Cliffside icon
Big Sur
Post Ranch Inn
Perched 1,200 feet above the Pacific on Highway 1, this 40-room adults-only sanctuary earned three Michelin Keys and remains the definitive Big Sur splurge.
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California · Big Sur & Carmel
Big Sur and Carmel, from the cliffs to the vines.
A tasting menu above the open Pacific, the Lone Cypress at golden hour, a vineyard patio in the valley sun. We plan the days only this coast can string together.
The destination, curated
Big Sur and Carmel hand you one of the great drives on Earth, Michelin-starred tables in a one-square-mile village, and whales over a submarine canyon, often inside the same weekend.
Ways to experience Big Sur & Carmel
Six trips, one place.
Start with the version of Big Sur & Carmel you came for. Each is designed end to end, with the activities and stays that fit.
For two
Luxury Honeymoon
The rare coast where high romance and raw nature sit side by side. We weave both into the days.
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For families
Private Family Villa
Separate rooms, private decks, and a working farm, in the sunniest corner of the peninsula.
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Active and restorative
Adventure & Wellness
Bookend the hard-charging days with deep recovery, in the redwoods and along the open coast.
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For groups
Private Group Retreat
Reunions, milestones, and offsites, on an estate built to gather and to scatter.
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For food lovers
Food & Chef Experience
The peninsula's serious kitchens, paired with the producers behind the plates.
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Comfortable and inclusive
Accessible Luxury Travel
You can savor this coast without a single hard climb, and the big views come from the road.
ExploreWhere to stay
A cliffside icon, a forest retreat, a village inn.
The peninsula keeps its great hotels in three distinct moods: the open cliffs of Big Sur, the sun-warmed vineyards of Carmel Valley, and the walkable heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
All-inclusive forest
Big Sur
Alila Ventana Big Sur
A 160-acre adults-only retreat of 54 rooms with Japanese hot baths and redwood groves, on an all-inclusive rate that folds in dining and wellbeing.
Visit official siteRelais and Chateaux
Carmel-by-the-Sea
L'Auberge Carmel
An intimate 20-room Relais and Chateaux hideaway in the heart of walkable Carmel, home to the two-Michelin-star Aubergine.
Visit official siteWine-country luxury
Carmel Valley
Bernardus Lodge and Spa
A 73-room estate on 28 acres of vineyards and gardens, pairing a 5,200-square-foot spa with its own-label Bernardus wines.
Visit official siteAll-suite family
Carmel Valley
Carmel Valley Ranch
A 500-acre all-suite ranch in the sunny Santa Lucia Mountains with a Pete Dye golf course, a working farm, and hands-on farmstead programming.
Visit official siteHistoric oceanfront
Carmel Highlands
Hyatt Carmel Highlands
A 1917-built clifftop hotel with sweeping Pacific views and oceanfront dining, minutes from the trails of Point Lobos.
Visit official siteWhere to eat
Tasting menus framed by the open Pacific.
The peninsula punches far above its size at the table, from clifftop tasting rooms over the ocean to a pair of Michelin-starred jewels tucked into the village streets.
Cliff-edge tasting
Big Sur
Sierra Mar
Post Ranch Inn's farm-driven dining room offers an ingredient-led tasting menu through floor-to-ceiling windows above the Pacific, backed by a Wine Spectator Grand Award cellar.
Visit official siteTwo Michelin stars
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Aubergine
Chef Justin Cogley's eight-course seasonal tasting menu at L'Auberge Carmel earned a second Michelin star in 2024, served beside a 3,700-bottle cellar.
Visit official siteOne Michelin star
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Chez Noir
Chef Jonny Black and Monique Black's seafood-centric prix-fixe is a community-driven, one-Michelin-star jewel tucked into the village streets.
Visit official siteGarden-to-table
Carmel Valley
Lucia Restaurant and Bar
Bernardus Lodge's Forbes Four-Star dining room builds California-regional plates around its organic kitchen garden, honey, and an award-winning 5,000-bottle cellar.
Visit official siteIconic coastal classic
Big Sur
Nepenthe
Open since 1949 and perched 800 feet above the ocean, Nepenthe pairs sweeping coastal views with California fare and the famed Ambrosia Burger.
Visit official siteResort farm-to-fork
Carmel Valley
Valley Kitchen
Carmel Valley Ranch's signature restaurant serves vibrant indoor-outdoor dining drawn from the resort's own farm and local producers.
Visit official siteThe great drive
Bixby Bridge, the Lone Cypress, the crown jewel.
This is one of the most photographed coastlines on Earth, from the open-spandrel arch at Bixby Creek to the toll loop past the Lone Cypress and the headlands of Point Lobos.
The McWay Falls overlook trail is closed for a retaining-wall project running into 2026, though the falls remain viewable from a small Highway 1 pullout. We confirm same-day Highway 1 conditions before any drive.
