The East Villagers

King/Queen Suite @ Stanton

2012-01-05T12:45:00.001-05:00

Check out King/Queen Suites @ SanctuaryNYC Stanton - Sita & Rama. These beautiful units are identical, both located next to each other on the 2nd - elevator. They sleeps 4 guests comfortably - king-bed, queen-bed - an additional premium single cot-bed can be provided for a 5th person. Both suites have private patios and complete with cable TV and Wi-Fi.

Sanctuary Stanton on FlipKey/TripAdvisor

2011-12-22T18:22:00.000-05:00

The SanctuaryNYC team is proud to announce that our beautiful Queen Studio Suites are now listed on FlipKey and TripAvisor:

Sanctuary Stanton FlipKey

Sanctuary Stanton TripAdvisor

Sanctuary Stanton on HomeAway & VRBO

2011-12-15T16:33:00.000-05:00

Here is our Beautiful & Trendy Lower East Side Queen Studio Suite with Private Patio that's listed on HomeAway and VRBO... Love it!

SanctuaryNYC Gift Bags

2011-12-12T16:22:00.000-05:00

Here are some gift bags ideas... they will be filled with homemade cookies and other surprises!

We love our guests!!! =D

Sanctuary Stanton: King/Queen Studio

2011-12-06T11:50:00.000-05:00

Featured Suite of the Week!

Our King/Queen Studio (Rama) sleeps up to 5 people comfortably and it has a private patio. Like all our Stanton Suites, it's located on the 2nd floor with private elevator to that level. Our Lobby/Reception is almost finished and the Yoga/Fitness Studio is on its away.

Love from Potsdam New York

2011-11-29T19:54:00.000-05:00

Hi,

Here are photos of last week's Food for Life @ Tompkins. Our lovely guests from Potsdam, Gary Mattimore & family, came to the park and gave us a hand with the serve-out. Gary walked up and down the line passing out hot drinks, Cassidy worked the humongous pot of Upma and their children manned the salad, banana bread and napkins. It makes us very happy to see our SanctuaryNY guests share so much love with the local community.

Enjoy!

Around Stanton - LES

2011-11-25T17:43:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from my morning jog around the Lower East Side couple days ago. I ran down Stanton Street to Sanctuary, cut across Clinton Street and back up Houston. It was quite early so some places were still close or just opening.

Have a great weekend!

Gorgeous Sunday in NYC

2011-11-20T17:38:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Jogging is one of my favorite pastime (this is Mario, by the way) and choose different areas of the Manhattan to run through. I also love to take pictures of places around me. Perfect! I can pick a new spot in NYC, get some exercise, take cool pics and share them with you on here, Facebook or Twitter.

Here are some shots of my jog over the Brooklyn/Manhattan Bridge.

Enjoy!

Love @ Tompkins

2011-11-14T18:45:00.000-05:00

Hello,

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Here at SanctuaryNYC things are well. November is a bit of a slow month so we're running a $149/night Special (40% off regular rates). The weather is also beginning to cool down and leaves changing color. Fall is HERE but doesn't stop us from being out there at Tompkins Square Park for 2 hours 3 days a week passing out FREE meals.

Here are some pictures from today serve-out. Special THANKS to Kelly and Scott from Long Island and to Sarah Smith from Oklahoma. Sarah came up to NYC to celebrate her birthday, what best way to do that by giving back to the community. Thank you!!!!

Updated SanctuaryNYC Testimonials

2011-11-10T12:59:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Since everything is review-based nowadays, here is complete list of Sanctuary Guest Suites testimonials and reviews. Enjoy!

Click on link:

Testimonials & Reviews

NEW Tripadvisor Review:

2011-11-04T15:42:00.000-04:00

"We stayed at sanctuary guest suites last march and had a fantastic time - we were in New York for a week and wanted the opportunity to get a real taster of living in the city without the formalities and blandness of staying in a hotel. We stayed in one of the penthouses at sanctuary and it surpassed all our expectations - with a private roof terrace with views over the city to the empire state building, and all the amenities that we needed it proved the perfect base to explore the city. We loved the location itself, as we had easy access to all the amazing coffee shops and vintage clothes shops of East Village while also being able to get to all the tourist sites of New York in very little time. We couldn't have asked for more from our accommodation, especially for the price, and we are already planning a trip back to sanctuary for next summer! I would highly recommend to anyone staying for more than a few nights in the city that would like to get more of a taster of the real New York."

Izzi Shearman
London, UK

see MORE: Flipkey & Tripadvisor Reviews

Sanctuary Stanton Review:

2011-10-20T15:41:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,

Although Sanctuary @ Stanton has been fully operational since Sept. 29th, we have had some drawbacks. Time Warner was terribly backed up (or so they said) and a result our cable/Wi-Fi services took a while to kick in. However now all the units (11 of them) are 100% complete with everything. Despite the few initial difficulties we encountered some very sweet reviews have already come in.

