Tuesday, August 02, 2005

“Hey Sam. You want Chinese?”




Kripalu’s land was once a Jesuit seminary. In 1983, they bought the property but there are still remnants of crosses and Christian statues. The atmosphere is extremely calm and lax.

Check in and check out is a breeze. Essentially, everything is inclusive. Any extra amenities, such as rental fees for kayaks and bikes are charged to you at the end of your stay. The only time you’ll need money is at the café for a coffee, the bookshop or for gratuities for your massage therapist, if you choose a massage.

There are tons of activities and they change day to day. You can check out the schedule on activity boards throughout the facilities.

They also have a day camp/care for children. The kids were adorable. We were sitting outside after breakfast when they came out and practiced a song they were planning to sing for their parents that evening. In general, that was the last time I saw the kids. Kripalu ensures that their guests are undisturbed during their retreat. I later found out the kids spend most of their day learning about nature at various locations in the sprawling property.

The cafeteria is large and the food is plentiful. Because it was so good, we spent most of our time scheduling our events around meal times. “We don’t want to schedule our day around meals. Or do we?”

The accommodations are modest. Remember summer camp? That’s it. You can bunk with a bunch of strangers in a dorm room or choose a two person room or even a suite which means you get a private bath. There are wings of single sex and I believe they also have wings devoted for families and couples.

In their brochure they said that bunking can be as small as 6 to a room and as large as 22 to a room. Since our days of hostel living are hopefully behind us, we opted for the 2 person room. However, we did peek our heads into the dorm rooms and they didn’t look packed to the gills with people. Still, if I go back, I may still opt for the 2 for room just for privacy sake.

Speaking of privacy, if you’re not comfortable with your skin, you may opted for a private room which gives you a private bathroom. Oh, and the sauna and whirlpool are clothing optional so I wouldn’t advise bringing your kids in their unless you want to explain body bits.

I lived in my sandals and stretchy pants. You really don’t need anything more than tees and stretchy pants. Oh, maybe a light sweater for the evening to combat the mosquitoes. Let me tell you, some mosquito in Lenox had a Chinese buffet courtesy of Pantrygirl. My left arm swelled up so much, I had to take an Aleve. It was warm to the touch too. It finally started dissipating on Saturday.