Legendary coastal route
Big Sur
Highway 1, Big Sur Coast
The 72-mile Cambria-to-Carmel stretch was California's first designated Scenic Highway, threading cliffs, coves, and redwoods along the Pacific.
Visit official siteMost-photographed span
Big Sur
Bixby Creek Bridge
Built in 1932 about 15 miles south of Carmel, this open-spandrel arch is one of the most photographed bridges on the West Coast. Stopping on the bridge itself is prohibited.
Visit official sitePrivate coastal loop
Pebble Beach
17-Mile Drive
A toll loop through Pebble Beach past the Lone Cypress, Spanish Bay dunes, and the 18th at Pebble Beach, with the gate fee credited toward resort dining over $35.
Visit official siteCrown jewel of the coast
Carmel
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Often called the crown jewel of California's state parks, with coves, sea otters, and cypress headlands three miles south of Carmel.
Visit official site80-foot tidefall
Big Sur
McWay Falls
An 80-foot waterfall that drops onto a hidden cove beach inside Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, viewable from a Highway 1 pullout.
Visit official sitePurple sand and Keyhole Arch
Big Sur
Pfeiffer Beach
Reached by a narrow road off Highway 1, a wind-sculpted cove famous for its purple-tinged sand and the wave-pierced Keyhole Arch that glows at winter sunset.
Visit official siteOn foot
Redwood canyons and cypress headlands.
The peninsula's trails range from river-gorge redwoods beneath the Santa Lucia peaks to short, dramatic coastal loops where gray whales pass close to shore.
Coastal headland loops
Carmel
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Cypress Grove, Bird Island, and Sea Lion Point loops deliver some of the most scenic short coastal hikes on the peninsula.
Visit official siteRedwood river canyon
Big Sur
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Redwood and oak trails along the Big Sur River Gorge beneath the Santa Lucia peaks, 26 miles south of Carmel. No ocean access in this park.
Visit official siteRivermouth and bluffs
Big Sur
Andrew Molera State Park
Nearly 5,000 mostly undeveloped acres with 15 miles of trails to the Big Sur Rivermouth and a Condor Discovery Center, 20 miles south of Carmel.
Visit official siteCoast and ridge trails
Big Sur
Garrapata State Park
Two miles of beach plus the steep Soberanes Canyon and Rocky Ridge loops, with seasonal wildflowers and frequent gray-whale sightings.
Visit official siteMcWay Falls trails
Big Sur
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Home to McWay Falls plus inland redwoods and the Partington Cove tunnel walk, 37 miles south of Carmel.
Visit official siteBeach and lagoon walk
Carmel
Carmel River State Beach and Trails
A mile-long strand south of Carmel with the Carmelite Monastery above and the gentle lagoon-and-bluff path connecting toward the headlands of Point Lobos.
Visit official siteSpa and stillness
Clifftop healing and vineyard treatments.
Recovery here means an outdoor thermal cycle, a redwood-shrouded sanctuary, or a grape-and-garden treatment among the vines, with the open Pacific never far.
Outdoor thermal cycle
Carmel Valley
Refuge
America's first co-ed outdoor relaxation spa, with hot pools, cold plunges, a Himalayan salt sauna, and eucalyptus steam across a hydrothermal cycle.
Visit official siteCliffside healing arts
Big Sur
The Spa at Post Ranch Inn
A clifftop spa of body therapies, shamanic and crystal sessions, and guided experiences set against the open Pacific.
Visit official siteForest sanctuary
Big Sur
Spa Aiyana at Alila Ventana Big Sur
A redwood-shrouded spa weaving Big Sur botanicals into massage, facials, and Japanese-bath wellbeing rituals.
Visit official siteVineyard wellness
Carmel Valley
The Spa at Bernardus Lodge
A 5,200-square-foot vineyard spa offering grape-and-garden-inspired treatments, couples rooms, and dedicated wellness programming.
Visit official siteHilltop ranch
Carmel Valley
Spa at Carmel Valley Ranch
A hilltop spa pairing locally sourced treatments with yoga, lavender from the resort's own plantings, and valley views.
Visit official siteCliffside hot springs
Big Sur
Esalen Institute
The legendary cliffside retreat center on Highway 1, where clothing-optional hot-spring baths perched above the surf are open to overnight workshop guests and by limited late-night reservation.
Visit official siteIn the glass
A walkable village pour and valley estates.
Wine tasting splits between the one-square-mile village, where roughly 14 rooms sit within a stroll, and the estate patios of Carmel Valley along the river.
Estate flagship
Carmel Valley
Bernardus Winery Tasting Room
The first tasting room ever opened in Carmel Valley, in 1994, pouring estate Bordeaux blends and Chardonnay on the patio or in the renovated Pon room.
Visit official siteGarden and live music
Carmel Valley
Folktale Winery and Vineyards
Fifteen sustainably farmed acres along the Carmel River with daily reservation-based tastings, weekend live music, and a lively wine-garden scene.
