Leah S.
Yelp
We booked room #4 along the Big sur coastline, and because it was a surprise (for me), I knew nothing about it going in. Location is a breeze to get to, just off Highway 1. The views from the restaurant and the lodges are gorgeous, as long as the fog stays at bay (har-har).
The rooms are small, but space is at a premium, so I understand. We stayed in one of the rooms that had been recently "renovated," which pretty much consisted of a new coat of paint and new linens. The shower floor was flexible, which made me nervous, and the bed was REALLY squeaky, which proved to be quite hilarious. I loved the four Andes mints scattered around the room like a impromptu chocolate treasure hunt, and with no TV and no internet access, such random activities take shape.
Each of the units share one wall, so when our incredibly drunk next door neighbors came back from a wedding, we actually had to ask them to keep it down because we could hear literally every word they said like they were in the room with us.
"Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but the walls are SUPER thin, so shut up maybe?"
In the morning, we took a snooping tour of the rest of the units and the grounds, and found a secluded trail off the north end of the property. The path leads up to a private picnic area, surrounded by trees and wildflowers, overlooking the property and the south coastline. It's a secret garden of sorts, and I could see it being a gorgeous place for an event.
The restaurant is overpriced for the quality of food. We started with the Lucia Lodge salad, which was fresh, flavorful and full of goodies, but that was the only culinary success of the evening. For entrees I had the Risotto with corn, mushrooms, and broccoli, which was bland, boring, and gluey. Darling man had the Pan fried salmon with risotto cake, the salmon was overcooked, dry, and again, boring. Continental breakfast was included in the room reservation, and consisted of pastries, fruit and yogurt. Nothing exciting or worth eating, really.
All in all, you come for the views, to escape, and to re-focus. I was hesitant with the lack of reception or internet, but it gave us some awesome time to just be, adventure, and soak in the gorgeous natural beauty of the coastline. For 100 years old, the place is doing well for itself, leaning on the romance of yesteryear, with a slight updated flair. It's not the Ritz, but WOW what a view!