Here is one from our Australian guests Peter, Michelle and baby Thomas:

Love from Vancouver!

2011-10-13T00:56:00.000-04:00

Hello,

Here are some pictures from Food for Life @ Tompkins on Monday by Goura Rivera, one of our managers at Sanctuary. Special thanks to our guests from Vancouver for coming out and sharing some love. We're always happy and grateful when Sanctuary guests are eager to join in and help serve, even if it's only for a few minutes.

Thank you!

At Tompkins this Week

2011-10-06T10:49:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,

Hope you're having a great week so far and/or looking looking forward the weekend. As you may have noticed we have been working double-steam putting the last touches on Sanctuary Stanton - check out the Sanctuary Blog for pics, updates and some Behind-the-Scenes - everything is beautifully falling into place and our Stanton guests are very satisfied.

In midst of all the hectic-ness of opening a new location, we have haven't neglected our out-reach work Food for Life @ Tompkins Square Park. We're also very happy that many of our Sanctuary guests have been coming out to help serve and share smiles. Special thanks to them and to our wonderful volunteers who are out there day-in and day-out! Thank you ALL.

Revised Floor Plan

2011-09-29T14:02:00.000-04:00

Hello,

Hope everyone is having a great week so far. We are putting the last touches on Sanctuary Stanton - our first guests arrive tonight. Exciting!!! In the following days VC Ferry, our resident photographer, will be photo-shooting all the units and all the pictures will go up on our website.

Here is the revised floor plan:

Pasta Wednesday!

2011-09-28T15:07:00.000-04:00

As on every Wednesday, the Sanctuary team and guests came out to Tompkins Square Park and passed out free meals. Today we served out over 140 plates. The menu included Penne Pasta Primavera with Black Olives & Cashew Nuts, Salad Greens with Red Pepper/Avocado Dressing, Banana Cake and Mint Lemonade.

We would like to thank our SanctuaryNYC guests for volunteering their valuable time to help this project.

Sanctuary Stanton: Floor Plan

2011-09-20T19:21:00.000-04:00

Sneak-Preview to Sanctuary Stanton Floor Plan!!!! =D

Sanctuary @ Staton

2011-09-09T12:52:00.001-04:00

Sanctuary Guest Suites just acquire 11 brand new suites in the LES - Sanctuary Staton. Check out the behind-the-scenes photo-shoot of the Lotus Suite by VC Ferry, a Philadelphia-based photographer and great friend of Sanctuary. All the others will be ready by Oct. 1.

We're all very excited!!!!

NEW Website Launched!

2011-09-07T13:47:00.000-04:00

Sanctuary Guest Suites has a brand new website! Yay!!!

It was launched on Saturday and although we had some technical issues for a couple of days, now it's fully operational. It's very user-friendly and less cluttered.

Check it out: http://sanctuaryguestsuites.com/

Home

Review

Out-Reach Projects

Charity

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Friday Love @ Tompkins

2011-09-03T15:01:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone is having or about to have an awesome weekend. Here in the United States we celebrate Labor Day weekend this time of the year. Regardless, the entire Sanctuary Guest Suites team wishes everyone a fun & safe weekend.

Here some pictures of our Food for Life @ Tompkins yesterday. We would like to extend our SPECIAL THANKS for our guests from Australia for coming and helping with such enthusiasm. It's truly amazing to see that aspect of people - very inspiring. SPECIAL THANKS also to Petrina, our long-term guest from Denmark in New York studying violin, she comes out to serve 3 days a week.

Today's Serve-out @ Tompkins

2011-08-31T16:39:00.000-04:00

As on every Wednesday (and Monday and Friday), today the Sanctuary Guest Suites team set up camp at Tompkins Square Park from 10:30am - 12pm and passed out free meals. Today's menu: Pasta in Spinach Sauce, Corn-on-the-Cub, Salad w/ our delicious Avocado dressing, Banana Cake & our refreshing lemonade. WHAT A TREAT!!!

A couple of our SanctuaryNYC guests came out to help. Thank you so much. We'd also like to thank VC Ferry, Carl & Petina for volunteering their time to this cause. And last but not least, all our gratitude goes to Adi Tarantino for cooking a storm! Thank you ALL!!!

For info and pictures check our facebook page: Food for Life @ Tompkins

Today's Food for Life @ Tompkins

2011-08-29T13:51:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday everyone! New York is back to normal and it's a gorgeous day out. Sanctuary Guest Suites didn't not have any major damages from hurricane Irene except for a couple of leaks in some top floors units. Our maintenance is already on it.

In other news, today we had a fun day passing out free meals at Tompkins Square Park. The menu consisted of Upma (Semolina based Indian staple), Salad w/ Avocado Dressing, Corn-on-the-cob, Banana Cake and ICE COLD lemonade.

