Alila Ventana Big Sur

We just got back from Alila Ventana Big Sur where we were celebrating a friend’s birthday (we booked two suites). The nature and views are absolutely beautiful, but for a luxury resort charging anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000+ a night, the service was a huge letdown. Pre-arrival mess-up: 1-2 weeks before arriving, I confirmed a 6:15 PM dinner reservation with Rubi from the concierge team so we could watch the sunset. A few days before the trip, they texted me saying our reservation was at 5:30 PM. I called four separate times to try and fix this, and they literally never called me back to confirm it was sorted out. Rough check-in: When you pull into self-park, there is zero signage or directions on where to go. The first staff member we ran into wasn't friendly at all—no one offered to help with our bags or show us where to go. We eventually found reception and loved the welcome drinks (plus they nicely extended our lunch time), but they misspelled our names on our arrival info. The pool & bar service was a ghost town: While waiting for our rooms, we went to the pool for lunch. There was only one person working the entire area. We stood by a table for 20 minutes and had to track them down just to make sure they knew we were waiting. Later, we went to The Sur House bar because at the social house, we were told us non-alcoholic drinks were included and that we got a free "Marine Layer" cocktail. The bartenders literally turned their backs to us and avoided eye contact. When we finally got someone's attention, they rudely told us that wasn't true. (Heads up to future guests: everything at the bar is chargeable even non-alcoholic drinks). Dinner confusion: When it was time for dinner, we called for a golf cart buggy but nobody answered the front desk for 10 minutes, so we had to walk the 0.3-mile trail. At the restaurant, they told us they were setting our table, but then walked our party of 4 over to a table set for 2. We had to just stand there awkwardly while they scrambled to fix it. The food itself was good, but they limit you to one entree per person and strongly "encourage" only one appetizer. Plastic-wrap room service: We ordered room service on another occasion, and the food was brought up tightly wrapped in plastic and just dropped on our table like a takeout order. No setup, no presentation. For a 5-star resort, that just felt lazy. The Verdict: The property is gorgeous, but the staff needs serious training on hospitality, giving proper room tours, and explaining how things work. Sadly, the poor service ruined what should have been a seamless, special trip.

Absolutely horrific experience here. The food was great, the location was great, and we had a great time at the spa. However, I want to caution everyone that there was a RODENT issue in our room. We were staying 2 nights for my husband's 40th. The first night, there was a rodent in our room who scampered away into a hole in the wall. The staff first tried to stuff a rag in the hole... They did shuttle us to another room asap, but that room is essentially a stowaway room, a third of the size of our suite, and we were told isn't even sale-able. Terrible experience, but at the time, I was confident the hotel would try to make up for it. The response was extremely underwhelming after all of it. First, they upgraded our room to the Cottage, which was a bit better than the suite that we had booked. They comped us an activity and gave us a $150 resort credit. Mind you, the room we booked was thousands of dollars a night. Because we booked through a third party with points, Ventana said they couldn't do anything else. So when we got back, we talked to the third party. The third party emailed the hotel, and Alila Ventana had the gall to say that we were compensated already by them. I have no idea how a slight room upgrade for one night, when the other night was in a cramped tiny room that was a third the size of our suite, and a comped activity and $150 (which didn't even cover the resort fee) means we were compensated. In addition to moving through 3 rooms in a stay, it was supposed to be a special occasion. While everything else was fine, the management response and the lack of anything close to an appropriate resolution, means I will never stay here again, and I will highly advise anyone who asks to never come here. You can have great service through food, etc. but if you fail to show up for guests when there's something wrong on your property, that's the worst of customer experiences.

We have been coming for the past 5 years and the Ventana has never disappointed us. The all inclusive meals are unique to the local area and very tasty. The service was very prompt and eating outdoors with the views of the ocean and mountains are fantastic. Our suite room was spacious with a soaking tub, fireplace, and outdoor hammock on the deck. The outdoor pool and hot tub were warm and relaxing. All the employees everywhere on the property were smiling and seem happy to be working there. I always consider it a blessing to come here and relax.

FABULOUS PLACE!! Must visit! Gorgeous hotel in gorgeous setting, incredibly friendly staff, super clean and so warm and special. The food was amazing!

Great location, awesome staff, beautiful property, dog-friendly, and lots of great amenities. Highly recommended.