Room at the Inn
Justifiable extravagance is the catch-cry of devotees to Northern California’s hidden paradise - the Post Ranch Inn
I’m never quite sure what to think of that breed of hotels charging exorbitant prices for the pleasure of sleeping in minimally furnished rooms with maximally-priced mini-bars. Are we paying for the interior design? For the high thread-count cotton sheets? Is it the cost of the over-sized shower head – and the ensuing water bill?
Or, in the case of Big Sur’s Post Ranch Inn, the security?
Six hours in to a road trip from Laguna Beach to San Francisco we happen across the subtlety sign-posted entrance and decide to stop for a spur-of-the-moment peak. We never make it past the first check-post.
“Do you have a reservation with us tonight?” asks the pleasantly efficient employee, clipboard in hand.
Umm, no, we admit.
“A reservation for the restaurant lunch, then?” she persists.
Actually, we were just driving past, we explain, and were hoping to zip up the drive for a little look. Just to see what all the fuss is about.
“Oh, no, I’m sorry,” she says, sounding anything but. “The hotel is open to residents and restaurant guests only. Have a nice day.”
Six months later, strolling from our cliff-top room to the outdoor Jacuzzi in fluffy white robes, I’m suddenly glad for their guard-at-the-gate mentality. Privacy, it would appear, is worth its weight in gold.
Consistently voted among the world’s top spa resorts, Post Ranch Inn is the ultimate romantic, luxury retreat. It’s located 330 miles north of Los Angeles and 150 miles south of San Francisco, placing it squarely in the midst of some of Northern California’s most stunning coastline. From our expansive Ocean House suite – built in to the cliff in the style of an über hip hobbit house – we enjoy uninterrupted views over the Pacific. A television free haven, the setting sun provides the perfect evening’s viewing. The roof is a carpet of wild flowers.
Of course it is this – the surrounding environment – that is one of the inn’s big draw-cards. Set on 98 acres of towering redwoods and lush meadows, the resort’s design brief must have read: “David Boon-meets-Mies van der Rohe”. Wooden beams and glass panels are the recurring theme, with stone fireplaces and slate bathtubs providing a country contrast to the minimalist furnishings.
The restaurant is similarly stunning. Hovering over the cliff edge, we sample some of the best food and wine Northern California has to offer. Both chef, Craig von Foerster, and wine director, Dominique DaCruz, lay claim to fistfuls of awards between them (among them Wine Spectator’s Grand Award and the Zagat award for best Californian restaurant). And if all this isn’t enough, there’s the outdoor pool shaded by redwoods, an immaculate, European-style spa, yoga classes, guided wildflower walks, and nightly star gazing with the resident astronomer.
For our part, it is only the appeal of a Jacuzzi dip at dusk which pulls us beyond the deck chairs thoughtfully placed in the privacy our own slice of grassy cliff-top. And those divine breakfasts – crunchy house-made muesli and fresh fruit enjoyed in the quiet peace of the restaurant terrace. Waves crash at the base of the cliffs some 1200 feet below.
Put together with the complimentary mini-bar, resounding quiet, and sincere, discreet service and suddenly what appeared extravagantly priced from afar is – quite frighteningly – all too reasonable.
What price happiness? It is this. It is this. It is this.
DETAILS:
There are 30 rooms – some with ocean, and some with mountain views – at the Post Ranch Inn, ranging in price from US$525 to US$1285 per night. Mountain-view rooms provide the least expensive options. For families or groups, there are also three houses available for rent, starting at US$1085 night.
There is a two-night minimum on stays in the three houses, with one-night stays available in any of the 30 rooms outside of weekends.
Post Ranch Inn, Highway 1 (between San Luis Obispo and Monterey, 30 miles south of Carmel). Phone +1 800 527 2200 or +1 831 667 2200. www.postranchinn.com.