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The Ventana Big Sur is a Category 7 hotel within the Hyatt portfolio. This is an Alila brand property and an all-inclusive. This is an adults only hotel so you’ll need to leave the kids at home as under age 18 isn’t allowed on property.

Location

The property is located along CA-1 about an hour south of Monterey or three hours south of San Francisco. If you land in the afternoon at SFO, highly recommend staying in the city for a night before heading down. If you have an early morning flight, you might want to find a hotel closer to the airport.

Booking

I originally booked the Big Sur Suite for 48,000 World of Hyatt points a night. But was upgraded to the Big Sur Villa prior to arrival. The standard room of 1 King Bed goes for 30,000 WOH/night. You could easily get two nights in a standard room after earning the welcome bonus from the Chase World of Hyatt credit card. Cash rates for the standard 1 King Room go from $880 a night. You can also transfer in Chase Ultimate Reward points.

Check-In

Driving up to the property was a bit confusing. The resort’s gate was closed and you’ll need to get buzzed in. I dropped the rental with the valet and walked up the stairs to the front desk. Check in was quick and efficient. You have a choice of water or champagne on arrival.

Big Sur Villa

The Big Sur Villa is a bi-level suite on the end. On the lower level is the living room facing a wood burning fireplace. There’s also a dining room that seats two. In the mini bar area is a Nespresso machine and tea kettle. The drinks weren’t proactively restocked during my stay. There’s also a small desk and a patio.

The stairs by the entrance takes you to the bedroom and bathroom. At the top of the stairs is a balcony to the right.

The bathroom had double sinks for two people. The toilet is in its own very small room. The shower was amazing. The water was hot and pressure good. There is a nice size tub as well.

The bedroom was a nice size. Mattress was comfy. Two bed side tables flank the bed. Each had power and USB to charge your devices. Through the bedroom was a second balcony (third outdoor sitting area). There was a missed opportunity to have a chair upstairs at the top of the stairs.

Dining

There are several options. The Sur House is the main option. It was open for breakfast and dinner. I arrived right as they opened for breakfast and was given a seat on the front with the view of the ocean. During both my breakfast’s, fog blocked the water. On my first morning, I was the only one there for the first hour. Dinner was a bit more busy at 8:30PM, but still were seated with a water view. There were a few options not listed on the menu they rotate through. It was a bit cold out for this Texas girl, but staff was great even bringing blankets when it was cold out.

Lunch was offered poolside at the Meadow pool. I unfortunately never made it out there since I ended up have to work.

In-room dining is also available.

Pro Tip: anything offered at the restaurants is also available in room despite what the menu says.

Amenities

There are two pools, Mountain and Meadow. The Meadow Pool also has a hot tub. All are heated year-round. Ventana also has plenty of hiking trails, Japanese Bath House, and Spa.

Bottom Line

This is probably my favorite hotel of all time. Between the room and outdoor space, I really felt I was able to relax finally. The professional of all staff and their little gestures really went a long way. Ventana Big Sur is best experienced staying three or four nights. I’m already planning a return next year.

These opinions in this article are the author’s not those of a bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.