Big Sur
May 23rd, 2005, 02:46 PM
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Lodging is pretty limited in Big Sur. The nicer places (Ventana and Post Ranch) are out of your price range. Your choices are Deejetan's, River Inn or Big Sur Lodge. There is another motel but I can't remember the name, something Oaks...maybe. If you want to travel farther south there is Lucia Lodge and Treebones.
I've stayed at the RiverInn the Big Sur Lodge. The Lodge is nice, like you average motel and you are located inside the park. The River Inn is very rustic but it can be nice too since it has a restaurant and bar onsite as well as the river. Just don't expect luxuary, at all.
In Big Sur I like to go to the beach at Pfeiffer, maybe take a hike in the hills. Dinner at the River Inn or Nepenthe is always nice.
I've stayed at the RiverInn the Big Sur Lodge. The Lodge is nice, like you average motel and you are located inside the park. The River Inn is very rustic but it can be nice too since it has a restaurant and bar onsite as well as the river. Just don't expect luxuary, at all.
In Big Sur I like to go to the beach at Pfeiffer, maybe take a hike in the hills. Dinner at the River Inn or Nepenthe is always nice.
May 23rd, 2005, 04:06 PM
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Sierra Mar is very nice at the Post Ranch Inn. If a meal isn't in your budget, just go for an appetizer or dessert and take in the gorgeous views.
Cielo at the Ventana is also a very nice place to have a drink and appetizer. Cheers! ***kim***
Cielo at the Ventana is also a very nice place to have a drink and appetizer. Cheers! ***kim***
May 23rd, 2005, 05:32 PM
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Deetjen's Big Sur Inn is within your budget. Old, wooden, roughhewn, cabinlike units in a redwood forest, quaint and quirky (my last one looked onto a private garden with a Buddha.) A place very unique to Big Sur. Many people, like me, love it. People who value modern comforts and amenities over local color don't. It is, literally, a historical landmark and staff-run nonprofit foundation. I don't recommend it for families with kids. A quiet place for couples and singles. Read the user reviews at Tripadvisor.com and decide if it is for you.
Look up their beautiful web site www.deetjens.com in any case--it is a good intro to Big Sur with great pictures and helpful links even if you don't stay there. And even most of those those who don't like the accommodations at Deetjen's like the loaded with Big Sur atmosphere restaurant, with its candlelight dinners and luscious breakfasts. My top recommendation (assuming the restaurants at the Post Ranch Inn and Ventana are over the budget) for both those meals (they don't serve lunch.)
Ripplewood Resort also has some nice rustic cabins right on the Big Sur river. Great for going to sleep to the gurgle of water running over rock. Less expensive, more rustic, better for families with kids, and also less quirky and distinctive, than Deetjen's.
Particularly if your party is large, and you don't mind if your cabin is next to a campground, the Big Sur Campground and Cabins has some very attractive A-frames that can sleep up to six (some in lofts reached by ladders.)
The Big Sur Lodge has pleasant cabins, less rustic, more expensive, and with more of an everyday family atmosphere than either Deetjen's or Ripplewood.
The motel the previous poster was trying to think of is the Glen Oaks. A very conventional older motel, nothing remarkable, but pleasant, well kept and very well located. Definitely preferable to the two places I'll mention next.
Although I like the River Inn a great deal as a bar and restaurant (my second choice among reasonably priced eating places to Deetjen's, all meals served), I don't recommend the accommodations there. Over-priced, drab, noisy from being right on the highway and due to frequent loud music till late at night from the Inn.
Avoid at all costs a place called Fernwood. The each of the negative things I said about the River Inn accommodations apply triple to it.
The outdoor terrace of Cielo at the Ventana is one of my favorite places in the world on a sunny day. Gorgeous views of the hills and a high altitude view of the coast that can stretch 30 miles--spectacular. The food is outstanding, and surprisingly reasonably priced at lunch considering how expensive dinners are. Great burgers along with more adventurous fare.
Nepenthe just down the road also has an unforgettable view, quite different since it is at much lower altitude. Food is hearty but way overpriced for what you get. At both of these places, though, the view is best from the outdoor bar areas (OK for kids) so you need only pay for overpriced drinks rather than overpriced full meals to enjoy them. Spend some time lingering at both. Neither is to be missed.
