Alila Ventana Big Sur

"An adults-only retreat with stunning cliff-top views of California's coastline, offering serene spa treatments and eco-luxury accommodations." - Meagan Drillinger Meagan Drillinger Meagan Drillinger left New York City for a life on the road. She has spent the majority of her career traveling and living in Mexico, and is passionate about seeing destinations in a slow-

"This resort gives uncommon indulgence with exclusivity—just 59 airy suites, each with their own secluded balcony with views out onto the majesty of Big Sur, with its dramatic bluffs set over crashing waves on isolated beaches and its towering redwood forests. Set on 160 remote acres, Alila Ventana Big Sur is a getaway in the truest sense. At its restaurant, the Sur House, hyperlocal dining takes center stage, with fish from Morro Bay and chicken and beef from nearby Central Coast farms, and of course a selection of wines from their 10,000-bottle cellar to wash things down. While traditional adventures like hiking and biking can be had, Ventana's quirky array of experiences include axe throwing, “Vinyasa and vinyl yoga,” beekeeping experiences, personal astrology readings, and a drive through Big Sur’s iconic Highway 1 in one of Ventana’s 40 classic cars, from vintage Porsche Spyders to classic Volkswagen vans."

"Ventana Big Sur, an Alila Resort, California has been awarded two keys." - Stacey Lastoe

"It doesn’t get much more California than Ventana Big Sur. Fortunately this is the eminently dignified and respectable face of the state, a sort of middle ground, as far from New Age hippie excess as it is from the glitz and materialism of Hollywood. Ventana is clearly a high-luxury resort, but Big Sur is the star here, the main event the hallucinatory view of the Pacific a thousand feet below." - Mark Fedeli

"It doesn’t get much more California than Ventana Big Sur. Fortunately this is the eminently dignified and respectable face of the state, a sort of middle ground, as far from New Age hippie excess as it is from the glitz and materialism of Hollywood. Ventana is clearly a high-luxury resort, but Big Sur is the star here, the main event the hallucinatory view of the Pacific a thousand feet below." - Mark Fedeli