General helper in Estonia

Suíça

5

This was my first experience with worldpackers and it was great! Birgit and Robin are welcoming and friendly. The dogs are the sweetest:)). You can enjoy a sauna and great food, cooked by Robin. There were four other volunteers at the same time and we really connected and learned a lot from eachother. 🦋 I got the chance to draw a painting on a wall, so i really recommend this place, if you like to do art. 🎨 The other tasks were mostly painting, cleaning, walking the dogs, cooking, or helping with other tasks. I had a wonderful time and can just recommend to stay there!🤍

mais de 3 anos atrás

Robin respondeu

Cookie and Poppy will miss their aftrnoon walkies for sure. And we will be your lovely attitude and hard work too!

Bélgica

5

I stayed 8 days with the family and the two dogs. It was honestly an amazing experience! Not only was it really interesting but they made sure there were always fun things to do. I got invited to a saunaparty, went hiking, was able to sledge around the area, got creatively inspired and got to learn more about Chaga. Pillapalu is a place where you can relax, think, enjoy, laugh and get lost for hours. Before the stay I wasn't able to create new things because I saw them as a burden. Right now, my mind is much richer and I'm immensely inspired. Thank you so much! (Also for the cheese)

mais de 3 anos atrás

Robin respondeu

Thanks Sarah, you are not the first person to leave Pillpalu feeling refreshed and inspired but...you inspired us too :)
You are welcome back anytime you need a recharge!

Reino Unido

3

The place is lovely, far out in nature so there's plenty of time spent outdoors. The work could be challenging but rewarding and overall it was great meeting new people and staying at Pillapalu. However I felt communication on tasks was lacking and not often clear. Feedback wasn't generally provided and an incident involving another volunteer kind of killed the vibe at the end of our trip. Great new experiences, nice location but some issues.

quase 3 anos atrás

Robin respondeu

Thanks for all your hard work in Pillapalu, well appreciated! It's true we were much busier than usual so we did not have the time to "feedback" or "micro manage" as much as you maybe needed. Some more experienced volunteers can handle this and work independently in a positive and self motivated way. If tasks were unclear then it's always advisable to ask for clarification :) I am glad you enjoyed yourself overall and its just a shame that the incident with another volunteer (which you did not witness) affected your attitude in a negative way.

Malta

4

Pillapalu is a really nice place to stay at, with a lovely the lodge right next to the house and cool places to explore by bike too. I did enjoy my stay there as I made very good friends with the group of volunteers staying there at the time, but I feel that it would have been a lacking experience in comparison had I not managed to get along with them! The work was as agreed for me, however you must really strive to motivate yourself and do your own thing. Sometimes it's difficult to keep motivated I would say because feedback can be lacking at times. 3.5 stars

quase 3 anos atrás

Robin respondeu

Thx Francesca. Happy you had a good time. It was very busy time for us with various events and our first big chaga order for Japan so we did not have as much time as we would usually like for giving feedback. So yes in these cases self motivtion is important. More experienced volunteers are aware this can sometimes be the case. After all, we invite volunteers to help us with hard work because we need help.. because of lack of our time - Pillapalu Forest Retreat is not a holiday camp ;)

Espanha

3

Overall my experience in Pillapalu was nice. Robin and Birgit are a great couple but sometimes the living situation was hard as Robin can come across as disorganized with the task given and doesn't give much feedback on the work you do. There were also uncomfortable situations which made one of the volunteers leave. Also he kicked out one of the other volunteers over a small dispute that could have been easily been sorted out. It killed the vibe so we all the decided to leave before. Overall yes I would recommend the place for learning new skills and nature environment

quase 3 anos atrás

Robin respondeu

Thanks for all your effort in Pillapalu, It's true we were much busier than usual so we did not have the time to "feedback" or "micro manage" you as much as you obviously needed. Some more experienced volunteers can handle this and work independently in a positive and self motivated way.
The "small incident" with another volunteer (which you did not witness) was NOT small to us and sadly, for the first time ever, we had to ask someone to leave Pillapalu. We did not appreciate that after the incident (which did not involve you) you tried to influence the sitution, and the attitudes of other volunteers, with your negative opinions. This made the sitution and atmosphere worse, not better.
Sometimes its wiser to just listen, and learn.