Type in Hiking Big Sur in the search box in this forum to get some outstanding past posts on that subject, particularly by easytraveler. One little known, relatively short hike is up the hill in back of Deetjen's, to a great coastal view and a park bench to enjoy it from (you'll see it at Deetjen's web site.)
Look up their beautiful web site www.deetjens.com in any case--it is a good intro to Big Sur with great pictures and helpful links even if you don't stay there. And even most of those those who don't like the accommodations at Deetjen's like the loaded with Big Sur atmosphere restaurant, with its candlelight dinners and luscious breakfasts. My top recommendation (assuming the restaurants at the Post Ranch Inn and Ventana are over the budget) for both those meals (they don't serve lunch.)
Ripplewood Resort also has some nice rustic cabins right on the Big Sur river. Great for going to sleep to the gurgle of water running over rock. Less expensive, more rustic, better for families with kids, and also less quirky and distinctive, than Deetjen's.
Particularly if your party is large, and you don't mind if your cabin is next to a campground, the Big Sur Campground and Cabins has some very attractive A-frames that can sleep up to six (some in lofts reached by ladders.)
The Big Sur Lodge has pleasant cabins, less rustic, more expensive, and with more of an everyday family atmosphere than either Deetjen's or Ripplewood.
The motel the previous poster was trying to think of is the Glen Oaks. A very conventional older motel, nothing remarkable, but pleasant, well kept and very well located. Definitely preferable to the two places I'll mention next.
Although I like the River Inn a great deal as a bar and restaurant (my second choice among reasonably priced eating places to Deetjen's, all meals served), I don't recommend the accommodations there. Over-priced, drab, noisy from being right on the highway and due to frequent loud music till late at night from the Inn.
Avoid at all costs a place called Fernwood. The each of the negative things I said about the River Inn accommodations apply triple to it.
The outdoor terrace of Cielo at the Ventana is one of my favorite places in the world on a sunny day. Gorgeous views of the hills and a high altitude view of the coast that can stretch 30 miles--spectacular. The food is outstanding, and surprisingly reasonably priced at lunch considering how expensive dinners are. Great burgers along with more adventurous fare.
Nepenthe just down the road also has an unforgettable view, quite different since it is at much lower altitude. Food is hearty but way overpriced for what you get. At both of these places, though, the view is best from the outdoor bar areas (OK for kids) so you need only pay for overpriced drinks rather than overpriced full meals to enjoy them. Spend some time lingering at both. Neither is to be missed.
Type in Hiking Big Sur in the search box in this forum to get some outstanding past posts on that subject, particularly by easytraveler. One little known, relatively short hike is up the hill in back of Deetjen's, to a great coastal view and a park bench to enjoy it from (you'll see it at Deetjen's web site.)
May 24th, 2005, 10:31 AM
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I would stay at Ripplewood if I were not coming from far away, and could bring some bedding and comfort things with me. It is lovely there, but I would want a little more comfort than I could take along on an airplane.
I really like the atmosphere at Big Sur Lodge. I guess you could call it "motel" or "conventional family" but it has something a bit different than the images those things conjure for me. The accomodations are attached cabins; some with fireplaces, others with small kitchen areas. Each has outdoor seating, and some have tiny porches. No TV or phones. Same with Ripplewood. I find BSL to be very quiet, somewhat secluded (due to its state park location), and romantic.
We once had a reservation at the River Inn and left after seeing the room. I hated it. That is how we found BSL. I would love to stay at Ventana or Post Ranch someday, but we have been very happy at BSL.
I really like the atmosphere at Big Sur Lodge. I guess you could call it "motel" or "conventional family" but it has something a bit different than the images those things conjure for me. The accomodations are attached cabins; some with fireplaces, others with small kitchen areas. Each has outdoor seating, and some have tiny porches. No TV or phones. Same with Ripplewood. I find BSL to be very quiet, somewhat secluded (due to its state park location), and romantic.
We once had a reservation at the River Inn and left after seeing the room. I hated it. That is how we found BSL. I would love to stay at Ventana or Post Ranch someday, but we have been very happy at BSL.
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