We spent three nights at the Post Ranch Inn to celebrate my husband Matt B.'s 40th birthday. It was an amazing experience: our first trip away from our two kids, at the nicest hotel we've ever visited.
I booked one of the Cliff House rooms almost four months in advance. If you want Cliff House (or really, any specific room), I'd recommend planning ahead, as they do book out. It's also worth calling to make your reservation. I asked the reservationist if there were any promotions floating around, and she said there weren't, but that I could get the returning guest discount, which wasn't nothing. I had a few more communications with the Post Ranch team before our stay, and they were consistently pleasant and responsive. I was bringing a pump and asked if I could get freezer access, and there was a whole email chain with the restaurant so everything was arranged before we arrived. It turned out we didn't even need to use the restaurant freezer, as the staff put a mini-fridge in our room with a super cold setting that froze my milk.
I really can't say enough about the service at this hotel. Every single person we interacted with was both warm and professional. The front desk staff greeted us with margaritas in eco-friendly pouches, and we got valet service to the front door of our room, along with a full orientation on the hotel's layout and its various amenities. When we left the hotel for dinners in town, the valet staff provided the rides. Housekeeping was meticulous, the restaurant service fantastic. We had pleasant interactions with the people at the hotel store and art gallery.
The staff could've been straight-up mean to us, though, and I think we still would've enjoyed our stay. The hotel is just so gorgeous and peaceful, and unlike anywhere else I've ever stayed before. It only has 40 rooms, but they're all like little houses, many of them standing alone, spread out on a lush, expansive property built into the cliffs of Big Sur. The style is unique, kind of 90s in a way that would feel dated if it weren't so flawlessly executed and maintained. Lots of glass and wood and metal, with interesting art everywhere, including in the rooms. There are some trails you can walk on the hotel grounds, and they're relaxing and well shaded, a lot of woods and meadow. We spent an afternoon wandering around and didn't run into any other people.
The Cliff House was perfect. The room was huge and nicely decorated. It had a comfortable bed, a good shower, and a whole lot of quality toiletries. Everything in the room felt super fancy, from the modern sculptures to the Italian pewter tissue box (you can get some of the household items you see in your room at the hotel mercantile). There was a fireplace, a couch and coffee table, a desk that I turned into a pumping station. A fridge (and bonus fridge for my milk) that was constantly stocked with complimentary snacks and beverages, including some really good cheese and cold bottles of beer. We also got a fruit bowl and three complimentary half bottles of wine, which came in handy: one each of champagne, white, and red.
The best part of the room, though, was probably the patio. We had a deck that looked right over the ocean, and it was somehow positioned so that no one could see us when we were out there, lounging in the sun. There was also a great hot tub where we soaked at all hours of the day while taking in the incredible views.
We took full advantage of the hotel's many amenities. We ate at Sierra Mar several times, and the food and drink there were excellent. The Jade Pool was lovely, an infinite pool heated to over 80 degrees, with more than enough lounge chairs for guests. We got massages at the spa, a luxurious treat. I bought a T-shirt at the mercantile, and we admired the art at the gallery, including pottery by a ceramicist I really like (her name is Re Jin Lee, and it was cool to see her work in person). The only weird spot was the library, which felt dark and dated and had a random assortment of abandoned books. I gather, though, that the point of the library was not to provide books, but to house the one television on the property. I can't imagine wanting to watch TV at this hotel. We missed out on activities like the art tour and falconry and morning yoga (okay, we never would've done morning yoga) because we were too busy relaxing.
We had high expectations for this vacation, and the Post Ranch Inn exceeded them in every way. It was a special, beautiful place, and I'm already fantasizing about going back again. read more