For pictures and information check out our facebook page: Food for Life at Tompkins Square Park

Thanks everyone for coming to help and partake! SEE YOU WEDNESDAY!!!!

Have a beautiful day!

Hurricane Update:

2011-08-27T18:06:00.001-04:00

As Hurricane Irene makes its way to New York City Sanctuary Guest Suites has taken the necessary steps to keep their guests as safe and informed as possible. Constant weather updates are being posted on the SanctuaryNY facebook and twitter accounts. For more updates and developments check the NYCMayorsOffice's twitter.

In addition letters have sent up to all our guests detailing some security and safety measures (and a package with candles, water and such). SanctuaryNYC guests have also been made aware to stoke up on supplies and basics as stores could be closed indefinitely. Erika, Goura and myself will be on call 24hrs in case of any emergency. Breakfast has been postponed until further notice.

Emergency Contacts:

Erika Sampaio: 352.226.1332 (General Manager)

Goura Rivera: 352.213.7090 (Assistant Manager)

Mario Cornejo: 352.213.9020 (Director of Reservations)

SanctuaryNYC Toll-Free: 1.888.808.9898

Although we are not within a evacuation zone we urge our guests to please be as safe as possible.

CAUTION FIRST!!!

SanctuaryNY on Localo

2011-08-23T19:58:00.000-04:00

Sancuary Guest Suites can now be found on Localo. Localo is a peer-to-peer (P2P) community marketplace where locals share their homes with travellers that includes hosts in 4552 destinations in 115 countries.

Check it out: http://184072.localo.com/

Back on Homelidays

2011-08-13T20:29:00.000-04:00

Sanctuary Guest Suites is back on www.homelidays.com. Homelidays is a private holiday rental website with over 26,000 property advertisements online in 80 different countries (apartments, villas, chalets, bungalows, mobile-home or boats) and was elected Best Customer Service of the Year 2011.

Check it out: Sanctuary NYC on Homelidays

Our Travel Agencies

2011-08-11T11:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a shout-out to those travel agencies that have been working with us over the years.

Roots Travel (France)
Sagittario Tours (Italy)
Transcontinental Voyages-Travel (Switzerland)
Resman (Sweden)
GPS Viaggi (Italy)
Friendly Rentals (Spain)

Thank you for all your help!!!

Gift Bag of LOVE

2011-08-08T15:07:00.000-04:00

In October 2010 we introduced the Gift Bag which included a welcome letter, a small book on oriental spirituality and, last but not least, FRESHLY homemade cookies (baked with love originally by Tiffany and now by India). EVERYONE LOVES THEM!!!

Here are some NEW bag ideas...

NEW WEBSITE sneak preview

2011-08-04T16:45:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, as you may know we have been working full steam making changes and improvements including renovations, new beds & sleeper couches, new breakfast set-up, more meals being served out @ Tompkins and so on...

Our web designer Jesse has also been working on a NEW Sanctuary Guests Suites website and here is sneak preview - check it out:

3rd Street & Sanctuary

2011-08-02T18:01:00.000-04:00

Random photos of our street, E 3rd, Home of Sanctuary NYC & Interfaith Community Services.

TripAdvisor Response Letter

2011-07-28T18:11:00.002-04:00

For those of who don't know Sanctuary Guest Suites officially underwent new management in January 2011. As a result of negligence by the previous managers some guests were very inconvenienced and some negative feedback was posted on TripAdvisor.

Here is the new management's apologetic response to post on TripAdvisor soon.

Dear Travelers,

I’m writing on behalf of Sanctuary Guest Suites to inform you that as of January of 2011 SGS underwent new management and to apologize to all our guests prior to that for all the inconveniences and disappointments caused by the previous managers’ negligence.

The new team (Erika Sampaio, Goura Rivera and myself) has been working very hard to improve on all essential aspects of SGS including costumer service information, doorman, late-check-in manager, more efficient reservation engine (RezOvation GT), new user-friendly website to be released soon, unit renovations (new beds, sleeper couches from Strata Furniture), fully renovated breakfast lounge and office/front desk and rooftop patio.

Sanctuary Guest Suites is now a member of Greater New York Chamber of Commerce (Sanctuary NYC) and has joined STRAHA (Short Term Renters & Hospitality Association).

SGS is also now listed on very reputable Vacation Rental websites:

Tripadvisor.com: Sanctuary Guest Suites: A Peaceful Stay in NYC
Flipkey.com: Property ID 251199
VacationRentals.com: Property ID 77773
Homeaway.com Property #266155
VRBO.com: Property # 368185

We also have a partnership with international travel agencies:

Roots Travel (France)
Sagittario Tours (Italy)
Transcontinental Voyages-Travel (Switzerland)
Resman (Sweden)
GPS Viaggi (Italy)
Friendly Rentals (Spain)

Our Social Media presence is more developed:

Facebook: Sanctuary Guest Suites, Bed & Breakfast - NYC
Twitter: @SanctuaryNY
Blogs: sanctuaryguesthousenyc.blogspot.com & theeastviallgers.blogspot.com
Yelp: Sanctuary Guest Suites

Sanctuary Guest Suites was recently awarded the Badge of Excellence by tripadvisor.com of which we are extremely happy - all our hard work is finally paying off. Feel free to look us up on the any, or all, of the vacation rental websites above and to read more reviews and feedback.

