Meditation Retreat Alone Vs A Residential Retreat?

[ZenDog]

I wanna do a meditation retreat this summer for 7-10 days.

My family owns a small house on a tiny island so its perfect for isolation and nature. Im thinking of doing my retreat there.

Are there any cons of just doing the retreat by yourself without any teachers vs like a vipassana course retreat? 

How important are the teachers?

[Henri]

Depends, if you have learned some kind of technique you can easily deepen it in 10 days by yourself.

When you just have learned something out of a book, that can be great too, but with a bigger chance of disappointment.

The most normal stuff you have learned in life was by a teacher. To my opinion that counts for exploring the mysteries of life also. 

[Toby]

Have you firsthand experience of sitting with a group and/or a teacher?

[Henri]

@Toby  (Use the @User button for questions, otherwise people can miss it)

 Beginning is much easier in a group because of the created atmosphere/energy all together. In a group there will mostly be a teacher.

 

[Leo Gura]

It's a good idea to do a few guided retreats before doing one yourself. Solo is much harder because you will likely not have enough discipline or know-how to pull it off.

Even just knowing how to handle logistics like food/sleep is important.