Nalanda Retreat, Goa — Hotel in Goa

This was a wonderful getaway for us and I will recommend to anyone who enjoys nature, yoga and values quality down to earth geniune friendly service looking to rest and relax. From the start Arghya assisted us with information, booking and easy payment. On arrival the team made us feel welcome throughout. We booked the 5 night package that includes yoga and meditation sessions, massages and breakfast and dinner. Our schedule ran smoothly and they were always willing to help, even with a cellphone charger. Thank you brilliant reception team Aniket, Rashmi, Kajal, Manish and Harman. Nalanda retreat is a family owned business and all of them came to greet, make us feel welcome and at home and offered assistance with whatever we needed. This says a lot, thank you. The owners genuinely care for their guests to enjoy their stay, connect with people and culture and learn and experience to be healthier. The massages were amazingly relaxing and rejuvenating. The staff also very professional, friendly and experienced. Akash and his restaurant team were amazing. So polite with geniune serving hearts and ready to answer all my annoying questions regarding the food as I was unaccustomed to Indian vegetarian food. Nevertheless the food was wonderfully flavoured, fresh and healthy. We had the best Chai tea as we watched the sunsets with yoga instructor Smit. This was special. The yoga teachers, Mandy and Smit, at Nalanda retreat are next level. Professional yet friendly and relatable, patient and with a wealth of knowledge and experience and eager to share and answer all questions and explain in a way that we could understand. Thank you for sharing your passion and helping us learn and understand ourselves better to be healthier. We had such a good time with them that it was not easy to say goodbye. Luckily they also offer online sessions. We were looking for a quick getaway to rest and rejuvenate but found so much more. We feel healthier and lighter and learned new skills. We can't wait to return and see the result of the upgrades currently underway. The green nature, genuinely friendly people, safety, everything within walking distance and private Mandrem beach of Goa was such nourishment. You have to visit them and experience. Thank you Nalanda team for such a memorable, healthy and restful stay. God bless you...

Being in the hospitality industry myself, I am well aware of the challenges that come along with it. However, one gets into this industry with experience or the sheer passion to learn and grow. When you get into the hospitality business with the only intention of making money, this is what you end up setting - Nalanda Retreat. This place is an epitome of Arrogance in every way possible. They only care about large group bookings and individuals/ couples are just transparent to them. Our check in was a problem because they were supposedly handling a big group check out. So we were shuttled from one property to another (the two properties are on either sides of a road and quite inside). When we were finally checked in, their so called royal villa is a room of 300 sq ft on the second floor of a building with multiple such rooms. They charge anything starting from 11500 per night for this room and guess what - no kettle (only tea/ coffee sachets), no foot mat anywhere, soiled sheets, no toiletries (not even a hand wash, just two really small medimix soaps), no drinking water, no hand towel and no bath towels. You have to ask for everything and if you are lucky, you’ll get it. On our second day, I was stuck in middle of my shower with absolutely no water supply for an hour. On our third day here, we had to ask for the room to be cleaned. They set the same sheets, quoting that all their linen had gone for laundry and they don’t have fresh sheets. On insisting, we got a fresh sheet (magically appeared from somewhere) with extremely soiled and unwashed towels. All common areas like the reception, corridors and stairways have not been even swept, forget mopped in months. And did I forget the constant drainage stink in the bathroom? We had to buy the Odonil room fresher sachet to bear the stink for the 4 days. Unfortunately, since we had already paid upfront while booking thru Agoda, we were forced to stay here all 4 nights. The place oozes Arrogance right from the person running the show - Mr Mukesh who has passed it on to all his staff. I’ve never rated any place this low and I wish there was a negative rating. Definitely a place to be avoided, unless you have the money to just waste on such people. There are much much better places around here for a far...

I recently had the pleasure of staying at Nalanda Retreat for a 5 day, women-only retreat event. I can't recommend this place enough, and I can't wait to return.

The setting is back, back off the road, winding down a stone pathway until you find the reception and the rooms. (Tip: the first building on the left is rooms. Keep walking down the path as it curves to the right and then to the left through a beautiful doorway where you'll eventually come to the reception area.) As you walk and try to find your way, you're sincerely leaving the outside world behind. And once you arrive, you can find all you need at Nalanda and not need to leave. A true retreat.

Everything we needed was provided. I needed medicine, and the staff went out and got it for me, without pressuring me for payment at that moment (we settled at check out, and even then there wasn't a pressure - they sincerely cared about our well-being).

The kitchen and dining area is on the beach. What a setting...it made our meals that much more enjoyable. The food was also delicious. Some in our number had food allergies and they took care to prepare food we could all enjoy, buffet-style. Even when we asked for something special (like coconut milk chai), they would try, or kindly let us know if the kitchen was closed for that time. It felt like home, we were always welcomed.

The property is very clean. The rooms themselves were lovely. Beautiful, relaxing colors, inviting and comfy beds, gorgeous details and design. There were some water bottles and a refill flask provided, as well as personal tea kettles, coffee, sugar, and cream in the rooms. There is also filter water provided around the property for you to re-fill your bottles.

The yogashala was happily on top of our room block, so everything was very coordinated and easy to get to for our sessions. The yogashala has various types of mats and all props you would need. The view from the yogashala is very nice - the beach, coconut trees, sky, and the shala itself were picturesque.

Finally, the staff are amazing. Kind, generous, patient, energetic. You will leave having made friends with them!

Thank you Nalanda Retreat for a truly...