Krishnamurti Retreat Accommodations

The Lawrence Suite is a private one-bedroom cottage located right next to the main Retreat house and the parking area. It includes a large bedroom, full kitchen, private bath and is perfect for extended stays.

The writer D. H. Lawrence and his wife Frieda stayed in this bungalow while visiting Krishnamurti. He was the controversial author of Sons and Lovers, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterly’s Lover.

The Chaplin Suite is located on the 1st floor of the main Retreat house has a main room with a single bed, and a separate study with a single bed. It is the perfect room for two people who want to share a room, but each have a little privacy. It is a little smaller than the Besant Suite and has windows that open up facing the lovely back yard/garden area.

Charlie Chaplin was one of many Hollywood stars who were drawn to Krishnamurti’s profound insights into human life. Like John Barrymore, Greta Garbo, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Anthony Perkins, and Richard Chamberlain, Chaplin came to Ojai on several occasions to visit with Krishnamurti. Although there is no evidence he stayed in this room, he visited the house several times.

The Besant Suite is located on the 1st floor of the main Retreat house has a large main room with a queen bed, and a separate study (sun-room) with a single bed. The study has large windows on three sides with dramatic views of the front-yard garden area and the glorious mountains beyond. This room is semi wheel-chair accessible with wider door-ways to enter to/from.

Annie Besant was the head of the the Theosophical Society during the early 1900s. She adopted Krishnamurti when he was 15 years old, taking him to England to be educated and prepared for his role as the new Messiah. In 1927 she joined Krishnamurti in Ojai, staying in this very room. When she arrived, she proclaimed Ojai to be the wellspring of a new race, and raised the money to buy several properties in Ojai to serve as a center for Krishnamurti’s teaching. Although Krishnamurti later rejected Theosophy and the role of “Messiah”, he never lost his love for Annie Besant. She was also an important leader in the women’s suffrage movement and the Indian independence movement.

The Bohm Suite is located on the second floor of the main Retreat house and you access it via the outdoor staircase on the back patio. There are 2 single beds next to each other in one large room. There are picture windows on three sides offering a magnificent view of the back-yard/garden area and the orange grove beyond.

David Bohm was a pioneer in quantum physics, and a friend of Albert Einstein. He and Krishnamurti developed a close and productive relationship. Their dialogues were later published as the classic book, The Ending of Time.

The Lennon Room used to be called the “balcony room” because it has its own private outdoor balcony high among the tree-tops. Located on the 2nd floor of the main Retreat house accessible via the outdoor staircase on the back patio. The room is lined with picture windows on three sides offering glorious views of the front-yard and gardens.

John Lennon rented a house down the street from Krishnamurti Retreat and came to visit Krishnamurti on several occasions. Although Lennon had many philosophical and spiritual influences, people have commented that several of his lyrics seem to reflect Krishnamurti’s teachings.