Alila Ventana Big Sur
Big Sur's original luxury resort, founded in 1975 with the profits of Easy Rider, hidden in the redwoods above the Pacific.
Alila · Big Sur · Carmel, Pebble Beach & Big Sur
A sense of the place
Why it's in the collection
Because a less confident resort would have paved over the redwoods for a grand looping driveway, and this one hid itself instead, then delivered every material comfort of the proud resorts beneath the surface — the fireplaces, the baths, the spa and the food — with the hallucinatory view of the Pacific far below as the main event.
- In the redwoods above the Pacific in Big Sur, on Highway 1; an Alila house.
- Suites with wood-burning fireplaces, hot tubs and high ceilings; the Japanese bathhouse and the two pools; Spa Alila; The Sur House and the Glass House; the redwood-canyon glampsites; meals included.
- Low wooden buildings hidden across the grounds and connected by winding paths; an adults-oriented house.
- Two MICHELIN Keys in the 2025 selection; Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star 2026 for the hotel; holds four-star standing.
The neighborhood
Big Sur
The coast south of Carmel on Highway 1, where two houses sit on the cliffs a thousand feet above the Pacific. Along the road lie the Bixby Bridge, the redwood canyons of Pfeiffer Big Sur, McWay Falls and Nepenthe's terrace; the coast is forty minutes to an hour from Carmel, with no town at all.
- The Pacific, a thousand feet below the terrace.
- Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and the Bixby Bridge, minutes to half an hour along Highway 1.
- Carmel-by-the-Sea, about forty minutes; Monterey airport, about an hour.
“Big Sur's original luxury resort, founded in 1975 with the profits of Easy Rider, hidden in the redwoods above the Pacific.”
Plan your stay
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Nearby in the collection
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From $3,200 per night
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From $700 per night
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The Lodge at Pebble Beach
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The 1919 lodge on the eighteenth green of Pebble Beach Golf Links, the grand dame of the Monterey Peninsula.
From $1,100 per night
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