Cameron's Staff Pick
Top Rated
5.0
Verified
Amazingly tranquil space for a retreat with great amenities
Just got home from another amazing retreat at Menla.
The lecture hall is such a great space and the audio / visual people do such an amazing job of stage managing the room with multiple cameras and mics that it makes for a great educational tool to be able to go back to such a well produced recording after. The room is large, with comfortable seating and environment.
The food in the dining hall in the Main Inn building is vegetarian and is awesome, even for omnivores like myself - didn't miss the meat at all for the week.
My room this time was in the same building as the lecture hall and was very nicely done and comfortable with an armoire, queen bed, desk and chair. My previous room had a sink and mirror, this one did not. But that was fine. Previous room in another building shared a bathroom with one other room, this one shared a bathroom with 10 other rooms, but it was a multi person bathroom with two shower stalls, two sinks and one toilet stall for men. So with a mix of genders in the rooms, you only share with about half the rooms. It worked out well. Finally, I used the recommended car service to go to and from the resort and it worked out great. The only issue with that is that the roads around campus are gravel and so if you get dropped at the Inn and walk to the Convention Center like I did with a roller bag, that can be a longish, bumpy walk while most people would be driving. No biggie, just something to keep in mind.
The spa is also amazing. The retreat I was at gave you ample free time to explore the resort and surrounding areas for hikes, etc. I got two awesome massages and the steam room and sauna in the men's room were very nice along with an automated shower that had several massage settings to choose from as well.
All in all, a great educational experience at Menla with one of my favorite Buddhist teachers, with great accommodations, great food, and great people in a beautiful setting in the Catskill Mountains of New York.
The lecture hall is such a great space and the audio / visual people do such an amazing job of stage managing the room with multiple cameras and mics that it makes for a great educational tool to be able to go back to such a well produced recording after. The room is large, with comfortable seating and environment.
The food in the dining hall in the Main Inn building is vegetarian and is awesome, even for omnivores like myself - didn't miss the meat at all for the week.
My room this time was in the same building as the lecture hall and was very nicely done and comfortable with an armoire, queen bed, desk and chair. My previous room had a sink and mirror, this one did not. But that was fine. Previous room in another building shared a bathroom with one other room, this one shared a bathroom with 10 other rooms, but it was a multi person bathroom with two shower stalls, two sinks and one toilet stall for men. So with a mix of genders in the rooms, you only share with about half the rooms. It worked out well. Finally, I used the recommended car service to go to and from the resort and it worked out great. The only issue with that is that the roads around campus are gravel and so if you get dropped at the Inn and walk to the Convention Center like I did with a roller bag, that can be a longish, bumpy walk while most people would be driving. No biggie, just something to keep in mind.
The spa is also amazing. The retreat I was at gave you ample free time to explore the resort and surrounding areas for hikes, etc. I got two awesome massages and the steam room and sauna in the men's room were very nice along with an automated shower that had several massage settings to choose from as well.
All in all, a great educational experience at Menla with one of my favorite Buddhist teachers, with great accommodations, great food, and great people in a beautiful setting in the Catskill Mountains of New York.
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