After reading all those sad reviews, I just have to throw my hat in the ring. First of all, Sivananda Yoga retreats are not hotel; they are an ashram. You go there to practice yoga in ALL its phases. That means vegetarian food, Four hours of chanting and meditation, three hours of hatha yoga, very simple living, Karma yoga (also known as voluntary work), and the chance to connect with your greater Self. I spent a month at the Sivananda yoga ashram in the Loire valley of France. I completed my teacher training and I intend to go back in the summer of 08 to visit all the Sivananda ashrams in Europe. Was it hard, you betcha. Did I get sick, sicker than a dog. My first chance to deal with French socialized medicine. Would I go back, in a heart beat. I met the most caring swamis and the most dedicated yoga students in the world!

this is NOT a hotel. It is an ashram.
I made my plans to attend a music workshop over thanksgiving.
I have been to another ashram in VA many times and figured it was alot like that....but it wasn't. It took me a few days to get used to the place. I had a hard time with all the noise and the pollution from the boats. I ended up with a headache. Decided to spend my last two nights after the workshop at the Atlantis instead....so I could get some peace and quiet. My room was on the harbor end.....maybe if my room was on the ocean side it wouldn't have been so noisy. I had a hard time sleeping at all.
But then the night club is close to the ocean rooms and they play in the wee hours of the night on the weekends. The rooms are spartan and simple. I felt the place needed alot of work and rehab. No air, no TV but there is a fan attached to the wall. Bathrooms are separate and shared. The dining area is open air and so is the temple. Seems that is the way it is in a beach setting. Yes they wake you with a bell for meditation at 5:30 am....and satsang(chanting/prayer/devotional study) every day, followed by yoga for 2 hours and then brunch. I enjoyed the food. It is all vegeterian. You wash your own dishes. Then you either had your workshop or work around the ashram or do whatever (I went into town everyday...which was so full of tourists from the cruise ships and so polluted from all the traffic) then yoga back again at 4pm.... eat at 6 and satsang again at 8pm. So the day is full if you do all that. They ask that you attend it all, but I didn't make all of it.
I am not sure I would return. (Not just because of the ashram....but because of the whole area. It is becoming so overly developed.....americanized...too busy....too many people...too much pollution....to expensive!) Its sad that all the noise from development and tourists disrupts the peace of the place but then I hate to think that the rich and powerful money developers come in and buy the place out...It is 4 acres sandwiched in between the atlantis complex and rich owners like nick cage, mick jagger, richard harris daughter, some rich eye doctor....
the beach side is beautiful though. all the yoga is done on the harbor side....which is so noisy....and i wondered why we didn't go to the beach platform. The boats would pass by with loud music and kids sceaming and yelling. The small ferry boats make fun of the ashram when they give their little tour speech coming over to the island.
I could tell there was some problems with people getting along on the staff and in the kitchen...too many egos I guess.
Could use more organization.
saw lots of cockroaches and even a snake one day, but i guess that is what you see when you are living "outdoors".

RUN>>>>This palce is great if you are thinking of joining a cult. If you enjoy being sleep deprived, fed non nutritious meals, and having strange chanting ringing in your ears to the point of hypnosis, then this is the place for you.
they wake you up at 5:30am,and demand that you attended meditaiton for like 2 hours The entire staff are israeli and you don't want to mess with them. It is like an israeli army camp. They demand that you participate in yoga classes and then feed you mush as a reward. The food was all carbohydrate and no fruit. The place was packed with people taking some kind of training and there are no private bathrooms. Had to wait in line for a bathroom and shower and there was not even any hot water. The people in charge are always fighting with each other and pretty much ignore the guests. The staff are impolite and down right smug. The swami guy who is head of it all is a real creep, but seems to have a nice rolex! For the money it is not worth it spend your money elsewhere..

There are so much good things to say about that asharam... It has a lot of good people really commited with their spiritual path, wonderfull food, beautiful suroundings, convenient located on the ocean front, offers a good choice of accomodation: from small single to shared room (with 2 or 4 people), tents or family rooms with sea view. All with the simplicity you can expect in an asharam... it is not a hotel anyways! For those looking for a hotel they will have plenty of choice around the island, but there is only one asharam and I am glad I stayed there. I normally travel to 5 star resorts and hotels. I did not want to be have another big hotel experience and I was not desapointed. I will definently go back for another period of yoga and meditation in this lovelly holy place. Yes there are some challenges... including the felling of being so close to the sounds and the craziness that the tourism industry brought to that area, but still just one more challenge to be faced by those looking for a spiritual growth. Probably not the biggest one if you consider all that noise that should be silenced within oneselves... Once you manage that silence within yourself,(no better place than an asharam to help you achieve that ), nothing from the outside world will disturb your inner peace.