Ventana Big Sur, an Alila Resort

We spent a long weekend at Alila for our anniversary and the entire experience was excellent. From the moment we entered the property every employee we encountered wished us a happy anniversary, including the gate attendant when we first arrived. The food, amenities, and atmosphere were delightful. We aren't usually all-inclusive resort people, but we did not leave the property the entire weekend as we were enjoying ourselves so much. We will definitely be back and recommend this property to anyone.

This hotel is gorgeous. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Big Sur, it’s a luxury adults only all inclusive that is definitely worth the experience. The service was amazing and the food one of the best for an all inclusive. Many activities were included as well. The Japanese bath house and infinity hot tub are very relaxing. Happy hour and meals at the Sur House with a gorgeous view during sunset were something to look forward to every day of our stay. Highly recommend!

Wonderful service in excellent comfortable suites in a charming hillside forest. We’ve been here twice this year and have already booked it again for my wife’s next birthday. It’s a special treat for us. The food and service was excellent at the Big Sur house and outdoor dining there was such a joy.

The same issue still exists and just got worse. During my stay last year, service at Sur House was horrendous; food took too long to get to us after ordering. This year's service was better, but every food option we ordered at Sur House or for in-room dining was either overcooked/ undercooked or had no taste; it was just bland. I ordered a drink the first night and waited over 20 minutes just to get the drink (Our waiter did come over to give us updates and apologized for the delay, so props to him). It should not take that long just for one drink. On a positive note, the rooms were clean, and everything worked as expected. This was one of my favorite properties, so I put last year's visit and its issues as a one off but it has just gone downhill, and I do not see any reason why I would ever come back.

Nothing can beat the location of this resort and the experience, but with growing popularity and frequency of travelers, quality of service and food has taken a bit of a hit. Front desk or lobby employees have changed over the years while most of the sur house staff have been working for years and good to see the same staff working there. There were more service mishaps this year compared to past visits. Text responses sometimes take long to get a response. I recommend to call from your room if you need something. Meal service seems to take longer now and average dinner service took about 1.5h to 2 h. So be prepared to stay for a long dinner. Rooms are still in great shape. I overheard from some of the staff that occupancy was at 100% for a couple days and then ~92% during the rest of my stay. So it is a busy and bustling place. Lots of guests like to line up for breakfast and lunch at start of service so there can be a bit of a wait to get a table for those meal periods. I thought the paid activities were not worth the price. Lots of the activities especially the complimentary ones were booked up 1-2 weeks in advance, so please book them online early! Still good value if you were redeeming for points, but do know that it has become a lot more popular and service has downgraded as a result somewhat.