As a token of respect for those of you whose visit to New York became a hassle and a nightmare, we want offer you a 2-night comped stay next time you plan a trip to NYC so please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Mario Cornejo

Director of Reservations & Social Media

Sanctuary Guest Suites - Bed & Breakfast
73 East 3rd St. Suite CC
New York, NY 10003
☎ 352.213.9020
☎ 1.888.808.9898

www.sanctuaryguestsuites.com

Love from New Zealand to the LES

2011-07-25T20:38:00.002-04:00

Sanctuary Guest Suites and myself would like to thank our guests from New Zealand for, on their first day in the New York City, helping with our Food for Life @ Tompkins. The entire family met us at the Bhakti Cafe kitchen and helped icing and cutting the banana cake and loading up. At the park they had the time of their life feeding over 150+ FREE meals and interacting with the locals and even came back and helped with clean-up. The SanctuaryNY team was very inspired by their predisposition and enthusiasm. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

SanctuaryNY receives Badge of Excellence from Tripadvisor

2011-07-22T14:24:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Sanctuary Guest Suites, Bed & Breakfast was awarded the Tripadvisor Badge of Excellence.

Here it is...

Congratulations! We wanted to let you know that you have qualified for our "Rated Excellent" digital badge. This exclusive award recognizes outstanding vacation rentals based on reviews from past guests. It is clear that you provide a fantastic rental property for your guests and we are pleased to recognize your efforts.

Show off your award by featuring this exclusive badge on your website and distinguish your property as one of the very best vacation rental properties. This badge will help demonstrate credibility with potential guests and increase bookings from your website.

Find New York City Vacation Rentals on FlipKey

Check our other badges:

New York City Vacation Rentals

Find New York City Vacation Rentals on FlipKey

Monday @ Tompkins

2011-07-18T17:18:00.001-04:00

Nothing like starting the week at the park passing out free delicious meals and exchanging smiles!!!

Today our guests from Denmark, Stephan & Family, met us at the Bhakti Center for load up and helped serve out from beginning to end. Our gratitude and appreciation goes out to them. Thank you!!!

The menu today consisted of yummy Upma, Green w/ Avocado Dressing, Blueberry Banana Cake and Mint Lemonade. The entire Sanctaury Guest Suites NYC, Adi Tarantino, Erika Sampaio, Goura Rivera and I, came throughout while Yamin stayed back at the office running things.

A big THANK YOU goes out to our guests Stephan & Family from Denmark, our volunteers Michelle, Henry & Carl and as always to everyone who came for a meal. See you on Wednesday!!!

Feeding the Lower East Side

2011-07-13T16:23:00.001-04:00

Today was PASTA WEDNESDAY @ Food for Life @ Tompkins. Yummy pasta primavera with zucchinis and black olives, fresh greens with red pepper dressing, banana cake with chocolate topping and cold mint lemonade to wash it all down. What a treat!

The SanctuaryNY team (Erika, Goura, Adi & me) and volunteers had a blast and served out 160+ free meals and ran out by 11am. We need a bigger pot!

Our guests from France came to help serve and worked the Lemonade cooler; they loved it. Thank you for taking the time!

Goura and Erika

Erika & I

Our French Guests working the Lemonade

Urban Living & Straha

2011-07-12T16:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the SanctuaryNY team (Bradd Weinberg, Erika Sampaio and myself) met, as we do every month, with the STRAHA at the Urban Living NYC headquarters. STRAHA stands for Short Term Rental and Hospitality Association consisting of various players in the industry including; landlords, vacation and corporate rental proprietors, real estate brokerage companies, listing websites, and bed and breakfast operators. To learn more about its mission and projects click: www.straha.org. Also we are happy to announce that signed a partnership contract with Urban Living NYC, from now on our properties will also be listed with them.

Featured Travel Agency: Sagittario Tours

2011-06-30T12:13:00.001-04:00

Sagittario Tours is one of the many travel agencies that partner with Sanctuary Guest Suites. They are based out Imperia, Norther Italy and was established in the early 70's. Today they have grown into a highly qualified team with outstanding experience in coordinating individual and as well as group travels. ST extends their services to places like France, Russia, USA and even Peru.

Ealier this year Diego Niggi coordinated a group travel of 20 dance students to visit New York City for the First Annual Big Apple Salsa Festival and Sanctuary NYC was lucky to host their stay and recently the Niggi family and friends stay with us for week.

