Wisconsin Monastery Personal Retreat: Quiet Overnight Stays Near Madison

This is a personal retreat, which means nobody hands you a schedule. You arrive, you settle into your room, and you decide what the day looks like. The setting is a Benedictine monastery near Madison, Wisconsin, with restored prairie, woods and gardens around the buildings. Recent guests describe the environment as welcoming and peaceful, and one wrote that the landscape let them "crack open my heart and soul to gratitude."

Lodging comes in two forms. The retreat and guest house has simple rooms with a bed, bathroom, desk and wardrobe, and you can book a twin, double or queen room, or a room with two beds if you are coming with someone. The two hermitages sit in a peaceful wooded area and are the more solitary option: each has a kitchenette, living room, bedroom, bathroom and an outdoor deck overlooking the woods. Hermitage stays require a minimum of two nights and can run up to three months if availability allows.

Meals are served Tuesday through Saturday. Lunch runs 12:00-12:30 pm and dinner 5:15-5:45 pm, in either the monastery community dining room or the guest dining room. It is buffet-style, prepared by the monastery chef from fresh, healthy, locally grown ingredients. Breakfast is self-serve and continental, available in the retreat and guest house until 11:00 am, and included with an overnight room.

You can also book a one-hour session with a spiritual guide, either on site or virtually. The guide helps you reflect on your life experience in relation to God, yourself and others. There is a suggested donation of $50 for the hour, and you arrange it when you book your retreat.

What separates this from a standard hotel stay is the community. The monastery is home to Benedictine sisters, and guests eat alongside them and alongside travellers from around the world. You are not required to join anything, but the option is there. The monastery has been covered by The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune and the Minneapolis Star Tribune for its monastery stays.

Guest services staff answer the phone Monday to Friday, 8:00 am-4:00 pm CST. Reservations sent over the weekend are not looked at until Monday, so if you want to visit within 48 hours, call rather than submit a form.

What's included

- Overnight lodging in the retreat and guest house or in a hermitage - Self-serve continental breakfast each morning (no charge with an overnight room) - Access to the monastery grounds, prairie, woodland and gardens - Shared meals with the Benedictine community and other guests (meals must be booked separately) - Option to book a one-hour spiritual guidance session (suggested donation $50)

What's not included

- Lunch (9 per person, 3 for children aged 12 and under) - Dinner ($23 per person, 5 for children aged 12 and under) - Spiritual guidance session (suggested donation of $50 per hour) - Travel to and from the monastery - Travel insurance - Personal expenses