Visit official siteSelf-guided village tasting
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Carmel-by-the-Sea Wine Walk
A self-guided trail through roughly 14 walkable tasting rooms in the one-square-mile village, from Caraccioli to Silvestri and Dawn's Dream.
Visit official siteSparkling and Pinot
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Caraccioli Cellars
A family-owned Santa Lucia Highlands estate known for traditional-method sparkling wine and Pinot Noir, poured in an elegant Dolores Street salon.
Visit official siteMonterey-grown estate
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Scheid Family Wines
A sustainably farmed Monterey grower with a downtown Carmel tasting room showcasing single-vineyard bottlings from the cool Salinas Valley.
Visit official siteHistoric estate pours
Carmel Valley
Holman Ranch Tasting Room
A historic 1928 Carmel Valley estate pouring estate-grown Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc in a stone-walled village tasting room on Carmel Valley Road.
Visit official siteOn the course
The most celebrated public golf in America.
Pebble Beach anchors a stretch of public golf without equal, from the oceanfront links that host the U.S. Open to the oldest course west of the Mississippi.
World-famous oceanfront
Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach Golf Links
The most celebrated public course in America, hugging the cliffs of Carmel Bay and a regular U.S. Open and AT&T Pro-Am host.
Visit official siteDunes and forest test
Pebble Beach
Spyglass Hill Golf Course
A Robert Trent Jones Sr. design that opens through Spanish Bay dunes before turning into the Del Monte Forest, widely rated among the toughest public courses.
Visit official siteScottish-style links
Pebble Beach
The Links at Spanish Bay
A windswept, links-inspired course along the dunes where a lone bagpiper plays out each sunset.
Visit official siteOnly NorCal Pete Dye bentgrass
Carmel Valley
Carmel Valley Ranch Golf
A par-70 Pete Dye design, the only Pete Dye bentgrass course in Northern California, with dramatic elevation changes and valley panoramas.
Visit official siteOldest course west of the Mississippi
Monterey
Del Monte Golf Course
Open since 1897 and the oldest continuously operating course west of the Mississippi, a classic, walkable parkland layout near downtown Monterey.
Visit official sitePar-3 short course
Pebble Beach
The Hay at Pebble Beach
A Tiger Woods-designed nine-hole par-3 short course on the historic Peter Hay grounds, lit for evening play and ideal for families and a quick round before dinner.
Visit official siteOn the water
Whales over the submarine canyon.
Monterey Bay sits above one of the deepest submarine canyons on the coast, putting whales close to shore year-round, with biologist-led tours and daily sails from the wharf.
Whale watching runs year-round, with gray-whale migration peaking southbound around late December and January and northbound mothers and calves into spring.
Marine-biologist-led
Monterey
Monterey Bay Whale Watch
Year-round whale trips led by marine biologists, including owner Nancy Black, departing Old Fisherman's Wharf and ranked among the top U.S. operators.
Visit official siteDaily catamaran sails
Monterey
Sail Monterey
The only daily sailing-cruise provider on Old Fisherman's Wharf, offering bay sails, sunset appetizer cruises, private charters, and ASA lessons.
Visit official siteLarge-vessel comfort
Monterey
Princess Monterey Whale Watching
A long-running fleet of stable, spacious vessels running multiple daily whale departures with onboard naturalists.
Visit official siteSmall-group
Moss Landing
Blue Ocean Whale Watch
A small-group, family-run operation launching from Moss Landing at the edge of the deep Monterey Submarine Canyon for close marine-mammal encounters.
Visit official siteNaturalist-guided
Monterey
Discovery Whale Watch
Daily naturalist-guided whale tours from Fisherman's Wharf covering Monterey Bay's resident and migratory whale populations.
Visit official siteOtters and kelp forest
Monterey
Monterey Bay Kayaks
Guided sea-kayak and stand-up paddle tours from Monterey and Elkhorn Slough, gliding past sea otters, harbor seals, and kelp forests in calm, protected water.
Visit official siteWhen to go
Timing is the whole trip.
Summer fog season (Jun to Aug)
A thick marine layer often hangs along the shore through mid-morning and can return by late afternoon, cooling the coast while inland Carmel Valley stays sunnier and warmer.
The clearest months (Sep to Oct)
The local secret season brings the warmest, clearest coastal stretch, with calm seas and the year's best Big Sur visibility.
Green spring (Apr to May)
Green hillsides and wildflowers arrive, at their best along the ridge and canyon trails of Garrapata State Park.
Winter whales (Dec to Mar)
The wettest period is also prime gray-whale migration, with peak southbound numbers around late December and January and northbound mothers and calves into spring.
Your Big Sur & Carmel
Let us build the Big Sur & Carmel you came for.
Tell us the shape of the trip you can already picture. A concierge fills in everything still open and sends back a plan, not a quote.