The SAGITTARIO TOURS was established in 1972 and, thanks to the NIGGI family and to a highly qualified team has developed a long experience in organizing journeys and holidays, either for individual clients or groups... READ MORE

The Mayapuris @ Sanctuary NYC

2011-06-27T16:08:00.000-04:00

“Rhythm is a universal language,” explains the Mayapuri drummer, Bali, “It transcends all external barriers. Everything. Race, religion, tongue, creed, culture. It’s the heartbeat of the universe.”

The Mayapuris are back in New York and 3 nights performing at different yoga studios in Manhattan and of course they're staying at their favorite spot: Sanctuary Guest Suites!

The Mayapuris were teenagers fresh out of international boarding school where they trained in kirtan, a musical art form that has existed for thousands of years. They wanted the sound of their thunderous mridanga drums to shake the globe. Naming their group after the holy village of Mayapur, India where the kirtan movement started, The Mayapuris traveled the world enthusing crowds with their dynamic drum dances and kirtan performances... READ MORE

Did I mention Breakfast?

2011-06-24T17:36:00.003-04:00

Why do people stay at Sanctuary NY?

- Perfect Downtown Location
- Clean, Stylish Home-like Suites
- Amazing Rooftop Patio View
- Friendly & Helpful Staff
- Charity Out-reach Projects
- Rooftop Yoga
- Delicious Complimentary Breakfast

Speaking of breakfast check out our new breakfast set up!!!

Guest Book Reviews: Part 3

2011-06-23T19:00:00.000-04:00

Reviews, reviews, reviews... everything is review-based nowadays. As with every new establishment Sanctuary NYC took its first steps into the marketing world by word-of-mouth - they say word-of-mouth is the best kind of marketing.

As an organization grows however a more viral to marketing approach is necessary. Today businesses and organizations are aided by a multitude of viral marketing vehicles such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, a number of blog servers and the list goes on and on...

Anyway here is round 3 of our Guest Book series featuring guests from Florida, Mexico City, Denmark, Argentina, Spain & Brazil (I suspect a kid was responsible for signing the last one =]).

Enjoy!

Sanctuary NYC: A Place for Yogis

2011-06-22T16:32:00.000-04:00

The West Village, East Village and Soho have become synonymous with, among other things, the places for Yoga in New York City. You can't walk for long through these districts without bumping into Yoga Studios, Stores or people in yoga wear and mats slung over the shoulders or stuck in the work/school bags. There is Yoga to the People on St. Marks, where I go regularly, JivaMukti Yoga by Union Square and Golden Bridge Yoga in Nolita.

Recently Sanctuary NYC was lucky to have been referred to a large group of Yoga practitioners from parts of California, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. These Yogis visited the city to attend a week-long workshop offered by Golden Bridge Yoga NYC. They had a lovely time and really enjoyed the yogic and tranquil feel and East-meets-West ambiance of establishment.

Thank you for staying with us girls!!!

Golden Bridge was founded in 1985 by Gurmukh and Gurushabd under the direction of Yogi Bhajan to spread the teachings of Kundalini yoga to the West. What began as a small community has grown into a spiritual village now serving thousands at centers in Los Angeles & New York... read more!

Featured Travel Agency: Roots Travel

2011-06-20T16:47:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend! We had a busy busy pre-weekend/weekend at Sanctuary NYC, as you may have read we put an other in for new futon couches and mattresses from Strata Furniture and it took us a solid weekend and set them up and re-arrange some units (pictures coming soon).

I like to do a shout out to a travel agency we've been collaborating with for a while now. Roots Travel from Paris, France. Roots Travel has been with us for years now, almost from the very beginning. They plan trips to a number places from Sri Lanka to Peru and from Madagascar to New York City. Their agents Stephane, Tony and Othello, to mention a few, are some of the most professional and helpful people I have worked with over the years.

Check out the website:

www.rootstravel.com

Members of Greater New York Chamber of Commerce

2011-06-16T20:11:00.000-04:00

Sanctuary Guest Suites, Bed & Breakfast has official registered as one of the 16,000 members of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce.

It all began as a humble and sincere attempt (Interfaith Community Services) by a couple of artists, entrepreneurs, spiritual seekers and world travelers to provide a peaceful and comfortable retreat-like place for other travelers and seekers. It makes me so proud to have seen, and still see, this project grow, mature and expand so much over the years.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our Directors Peter Nicoloff, Bradd Weinberg and Adi Tarantino; Our Managers Erika Sampaio and Goura Rivera; Our Staff Fanny Lema (Head of Housekeeping), Claudia Carretero (Housekeeper), Yasmin Villalobos (Office Assistant), Hanuman (Concierge) and all our volunteers Colette, Matthew, Amrita, Michelle, Kirtan who are essential to our Food4Life at Tompkins (fedding the hungry & homeless at Tompkins Square Park).

