Ventana Big Sur

This was the best hotel experience I have ever had.

There are many cabins built in the forest on the mountain, which makes the place very peaceful and beautiful. The valet staff were very nice. When we checked in, they had already helped move all of our luggage to the room.

There is a trail through the forest that leads to the pool and the sauna. There are also hammocks between the trees. Lying in the hammock, listening to birds singing, and watching the sunlight come through the trees, I wished time could stop at that moment.

Along a small stone trail, you can see beautiful calla lilies blooming in the valley while birds sing in the forest. The restaurant is built on the top of the mountain. From there you can look over the Atlantic Ocean and watch the sunset.

The meals at the restaurant are included, and the ingredients are very fresh and perfect. The staff are very professional. After dinner, you can sit by the fire and roast marshmallows.

If you do not want to walk back to your cabin, you can call a golf cart to pick you up. Riding in the cart, you can feel the cool mountain wind as it drives along the winding mountain road back to your cabin.

One time we only went out for dinner, and when we came back the room was already perfectly cleaned. Even the clothes I left around were folded neatly. My suitcase that was on the floor was carefully placed on a luggage rack so we did not need to bend down to organize it.

Every staff member was kind, careful, and professional. I will definitely come back again. Even if I am not traveling, I would come here just to stay a few days, because this is a place where I can truly relax.

I used 90k Hyatt points for a two-night stay. Since meals were included, I think a 3-star rating is fair. If I had paid cash, it would definitely be a 1-star stay.

From check-in there were problems. Then the toilet was broken, and even after one repair attempt it still didn’t work—someone had to come again late at night and spent more than half an hour. We were also woken up by a knock late night because room service delivered the neighboring room’s order to our room by mistake. There was no bottled water provided; we had to walk quite a distance to refill it ourselves. To top it off, the final billing was incorrect.

Big Sur is really nice, but that’s not because of the hotel. The only thing I can genuinely praise is how quickly they responded via text message. If you plan to pay cash, I think Post Ranch Inn is much better—service, views, everything.

We were able to get a 2 night stay here with Hyatt points just after Valentines Day. It was 45,000 pts per night, or would have been $1800-2800 per night for the stay. Due to the high prices, we had high expectations and have also wanted to visit this property since before COVID.

We arrived on our first night a little early (2:30pm), and were told our room was not ready yet. This was fine as check-in is at 4pm and we were given a welcome drink as well. It was raining pretty good the entire two days of our stay, so we unfortunately were unable to enjoy many of the activities, pool areas, etc.

We were able to get into our room a little early, I think it was around 3:30pm. We were given an upgrade to a King room with a fireplace which was a nice touch. The room itself was great (other than noise)! The bed was extremely comfortable for starters! We got a downstairs room which made it a bit more private but also made it so you could hear your neighbors upstairs all night. I mean, practically every move they made, the ceiling was creak. There was also a pass through bathroom with a large soaking tub which was nice. They include a little bag of wood for your wood burning fireplace, and a record player in the room (you can borrow records from the main lobby area). Our room also had a nice and comfortable couch, as well as a small balcony with seats overlooking the redwoods. Overall, the room was amazing and well past our expectations. Our main complaint was with the toilet paper and the showing age of the property. Right away when we walked into the room, we tried to dry our hands on the hand towel and the holder came right off the wall. The toilet paper was expected to be comfortable for the price of the rooms, but instead was harsh and very thin. Sort of a weird place to try to save on money.

To get around property, they offer you little golf carts which was also a nice touch. We were looking forward again to walking the property which got ruined by the amount of rain and wind. There was very limited self parking, as it did seem to fill up each night. The Sur House restaurant was quite a distance away if you chose to walk (about 10 min) which isn't too much fun when you arrive soaking wet. They do provide umbrellas as well, but our pants were wet by the time we got there.

The Sur House was a bit of a let down for us. The food itself was good and filling. But the breakfast and brunch menus were the same, and options for both breakfast/brunch and dinner were a bit limited. You also had to pay $10 for room service which was odd for being an all-inclusive type property. But perhaps the biggest issue with the Sur House is how they seemed to try to pressure you into giving a tip at the end of the meal. The property is an all-inclusive resort with tips/gratuity included, and they give you a bill at the end to leave additional tips. I get it, if the service was exceptional. But never was the service exceptional, until right before they would bring the bill, they would try to make small talk and be really helpful. It just struck us in a bad way.

As I had mentioned, we didn't get a chance to do any activities or use the pool due to the weather. But I feel like was still enjoyed our stay. We were able to stay and relax in the room for one full day (with room service), using our wood burning fireplace!

To be honest, I'm not sure we would come back. It was great getting to experience it, but the price is quite high. For instance, for 90,000 pts, we could get 4-6 nights at a really nice Hyatt Regency, or even stay at a Andaz property for 3-4 nights. And then the little things not really adding up to a luxury experience for us (horrible toilet paper, can hear everything above you, pressure from staff at the Sur House). I guess what you are paying for is the area of Big Sur and the views, which were amazing.

This was our third visit just in this year to Alila Ventana Big Sur Resort, and it just keeps getting better every time.
What made this stay especially memorable was Jade at check-in. She was incredibly warm and welcoming, and surprised us with a room upgrade — completely unexpected and so appreciated. It genuinely set the tone for the entire trip. Thank you, Jade! You made our birthday celebration for my husband more special in our favorite place! ❤️
We also brought our dog along, and as always, the resort made it so easy and enjoyable. The pet-friendly setup is truly thoughtful — it never feels like an afterthought. Our pup was just as happy as we were.
If you’re looking for a place that feels like a home away from home, especially if you’re traveling with your furry family, Alila Big Sur is the answer. We’ll absolutely be back for a fourth visit.

My partner and I are Hyatt Globalists and stayed here for our two year anniversary road trip just after Highway One reopened. This hotel made the experience even more special. The hotel wad surrounded by big redwoods and beautiful views of the Pacific sunset, it was incredibly peaceful, we also enjoyed watching stars from the terrace at night.

The food was excellent, and the hot pools were so relaxing in the evening.

A big thank you to Rubi at the front desk for her warm and thoughtful help. She introduced us all the details for property and activities when check in. And also recommended the big sur wild bee honey and a local coffee shop for us, it was really good!

We traveled all over the States in 2025/2026 and this is our favorite hotel so far. Not only because of the beautiful view, great food but more important is the people there who treated as like friends, thank you again Rubi :)