SoCal Yoga Retreats

I decided I wanted to do something I had never done before. A yoga retreat sounded like the perfect getaway for a stay at home mom. I invited my friend for the same reason. We both did not know what to expect but were open minded. When we pulled up to the retreat we realized we were staying in a youth hostel. Okay, that is cool. The place was in a great location. That being said we quickly realized this was not what we were expecting. We were two of six paying customers on what appeared to be a friends getaway on our dime. Both people in charge brought their beau’s (one being a Reike/​Meditation specialist that had no credentials) along with a sibling, her boyfriend and few other people.
The place was clean but we heard toilets flushing repeatedly. The shower was hot. The services were sub par. We went to a meditation the first morning. It was a taped meditation that was frequently interuppted by the meditation specialists e-​mails because he played the tape on his phone. Also, when we later inquired about the type of meditation the specialist seemed confused and was unable to explain type of meditation other than it was a man from Australia.
We had expected restorative yoga in the evenings. The night that we did have it there was no room for the paying customers. We were tucked in the corner while the hostel workers (who washed dishes) and the friends had the prime locations. We were exposed to some sort of ecstatic dance that I was not prepared for. The workshops that were in the original itinerary were not present (chapstick making, painting). We did have a Thai Massage workshop that was sort of weird. We also had an acro yoga class that was pretty much the staff and friends performing.
The food was good the first and second day. After that it was pretty repetitive. I laughed when I overheard one of the paying guest’s that left a day early to go crush grapes in Sonoma ask for any leftovers to take on the road. The chef went into the kitchen and obliged.
There were also many things that were advertised that were not delivered. Painting workshop, cold pressed juices, and a professional staff. Having been in the service industry for many years, I was appalled by the lack of service we received. For example, when my friend and I decided to not go Yoga Paddle boarding (I feared for our safety), one of the women in charge immediately turned to the Reiki instructor and said «you want to go paddle boarding.» Sort of weird, but I believe after spending four days with them he is her boyfriend.
I did enjoy the time away and spending time with my friend. That being said, if you want to spend a weekend in some sort of hippie commune this is the place for you. I would not recommend this retreat.

In short, a waste of money. Trust me — move on. Or read on for the detail!
Ashley Demarco was the retreat leader — a 26 year old who started practicing yoga in 2011 and finished her 200 hour yoga certification in ²⁰¹²⁄₂₀₁₃. It appears she has been teaching yoga independently — not with a studio — for about 2 years and believes she has the skills to lead a yoga retreat. I disagree. Her yoga classes were highly repetitive and she didn’t offer many adjustments.
She invited her sister, her sister’s boyfriend, her guy friend to attend, and had several other friends as «teachers.» And they all brought their dogs, so there were 4 little dogs barking and begging for food (what if someone had an allergy?). So those who paid $ 1000 for 3 nights in a hostel felt like guests in her family/​friend reunion/​vacation. The focus was on all these people attending (who were volunteering or working at the hostel), rather than the 6 people who paid $ 1000 to be there. An illustrative example: me and my friend came down to the 9pm restorative yoga with the musician set up at the front and there were no spaces for our mats. Other teachers (not leading this class — taking this class) were lined up in the front row. We found a place in the corner.
Several of the parts of the retreat that were advertised were not delivered. There were no cold pressed juices, 3 workshops didn’t happen (painting, chapstick making, therapeutic yoga), and the yoga and hikes didn’t happen as often as the schedule suggested. While they advertise a 30-​minute massage and a 30-​minute reiki session, they are done simultaneously. I did massage only because the Reiki «expert» was in his early 20s and didn’t inspire confidence to try Reiki for the first time. The Reiki person also led the meditations and after talking with him, it was clear he had a very limited (and rather dogmatic) understanding of how meditation «should» be done. Some «workshops» that did happen were really just demonstrations (watch me make this, rather than learning how to do something).
Ashley led us on a hike one day and all she carried was her own bottle of water — no phone (in case of emergency), no small first aid kit, no snacks. I’ve never seen a guided hike where the leader didn’t feel some responsibility for making sure that everyone had a safe, good time. (Thankfully, I carried a backpack with all those things.)
The food was just okay and there were limited options, and they didn’t leave snacks out, so I found myself getting hungry often. The outdoor jacuzzi continues to be mentioned on their website, but it was clear it has been broken for a long time and there are no plans to fix it.
Ashley invited a photographer to take photos of the retreat (who also attended every activities as a participant). We were never asked in advance if we were okay with having our photos used for promoting their retreats. From the first evening, he took lots of photos of us (click, click, click, click). In our opening «hug circle» we hear photos! During yoga — more photos. How is that okay? I’m here to be at a yoga retreat (put technology away, not think about how I look or if my yoga pose is photo-​ready), but my request to stop the photos was ignored. The next morning after a beautiful yoga session on the beach at Big Bear Lake with live music, we settle into shavasana and all I hear is click, click…
I left feeling ripped off. $ 1000 for 3 nights in a shared room with my friend sharing a single bed in a hostel — the only way that made sense was because of all the activities, food, juices planned, which didn’t all happen and were crowded with volunteers and the other teachers.
The positives: A musician played music during every yoga class, which was really nice and unique. Collin (a local yoga teacher in Big Bear) did one class and it was great. The massage therapist (Amanda) was great. Another teacher (Jackie) did a great partner Thai massage workshop and Qi Gong workshop. Jackie and Amanda were also open to hearing feedback during the retreat (and tried to make improvements), while Ashley was not.
To be clear, we tried to talk with Ashley during the retreat about concerns, but they were not heard. She said «this is my vision» and «maybe I just need to advertise it to different people.» Though I have attended and enjoyed retreats before at other locations (and have been doing yoga for nearly 20 years), somehow it was my problem that I wasn’t open enough. She was not open to feedback at all and didn’t care about making sure that we had a great time. I’m not sure she realizes that she works in a service industry and is definitely lacking the skills to be a retreat leader. Never again — there was no Unilocal page before and that would have saved me. I hope that Unilocal reviews can make sure that others are more informed about what they are getting into with this retreat.
Be aware that other positive reviews that follow could be her family/​friends.