Thank you everyone for all your hard work, sacrifice and dedication!!!

Here is the link to the Sanctuary NYC Chamber page:

http://www.ny-chamber.com/directory_results.asp

New Beds & Futon Couches!!!

2011-06-15T15:16:00.001-04:00

Sanctuary Guest Suites just received a shipment from Strata Furniture. Strata makes sustainable, stylishly comfortable and durable furniture. The amount of guest traffic over the years finally took the toll on some of our mattresses and sleeper sofas.

All 8 Suites and Penthouse Suites (Nirvana, Ganga, Shangri-la, Rama, Samadhi, Everest, Himalayan & Laxmi) are getting new queen-size Futon Couches and 4 Divinity Apartments (Hamsa, Kurma, Gopal, Bala & Nitay) are getting brand new soft mattresses. We'll do a blog in the near future explaining the What & Why of the Sanskrit & Bengali names for the units.

I'll post pictures once the pieces are set up but for now check out some Strata products:

A Trip to NYC

2011-06-14T16:57:00.002-04:00

As you may already know, Tiffany and me don't live in New York anymore. Erika Sampaio and Goura Rivera are Sanctuary Guest Suites on-site Directors of Operations and I'm, thanks for the wonder of the Internet, the off-site Director of Reservations and Social Media.

I work out of my Florida office in Gainesville, Home of the Florida Gators, where I spend my days and nights on the phone and email helping travelers coordinate their visit to New York. I also work on SanctuaryNY's social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Blog and Vacation Rental websites. This helps people learn about our activities and upcoming NYC events. I do spend 7-10 days out of the month in New York for meetings and to check up on things.

Tiffany is the Producer of the Gainesville Fashion Week and the Event Manager for the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce and former Director of Social Media for Sanctuary Guest Suites.

Here are some fun pics of our weekend in the City:

Food4Life @ Tomkpins: 6/10

2011-06-14T13:41:00.000-04:00

Check out some pictures from Food for Life @ Tompkins from Friday, 14th. The SanctuaryNY team served out over 130 FREE meals of of Broccoli Khichdi w/ Cherry Tomatoes, Greens & Bean Salad, Corn on the Cobb, Banana Cake & refreshing Ice Tea.

Goura's (Manager @ SanctuaryNY) family flew in from Florida for the weekend and came out to volunteer. Thank you Koti and Govinda for all your help!!!

Govinda (Goura's dad) working the Khichdi!

Koti (Goura's mom) on the Banana Cake!

Colette, our faithful volunteer, working the Greens & Beans Salad!

Pasta & Corn on the Cobb anyone???

2011-06-08T22:07:00.001-04:00

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Today the SanctuaryNY team added a surprise to the already delicious Wednesday Menu @ Foor4Life @ Tompkins. Not only we had Pasta (Pasta Primavera) but Adi, one of the Interfaith Community Services director and Chef, threw in the mix some lick-your-fingers Corn on the Cobb.

I couldn't make it out to Tompkins as I'm back in Florida until Friday but Adi, Goura, our SanctuaryNY manager, and his younger brother Juggy Rivera lead the serve out today. A usual, all our faithful volunteers came out with huge smiles and their amazing attitude - THANK YOU COLETTE, MICHELLE AND AMRITA, we wouldn't be able to do it without you!!!

Goura's brother Juggy Rivera from Florida on the cake!!!

Guest Book Reviews: Part 2

2011-06-06T16:30:00.001-04:00

Reviews play a major factor in our Decision Making process. It not only helps businesses or organizations improve their services but also it also helps other travelers in their search for ideal accommodation.

Here are some Fun Reviews straight out of Sanctuary Guest Suites' Guest Book:

Pasta Wednesdays is BACK!!!

2011-06-01T19:54:00.003-04:00

Two good news today: 1. Beautiful day at the park and 2. Pasta Wednesdays is BACK! SanctuaryNY had stopped cooking pasta on Wednesdays for a few months to keep things simple through the Winter but pasta (Pasta Primavera) is back on the menu. Today two new volunteers came out, Matthew and Amrita - Matthew on the Banana Bread and Amrita on the Mango/Pineapple drinks. Colette moved up to Pasta and Michelle served the salad. By 11:30am we had served out 140+ of plates and ran out of everything. EVERYONE LOVES PASTA!!!

Special thanks to Matthew, Amrita and Colette for coming out and staying to help with the take-down and clean-up. Food for Life @ Tompkins thanks to all our volunteers and their invaluable help and thank you to everyone who took a plate!

Here are some of today's pictures:

Matthew, new volunteer, working the Banana Bread!

Michelle & Colette in action!

Find us everyone Mon-Wed-Fri across from Odessa Cafe/Restaurant!

Volunteers from Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center set up across from us! =]

Matthew ready for a Pasta break!

