Heart & Soul Retreats

I felt Govinda Valley was very underwhelming for the price. It’s a Yogic Community and is too basic and unprofessional to be called a retreat.

The yoga and massages were fantastic but everything else was very average. For me the overall takeaway was that the level of professionalism needs to be improved upon if you want to call yourselves a retreat because it is not relaxing. I stayed in an ensuite room on my own ($600) and added on treatments ($600) so for $1200 for two nights my stay was not cheap but I felt like the experience was.

My home away from home! Have been a regular retreat attendee for a couple of years. I feel a catharsis every time I return to this magical setting. The volunteers are awesome as is the very wholesome fresh plant-based food.

Lovely place to stay to fully unwind and bring back your peace of mind!
Spacious green place, no pressure friendly atmosphere, tasty healthy vegan meals, amazing yoga classes, great massages from experienced stuff (Melanie was great!) combined with terrific
surroundings like Bald hill lookout, Eight figure pools walk and plenty of other bush hikes etc, all together made my 3 days retreat stay unforgetable.
This is not for materialists/hedonists expexting 5 star hotel/service. Come with the right mind set and ask questions before you come what to bring and what to expect from yoga classes, kirtan etc.
Thank you to all stuff, well done keeping this place running! Will definately come back

The massages and reiki yoga were excellent BUT the property is not well maintained looks very doggy at rear for land slides. The bridge to get to the property has not been looked after neither by council
nor by them attached photo and that was on a soft 4 day rain. Just because it's a vegan retreat doesn't mean room doesn't feel cosy fans dirty, cobwebs two spiders. The food you had one main meal choice with salad they could have served two type so like it or not that what you get. My air conditioning diffidently needed serving. Not enough night light around property. Would have liked warm toast for breakfast so no machine for us to make our own so they make it by the time you get it it's cool. And definitely not enough activities. A cooking class would have been nice since it was raining and craft. Would I go again no.

Heart & Soul was the perfect place for me to disconnect and reset. The food was incredible, and I thoroughly enjoyed the yoga classes and workshops. Overall, the general vibe is one of total relaxation and spiritual nourishment. As an added bonus, it is so close to Sydney. I will definitely be going back! Thank you to the generous souls who run this place.

We had such a great time at Heart and Soul. The location was great and the staff was so friendly you could be there on your own and not feel out of place.we will definitely be back:)

I arrived to Heart & Soul with a heavy heart and negative headspace, therefore I saw the worst in everything…
A day later when I was able to relax and find peace, everything changed and I found a deep appreciation here.
I ended up leaving with an open mind and a heart full of gratitude.

The peaceful and tranquil surroundings, the simplistic rooms and nutritious yummy meals are there for you to unwind and reconnect with yourself.

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”.

I love coming to Heart and Soul for a couple of days as a way to unwind and focus on my own wellbeing. The food is delicious and I look forward to every meal.

The yoga teachers were skillful and took the time to correct positions. Just being in the studio itself was relaxing as it was light and spacious and overlooked the trees of the parkland. Eating vegan which is not the norm for me was a treat, the food really was delicious. My husband loved the food too. I enjoyed the retreat so much that I am going to book again this year with a girlfriend

Omg so much to love about this retreat. The grounds are stunning (make sure you check out the permaculture garden), the rooms are simple and comfortable, the bathrooms are clean, the workshops & yoga is great and most of all the vegan food is beyond belief. I want all of their recipes and the chef was so graceful and gave us their gluten free vegan bread recipe. Highly recommend and am coming back in 2022.

I have been over Christmas for about 4 days to this place and I have had a very interesting and actually memorable experience. I would call this place a hidden gem that needs someone to polish it a bit. But step by step!

I am new to yoga and this kind of retreat and found myself in a very peaceful, helpful and overly friendly world. I enjoyed the stay and want especially to point out Michael as a yoga teacher as well as Christine as workshop teacher. They both have a way to teach things that even I, a total unskilled person in this area, was capable of following and feeling an impact on me. Thank you!

For people that are looking for a Wellness Spa or retreat - this place is not a five star hotel (be aware it’s a rather wild environment and calm retreat place than a wellness place with yoga added to it!) and if i could give some ideas for improvements:
Try to be a bit more organised (secret Santa with more gifts than participants was a really funny experience lol).
Maybe add some more fruits to your meals (breakfast, snacks in between), especially bananas are missing.
You need to fix some things on your infrastructure, especially painting and maybe the volleyball court?

But besides this If you take some advices from people with knowledge to get up processes running and organized (the reception seems already like this!) you have an awesome place created for people that need to wind down and to refill.

I would definitely recommend you and the place. Thank you.

Stunning location, amazing food and fantastic yoga - the best few days I've had in ages; highly recommended!

We stayed at Heart and Soul Retreats for 4 days. Loved the food and the vibe, had a really relaxing long weekend. Our room and bathroom were generally clean. It would be great if hair dryer could be provided (maybe even just a couple to borrow from). I also noticed that the whole facility was primarily run and maintained by volunteers/backpackers in exchange for accommodation and meals. Their workload was heavy and had to work long hours. I hope they are compensated fairly by the organisation

This was my 1st yoga retreat & I'll definitely be going again at least once a year! It's a great way to relax and focus on your inner peace and health, with the twice daily yoga & 2 workshops plus the beautiful natural surroundings. There's enough time between the classes to go for a bush walk or drive nearby to enjoy the views, waterfalls and other local scenery.

The rooms are comfortable but basic so don't expect a 5 star hotel. Booking the rooms with the private bathrooms was definitely worthwhile.

The meals are vegan without the processed carbs so we did miss meat & usual carbs (bread, rice, pasta), but it helped open my mind to the possibilities that vegan food can still be quite yummy and filling.