This is an ashram, NOT a hotel. It is a religious (Hindu) yoga facility, with a sign at check in alerting visitors that two yoga classes and two satsangs (meditation/chanting sessions) are required daily. As these run 2 hours each, that is
8 hours of your day spoken for before you unpack. Lucky you if you see the beach! And silence is kept from 10PM to 5:30AM when the gong gets you up from your (bathroom-less) hut or tent. Of course, no one is checking to see if you are going to all the classes etc. ... but one wants to have respect for the hard working, believing young people who run this place. The food is lovingly prepared and quite good if you like vegan food. No caffeine, meat, fish, fowl, alcohol (and very little dairy, if any.) There is only one boat to and from the ashram and the schedule does not permit dinners across the bay in Nassau. You can walk down the beach to the Atlantis (nightmare) Resort which is under major construction ... and they may or may not let you in to eat there, depending on which security guard is on duty. So you are pretty well trapped. Also no TV, radio, or newspapers. Nevertheless, I had a hardy, but good time at an interfaith conference which I attended and met some really nice people. If the above is your kind of thing, then this is a good one of those things. Good luck with those headstands. P.S. My favorite moment was when I was deep in meditation one night and suddenly from the decks of the Disney cruise ship, anchored across the bay, came the squawks of Donald Duck. There are a lot of ways to live!

I spent 4 days at the Sivananda retreat ( ashram ) April 21-25, 2006. My main purpose for the visit was a special musical workshop.
I travelled by myself, and found other women who also were there solo. This is a little piece of heaven across the bay from the busy town of Nassau. Although you can hear the sounds from the outside world on occasion, for the most part the loudest sounds were the birds and the chanting of morning and evening prayers.
The schedule is "early to bed " ( 10 pm ) and " early to rise " ( 5:30 the gong sounds ) ".
The day begins with morning meditation on the beach and prayers. Then we have tea and yoga class until 10 am ( choice of beginners' or intermediate class ). At 10 am there is a meal ~ both breakfast type food or lunch type food... all vegetarian, and all delicious !
After this, the time is ours until the next yoga session ( 4 pm ). During this free time many people helped around the ashram, relaxed on the BEAUTIFUL beach, read, slept, went into town ( a short trip by boat ). Then, after the 2nd yoga class of the day ( they like to say it is mandatory, but it is easy to skip ), there is another delicious meal. After that, there are more prayers in the temple and usually a workshop.
The atmosphere is so peaceful. This vacation was everything I wanted it to be and more.
It is based on the religious teachings of the Eastern tradition, and I felt comfortable being there even though that was not a type of religion I would ordinarily practice. It was very inclusive and catered to all people, and I would go again for real relaxation and contemplation. If you are in need of loud music, the bar scene, liquor, etc.... this would not be appropriate for you... you may be bored.
The accomodations are a mixture of an Israeli kibbutz and summer camp. The buildings seemed like they were in good condition. There is no real "housekeeping" service. You clean up after yourself. The showers / bathrooms are communal. If you need 4 star service, this would not be the place for you. However, if you are comfortable with this type of bare bones vacation I would recommend it highly. It was difficult to get back to the noisy world, but I will always remember this place as a little Garden of Eden with love !

We were at the ashram for six days of an intended nine. The cottages were cold at night and the food was primarily very tasty carbohydrates. There were at least five great cabbage offerings that were delightfully creative. The satsangs and yoga classes were really wonderful. The facilities at the ashram were like summer camp.

What is troubling is that the ashram is surrounded by industrial tourism. For most nights we could smell and hear very loud cruise ships one quarter mile away. When the wind was right, the first three nights, black smoke drifted into our cabin. Beyond that there is some political infighting because the onsite swami is not supervising his flock.

Beyond that the beach terminates in a natural rock barrier and a high-rise construction site. You couldn't walk through the property and there were no roads leading to the ashram. I felt trapped. In the future the Atlantis Hotel will develop up to the ashram property line. The trap will get even tighter, maybe. It might be amazing to come out of meditation and go to a water slide or a zoo. Perhaps the ashram could be morphed into a theme park. Yes, my tongue is in cheek.

The short boat ride to Nassua meant coping with a parade of ill-tuned vehicles and tourist shops catering to cruise ships.

Considering that I heard about the Paradise Island ashram in 1969, I'm glad I didn't wait another year to visit. The Sivananda, Paradise Island experience is not for tourists.

I spent four days at the ashram with my girlfriend last spring. We had planned to stay in tents, but after a few very cold nights, we switched to a room.

The setting and surroundings of the ashram are quite extraordinary - basically everything is done in outdoor pavillions. We really enjoyed the food and the lectures on yogic philosophy. We tried to attend the morning and evening devotional sessions, but gave up after the second day for sleeping in and talking walks on the beach.