Me holding a delicious plate of Pasta Primavera (w Black Olives and Broccoli)... what a treat!!

Another day, another empty pot!!!

The foodmobil!!!

Colette & Matthew wrapping up! Thank you guys!!! =]

Clean-up time @ The Bhakti Cafe!!!!

Memorial Day @ Food4Life @ Tompkins

2011-05-30T14:44:00.001-04:00

It started out overcast and wet and we already preparing for another one of "those" days but around 9am the clouds subsided and it turned into a gorgeous Monday morning.

Today Adele Zin, one of SanctuaryNY guests, and I walked to The Bhakti Center around 10:15am for the load-up then took a quick walk down to Tompkins (she had never been to the park). She helped pass out Jasmin Lemonade. Kirtan and her 2 little girls also showed to help; the girls love serving cake. As usual Michelle was there helping with the Upma and Nara with the Salad. Goura, manager at SanctuaryNY came to help with load-up.

We began the serve-out at 10:30am and by 12:20pm we had already run out of everything. We normally are out there till noon. We need to start cooking more food!

Thank you everyone for another successful Food for Life @ Tompkins Square Park!!!

The food-mobile! =]

Off we go!!!

Nara, a faithful volunteer, on the Salad! Michelle in back next to Adele!

Adele Zin, a guest of SanctuaryNY, came out to help! Thank you Adele =]

Adele passing out Jasmin Lemonade!

Kirtan, an occasional volunteer, with his girls working the Banana Bread! Thank you =]

Adele trying Upma for the first time - she loved it!

Mission Accomplished!!!

Goura, Manager @ SancturyNY

Mario Cornejo, Goura Rivera & Adele Zin

Back to The Bhakti Center for clean-up!

Happy Friday @ Tompkins!

2011-05-27T13:55:00.000-04:00

It's a Gorgeous Day in New York. SanctuaryNY had to scrape the bottom of every pot and tray as the serve-out drew to an end. We may need to start preparing more food now that weather is getting nicer. Today we had a new volunteer, Colette, an art student at NYU. Special thanks to her for her enthusiasm and wonderful smile while passing out the yummy banana bread. Thank you Goura Rivera, manager at Sanctuary Guest Suites, for helping with the cleaning-up. Thanks everyone for coming out to Foor for Life @ Tompkins - see you on Monday!!!

From The Bhakti Center Kitchen to Tompkins Square Park and Back:

Lovely Day in The Village

2011-05-26T20:20:00.000-04:00

Today Sita Coutu & Vrinda Powell, great friends of SanctuaryNY, swang by to go get a bite to eat and headed over to Caracas Arepa Bar for delicious Venezuelan Style arepas. Being a gorgeous day we decided to hit Tompkins Square Park to bask in the sun, people watch and relax for a bit.

Rose Pedals Vegan Weddings @ SanctuaryNY

2011-05-25T21:11:00.001-04:00

Sanctuary Guest Suites was a proud of NY Getaway by Rose Pedals Vegan Weddings. Sarah and Steve, the winners of the contest, spent a lovely and pampering time in Manhattan and spent a night at SanctuaryNY.

Check out the video footage: NYC Getaway & Engagement Photo Shoot Contest

Food For Life @ Tompkins Square Park: Monday Serve-out

2011-05-24T12:47:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of the Sanctuary Guest Suites Team (Erika, Adi and Mario) on Monday at Tompkins Square Park. Despite the overcast and rainy day we were able to serve out 120 plates of hot FREE yummy food. The menu consisted of Upma with peas and spinach, Salad with Avacado Dressing, Hot Lemon Tea and Banana Cake with Blueberries serverd out by VC Ferry, a Philadelphia based photographer and dear friend of SanctuaryNY and supporter of Food for Life @ Tompkins.

New York/Wine & Music Tour

2011-05-24T12:12:00.000-04:00

On Sunday May 22, the Sanctuary Guest Suites Team (Erika, Goura and myself) along with Rock Ridge Music, VC Ferry and other friends and music aficionados embarked on The Wine & Music Tour NYC 2011 - a day tour of the Long Island Wine Country. Basically going from vineyard to vineyard wine tasting and listening to awesome acoustic, improv live music. This year's music ensemble consisted of talented musicians and amazing people such as Tony Lucca, Rachel Plattern, Keaton Simons, Parker Ainsworth and last but not least Paulo Coelho. We were also very happy to host their stay in New York, for some of them not their first time. Thank you everyone the AMAZING WEEKEND!!!

The SanctuaryNY Team - Goura Rivera, Erika Sampaio & Mario Cornejo

The Catholic Worker

2011-05-20T12:43:00.001-04:00

Today Sanctuary Guest Suites served out almost 100 plates of hot meals (the banana bread was off the hook) in the rain. It's at times like this, and of course during the Winter, when it takes extra dedication from us and our volunteers to go out there and make it happen. Nevertheless everyone who stopped and took a plate left (and came back) with s huge smile on the face - that's priceless.