Chile

1

The hosts are good persons but unfortunately Robin has failures in communication and leadership that make a bad work environment. Also he's not capable of receiving constructive criticism. On our first day he told us that the entry time is flexible. We worked hard every day for 6 hours but he criticized us cuz one of the days we started around 12. That day we argued about that and he kicked me out. The argument started from something very small such as asking for a dish. I felt humiliated and disposable. Given the unfairness the other volunteers quit together the same day.

quase 3 anos atrás

Robin respondeu

Yes, Camillo, we asked you to leave Pillapalu - that was the first time we have ever had to do that - but it had nothing to do with a dish or starting at 12. It was about your "take it easy" attitude, rudeness, lack of respect, and repeatedly not following our rules and instructions.

We thought as you are not a youngster, we could expect more self-motivation and that you would set a better “hard work” example for the younger volunteers. That didn’t happen. You took advantage of our flexibility policy. For example, on your second or third day you decided to take the day off without discussing or telling us. You also went frequently to buy alcohol (which we clearly do not approve of) and stayed up late drinking which meant you often started later than desirable and so, no we don’t think you worked hard. Compared to the 100+ volunteers we have had here through WorldPackers and other platforms we rate your work ethic clearly as below average. You did the bare minimum. You also borrowed my bike, got a flat tyre, then rode it again, didn’t try to repair the puncture or even clean the mud off. That’s not being respectful of our property. Leaving mess in common areas and a dirty kitchen daily wasn’t nice either. Pillapalu isn’t a backpacker hostel.

I suggest you try to understand that volunteering is about the volunteer being flexible, working hard, and doing what they can to help - it’s not about us giving you nice food and a place to party in exchange for the minimum amount of effort. On top of that, after you were asked to leave, you created bad energy with other volunteers. You distorted the facts about the “argument” and created a negative atmosphere which influenced the others.

You clearly took advantage of our hospitality, flexibility and the fact that we were very busy and did not have time to micromanage you (then again, we don't want to babysit or micromanage our volunteers anyway). We have a lot of experience with volunteers over many different projects (long before Pillapalu) but your rudeness and disrespect was honestly a bit shocking. Pillapalu was obviously not the right place for you and we are sorry we made the mistake of accepting you in the first place. All the best!

Espanha

4

It was a really nice experience specially due to the other volunteers, the lodge is beautiful but there are so many mosquitoes and bugs so be aware of that and bring a bug spray with you! The rooms were really comfy and the hosts are nice people too. The kitchen is a little bit messier but it's pretty good overall :)

3 anos atrás

Robin respondeu

So true, there are bugs in the summer -that's normal for forest life :) and yes our kitchen can be messy when there are lots of volunteers around lol. Anyway I'm happy you enjoyed yourself and wish you all the best. BTW all the posts are painted now :)

México

5

How do I start? If this is your first volunteer you'll get spoiled, if you already have experience it will be the best one! Birgit, Robin, Miabel, Josep, Cookie and Puppy are the best hosts in the worldpackers world and in the real one too! They'll always make sure you have everything you need and that you are working on different and cool tasks. There's always something to do and something to explore, of course a lot to learn from them too. You have a nice the lodge with you, they care a lot about your meals and you have sauna in the lodge every weekend and you are always having fun!

mais de 3 anos atrás

Robin respondeu

I'm blushing. Very kind review. See you again one day I hope, we may even create a special Naan Cooking position just for you!

Argentina

5

Es mi primera experiencia como voluntario, el lugar es recomendable para todo el mundo Pillapalu es muy lindo. Robin y Birgit son súper generosos me sentí muy bien el lugar es totalmente comodo y el contacto con la naturaleza es total, desde el primer dia. Para mí, fue una gran experiencia, hay mucho que aprender de Pillapalu aprendi sobre el Chaga un hongo de uso regional y las tareas en las que pude colaborar fueron muy practicas, con la ayuda de Robin fue todo muy facil. Es un lugar de mucha naturaleza que se disfruta totalmente. Los voluntarios, fueron personas muy amables. Gracias

mais de 3 anos atrás

Robin respondeu

You are a star Javier. For sure one the nicest and most hard working volunteers we have ever had. Our door is always open to you as volunteer or friend :)

França

5

Birgit, Robin and their children are very welcoming. We stayed for 3 weeks and they were very flexible with the dates, the working hours and the free days. Birgit and Robin were very generous with the food and with their time as they brought us around the region and were always concerned with our needs. Concerning the work, it was diverse as there were things to do inside and the house and also outside in the lodge. It is a lovely atmosphere and very relaxing. Overall, a great experience for volunteering.

mais de 3 anos atrás

Robin respondeu

So kind :) you were great and welcome back anytime

Aplique agora