Raleigh Hotel Womens Recharge Retreat

rdmom

Thu, Oct 22 2015, 7:41 am

I can go check later but the Raleigh is doing it again sometime in January. Beginning of January. Saw the ad in the shoppers route in Williamsburg.

Amelia Bedelia

Thu, Oct 22 2015, 7:43 am

Yes, I confirmed that the Raleigh retreat is January 4-6.

amother

Bronze

Thu, Oct 22 2015, 8:17 am

Amelia Bedelia wrote:

Yes, I confirmed that the Raleigh retreat is January 4-6.

Thanks

ruchelbuckle

Thu, Oct 22 2015, 12:49 pm

I called the hotel yesteday to inquire. Then of course, I texted all my friends from last year about it! who's coming? Amelia Bedilia, if I can make it work, then so can you!!!

amother

Lilac

Fri, Oct 23 2015, 12:29 am

I'm soooo excited! I cant wait!!!!'

amother

Wine

Fri, Oct 23 2015, 7:11 am

Please post info. DH thinks I NEED a break. This sounds perfect for me.

Ema of 5

Fri, Oct 23 2015, 7:38 am

Without any group discounts, how much is it? And how much is it with the discounts?
I really don't want to go back through the thread and read....what exactly is it? I know there's food and entertainment, but what else?

amother

Lilac

Fri, Oct 23 2015, 10:28 am

The food is not stam food. Its ribsteak and chicken and shmorgs and oh soooo much foood that is soooo divine and beautiful. It is awesome to kick up your heels and relax while youre being served. Programs are fun too! Last year we had dancing with Chaiky davidowitz which was a blast! Aqua aerobics was omg so much fun!!!! There were games and impromptu twelve step meetings(jk!) there was music and socialization and women from all walks of life and from around the globe...Israel, Canada, and Rhode Island (winky winky). From full-time mothers to full time social workers and so much in between !!!
Last year they had great group discounts. I ended up paying about. $300 something instead of $600 something.
I've been saving up from last year already to be able to attend. My sanity is worth sooo much more than any price.....what I got there, was SANITY.... And I sure can use some sanity at any given time !!! Cant we all moms !!??? Looking fwd to see you all buddies from last year and some new faces would be awesome !!!$ no I dont work for the retreat...im just super excited!!! (Now I gotta pray to God I dont have to go to the mikvah in those days!! Wink

ruchelbuckle

Fri, Oct 23 2015, 3:11 pm

amother wrote:

The food is not stam food. Its ribsteak and chicken and shmorgs and oh soooo much foood that is soooo divine and beautiful.

Lilac is correct. Not only is the food good, and there is a ton of it, the meals are so much fun. Sitting with new friends, shmoozing, etc..The food is great and there is a ton of it. Isn't it great not to clean up and prepare for a few days? There was a lady there who grew up in Ukraine under communist rule and was telling me about her life there over dinner one night. ...

Quote:

and women from all walks of life and from around the globe..

Well, I don't know about thatWhen Lilac says that there are women from all walks of life, there were women from a few different sections of Boro Park.....

Just kidding!

Seriously, most of the women were from Bklyn, Monsey, Skver, Monroe. Mostly (95%) a chassidishe crowd, a few non-chassidish ladies thrown in for fun. Smile

I don't remember anyone from Canada....except the lady from Monsey who came with all of her 8 daughters/dils....but she hasn't lived in Canada in a while!!! ) Rebbetzin Henny Machlis (a"h) was there last year with one of her daughters, we had no idea that she was sick. Sad

and lilac, you didn't answer my text!!

I am going to ask the moderator to move this to "vacation and travelling." I have protekzia with Hashem_Yaazor...... Smile

The truth is if she lived within driving distance, I would drag her with me. Smile

ruchelbuckle

Fri, Oct 23 2015, 3:17 pm

Here is what I wrote after the trip last year for anyone who in interested:

Okay, I went and had a BLAST!!!

I will describe it to you, and also answer a few questions that were posted...

It was kind of like camp! There were two speakers, including mrs. Leah Rubashkin! Someone else who I wasn't familiar with spoke about personal growth the first day.

Yitty Knobloch did a comedy routine-- it was cute- I never heard of her before. I only got about half the jokes, but I laughed anyway.

There was simcha dancing, water aerobics and regular aerobics. The pool was open other times, too.

There was an "arts and crafts" time where you could choose plaster painting or beading....I had a lot of fun and think I will now take it up as a hobby! Also, someone did a demo on table setting schemes and food decor-- it was fun to watch what she did!

In addition to the activities, there was a lot of just hanging out and shmoozing. If you didn't feel like going to aerobics or anything, you could just hang out in the lobby and find someone to shmooze with.

