn't impressive enough, she exudes empathy and wields a skillset that any therapist would envy. Like many of the misinformed souls wondering around, I had assumed that a spiritual advisor would be a bit of a stick in the mud. No way - not Carly! She is tons of fun, and her curiosity and wonder about the universe is contagious. I also loved Yin Yoga, a slower type of yoga that involves holding poses for several minutes at a time. To go to bed each night after the natural high of a good session was delicious. The retreat itself was amazing. If you haven't been to Costa Rica, please go. The people are warm, the weather (even in July - the rainy season) is gorgeous, and many of the beaches on the Pacific side are perfect for surfing. Blue Spirit, the retreat center, was wonderful, and while I can't say a vegan diet for a week is typically my idea of a good time, my body relished the clean eating and I felt renewed by the end of the retreat. One unexpected moment of levity that I brought home with me: I found myself belting out 80's tunes with a group of salt-encrusted fledgling surfers and our wise instructors while riding back to the retreat center for deeply relaxing hour of meditation. The retreat was truly transformative for me, while also providing moments of perfectly unfiltered joy.

This was my first yoga retreat and I was absolutely blown away. Not only was this my first yoga…read moreretreat, but I am brand new to the world of yoga in general and I could not have asked for a better introduction into this world. Jackie, Carly and Krassi are outstanding teachers who are not only incredibly knowledgable in their areas of expertise, but they are also incredibly likable and lovely human beings to be around! The facility we stayed at was beautiful (Blue spirit in Nosara Costa Rica), the vegetarian meals felt clean and tasty and our daily schedule of activities nourished every aspect of my soul - mental, physical and emotional. There was a lot packed into every single day yet I never felt overwhelmed or over scheduled. We were consistently encouraged to pay attention to what we were wanting and needing and if rest, reading, walking, surfing, etc. trumped the scheduled activity of the moment, we were supported in doing what felt best for ourselves. Overall this was a very nourishing experience and I can not wait to go to my next one!

This retreat exceeded my expectations!!!…read more After falling into a serious illness that left me stuck to my bed earlier on 2018. I decided I would look into a retreat and get away as far as I could. As I was searching I found this wonderful woman Salila, whom posted a brief description about her services and different retreats. I knew right then that I should contact her. Our first scheduled call I realized that this retreat was nothing like a regular get away. I instantly felt her genuine heart to help. She is very familiar with retreats and doctors and she was able to matched my needs to the perfect doctor and retreat. Salila also helped me get in contact with Dr. Devraj via video chats on multiple occasions. With his advice I was able to ease my conditions at home since my conditions was worsening and doctors still till this day do not know what I had. In the beginning I was super excited , and at the same time didn't have any idea how I would come up with the travel expenses since I had been out of work for a while and Salila help me to figure out my money situation. She made sure she checked up on me as often as she could with helpful advice. On top of all this Salila took care my flight and booked the air tickets for me so I wouldn't go through the hassle. She also walked me through the visa process, and she scheduled someone to pick me up and drop me off at the airport. Weeks before leaving, I talked to Salila about a friend who was in New Delhi and how I wanted to visit them before leaving back home . She was able to switch out my tickets to include New Delhi and also gave me some important advice about traveling to New Delhi. If this wasn't enough , throughout my 28 days stay at Sitaram Beach Retreat she texted me to make sure all my needs and concerns were met by staff and the doctors. I cannot thank Salila enough for going out of her way and beyond to make my stay as special as it was. I really got a sense of peace and I also want to thank every one who works at Sitaram retreat for making my stay so much better. Words can only express so much which is why I'm leaving some pictures of this awesome retreat here for who ever is inspired to take some well deserved time for self care level 50! It's been 3 months since, and my health is back on track. I would do this all over again through Salila. I recommend Salila to book any flights and retreats to anyone that wants to have a beautiful experience Contact her ASAP

