Ventana Big Sur, an Alila Resort

Absolutely perfect. Beautiful property, amazing food, excellent activities. Great way to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We got engaged here 21 years ago and remember is so fondly....it has only gotten better!! We never even left the property - so much to do

This was my second visit to this property and considerably a less enjoyable experience going in the guest permutation of siblings traveling together than when I went on my own. I found out shortly before arriving that the hotel is a King suite only property. As an Ambassador with Marriott and Globalist with Hyatt, I have a lot of hotel stays under my belt and this is the first time I've come across this limitation. Well, no worries I thought as my Hyatt Concierge put in a request for a room with a sofabed, worst case scenario is that I'll just sleep on a regular sofa. How wrong I was. Not only did I not get a room with a sofabed, but the room we were allocated to, the Vista Hot Tub suite, did not have a sofa at all. Nor were trundle beds offered. I slept on the floor for two nights and it was as uncomfortable as it sounds. Restaurant: I got bored with the menu faster on this trip than the previous one - dishes didn't seem to change at all over the course of the stay. Food quality however was good. It is now harder to see when a shuttle has arrived to pick up guests from the restaurant as the shuttle doesn't come close to the door anymore. There are children at lunch and families tended to be pretty respectful of the hushed voices type of environment with the exception of the last lunch where we were seated next to a family with a screaming toddler and verbose young child who both had phlegmy sounding coughs. Near the end of our meal, the young child left his table and came right up to me at our table to cough his phlegm ridden cough all over me. I looked at his mother pleadingly to remove her child from my personal space, alas she did not care. Ah well I thought, at least we're outside so I probably won't get sick. Yet again, I was wrong and woke up unwell the next day with phlegmy cough in force a few days after that. I stayed at Alila Ventana for three days and was sick for almost two weeks afterwards. Spa: Katie looked after us for both of our treatments and she was an absolute delight. Full of positive energy, proactivity about guest needs and a wonderful host. Massages were good though the craniosacral therapy was an unexpected experience. I had been instructed to wear yoga clothes and recalled from my last craniosacral therapy here that there was lots of rocking. Well the therapist requested I undress so he could use oil. I didn't remember oil used at all at my last one and it went against the instruction to wear yoga type clothing so I queried that he had it noted that I was there for craniosacral therapy and he assured me that's what he had noted. Well my brother and I got what seemed like regular massages that were nothing like craniosacral therapy I've had in the past and yoga outfits were not required so I have no idea what was up with that. There is no longer an opportunity to create bath soak bags to take back to your room which I really enjoyed last time - I understand that the reason for canning the offering was because it was disruptive to spa guests trying to relax where it was previously positioned but I think it would be of value to bring back the activity and make it available elsewhere if possible. Amenities: everything was in good order although it was surprising that the Japanese baths were barely warm and not really a pleasant experience this time in the middle of winter. Enjoyed the happy hour offering and experience one afternoon including the gracious service. Also enjoyed being able to borrow a record to take back to the room. Service was largely good although could be a little slow at the restaurant at times, for some reason particularly when they had guests seated outside only. Room service order was missing a beverage but that was largely the biggest oversight customer service wise so consistently pretty decent. Shuttle service staff were very gracious and prompt. It is wild to me that this is a property with rates starting at over $2,000 a night, it's advertised as child free, yet I was sleeping on the floor and made sick by a child while there. I am very regretful about this stay given how awful I felt with sleep deprivation during the stay, and how awful I felt for days afterwards thanks to contracting an illness from a visiting diner.

What an amazing anniversary/baby moon weekend. The property is stunning. The views are amazing. The staff were so friendly and accommodating. Every time I needed anything, it was resolved within minutes. You can text them all day long and they take care of your every need. The restaurant on site is fantastic. Don’t bother trying to eat anywhere else, because you’ve already paid for the food by staying there! Definitely do the group activities i.e. redwood hikes, axe throwing, soap making etc. Let’s be honest, this place is not cheap! But if you’re reading these reviews, you probably can afford it. Do yourself a favor, ball out like a rapper and rent out the entire Coastal Suite like we did. Worth every penny. Can’t wait to have a reason to celebrate again so we can go back!

It’s an alright experience. Views and nature are amazing. But there is nothing amazing about the hotel and amenities. I am not sure if I would go back again. The stay, activities and staff were average. There are other all inclusive resorts which are more worth the price.

This is an absolutely beautiful, amazing location high above the Big Sur coast full of Redwoods and amazing vistas. It is relaxing, serene and stunningly gorgeous. It’s a very special place with rustic but very comfortable accommodations . The staff are excellent