Pa Pae Meditation Retreat

Honestly for me, it was an amazing experience. I did the structured three day retreat in end January and ended up staying a few more days after. I didn’t have too high expectations before coming and if you are thinking of joining, I definitely think you need to be in the right mindset otherwise it will not serve you any purpose. If you want to learn how to meditate while being a relaxed nature environment this is the place for you. It is super beginner friendly, I was thinking of doing a Vipassana silent meditation 10 days before, but I think this is a very good introduction to meditation with some luxuries before something as intense as Vipasana. Papae has everything you need if you want the little luxuries of nice coffee, 2 massage places, there is also a convenience store and restaurant if you do want to have dinners. The food included the canteen is decent (some days amazing and some days okay), but honestly, the greatest thing for me was the wisdom shared by some of the monks which I really resonated with, the kindness of the people and other participants here and just overall positive chill environment, where you can truly come to reset yourself and think or be alone if you want to. Beware that yes you are in nature so there will be bugs in some places, it could be you don’t have hot water, you have to wake up early and remain silent on certain times, it might get very cold, very hot or rainy depending when you are here, but apart from that it is a great experience! Ps: for those who might already be very experienced meditators or true Buddhists I think it might not be the best place as they do cater to mostly beginner western people :)

Coming to Pa Pae genuinely changed my life and how I will continue to live. The teachings from the monks have been so helpful to the way I allow things in life to affect me. It’s so easy to find peace in this beautiful retreat, as well as lovely people to connect with. I found the 3 day structure retreat to be very helpful as a beginner meditator. It taught us Buddhist principles, meditation techniques, and monk’s life stories that were inspiring. I kept extending my stay because, well… why wouldn’t you!!!!! Pa Pae has by far been the most monumental part of my trip to Thailand. Thank you immensely🤍

Since I stayed one month here, this is my perspective: If you want to be at a comfortable place to focus on your own meditation practice with the option to join daily chanting, meditate at awesome view points, talk to some of the monks there or just need a break while traveling, this place is awesome. Some of the monks are really dedicated and open to sharing their teachings and experience with you. If you’re looking for a Buddhist experience or stay at a monastery or for a real, solid and guided retreat then this place probably isn’t for you. I was particularly disappointed by the behaviors of some of the monks. They wore shoes even though they’re not supposed to (in the beginning of them being monks), some just left their trash behind instead of throwing it into the bin, they announced at lunch that this day was a silent day and then continued talking (in the same room) and making jokes and yes, some of them make fun and talk badly about participants and especially people that leave negative reviews in internal chats. Also, they don’t eat of all the alms the people give them as they are also served canteen food and so after some time they pass the food on to retreat participants - often moldy or otherwise gone bad. I think this is truly sad give that the people in this area don’t have much and give it to the monks for them to eat and not trash it… Also, it shouldn’t be my job to check if somebody placed moldy food on the food table… It is true that the pillows are moldy and I would highly suggest checking yours and swapping it, sometimes they have pillows without mold available. The food is somewhat ok, especially on the days where there is a retreat - on other days we often had the same food for 2 days in a row and even often not enough if you weren’t there at the beginning. Luckily this changed after the last bad review. Even if the retreat is on a silent day, other people that are not in the retreat are not. This is in my opinion bad organization but it’s the reason why there are often some people talking. There is also one cafeteria that’s part of the retreat center. One time my friend complained about his smoothie not being fresh. The guy said it’s fresh. My friend asked when they had prepared the fruit. The guy just said that it doesn’t matter because it is refrigerated. It tasted awful. Also the other stuff they sell like the shawls, you can buy it for 1/3 the price in the next city. I suggest eating or getting your coffee in the village close by - the restaurant and coffee shop there is awesome. All in all the place is beautiful and has a lot of potential. If you’re looking for a resort feeling and a getaways from your travels and an occasional meditation, this is definitely a place to enjoy. I’m giving two stars because the moldy pillows is a true health concern, together with the answer of the guy at the cafeteria and I believe what they offer does not match how they market themselves. Also, on the non retreat days with the tolerable food, shared accommodation and cold showers (some of which have brown water) I don’t believe the piece matches what you’re offered. For me the best part were the people there, it’s a social place and you’ll meet many awesome people, as well as the stunning views and the headspace to being able to just focus on my own meditation practice. I’m very thankful for the time I’ve spent there.