Pancha..what??? Salila and AYURGAMAYA ... the perfect…read moreanswer for a much needed reboot, reset, in my life. Feeling physically and mentally sluggish, foggy brain so to speak. "...if I could just be taken care of for a couple of weeks...unplug, no one to answer to, focus on my inner self to re-balance my body and my mind......." AND enjoy an incredibly interesting part of the world ??? Salila was stellar in organizing a 2 week ayurvedic retreat and beyond. Totally safe, seamless ( stress free) and enjoyable !!!!! First, her close connection with Dr. Vignesh Devraj, the ayurvedic trained doctor at Sitaram , made it possible to have a one-on-one Skype conversation to get first-hand information about Ayurvedic treatments, what to expect, any concerns...so easy to talk to, so knowledgeable. Being trained in clinical pharmacy, everything made perfect sense to me. Next...the magical 2 weeks at Sitaram Ayurvedic Retreat began..with herbal hot oil massages every day, special herbal drinks for immunity boosts, meals to die for, specifically geared for each individual per their treatment regimen....and as I had dreamed of...nothing to do but rest, walk on the beach, do yoga, meditate.....( yes, they have internet..but, really,... UNPLUG..its worth it) After the retreat the journey was SEAMLESS. Salila arranged for transportation, drivers who were great guides with local information and found us AWESOME Homestays (per our request) , cozy, friendly, with fantastic food (instead of high cost hotels ) throughout the rest of the trip. Met incredible locals who treated us like friends, experienced genuine local life feeling completely safe and at ease. I would do it again in a heartbeat!!!!

Kelly is one of the most talented massage therapists that I have found. I have benefited greatly…read morefrom seeing her weekly. After a diagnosis of Fybromialgia I was at a loss of what direction to go. I have a physical job, and need to continue working, but wasn't getting anywhere with Western Medicine solutions. I started seeing Kelly every other week with good results. A friend gave me the gift of weekly massage for 1 month, and that made all the difference. I have since committed to getting a massage weekly, and have been experiencing much greater relief from my Fybro symptoms. Kelly incorporates Ayurvedic healing oils that have helped me immensely.

I came here after a long journey with trying to figure out what was wrong with me feet. Kelly came…read morehighly recommended from a friend. She is such a wonderfully and caring person and truly cares about trying to help you. She sat with me for quite awhile trying to assess me and help me figure out what's going on with my body. She came up with a specialized plan just for me and my body to help me better myself and my health. After our assessment interview she gave me, by far, the best massage I have ever had in my entire life! I traveled 2 1/2 hours to see her and it was worth every minute. I had been seeing different doctors for over a year and Kelly was the one who finally got us headed on the right track to finding out the real problem! She still checks up with me to see how I'm doing and making sure that I'm on the right track. I hope that I can come back soon and see her again. I recommend that anyone go see her for any sort of issue you may have. She really listens to you and truly tries to help you.

Cannot say enough good things about Wellstone! My weeks spent there were among the best writing…read moresessions I've ever had. So grateful for the time and space and community!

I am sorry to say what a disappointing experience we had with the Wellstone Estate. We were very…read moreexcited to spend the weekend there for my husband's 40th birthday. When looking at the property online it looked beautiful and perfect for a group of 6 adults and 3 children. The property was listed as a 3 bedroom, 3 bath house plus loft. I spoke with Dave, the owner, in advance and he was very nice and flexible about our stay. We sent in a deposit to hold the property 4 months in advance. As we got closer to the date of our stay I spoke with Dave to verify our stay and the actual beds available, he gave us more details and we realized that we would not actually be renting a house but a couple of smaller cabana type buildings on his property and a room in his house. This was not what we were expecting, we had been planning on a house with a proper kitchen, dining and living area so we could cook and spend time with out friends, turns out most of the common space available to guests is outdoors and while summers are nice in Santa Cruz sometimes they can be chilly or foggy at night. I explained to Dave that this wasn't going to work for us and he said no problem he would send our deposit back. I checked back with him after about 3 weeks when we didn't receive our deposit back, and he said he would have to keep a portion of it because he couldn't rent out the property, I was disappointed but understood and said I would look for our deposit less 10% in the mail. After another month of not receiving my deposit I contacted him again via phone and email to no avail. Basically, the property is misrepresented and Dave did not keep is word. I would be careful when considering renting from him. Again, I am sorry to have to give a bad review but people need to be aware of what they are dealing with.

Quang is an amazing person to work with! From beginning to end he makes every single step so easy…read moreand is an actual person to talk things through with- we toured all over the place and speak corporate wedding venue fluently- (exhausting! ) what a relief to find Chapel on the Hill, so meticulously taken care of, in the family for generations...We just wanted something intimate, and this location is just perfect. It poured rain so be careful in April!! But it's good luck from what we hear :)

Angel V was a great host! He served us with care and made sure we were checked on accordingly. He…read moreis certainly the best for customer service! And very professional. Thank-you for the great tasting food!