Big Sur Special Spots

Over the last 20 years, my wife and I have traveled often to the central coast of California. We stop in Carmel, then on to Big Sur. The drive between the two places is magnificent, to say the least. The color of the Pacific is a stunning aqua blue. Along Highway One are many great bridges, beaches, and hikes. At Point Big Sur stands a lighthouse. Just before, the highway bends into the redwoods. You pass through Big Sur, which is really several small shopping areas scattered along the road, in an area reknowned for its hiking and camping. Redwood forests meet the ocean.

Our two preferred locations to stay are: Ventana's, and the Post Ranch Inn. We've been fortunate enough to stay at both.

Ventana's is the warmer of the two. You enter by turning up a 1-mile road through a beautiful, small redwood grove. Soon you arrive at the grounds of the inn, all beautifully landscaped with domestic plants, around a property that accentuates its environment. The buildings all blend into the location so well, you almost don't notice them at all. We've been to Ventana's at least four times and always love it. You check-in in a beautiful lobby where there's always a big fire in the stone fireplace; you're suddenly very cozy. Wine, cheese, and fruit are spread out for incoming guests to sort of slow you down to local speed.

Ventana's is set along a hillside, bordering a forest, and has room-view options either facing the sea (bright & summery) or the forest (dark & wintry). Rooms have a unique, rustic style, and most have working fireplaces, but no TV or telephone--it's all about relaxing here and getting recharged . . . getting cleansed.

There are two large pool/spa areas on either side of the property. Both pools are of junior-Olympic length as the pianoman likes to swim. Beside each pool are large spas with changing rooms. I love them. Swimming laps, then floating in the spa under the stars or in a redwood forest (in the case of the second spa). Excellent!!!

For dinner, (I love this part), you take a 10-minute evening stroll through the woods to arrive at Cielo, the hotel restaurant/gift shop. The food is always fine and I'm usually so relaxed that I can barely make the trail back to our room--you can also drive over to the restaurant, if you're lazy.

In the morning, you may wake up to a group of wild turkey or several deer. The complimentary breakfast is served in two locations, either down at the lodge (did I say how much I love the lodge?) or up at the library, with its great views. I love their breakfast!!! Really, love it!!! Fresh fruit, great granola, incredible sticky buns, hardboiled eggs, juices, croissants, melons, mmmmmmmmmm!!!!! Lunch or afternoon cocktails on Ceilo's backdeck is nothing short of awesome.

Ventana's is like a futuristic, organic nirvana, the kind of place where you walk around in robes and are always polite, kind, and content. Why can't the whole world be like Ventana's?

Between Post Ranch and Ventana's, I'd say Post Ranch is the most romantic. We spent 2 days there last winter for my wife's birthday.

PRI sits directly across the highway from Ventana's. Where Ventana's is set on a hillside, PRI is laid along a ridge, directly above the ocean. The houses look off in two directions: either toward the mountains or the ocean. We visited in early March, which is usually wet, so we chose the Mountain House. This was the last house on the trail. It happened to snow just prior to our visit, and the white caps on the Ventana Peaks were quite visible from our room.

Post Ranch is something of an architechural and design wonder. The houses were created with an organic design and feel. The Oceanside houses are actually somewhat buried into the ridge, perched over the ocean. Their roofs all covered in moss and fern, you almost don't see the houses from the trail. On the Mountainside are several treehouses, all suspended aboveground.

Mountain House was built into the hillside. The interior was warm, artistic, and natural. The fireplace crackled, and the king bed looked past the deck toward mountains. Some of the best meditative music we'd ever heard was softly playing over sound system. The bathroom was designed using stone, wood, and glass. It was both modern and primitive. We loved bathing in the stone tub, viewing the snowy mountains beyond.

Sierre Mar was a 5-minute walk down the path. This beautiful multi-level restaurant overlooks the ocean. It's all wood and glass, and offers great, fresh, healthy cuisine, with a sensational Sunday brunch buffet.

Wonderful trails meander throughout the property--along the ridge, down into redwood groves, and into the open meadow. PRI also has two swimming pools, but IMHO, they don't stand up to Ventana's pools. One pool was next to the yurt. It seemed slightly removed and isolated from the rest of the property. There was also an edgeless pool, on top of the ridge, but it was small and just beside the restaurant.

I really liked the gift shop. Though it was sort of hidden, it had lots of neat items inside.

While there, we happened to meet Philip Johnson, the world-famous architect. He was building a home nearby, but was staying at PRI as work was being completed. He was in his 90s, still wearing his renowned, black horn-rimmed glasses . . .

I would highly recommend a visit to PRI for any special occasion. It's a hip and very romantic coastal place.

No trip to Big Sur is complete without a stop at Nepenthe's. Just south of Big Sur, Nepenthe's is set off on a hillside bluff overlooking the Pacific. It consists of the Phoenix (great gift shop), a downstairs cafe, and Nepenthe's restaurant above. To reach the restaurant, you climb steps through a sculpture garden. A red, English phone booth is off to the right. Reaching the restaurant, you then realize how unique and special this place really is. A wooden bohemian lodge is the way I'd describe it, complete with windows over the ocean and central, wood-burning fireplace. A great bar is off to the right. Just to sit in the restaurant, or--even better--on the back deck, munching on an Ambrosia burger, sipping a glass of wine, and enjoying your hawk's-eye view down the coastline is well worth the trip. Visitors from the world over make this stop. This is an absolute must for the Central Coast traveler.