Where to Stay in Big Sur

Our Favorite Hotels

Bed & breakfast: Inn at Depot Hill
• Midrange Hotel: J Patrick House & Inn
• ⎻ Inexpensive Hotel: Quality Inn near Hearst Castle
• Boutique Hotel: El Colibri Hotel & Spa.
” – Here is mentioned a hotel located in Big Sur that provides boutique accommodations and spa services, with a link provided for more details • Family Hotel: Carmel Valley Ranch
• A suggestion to explore Limekiln State Park Campground for camping.
• An outdoor lodging option involving treehouse accommodations is presented at this site.

a bridge over a large body of water

Best Areas to Stay in Big Sur

Big Sur is renowned for its breathtaking, undeveloped coastline, dense redwood forests, and abundant marine life ranging from sea lion colonies to sea otters. Though it’s not an official designation, Big Sur represents the spectacular 90 miles of Californian Pacific coast between San Simeon, home to Hearst Castle, and Carmel on the Monterey Peninsula. Sparsely populated and bounded by the rugged Santa Lucia Mountain Range, the coastline is accessible via just one awe-inspiring roadway – Hwy-1, completed in 1937. The region is periodically impacted by wildfires – some parks are still recovering from the devastating Soberanes Fire of 2016.

There is a scattering of intriguing places to stay in Big Sur. Lodging options primarily involve cabins, historic motels, campgrounds, and high-end resorts ‧ beds are limited, so always book in advance.

Big Sur Village lies at the heart of the locale and offers sensible access to the most popular state parks, while neighboring Loma Vista and Posts give comparative administrations. The untamed and far off southern segment of Big Sur has barely any spots to remain oradministrations, with the little town of Gorda the one special case. This overview likewise incorporates San Simeon at the enormously southern end of Big Sur, essentially popular for being the passage to Hearst Castle, and additionally Cambria, a sea shore resort with an immense assortment of lodging.

o Note that forest fires and landslides regularly close Hwy-1 for weeks at a time. In 2021 the road was closed for several months for 44.6 miles from Ragged Point to just south of Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn after heavy rains washed away a portion of the highway.

The Best Places to Stay in Big Sur

people sitting on top of a wooden bench

Best Areas in Big Sur for…

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    • Best Place to Stay for First Timers: Big Sur Village
      The central part of Big Sur around Big Sur Village is the most appealing for first-time visitors as it has some services (including a couple of gas stations) and a small but varied selection of atmospheric hotels, cabins, and campgrounds. It’s also near Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, the area’s best location for hiking, and Pfeiffer Beach, one of its most easily accessible and scenic stretches of coastline. There are decent places to dine here as well, and it’s just a short drive to Nepenthe, the Henry Miller Memorial Library, and the Esalen Institute.
    • Posts is considered the most charming neighborhood.

The entire Big Sur region provides an ideal romantic escape, with vast stretches of unspoiled rugged coastline, forest paths, and secluded beaches. But for some truly special couples` pampering, it`s hard to outdo the two high-end resorts in the Posts neighborhood. Ventana Big Sur boasts two outdoor swimming pools, Japanese baths for two, in-room dining, spa treatments, and excellent restaurants. Post Ranch Inn offers breathtaking views, two heated infinity spa pools right on the cliffs, a heated swimming pool, and plenty of couples` spa therapies.

a number of people on a grassy area near a lake

  • Prime Location for Cabins and Camping: Big Sur Village and Southern Big Sur
    The basic cabins and outdoor areas near Big Sur Village are surrounded by vast redwood and pine forests, softly flowing creeks, and untouched mountain parks but also benefit from being close to an array of restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and the major visitor center at Big Sur Station. It`s difficult to outdo Riverside Campground & Cabins near Big Sur Village for the best prices. On the other hand, the scattered options in Southern Big Sur provide a slightly wilder, more tranquil experience, with crystal clear night skies visible, far fewer daily visitors, and fewer services. Kirk Creek Campground offers amazing views and clean vault toilets, though fresh water isn`t available on site and cellular reception is absent. The shaded Plaskett Creek Campground is right next to Sand Dollar Beach complete with flush toilets and potable water. Limekiln State Park Campground is directly inside the state park and provides showers and drinking water. Treebones Resort features dramatically situated tents, overlooking the ocean

The 6 Best Places in and Around Big Sur for Tourists

1. Northern Big Sur & Big Sur Village

a large body of water with mountains

Big Sur’s primary communities and service areas are located in the center of the region, with Big Sur Village, situated just north of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, stretching for around a mile along Hwy-1 and the Big Sur River. The location offers a wide selection of accommodations, as well as two gas stations and the Big Sur River Inn General Store (home to the Burrito Bar). Additional places to dine include Village Big Sur, which also has a yoga studio and art gallery, Big Sur Roadhouse, and Fernwood Tavern. A visitor`s center is situated at Big Sur Station (open daily from 9am–4pm; Phone: +1 831 667 2315), also the western terminus of the Pine Ridge Trail that cuts through the Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest. Nearby highlights incorporate Andrew Molera State Park, with miles of trails and a protected stretch of rocky shore, and the region’s most popular attraction, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. It features swimming in river pools, hikes on miles of forest trails, and the 60-foot Pfeiffer Falls – plus nearby Pfeiffer Beach. Sparsely populated northern Big Sur includes scenic Point Sur Lighthouse, photogenic Bixby Creek Bridge, and Garrapata State Park, just seven miles south of Carmel.

