Description
Thank you for your interest in the Veda Studies Mandali retreat. You find all information about this retreat at the special retreat page. You may have pre-registered before, but on this page you make the actual reservation.
Costs for additional guests
If your partner, child or a friend wants to join, they are more than welcome to stay at Mandali. They can join all meals, enjoy the retreat facilities (spa, pool, reading room etc), but not the actual teaching, meditation, or yoga sessions. Children 0-5 years old pay only €250. Children 6-18 get 50% discount. Accompanying adults get 35% discount. To reserve their spot, please change the quantity in the above form and let us know who exactly will join. We will get back to you with a detailed re-calculation.
Reservation fee, final payment, and payment plans
A non-refundable and non-transferable reservation fee of €500 per person becomes due upon confirmation of your reservation and should be paid within 5 days (starting in 2025). We first need to confirm you meet all the minimum requirements and check whether your preferred room is still available and possibly provide you with an alternative room option.
Refund policy
You may cancel up to 3 calendar months in advance of the start of the event for a full refund minus the non-refundable and non-transferable reservation fee of €500 per person. Up until 2 calendar months in advance of the start of the event you will receive a 50% refund of the total fee. Up until 1 calendar month in advance of the start of the event you will receive a 25% refund. Within 1 month of the start of the event you will receive no refund.
Arriving earlier, departing later
If you plan to arrive early in the Lago d’Orta region or stay longer after the retreat, we recommend simply booking a hotel or AirBNB in or around Omegna. If you don’t have a car, be aware that it may be difficult to reach your accommodation. So, do your research before making a reservation. It is not possible to book extra nights at Mandali because it is fully booked with other retreats before and after the Veda Studies retreat.
Transportation
Do not book your flights to Italy until Veda Studies confirms your booking. We recommend flying into Milano Malpensa Airport, which is much closer to Mandali than the other two airports (Milano Linate and Milano-Bergamo Orio al Serio). From Malpensa you can either take a taxi (book in advance through Mandali) or travel by public transportation. Depending on the day and hour or your arrival, this may be relatively easy or a bit challenging. Especially if you arrive a day early, you may decide to first travel to or around the town of Stresa on the beautiful Lago Maggiore or to Omegna on the Lago d’Orta.
Some key rules
By joining this retreat, you guarantee that you are in good physical and mental health. If you suffer from any conditions that may interfere with a proper conduct of the Vedic chanting teachings, meditations and yoga sessions, you are required to indicate this upon registration. The Veda Studies team and the Mandali Retreat Center cannot make special last-minute arrangements. Your participation may be denied upon reservation or cancelled before or during the retreat, possibly without a refund.
By joining this retreat, you agree to behave respectfully to your teacher, the Veda Studies team members, Mandali staff, and fellow students. You also agree to demonstrate respect for the local culture, dress in an appropriate way (you will receive additional instructions well before the start), eat vegetarian/vegan, do not drink alcohol, use drugs or smoke cigarettes (or alternatives) during the retreat, whether on or off premises. The same rules apply to non-participating family and friends.
You agree that photos, videos and/or audio are taken from this event that may include your face or voice. Veda Studies cannot accept you if you do not agree to this, but we do our best to prevent taking pictures with you. Of course you can opt out of group photos, but we cannot alter images or videos afterwards because you show up in them.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I opt for room sharing, do I have to find a room partner(s)?
No, the whole point of room sharing is that you don’t have to do this. You will never have to search yourself. Of course, in case you do find a room partner before the retreat, you can share the room together upon approval by Veda Studies only. If you opt for the dormitory, be aware there will be 1-3 additional students in the room.
Can Veda Studies arrange my visa?
Veda Studies cannot help you with getting a Schengen visa. If a visa is required, please ensure to arrange this well before departure because there may be (long) waiting times at certain Embassies, Consulates or Visa Centers. Especially in India there may be long waiting times for Schengen visa application centers.
Can Veda Studies help booking my flights?
You must make your own travel arrangements. Early bookings generally give you better fees, but not necessarily the lowest. We advise to look first at Google flights, and possibly register for flight fee notifications on your route. If you want to see more of Italy before or afterwards, you may want to look at an open-jaw ticket such as flying into Milano Malpensa and flying out of Rome Fiumicino. There are countless domestic flight options, but be aware that getting a lower fare from for instance Bergamo may take you much more time and also incur extra train/bus costs. If you need any advice, you can always contact Edgar at admin@vedastudies.com
Do I need to take any vaccinations?
You must consult with your own healthcare provider and the Italian Embassy in your country. Citizens from certain countries may be required to get specific vaccinations.
We highly recommend getting a comprehensive travel & cancellation insurance. Traveling without a good travel insurance is a really bad decision. It is essential to be covered for various emergences. Your national health insurance will for instance not cover medical expenses in Italy or while traveling to/from Italy. A travel insurance is therefore obligatory to join this retreat because Veda Studies cannot help you with financial emergencies. In addition, you may want to get a cancelation insurance. If you must cancel the trip for several pre-defined reasons (e.g. illness or death in family), your insurance may refund you for non-recuperable expenses, such as the flight tickets and participation fee. You may also enquire about a cancel-for-all-reasons insurance in your country. These are not offered everywhere, but it would allow you to cancel for a wider number of reasons beyond the regular cancelation insurance. If you travel more often, an annual insurance may be financially interesting. If you book your flight ticket, your credit card may also include some form of insurance, but generally these serve as a secondary insurance for the travel-related expenses paid with the card (it depends greatly on your credit card!). Please be aware that Veda Studies is not liable in any way for any emergency that may happen in Italy or on your way to/from the retreat. Veda Studies cannot cover any unforeseen expenses, such as for your hospitalization or repatriation. Put shortly, take a good insurance!
Veda Studies has the right to cancel the event for any reason, but this will only be done in exceptional circumstances. We will only do so after looking at all possibilities to go ahead with the event. If we do cancel the event, you will be refunded for the full participation fee (including reservation fee), but not for any other expenses you already made (including flights, visa costs, additional hotel nights, lost work time etc). There are, however, other exceptional circumstances that prevent us from going ahead with the event, such as lockdowns, dangerous political situations etc. In circumstances that are out of our control, no refunds will be given and you should be able to fall back on your cancelation insurance.
Shantala will inform you about the dress code well before the start of the retreat.
All three meals and the snacks will be 100% vegetarian with vegan options, and generally they are served in buffet-style. Drinking alcohol will not be allowed during the retreat. Thank you for your understanding.
No, the retreat will be entirely focused on the teaching sessions. If you would like to see more of Italy, you can do so before or after the retreat.
