Alila Ventana Big Sur

I was a little skeptical about this place after reading some reviews and seeing photos - I did not understand what all of the hype was about. But I have to say that it exceeded my expectations (mostly). Big Sur is a magical place and this resort is situated perfectly to provide the beauty of Big Sur and immerse you in it. Our room was spacious and well done, and even in a cold month, it was relaxing to be outside (with a blanket or heater!). This is an overall great experience, but there are opportunities to improve service. The pros: - The food was genuinely good. Lunch at the pool is a little underwhelming and not fun during inclement weather. - The Japanese Baths are great on a cold night. - Walking through the woods to dinner is a nice way to experience Big Sur and walk off a meal. And the cons: - The gym is so tiny, surprisingly so for a wellness-oriented brand. There are a few cardio machines and a set of dumbbells. If someone is using the dumbbells or otherwise using the one yoga mat, there is no room for anyone else to do the same. - Service at Sur House is incredibly friendly, but it is slow and there are glitches. Two days in a row we had the wrong dish brought to our table. On our first night the waiter proactively brought us a glass of champagne as an apology for the slowness. - Other than Sur House, there seems to be a lack of service coordination, and worse, it seems that the staff is trained to not apologize or acknowledge service gaps. Some examples: * We didn't hear anything from the property until the day before our arrival when we were asked to fill out a form with some details and the link to sign up for activities was provided. Thankfully I had already reached out to the concierge to make dinner reservations, but they didn't seem to record that, so when I filled out the form they made additional dinner reservations for me at different (worse) times, which caused confusion. * There was no body wash (or soap) in our room; I had to text to ask for some. * One night we were in the Japanese Baths and realized that there were no more towels on either the men's or women's sides - we called the front desk twice and towels never came after 45 minutes. We had to use little hand towels by the sink to dry off. * On checkout day I requested a late checkout and was told we could checkout at noon (regular checkout time is 11am). At 11:02 while enjoying brunch, I received a text from the front desk asking if they could come get our bags - they were essentially asking me to vacate the room ASAP and had clearly not recorded the fact that they provided a 12pm checkout. In all of these cases, staff never apologized or acknowledged that they got it wrong. I expect more from a property of this caliber.

Amazing views and quiet resort. Friendly staff and beautiful rooms. Highly recommend for a couples retreat. Would definitely go again.

The view is great, room is great, restaurant absolutely amazing. It’s just that nobody wants to know if you’re a loyalty member😂. And you probably have to stand and wait for 15 minutes before checking in. And wait for your room to be ready AFTER 4PM

EV parking is 1/4 mi away from reception with incline on the main road. No clear walkways from EV parking lot to reception. Lunch is no longer included on day of check in and day of check out. We were seated outside for dinner and breakfast despite cold weather.

Our stay at Alila Ventana We just returned from a night at Alila Ventana in Big Sur. The place is a paradise for nature lovers and those who enjoy a quiet, serene retreat. It is very pricey, but the rate includes food, drinks, in-room refreshments and snacks, as well as valet and self-parking. We found the food at the Sur House to be very good. For breakfast, my favorite dishes were the shakshuka and waffles. For lunch, the pizza was my favorite. For dinner, we loved the carrot soup and the seared tuna. For dessert, we enjoyed the lemon gelato and passion fruit cheesecake. The food was truly excellent. The property radiates wellness and relaxation — greenery, ocean views, and wooded trails everywhere. The room was spacious and fully stocked with all necessities. We loved the Japanese bath facilities — a hot jacuzzi surrounded by wood and nature, open 24 hours. The service was excellent, and I loved communicating with reception via text. This place is a luxurious gem!