The Hillside Sanctuary
A modern hillside home on 105 private acres in the Catskills — designed for small groups to gather in nature and experience a shift.
Our Mission
Retreat East Co exists to give practitioners a place worthy of the work they've spent years developing. A private sanctuary on 105 acres in the Catskills where the land, the quiet, and the space itself become part of the experience.
This is a space for practitioners whose work deserves more than a generic venue.
Built on a simple belief: the right environment does part of the work for you. When people arrive and step into this land — the quiet, the views, the way the inside opens to the outside — something in them settles before the first session even begins.
The sanctuary runs on solar energy with high-efficiency heating, cooling, and an electric water heat pump — a conscious step away from fossil fuels. We tend the land with the same care we bring to the experience.
Inside
The main level opens into a connected living and dining space — large enough to hold a group circle, intimate enough to feel like a home. Multiple sitting areas throughout the house give people room to gather in different configurations, or to find a quiet corner between sessions.
All indoor rooms open directly to outdoor spaces. There are no hard edges between inside and outside here — light moves through the house the way it moves through the trees.
Sleeping
Four private sleeping spaces. Each bedroom opens to the outdoors.
Bedroom 1 — Upper Level
Queen bed. Private deck overlooking the hillside and surrounding nature.
Bedroom 2 — Upper Level
Queen bed. Private deck with open views over the valley.
Bedroom 3 — Main Level
Double bed and twin bunk. Flexible for smaller groups, co-facilitators, or younger participants.
Bedroom 4 — Lower Level Suite
King bed. Walk-in closet. Private living room. Full en-suite bathroom. Wood-burning fireplace. Walk-out sliding doors opening directly to hammocks on the hillside.
The lower suite is the kind of room people don't want to leave — and the kind that makes a retreat leader's participants feel genuinely taken care of.
Availability Book
The details that make the difference.
Everything in the sanctuary was chosen with the work in mind. Things that support the nervous system, ease the arrival, and let your participants settle in fully before the work begins.
Arrival
Freshly roasted coffee and herbal tea blends, crafted for calm are stocked for your group on arrival and throughout your stay. The first cup is part of the experience.
Kitchen
Fully equipped for group cooking. Drip coffee maker, tea kettle, cooking basics, and spices. Ready for a private chef or a self-catered program — whatever your retreat calls for.
Rest
High-quality bedding and new mattresses throughout. Himalayan salt lamps in every bedroom. Houseplants chosen for air quality. The kind of sleep that makes the next day's work possible.
Movement
Yoga mats and studio props available on site for morning practice, integration sessions, or movement between sessions.
Gathering
S'mores and unlimited firewood for the indoor fireplace and outdoor fire pit. Seasonal wildflowers. A welcome book with a curated guide to the best local experiences, trails, and resources.
Practical
All linens and towels provided. Eco bath and body products throughout. Washer and dryer access. Responsible pet parents welcome to inquire.
Nothing here is accidental. Every detail was chosen to support the work — yours and your participants'.
Outside
Step out the door and onto the deck — long views over the valley, open sky, and the sense that the land goes on longer than you can see. Which it does.
Beyond the deck: open fields, old forest, hillside trails, and direct access to Minnewaska State Park Preserve — one of the most quietly extraordinary landscapes in the Northeast.
The fire pit and outdoor seating area give groups a natural place to gather after sessions — the kind of unstructured time that often carries as much weight as the work itself.
Hammocks on the hillside. Room to walk alone. Room to sit in silence. Room to let the land do what no facilitator can.
105 acres. Two hours from New York City. A world away from everything else.
The Land
105 acres of forested landscape on a hillside, including 25 acres of cleared fields for events, gatherings and exploration, three large decks off-the-lodge for additional areas to enjoy the serene setting.