2. Loma Vista & Posts

a large body of water with palm trees

South of Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge, approximately 3.5 miles from Big Sur Village, another small collection of services denotes the neighboring Loma Vista and Posts communities. Along roughly a mile of Highway 1 is the region`s post office, a handful of art galleries, Big Sur Deli, the Big Sur Bakery, and several other dining establishments: Big Sur Smokehouse,Big Sur Taphouse, and historic Nepenthe. The Nepenthe complex also incorporates more affordable outdoor terrace Café Kevah and the Phoenix gift shop and bookstore. Additional attractions include the Henry Miller Memorial Library, commemorating the irascible author who resided nearby from 1944 to 1963 and wrote about it inBig Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch. Seven miles south of Posts is Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, best known for hiking paths to stunning McWay Falls, which cascades photogenically onto the beach of McWay Cove. The park also encompasses secluded Partington Cove, a rocky shore accessible through a stone-cut tunnel built in the 1880s.

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3. Southern Big Sur

a river filled with lots of rocks and trees

The lengthy, isolated stretch of Hwy-1 cutting through southern Big Sur features handful of campgrounds and places to remain. Three miles south of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park lies the small community of Slates Hot Springs, best known for the Esalen Institute. Once renowned as a Bohemian and hippie hangout, the institute now provides luxurious massage treatments and yoga workshops, though the Esalen Hot Springs remain available to non-guests. Another 12 miles south is Limekiln State Park Campground, denominated after the century-old kilns that still stand here and known for pretty Limekiln Falls, deep in the forest. Further south is Sand Dollar Beach, the longest stretch of (gravelly) beach in Big Sur ( Plaskett Creek Campground is nearby). Four miles south is the tiny community of Gorda, where there’s a gas station, deli, and Whale Watchers Café. From here it’s 12 miles to Ragged Point, past the Salmon Creek Falls. The restaurant at Ragged Point Inn is the last major snack stop before San Simeon.

4. San Simeon

a small town with a church on the side of it

The small community of San Simeon developed around the old fishing pier, once used to unload treasures for Hearst Castle (by far the region’s biggest attraction). In the past, San Simeon was a whaling and shipping harbor, but presently it’s a quiet little village. The circa-1852 Sebastian’s General Store & Café is currently home to the Hearst Ranch Winery, while at William Hearst Memorial State Beach, the Coastal Discovery Center features interactive exhibits charting the history of San Simeon and the offshore Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Roughly five miles north lies the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery, where huge elephant seals can generally be spied basking on the sand. San Simeon accommodation is all clustered along Hwy-1 south of Pico Creek, three miles south of the old harbor and the pier. Accommodation here tends to be economical, old-fashioned motels.

5. Cambria

a wooden bench sitting on top of a sandy beach `

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The St Christopher’s Inn hotel can be reached at +34931751401

6. Carmel-by-the Sea and Carmel Highlands

a large body of water with trees and mountains

Carmel-by-the-Sea (usually shortened to Carmel) denotes the northernmost point of the Big Sur region. Founded by creative figures and authors at the start of the twentieth century, the city presents an eclectic blend of boutiques, galleries, and theaters, along with eighteenth-century Spanish missions, delightfully off-kilter fairytale cottages, and the craggy stones of Tor House and Hawk Tower, whose poet/builder gained vast inspiration from the rugged encompassing landscape. Carmel’s stunning coastline is a combination of sandy beaches and rocky outcroppings swarming with wildlife on land and sea. Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, often called the “crown jewel of the State Park System,” provides miles of hiking trails, world-class scuba diving, and a nineteenth-century Whalers Cabin, initially established by shipwrecked Chinese sailors, now restored and operating as a museum. Just south of Point Lobos, Carmel Highlands is home to some of the most costly real estate in America, where numerous celebrities and elites keep vacation homes nestled on the clifftops overlooking wild shores. Carmel makes an ideal base for exploring Big Sur’s most dramatic sceneries by day with evenings spent in picturesque lanes with top-notch dining, festivities, and cultural touchstones at your fingertips.

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Welcome to my travel website! I’m Mary Howard, an American who has been exploring the world full-time for 8 years.

Together with my husband, Intan, we often find ourselves in our second home, Bali, but our adventures take us to exciting destinations all over the globe.

Join us on our journey!

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