Dina Storch gave a concert the first night and the second night there was a kumzits. At both events, the ladies were dancing quite a bit. Also, I thought it was truly beautiful when 100+ ladies were singing "Ima Tagid'Li" together!!!

The food was really good. Honestly, as long as I am not cooking, I always think the food is good! Lunch was milchig, dinner was fleishig. Breakfast and lunch were buffet, dinner was sit down. plenty of options at all meals. Tea room, too. Always had coffee, tea, cake, etc... out.

The hotel-- some parts of the hotel were kind of dumpy. The lobby, dining room, etc are all renovated. Some rooms are dumpier than others. It was fine. No mice or bedbugs or anything, it's just not the Waldorf Astoria. Like I was in the pool, and it was clean and everything...it was just obvious to me that it hadn't been renovated since.... before I was born.....

The crowd was over 90% chassidish. I came not knowing anyone. As long as you are willing to make the effort to introduce yourself to people, people were very friendly. Most of the ladies came with a friend (or family)-- but I found that if I sat down at a table, people stopped speaking Yiddish and switched to English and included me in the conversation. I found that everyone else was just as nervous as making new friends as I was!!! I was a little uncomfortable on the bus ride up-- no one spoke to me (except the lady I met through this site)-- but the bus ride back-- I was already BFF with half these people! It just takes a while for everyone to warm up! There were a few non-chassidish ladies-- and it didn't seem like anyone was "left out" of anything.

Regarding sharing a room with a stranger-- if you are considering going in the future, don't let that stop you. First of all, most of the people coming are totally normal! Second, I barely spent any "awake" time in my room-- just basically sleeping and changing into my bathing suit for swimming!!! you can always bring earplugs in case the roommate snores!!

I also want to apologize: a lady at the breakfast table one morning said "Oh, do you know the website Imamother? I went on it and read that there were a bunch of people talking about going." At that time, I didn't say anything, as I didn't want to "out" some of the other ladies on this site. But if you're reading this (I'm the one who you helped with a car service when we got off the bus)-- then I apologize!

If any of you know who I am from reading this, then please keep in touch!! send me a PM-- I had a great time meeting you!!!

ETA: I paid about $450 with transportation-- The original price was $650, but we formed a group of 7 through this site and got a 40% discount. (I didn't meet 3 of the people in the group!). It was double occupancy. For 3 days in a hotel with all the activities and food....it was a great price. Someone said that they are probably not going to do such a big discount again in the future, but even so....

On a previous thread, someone mentioned "want to have our own retreat: a nice hotel, take out and board games?" I think that for all the activities the Raleigh provided, plus the food, it was an amazing price....even for $500-550 it still would be a great price. I would totally recommend going in the future!

amother

Lilac

Sun, Oct 25 2015, 7:32 pm

Ok, responded;) and yes there were people from Canada and hey you had nothing nice to say about your roommate last year?? And are you trying to say that she snored? She does not... And you spent more time with her than just sleeping and slipping into a bathing suit!!!
Well.well... The pleasure was all mine. Wink

rdmom

Sun, Oct 25 2015, 7:40 pm

Ruchelbuckel I am reading your response and laughing

The woman who is from Canada and came with her 9 daughters and daughters in law hasn't lived in Canada in a very long time. And last year I asked her if she can adopt me for those few days and can she PLEASE take me along. I offered to be a surrogate daughter in law. Didn't work. I am related to one of her daughters. And they are doing it again this year. I am dying to join. I hope so.

Now I gotta go call her daughter and tell her that her mom made an impression and was discussed on the boards.

amother

Lilac

Sun, Oct 25 2015, 7:43 pm

rdmom wrote:

There was a different family that came all the way from canada....

rdmom

Sun, Oct 25 2015, 7:51 pm

I don't remember anyone from Canada....except the lady from Monsey who came with all of her 8 daughters/dils....but she hasn't lived in Canada in a while.

This is what I was talking about.

Amelia Bedelia

Sun, Oct 25 2015, 8:53 pm

amother wrote:

Amelia Bedelia

Sun, Oct 25 2015, 9:07 pm

Does anyone know what discounts they're offering this year?

amother

Lilac

Sun, Oct 25 2015, 10:36 pm

I know its still in its infancy, but I heard something about group rates of 5 being 30%off. Plus discounts for each new member you bring.

ruchelbuckle

Mon, Oct 26 2015, 10:43 am

amother wrote:

uh oh.... I am in trouble. Maybe this thread should be moved to "Controversial Topics."

Queenb4

Sat, Oct 31 2015, 8:32 pm

They are advertising a group rate? Anyone know any details?

amother

Lilac

Sun, Nov 01 2015, 1:20 am

Queenb4 wrote:

They are advertising a group rate? Anyone know any details?

Nope. I guess we gotta call and inquire... Keep us posted.