Along the same lines, on days like this Adi and a couple of SGS volunteers swing by The Catholic Worker, on 1st Street and donate all our left over food (Rice and Bread) for them to serve it out at lunch. So even on slow un-weatherly friendly days we still manage to serve out all that's cook in the early morning at The Bhakti Center.

Food is cooked here as early as 5am by Adi, one of our SGS directors:

Served out here:

And slow days we bring the left-over from the Park here:

There is another Catholic Worker down the street from SGS on 3rd Street:

Featured Suite: The Shangri-La

2011-05-19T10:16:00.000-04:00

This is one of our Shanti Suites (Samadhi, Nirvana, Ganga, Rama and Madhava), ideal for 2 but sleeps up to 4. As with all Sanctuary Guest Suites units, The Shangri-La Suite has a serene ambiance and layout for the traveler looking for a "bubble" of peace in New York. The combination of Tibetan Decor and Modernity lends a soothing and harmonious feel to it. Located on the 6th floor, it has easy access to our Rooftop Patio (one flight up) where our guests can lounge and enjoy an amazing panoramic view of Upper Manhattan.

SanctuaryNY @ AIDS WALK NEW YORK

2011-05-17T16:20:00.000-04:00

Here are some shots of Erika and Goura, our managers at Sanctuary Guest Suites, taking part in the AIDS WALK at Central Park. Another one of our efforts to be involved in the local community. Hundreds of people convened to show support despite the awful weather.

Event Update & Laxmi Penthouse:

2011-05-16T15:56:00.003-04:00

Hi,

Happy Monday, hope everyone had a restful and awesome weekend. The New York had a busy weekend between The Veggie Pride Parade at Union Square and The AIDS WALK at Central Park and the many other events in that crazy city. Sanctuary Guest Suites was proud to host one of the The Veggie Parade's organizers and also participate in the WALK. Coming up next this weekend is the The Music & Wine Tour, Limo Bus Tour to Long Island Wine Country co-sponsored by Sanctuary Guest Suites - one of the many ways we help support the local music & cultural scene of New York City.
Also featured this month is our Laxmi Penthouse, one of our 3 beautiful Shanti Suites with a privare rooftop decks. Check it out:

Sanctuary Guest Suites @ Tompkins!!!

2011-05-11T13:57:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,

Here are some pics from today's Food for Like @ Tompkins Square Park. Erika and Goura, our Sanctuary Guest Suites managers, came out today and helped the rest of the crew serve out. Today we passed out over a 100 plates.

Our gratitude and respect goes out to Adi Tarantino for waking up at 5am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for so many years and cooking it up. Thanks Michelle and Goura for loading up the van and the wash-up. And last but not least, a big thank you goes out to Hanuman for staying back at the SGS office to take care of business. Such a great way to start the day!!!

Guest Book!

2011-05-07T01:33:00.001-04:00

So I have embarked on another fun side project for Sanctuary Guest Suites.

Over the years (3 years) our dear guests have hand-written reviews/testimonials in our Guest Book during breakfast or before they checked out. Most of them are legible, some not so much, and they include an array of languages (English, Spanish, French, Swedish, German, Italian... ) but they are all very sweet and it makes us very happy each time we flip through it.

In the last month or so I have began reaching out to all the guests that left a note to ask them to post them on any of our Vacation Rental sites (HomeAway.com, FlipKeyTripAdvisory.com, VacationRental.com) as way of sharing their experience with other travelers. So far I have been successful but it will take a while before I can get all those wonderful testimonials up on the web. In the mean time I will be sharing them on here for everyone to see; they are quite awesome!

SanctuaryNY at Food 4 Life @ Tompkins Square Park!!!

2011-04-27T14:36:00.000-04:00

Hello,

The entire Sanctuary Guest Suites Team (except me cos I'm Florida) came out to serve out FREE meals at Tompkins Square Park. For those of you that don't know this is something we've been doing for years 3 days per week - Mon/Wed/Fri from 10:30am - 12:00pm. Our menu includes Spinach Kitchari or Upma, Spring Mix Salad w/ Avocado dressing, Banana Bread and Hot Lemon Tea or Ice Mint Lemonade according to the season. We pass out approx. 150 plates to the Hungry, Homeles and anyone who wants a fresh and delicious meals. Adi, the pioneer of this project, starts cooking it up as early as 4am at the Bhakti Center. SanctuaryNY Guests, sometimes are able to take time from their limited tourist and/or business schedules to come out to help serve and take back home an incredible experience.

Here are some shots from today:

What a View!!!

2011-04-23T12:46:00.001-04:00

Check out what one of guests painted from the amazing Sanctuary Guest Suites rooftop:

Here are other pictures of our Rooftop: