mount madonna center

I stayed one night wanting a solo retreat in the redwoods. The location is definitely in the redwoods. The drive is lovely through the Santa Cruz Mountains. Use 'their' directions, not GPS. It is a conference center. Classes are held in different buildings and are well noted outside.- MOST important is to bring slip on shoes or sandals. You cannot go inside any of the buildings with shoes on. I brought only my sneakers which was 'fun'...to keep tying and untying. =)- The room was fine..2 single beds with large bathroom (shower only). Clean. It IS in the mountains so you may come across a spider. That is due to the location and not necessarily because of cleanliness.- Food is not allowed because of the wildlife in the mountains. It got stuffy. The window opened but I was on the ground floor so closed it when I wasn't in the room. A fan is available for use as well.- Food is provided, vegetarian. Be mindful of serving times. Coffee/cafe' is available. Again be mindful of open and closed times. I ventured out late Sunday morning to get coffee. It was closed til 1pm. - Bring warm clothes. It is high up in the mountains. - There is a community hot tub. I didn't use it. If I stayed longer, I may have.- At dusk, "celebration of light" ceremony (Hindu oriented) occurs and is well attended. It was an interesting ritual to observe with prayer, music and many families.- Gift center is great. Many books, etc.- Hiking is really the purpose to come here. When they said to wear clothes that critters could not enter because of ticks and 2 cases of lime disease, I decided not to hike alone. When I hike, I like to sit and meditate. Doesn't seem like a good place for that...at least not alone.

I stayed at MMC on a personal retreat, and my review reflects that experience. MMC is first and foremost a conference center and though it offers personal retreats, it's just not equipped for individual guests. I expected to find lots of quiet places to sit or meditate and was surprised that there really were none. The meditation room (a double-wide trailer) was bare and stuffy, not at all appealing. There seemed not to be any benches around the property – and you can't sit on the ground because of deer ticks. I'd looked forward to spending time at the pond – but there was nowhere to sit there either. I'd looked forward to hiking – but you're told not to hike alone, there are mountain lions. The terrace at the conference center is a lovely spot. But when classes are in session (right next to the patio) voices come through open windows and doors. The only other decent place to sit was outside the café . . . . and of course you should buy something if you're going to sit there. My room was warm and stuffy, even with the fan on, so I didn't want to spend much time there.The setting is lovely, and the drive up the mountain, through redwood forest, was awe-inspiring and relaxing in itself. The food was generally good, and I appreciated that there were many choices at each meal. On the down side, it was nearly impossible to have conversations (one of my great pleasures on retreat), because people attending conferences tended to stick together. There also was no way to know who the staff/residents were, if I had a question or wanted to know more about the community. Again, I think that reflects the orientation as a conference center: MMC prefers to deal with groups and their leaders, not individuals. Needless to say, I will not return there on retreat.

A very good place for pluralists, spiritual people, truth seekers, and those focused on self improvement to visit. The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Mandir (temple) is adjacent, as is a cafe.

I've just spent a week at Mt Madonna on a silent retreat, and since my first time in 2009, it just gets better and better every year. The work we do (not organized by MM) is very intense, but the staff and surroundings couldn't be more sensitive to our needs. Walking and hiking in and around the redwoods is so calming. Some of the hikes can be a little challenging, and a map is needed. Mt Madonna is a very special place, especially for the kind of retreat we were on.

perfect setup for a hanuman temple..sitting atop the mount madonna, the experience of reaching there was exciting, and worshiping there was humbling..my best wishes to the priests and the staff..

I recently stayed at Mount Madonna for 7 days for a retreat. It was a wonderful experience and I look forward to returning and staying in the Oak Cabins again next year! The food is excellent and the Community is so welcoming and they make you feel very welcome in their home.

i, too, visited mount madonna recently for a silent retreat. and i stayed in the orchard house like the previous reviewer :) the setting is indeed stunning. the accommodations are spare yet comfortable. the kitchen staff did a wonderful job preparing nourishing food and providing calm and efficient service to all of us. how kind of them to honor our silence with silence themselves. founder and visionary baba hari dass held court in the dining room during several of our meals which filled the air with an inspiring energy. while the focus of my stay was the retreat, i thoroughly enjoyed the daily arati ceremonies, the beautiful paths through the fog forest, the view of distant monterey bay, and the peaceful energy of the resident community. i always enjoy my sojourns to california and will put this on my list of places to visit again.

I spent 8 days on a silent retreat in this magnificent Center. One is surrounded by redwoods, quietude and a reverence for life. The visionary of the Mt. Madonna Community is Baba Hari Das, a 90 year old spiritual teacher. The 42 year old community includes a conference center, many different kinds of lodging, community center with buffet type restaurant, Yoga classes, K-12 school, organic gardens, orchards, pond, Ayurveda school, store and massage center.Although I am not of the same faith, I appreciated the beautiful temple, grounds and water features which reminded me of India. This is the second time I have been to Mt. Madonna and I saw they are continuing to expand and improve their facilities.I have stayed in the Conference Center lodging (contemporary) and the Orchard House Women's Dorm (rustic). I shared sleeping spaces and bathrooms. All were very clean. The Center includes hundreds of acres of stunning trees, good hiking trails, beautiful views of the ocean and the Monterrey Bay coastline. The staff is friendly, vegetarian food is fresh and organic as much as possible and there is a well stocked spiritual bookstore with gifts.You need to spend the night if you want to hike. I hope I have covered enough to make you interested in experiencing what Mt. Madonna Center has to offer. I will look forward to my next visit to this beautiful sanctuary.

If you are an Indian and would like to have a feeling of visiting a temple like India, here is were you got to be. Very Peaceful, spiritual and extremely beautiful temple. The places looks as if it is India. What i love about the place is, they provide you with warm blankets, caps, and heater to stay away from cold in winters. A waterfall around the temple adds beauty to the temple.

I really needed to get away and relax. I wanted a spiritual atmosphere without necessarily having to participate in the group activities. Mt. Madonna Center was perfect. I had a private room with bathroom, although they have lots of types of accommodations. The vegetarian food is excellent...I didn't miss meat during the week I spent there. I hiked in the woods, read, napped, and had 3 Ayurvedic massage treatments. I did meditate, but on my own. You are welcome to participate in the yoga classes, temple activities, and to sit with the guru who is sometimes there, but I didn't. I completely unplugged, hardly spoke to anyone, and had a wonderful time. I will definitely go back.

We spent one night here as a personal retreat. The route from Heckerpass goes through Mt Madonna State park (no entrance fee required, since only passing through). Location of this Center is somewhat remote, yet very nicely located. It tends to be cooler here, but usually the coastal fog that hangs around Watsonville does not cover all the way up to Mount Madonna. On a sunny day we were able to see the ocean. Personal retreat includes three meals, dinner the evening of arrival (check time in advance: relatively early, @5pm) breakfast and lunch the next day. All food is vegetarian, mostly organic, quite tasy and filling. Meals are buffet style, hot water and various teas etc available 24h, seating is on larger tables, you might find yourself in conversation with someone attending a Yoga class. Accommodation choices were: a room or a cabin. The cabin was clean, quite new, had two twin beds, a short hike away from the dining hall, restrooms and shower in separate building. For cold & windy weather the rooms in the main building may be the warmer choice, although there is very effective heating in the cabins. We did not use the hot tub, too far a walk as it was a cold evening. Fine hiking in the area the next morning. Temple service is of course optional, and interesting to just observe or even join in. There is a book store with various alternative offerings, and unique gifts onsite. This is certainly not a luxury resort, even though there is spa treatment wellness center available onsite - but considering the overall ambience gets 4 stars. Definitely worth an overnight visit if you are in the area looking for a Californian Santa Cruz experience. Beautiful wildflowers, deer and turkeys onsite. Very quiet at night, great skys above.PS: the temple and grounds can also be visited just as a day visitor.

I took this vacation just for a change in usually vacation routine. Overall I'm very satisfied. I stayed in their cabins, for a first time camper like me I really enjoyed the nature during the stay. There is a walk-way between cabins and main office but it is not fully developed. If you are not comfortable walking, you can use the car route.Even though it is not required, it is recommended to have some familiarity with Hinduism. If you sign-up with them for food, you need to follow the schedules carefully or ask them to save food for you. Only vegetarian food is available. Not recommended with young children

Mt. Madonna Center is located in a pristine environment, there is no wildlife, very peaceful, the road to the center is excellent, sunrise is beautiful... there is 10 degrees temperature variance at the top of the mountain and gets windy too, so make sure to take jackets/blankets if you are going there early morning.. The Hanuman Temple is very nice and the priest performs the puja with diligence and is a very charging environment during aarti..