Interfaith Retreats

I just spent three nights at this interesting hostel in NY. I enjoyed it very much. I ended up booking myself into this place because of the crazy prices of hotels in NY. And what a pleasant surprise! Of course, you have to be ready for a different experience. It is NOT a regular hotel. It suitable only for people travelling alone and you have to be happy with the basic minimum. No luxury at all. But you get a clean "pod" with everything you need for a good night sleep. Despite the pod being individual, soundwise you are not completely isolated from the other pods and so you are able to listen to anything is said in the other pods including.....snoring!:-) But nothing that a set of earplugs (provided by the management) cannot solve. And people are very respectful and keep quiet. The shared restrooms and showers are perfectly functional and clean. The 24/7 breakfast is simple but sufficient (plenty of fruit, cereals, juice, milk, yogurt). No coffee! Only tea and hot chocolate. And the spiritual touch invites you to meditate about what is important in life (books provided in your pod) and how many things we have are simply not necessary. If you are ready for something different and like travelling of the beaten tracks and do not need luxury....this could be your place! Plus...location is amazingly convenient. Literally 5 min walking from Penn station. And if you want to experience a Knicks game (as I did!), you just walk to the MSG. The staff is very nice and helpful.

Sweet place, quiet, simple, clean, friendly staff. I stayed a few nights at Interfaith Retreats. They had a nice breakfast and also let me store my luggage before and after my arrival for free. It was also in the heart of the city, so that was a plus.

The location is great. I came in on Amtrak, just 2 blocks away. It’s in the Garment District and Madison Square Gardens in Manhattan. The Green Blend restaurant across the street has extensive hours and anything you want from Smoothies to wraps and soups. Interfaith uses the “pod” concept to keep costs in Manhattan affordable. Shared restroom and separate showers were clean. Grains, tea, fruit, hot and cold water is available 24/7.

This is a VERY basic place - each 'pod' is smaller than a queen sized mattress - and open at the top, meaning you can hear your neighbor snore. And the pods are on the 2nd and 3rd floors up a steep flight of stairs - not recommended for those in poor shape. And I'd guess that they're not in compliance with basic fire safety - I never saw an alternate exit sign.

The location was great, people were nice and the place was clean. My only complaint, someone started to facetime their family at 5:45 a m. Everyone could hear her. It says there is a quiet rule from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Wish they would've enforced it. Once someone would ask her to be quiet, she would but then would call someone else. It lasted over 2 hours.

The description is not deceptive, the place is clean and friendly, but you should understand that the "pods" are very small. There were at least 25 of them on one floor, separated by thin partitions, open at the top, which means that ventilation is shared. You are required to be silent from 9 am to 9 pm, but even so, I could hear someone several pods away turning the pages of a book, not to mention coughs etc. throughout the night. The corridors are very narrow and cluttered, and there is no information about where to go in case of fire (there were exits nearby, but isn't specific information required?). Personally, I was totally freaked out by claustrophobia and fear of Covid and fire. The place is apparently run by Hare Krishna. The door to the building is carefully guarded, not necessarily in a welcoming way. There are less expensive hostels in the area.